We always like to have a wander through towns to get a feel for the place. Sometimes they hold surprises, like the grain store with a few chooks next door or a goat or sheep keeping a vacant block mowed. … Continue reading Balranald a town of surprises
June 2018, Rollingstone, Qld The midges are winning. I’ve tried Bushmans, The Locals, long clothes and Elle’s pungent mixture of baby oil and Dettol. Elle’s mixture is the only one that does a half decent job of warding off the … Continue reading Of midges and tides and lazing in the tropics
Some people count sheep, if I can’t sleep I count the towns that we’ve visited on the current trip. It works every time. Which reminds me of a story we heard in Karijini National Park in WA back in 2015: “At the (Karijini) visitor’s centre we learn about the history of the area and life for the Aborigines after the Europeans arrived. There is a delightful story about a woman who learned to count while mustering sheep, all 29,000 of them.” Continue reading Can’t sleep?
Aug 2018, Gwydir River, Bingara, NSW A walk in the winter sun along the riverbank where horses graze and giant gums stand high upon ten feet long roots washed clean by past floods and home to spiders and the like. Is it any wonder then that this poem comes to mind and circles my brain like the painted horses on a merry go round? The Spider by the Gwydir By Anonymous By the sluggish River Gwydir Lived a wicked red-backed spider, Who was just about as vicious as could be: And the place that he was camped in Was a … Continue reading By the Gwydir
Aug 2019, Bingara, NSW Australian country towns have a wonderful history of Greek Cafes. In Bingara, NSW you’ll find a fine example of this memorable era. Tours are available and ours was conducted by a descendant of a Greek immigrant … Continue reading Roxy Theatre
Aug, 2018, Bingara, NSW Bingara’s Main Street is a short walk away from the caravan park and a pleasant surprise. It is a neat town with memorials to the doctor and chemist. There are murals on the walls and a grand court house and then there’s the Roxy Theatre. Wearily we drop into the Imperial Hotel’s Gwydir Bar for a drink. There’s a fire burning and a friendly barmaid who has escaped the city (Ipswich) for the community lifestyle of Bingara. As we are dog tired and wanting to tour the town’s Roxy Theatre we decide to stay another day. … Continue reading Bingara
Sometimes we query signs as we whizz by “Did that say what I think it did?” Monto, Qld “Monto Stockman’s store, Open 7 days unless closed” Mulgildie Pub, Qld Beside a picture of past prime minister Paul Keating – “The … Continue reading Signs of life in Queensland
March 2015 The weather is warm and the shower was so refreshing, I reach for a nice fluffy towel and as I dry myself I realise that ants have nested in it overnight and now I’m being bitten from head to toe. Ouch, ouch, ouch! Continue reading Constant Companions
At Stingray Bay in Warrnambool there are two small islands, Merri Island and Middle Island. These two islands are home to Little Penguins whose numbers have been diminishing due to attacks by foxes. Since 2006 Italian Maremma Guardian Dogs have been used to protect the penguins and other birdlife. The penguin numbers are now increasing. Sound familiar? Well the movie ‘Oddball’ was based on the work of these amazing dogs. Continue reading Stingray Bay
With a length of 2508kms and including its tributaries the Darling, Culgoa, Balonne and Condamine rivers, a length of 2740kms makes the Murray River Australia’s longest waterway and the third longest navigable river in the world (from Hume Dam to … Continue reading The Mighty Murray
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