Gatepost

Dec 2019, Yackandandah, Vic There’s nothing more evocative than an old fence post. I’m sure an expert in these matters would be able to date this one. To me, well it takes me back to my childhood. A time when a new fence was built. Me a goofy little country kid in gumboots watching my Dad and our neighbour Ted planting the star pickets and straining the wires.   Continue reading Gatepost

Tangambalanga

Here’s one for the readers who are fascinated by Aussie place names. When I took this photo just prior to Christmas, Tangambalanga, Vic was bathed in light smoke from the Sydney bushfires. I was going to use the photo for an entirely different story based around some folks we met last year. Now this pretty dairying centre on the Kiewa River close to Tallangatta has its own fire concerns with fronts on both the south and the east of town. For overseas readers who wish to get an understanding of the extent of these bushfires, the maps on these Victorian … Continue reading Tangambalanga

Yackandandah Streetscape

Dec 2019, Yackandandah, Vic We recently spent a few restful days visiting a friend in Yackandandah, Vic. This delightful small town is one of those places that the world forgot for a time and thus now its commercial precinct is heritage listed. Residential streets are adorned with Victorian era cottages and rambling flower gardens. Nestled in a small valley crisscrossed with small burbling creeks it is usually busy with day trippers from the larger towns in North Eastern Victoria. We got lucky, the streets were quiet, the weather was warm, and the town was draped in a pre-Christmas hush. The … Continue reading Yackandandah Streetscape

Lunchtime time travelling

Winter 2018, Warwick, Qld At Warwick the sky is blue and clear but there’s a wintry chill wind, even the statues are wearing woollen scarves. Parked outside someone’s house we dash into the van and do a quick change from T shirts and shorts into warm winter clothes and go off in search of a bakery pie. (Gosh it’s handy towing your wardrobe behind you). Instead of a forgettable bakery pie, we find a snippet of 1950’s Italian Australian history. The Belle Vue cafe, pressed metal ceilings, Laminex tables and matching vinyl chairs and a pretty damned good lasagne. Oooh, … Continue reading Lunchtime time travelling