Dear family and Friends
We are in Orange at the moment catching up with Mum and Dad. How did we get here? Well the answer is that we decided we would come home and be in Melbourne for Leanne's 27th birthday. Justin, Sharon and Lachlan all have birthday's before Christmas so we thought we would come home for a while.
So we head off from here tomorrow and will probably be home (in Bairnsdale ) by Sunday.
With love to one and all.
Ken and Lyn
Friday, October 21, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Goomeri
Dear Family and Friends
We are spending this weekend at the Showground at Goomeri as the car races are on at Bathurst. Goomeri is just a small town 15klms from Murgon which is not all that far from Kingaroy. Ken spotted the showgrounds as it is on the main highway and there was already one other caravan here so we pulled in to see how much it was and decide if we would stop or go further on.
After farewelling the children and Barb and Laurie we stayed another couple of nights before setting off ourselves. We back tracked along the Capricorn Highway stopping at Emerald again to get some groceries and then driving further till we came to a free spot at Dauringa. We have stayed here before and chose this spot again as there is water available. From Dauringo we turned south just before Westwood onto the Burnett Hwy travelling through Biloela stopping at a little spot called Lawgi Park which didn't seem to even make it to a map. It was just a little spot where you could pull in. It suited us for the night and there were six others joining us for the night. The following morning we set off again for a long day of travelling till we reached Goomeri where we are now.
We had a bad storm here in the early morning yesterday. Lightening, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain all within a span of less than two hours. I spent much of the morning listening to the radio as they talked about where it hit and how bad the damage was. Lots of the usual Saturday morning activities were cancelled and the SES had been called out to a number of locations to clear away debris from trees and the damage done to houses. The storm hit suddenly at about 8am so there was a mad scramble to pack away our chairs and tables etc and to get the awning folded up before it was ripped off its hinges.
Tomorrow we head off again but to where we really don't know except to say that we will be back in Bairnsdale for Christmas.
So for now I shall close
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
We are spending this weekend at the Showground at Goomeri as the car races are on at Bathurst. Goomeri is just a small town 15klms from Murgon which is not all that far from Kingaroy. Ken spotted the showgrounds as it is on the main highway and there was already one other caravan here so we pulled in to see how much it was and decide if we would stop or go further on.
After farewelling the children and Barb and Laurie we stayed another couple of nights before setting off ourselves. We back tracked along the Capricorn Highway stopping at Emerald again to get some groceries and then driving further till we came to a free spot at Dauringa. We have stayed here before and chose this spot again as there is water available. From Dauringo we turned south just before Westwood onto the Burnett Hwy travelling through Biloela stopping at a little spot called Lawgi Park which didn't seem to even make it to a map. It was just a little spot where you could pull in. It suited us for the night and there were six others joining us for the night. The following morning we set off again for a long day of travelling till we reached Goomeri where we are now.
We had a bad storm here in the early morning yesterday. Lightening, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain all within a span of less than two hours. I spent much of the morning listening to the radio as they talked about where it hit and how bad the damage was. Lots of the usual Saturday morning activities were cancelled and the SES had been called out to a number of locations to clear away debris from trees and the damage done to houses. The storm hit suddenly at about 8am so there was a mad scramble to pack away our chairs and tables etc and to get the awning folded up before it was ripped off its hinges.
Tomorrow we head off again but to where we really don't know except to say that we will be back in Bairnsdale for Christmas.
So for now I shall close
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
More photos
Lachlan with Chester
Natalya and Lachlan saying their goodbyes
Lachlan with Chesternatalya with Chester
Chester enjoying a nap on one of the chairs
Chester enjoying a nap on one of the chairs
Monday, October 3, 2011
Grandchildren
Dear Family and Friends.
Did you notice the picture of Chester in our previous photos? Chester is a 2 year old cross between a Pomeranian and a Pappillon and is our new pet. There is a long story to our getting him so here goes.
Background info - Friends of ours from the Willows who have a Winnebago and one of these dogs named Milo were away for a few days and we were unsure exactly when they were coming home.
As usual we took our weekly run into Emerald to fuel up, get water and do a grocery run. As we have done before we go down to the free camp area to see how many people there are there. As we drove in I spotted this little dog like Milo tied up under a Winnebago and I thought it was Trevor. So Ken turned around and we went back to stop and say hello. When we pulled up Ken walked around the Winny to find it that it wasn't Trevor after all. Whilst Ken was talking to the chap the women came over to chat to me as I hadn't got out of the car. We talked about pets and how we still missed having a pet and that Ken was constantly looking on the internet at homeless dogs. During our conversation the woman said "you can have this one" her reason being they were from Tasmania and they were on the way up to the top end and they had decided they didn't want to take the dog into the heat. No more was said and we waved goodbye and went over to the shopping centre to get something for lunch.
As we got talking about the coincidence of seeing a Winny and a dog like Milo Ken commented about how good the little dog was as he hadn't barked and was well behaved. I said to him that the women said we could have him if we wanted him. So after hearing about my conversation we went back to see if she was serious, which she was. Again we left to "think about it" A couple of days later we decidedd not to take him, so we rang them to decline. Then a short while later we realised that we were rather disappointed and decided to call them back and say yes. Having said yes we made arrangements to meet again and make a final decision if we wanted him and for them to be sure we would look after him properly.
So Chester is now part of our family and we are pleased we took him. He has a lovely personality and doesn't yap for no reason (we didn't hear him bark untill two days after we got him) and he is good with both kids and other dogs. He sleeps on the chair in his bed and doesn't wake till around 6.30 - 7.00 am when one of us gets up to take him for a walk. It's nice to have a pet again, even though it means we can't go into any national parks and other places with him. We decided we would deal with each problem as it arises .... like going shopping together when you can;t take a dog.
We have just spent a couple of days with Barb and Laurie AND our two eldest grandchildren, Natalya and Lachlan. The children had come up to Windorah to stay with Barb and Laurie for the school holidays and seeing we were so close they decided that if it was possible we would meet up and spend some time together. The kids had not been told that we would be here at Jericho to meet them and what a surprise they got when they saw us. The kids just thought they were going somewhere to camp for a few days. Naturally Barb saw us before the kids did and she said to them "Oh look those people have a satellite dish. Do you think they will let us watch their TV." Natalya's response was "As If". Then they saw us and couldn't get out of he car quick enough.
Jericho is on the Jordan River (Yes we have been here before) and so with the lovely weather we were having Lachlan was able to fish and Natalya was able to swim. In no time Lachlan was able to caste his rod almost to the opposite bank of the river. He was very patient and hopeful getting some bites but unfortunately no catches. Natalya surprised us because she loved swimming and duck diving under the water to find the many mussels that were in the bottom of the river. (The biggest any of us ever seen). Plus they loved playing with Chester. Lachlan in particular loved taking him for a run or was it Chester taking Lachlan for a run..... I'm not sure.
Either way they all had lots of fun.
Before the kids arrived there had been at least two sightings of snakes in as many days. One lady came over to warn us to watch the dog as they had a snake pass under their caravan the afternoon before and even as we were talking a women came over to say there was a snake sliding through the camp area. So with Kids and dogs we were exceptionally cautious. The kids weren't to go to the toilet on their own and they had to be in front of us when playing with the dog.
I asked Laurie if they had experienced a dust storm at Windorah as yet and he said "no". Well we have, now. The day after they left we had a terrible day of winds. You couldn't be outside as it was so dusty. It wasn't a true dust storm but here at Jericho they are building levee banks as they have been flooded too many times and with winds around the 80 -100 klms an hour a lot of loose soil was blowing around. Everything was covered in dust and grit. The chairs and tables and whatever was outside was covered in it as was every surface in the van. I think Barb and Laurie would have caught the winds on their way home as they were coming from a westerly direction.
That's it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Yes we have finally left the Willows and said goodbye to our friends there and hoping to come back again during the winter months.
Did you notice the picture of Chester in our previous photos? Chester is a 2 year old cross between a Pomeranian and a Pappillon and is our new pet. There is a long story to our getting him so here goes.
Background info - Friends of ours from the Willows who have a Winnebago and one of these dogs named Milo were away for a few days and we were unsure exactly when they were coming home.
As usual we took our weekly run into Emerald to fuel up, get water and do a grocery run. As we have done before we go down to the free camp area to see how many people there are there. As we drove in I spotted this little dog like Milo tied up under a Winnebago and I thought it was Trevor. So Ken turned around and we went back to stop and say hello. When we pulled up Ken walked around the Winny to find it that it wasn't Trevor after all. Whilst Ken was talking to the chap the women came over to chat to me as I hadn't got out of the car. We talked about pets and how we still missed having a pet and that Ken was constantly looking on the internet at homeless dogs. During our conversation the woman said "you can have this one" her reason being they were from Tasmania and they were on the way up to the top end and they had decided they didn't want to take the dog into the heat. No more was said and we waved goodbye and went over to the shopping centre to get something for lunch.
As we got talking about the coincidence of seeing a Winny and a dog like Milo Ken commented about how good the little dog was as he hadn't barked and was well behaved. I said to him that the women said we could have him if we wanted him. So after hearing about my conversation we went back to see if she was serious, which she was. Again we left to "think about it" A couple of days later we decidedd not to take him, so we rang them to decline. Then a short while later we realised that we were rather disappointed and decided to call them back and say yes. Having said yes we made arrangements to meet again and make a final decision if we wanted him and for them to be sure we would look after him properly.
So Chester is now part of our family and we are pleased we took him. He has a lovely personality and doesn't yap for no reason (we didn't hear him bark untill two days after we got him) and he is good with both kids and other dogs. He sleeps on the chair in his bed and doesn't wake till around 6.30 - 7.00 am when one of us gets up to take him for a walk. It's nice to have a pet again, even though it means we can't go into any national parks and other places with him. We decided we would deal with each problem as it arises .... like going shopping together when you can;t take a dog.
We have just spent a couple of days with Barb and Laurie AND our two eldest grandchildren, Natalya and Lachlan. The children had come up to Windorah to stay with Barb and Laurie for the school holidays and seeing we were so close they decided that if it was possible we would meet up and spend some time together. The kids had not been told that we would be here at Jericho to meet them and what a surprise they got when they saw us. The kids just thought they were going somewhere to camp for a few days. Naturally Barb saw us before the kids did and she said to them "Oh look those people have a satellite dish. Do you think they will let us watch their TV." Natalya's response was "As If". Then they saw us and couldn't get out of he car quick enough.
Jericho is on the Jordan River (Yes we have been here before) and so with the lovely weather we were having Lachlan was able to fish and Natalya was able to swim. In no time Lachlan was able to caste his rod almost to the opposite bank of the river. He was very patient and hopeful getting some bites but unfortunately no catches. Natalya surprised us because she loved swimming and duck diving under the water to find the many mussels that were in the bottom of the river. (The biggest any of us ever seen). Plus they loved playing with Chester. Lachlan in particular loved taking him for a run or was it Chester taking Lachlan for a run..... I'm not sure.
Either way they all had lots of fun.
Before the kids arrived there had been at least two sightings of snakes in as many days. One lady came over to warn us to watch the dog as they had a snake pass under their caravan the afternoon before and even as we were talking a women came over to say there was a snake sliding through the camp area. So with Kids and dogs we were exceptionally cautious. The kids weren't to go to the toilet on their own and they had to be in front of us when playing with the dog.
I asked Laurie if they had experienced a dust storm at Windorah as yet and he said "no". Well we have, now. The day after they left we had a terrible day of winds. You couldn't be outside as it was so dusty. It wasn't a true dust storm but here at Jericho they are building levee banks as they have been flooded too many times and with winds around the 80 -100 klms an hour a lot of loose soil was blowing around. Everything was covered in dust and grit. The chairs and tables and whatever was outside was covered in it as was every surface in the van. I think Barb and Laurie would have caught the winds on their way home as they were coming from a westerly direction.
That's it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Snake Bite
Dear Family and Friends
Nothing has changed as yet. We are still Willows but we plan t0 leave Monday but we are open open to change.
What have we done since our last blog? Sewing and Pottery have now finished untill the tourist season next year. Annette, Val and I continued sewing till we finished our last projects. It was so quiet with just the three of us but we had a really nice time.
The rec club is down to opening just on Saturday Sunday nights now and once they use up all the leftover fish and chips it too will close till next season.
Ken and I took a drive to Springsure last week. After checking what the road was like we decided to take the dirt road as we were told the road was graded and wasn't too bad. The road was fine and Springsure was a fairly small community so it didn't take us long to have lunch and take little look around. The landscape changed as we got closer to the town as mountainous crags seemed to dwarf over you.
Just on the edge of town is Mt Zambia and Virgin Rock. The Virgin Rock was named this as a feature on the rock resembles the statue of the virgin mother with child. Time has eroded the rock somewhat and the feature is not so readily noticeable as it once was. Even so we didn't have any trouble finding the section where this likeness can be found.
Ricky, Sharon, Tracy, a friend of the girls, and myself went on a girls day out to Capella and Clermont. All up it was a close to three hundred klms round trip. the purpose for going was that Tracy wanted to cheque out the op shops and she had been told there was a couple of good ones at both Capella and Clermont. Tracy is wanting to start selling stuff on E Bay and she was looking for items that she could use. We all bought something so we all came home happy with our purchases.
I mentioned that a few snakes have been seen recently and I have now seen two, thankfully on both occasions I was in the car and they were on the road. We did have a big scare here this past weekend on Sunday night. If you have followed our blog you might remember us telling you about Geoff who is known buy everyone as Spider Man because he has a whole room in house where he keeps and breads spiders and scorpians. Geoff was at home and went out to the car to wind up the car windows. As he opened the door and reached for the handle a brown snake, one of the most deadliest, reared up from under the car in an aggressive way. They have three dogs and one of them must have been aware that the snake was there because at that same moment Rosie their dog jumped at the snake. She caught the snake in her mouth about six or seven inches below the head and started shaking it to break its back but unfortunately as she was shaking it the head of the snake shook from side to side. As a result Rosie was bitten by the snake. In just a few minutes they realised that Geoff missed a snake bite by millimetres but Rosie hadn't, she had been bit. Geoff jumped in the shower with Rosie in his arms and turned on the cold water as this cools the body and slows the blood flow and lowers the adreniline level. While Geoff was in the shower Madds (Geoffs partner) rang the vet to have him at the vets ready with the right injection for Rosie for when they got there. It took them less 30 minutes to get in there. They were very lucky. Rosie survived, ....just ...., it was touch and go for a while.
We have also done some more fossicking. While Ken was helping Ricky fill up their 1000 litre water tanks I went out to their dig and got three good buckets full of wash. I got a doozie of a blister for my efforts and a small number of stones and one dog's tooth. A dog's tooth got its name because it looks exactly like a dogs tooth. It is the end of a crystal that has broken off. Its
not good enough to have it faceted but it is good enough for us to have it polished and have a clasp fitted. It's made a nice little necklace which is our first piece of stone that we have dug ourselves. It is possible that a couple of the other stones may be faceted but they will only be small stones if they are.
That's it for now.
Love to one and all Ken and Lyn
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wllows
Dear Family and Friends
At the risk of being monotonous we are STILL at Willows. It is a totally different place than what it was a few weeks ago. It has become a sleepy little quiet town. Sharon and Ricki are still not wholly well yet. They seem to get a bit better and then it hits them all over again. Pottery has now closed down till next year. It becomes too hot to do it in the summer months. There are just three left attending sewing. Val, the park owner, Annette who lives near Lithgow and myself. We have continued to sew whilst Annette and I are here as it extends the time Val has company for sewing.
The local fire Brigade did a burn off last weekend and at one stage the fire got away on them. the fire actually went under a house on stilts. The owners don't live here permanently but they would have been very worried if they had. The animal life were on the move pretty quickly. We often see kangaroos in and around the streets so it wasn't a surprise to see them hoping around but I also saw Betons and little Pottaroos which I think are one and the same. Quite a few snakes have been seen lately. One chap in the caravan park had one crawl in his annex so he made lots of noise so it would leave plus there have been others seen in the park over the last few weeks. A couple of King Browns have been seen crossing the road and just today Shitty Kitty brought a small dead King Brown home minus its head. So we try and keep alert at all times.
We went out to Sharon and Ricki's dig area and brought back another three buckets of wash to do and we got lucky. No brilliant star sapphire but what is called a dog tooth. It is a part of the top of a crystal. It can't be faceted but it can be polished so we are having than done and then we will put a clasp on it and then use it as a necklace. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Barry, Ken's mate has headed home to Sydney and was quite surprised when he spoke to Ken today and found that we are still here.
We are off into Emerald tomorrow to do some shopping before we move on so that's about it from me for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
At the risk of being monotonous we are STILL at Willows. It is a totally different place than what it was a few weeks ago. It has become a sleepy little quiet town. Sharon and Ricki are still not wholly well yet. They seem to get a bit better and then it hits them all over again. Pottery has now closed down till next year. It becomes too hot to do it in the summer months. There are just three left attending sewing. Val, the park owner, Annette who lives near Lithgow and myself. We have continued to sew whilst Annette and I are here as it extends the time Val has company for sewing.
The local fire Brigade did a burn off last weekend and at one stage the fire got away on them. the fire actually went under a house on stilts. The owners don't live here permanently but they would have been very worried if they had. The animal life were on the move pretty quickly. We often see kangaroos in and around the streets so it wasn't a surprise to see them hoping around but I also saw Betons and little Pottaroos which I think are one and the same. Quite a few snakes have been seen lately. One chap in the caravan park had one crawl in his annex so he made lots of noise so it would leave plus there have been others seen in the park over the last few weeks. A couple of King Browns have been seen crossing the road and just today Shitty Kitty brought a small dead King Brown home minus its head. So we try and keep alert at all times.
We went out to Sharon and Ricki's dig area and brought back another three buckets of wash to do and we got lucky. No brilliant star sapphire but what is called a dog tooth. It is a part of the top of a crystal. It can't be faceted but it can be polished so we are having than done and then we will put a clasp on it and then use it as a necklace. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Barry, Ken's mate has headed home to Sydney and was quite surprised when he spoke to Ken today and found that we are still here.
We are off into Emerald tomorrow to do some shopping before we move on so that's about it from me for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Willows
Dear Family and Friends
Since Gem Fest there has been less and less people around. People are calling in to say farewell and the two caravan parks have more people leaving now than coming in and most people are saying that they will be back again next year.
At the moment there is a nasty flue bug going around and some people who have left are taking it home with them. Ricky and Sharon both have it. Ricky got it first followed by Sharon and they have both been very sick. So sick that this weekend they are not going near the Rec Club. No one went on Friday night and only a small number went last night and I think only a few will go tonight. So far Ken and I are well but we are staying home as we don't want to get it if we can possibly avoid it.
Word has it that this flue is quite widespread stretching from Rockhamton through to Longreach. There is talk of it being called the 100 day cough. It's not nice and people are getting really sick really quickly so we are going into Sapphire on Tuesday to have flue injections.
Other than that not much is happening so I will say goodbye for now.
Love to one and all.
ken and Lyn
Since Gem Fest there has been less and less people around. People are calling in to say farewell and the two caravan parks have more people leaving now than coming in and most people are saying that they will be back again next year.
At the moment there is a nasty flue bug going around and some people who have left are taking it home with them. Ricky and Sharon both have it. Ricky got it first followed by Sharon and they have both been very sick. So sick that this weekend they are not going near the Rec Club. No one went on Friday night and only a small number went last night and I think only a few will go tonight. So far Ken and I are well but we are staying home as we don't want to get it if we can possibly avoid it.
Word has it that this flue is quite widespread stretching from Rockhamton through to Longreach. There is talk of it being called the 100 day cough. It's not nice and people are getting really sick really quickly so we are going into Sapphire on Tuesday to have flue injections.
Other than that not much is happening so I will say goodbye for now.
Love to one and all.
ken and Lyn
Friday, August 19, 2011
Gem fest
Dear Family and Friends
Life in the Willows is hectic. It surprises us that a sleepy village can transform itself into a vibrant busy place throughout the months of May, June , July and August and into Sept.
Many people come up each year to avoid the cold weather of the south, some have been coming here for ten years or more. We have met people who come from South Gippsland, some from Morwell. Moe area as well as a group from around the Lithgow area in NSW plus many more.
Our social calendar has been very busy. Each Fri, Sat and Sunday nights the Rec Centre is opened up and people just flock there. It is a great place to meat the locals and the holidayers as well. Light meals are served and it is a friendly atmosphere. We have attended a number of fund raising events, one of which was a pancake breakfast to raise money for the local fire brigade. Following it was a presentation of what happens when a fire is started. It demonstrated just how quickly a fire can spread once it had started and how important it was to clear the area near your own home.
Each year the Willows crowd have another really big night. It happens the Wednesday night before Gem Fest starts on the Thursday morning. It involves a great night with lots of small raffles happening and a major raffle of a beautiful sapphire ring that had a number of local blue, yellow and green gems in it. It was beautiful and I had hoped it may have been my name drawn out but instead it went to a local lady.
When you arrived there was a long table set up with smaller prizes such as small tool sets, towels, toys, food containers, local pottery etc sitting infront of each bucket. You had to purchase a page of tickets which you could put in any bucket that had something you wanted. The more tickets you put in the more likely you were to win.
One of the visitors in town played his guitar and sang all night and I did hear someone say that he used to be a singer in the Easy Beats
The other big event of the night was the "stake a claim"
To enter the "stake a claim" you purchased as many flags as you wanted for a $1 each. Once you had written your name on your flags you took them to a table that was set up and you placed your flags wherever you wanted it to go on the board. all up on the night there were over 700 flags placed on the board. On the longer side of the table there were letters and on the shorter side there were numbers. A number and a letter were drawn from two barrels and when lined up on the table the person whose flag was closest won the prize. There were six prizes all up and obviously the prizes were sapphires of different sizes and value. Alas, my flags were in the wrong spots.
Steak sandwiches, blt's and sausages on bread were available to eat and reasonably priced. It was a great night and this year was the biggest turnout they have had since it first begun. It is being recognised as a good night and this year there were people from Sapphire and Rubyvale who came along as well as the local crowd.
Gem Fest was great. It had the atmosphere of a Field Day or a Show Day. One pavilion highlighted all the really lovely gems that were valued up to and over $100,000. Overseas buyers are here during the Gem Fest and they are wanting to purchase local gems. Some big money changes hands during this time. There were lots of other stalls selling anything and everything you could think of.
Evidently numbers through the gates were down on previous years but it sure looked busy to us.
We have done some fossicking,mostly hard work with little reward. Even so I have a small collection of mainly green (all different shades of green) and one blue stone, none of which I think are big enough even to be cut.
Whilst here I have been attending both pottery and a sewing group. Pottery is twice a week and involves using local clay that cannot be got anywhere but here. I have three pieces on the go. one a small bowl in the shape of an apple which is almost finished, one peice is a larger bowl that could hold fruit and the last piece is also a bowl. There has been as many as 15 in attendance and everyone helps each other. I have been made feel very welcome even though I have come into the group late.
With the sewing group there are similar numbers attending and you can take your own sewing along with you or if not they have lots af small projects that you can do with help from one of the more experienced sewers. I have made a pin cushion in the shape of a hand bag, a crap bag for all those loose threads you cut off, a scissor holder and a cup bag. the sewing group have just been given their own long arm quilter. The patchwork group in Emerald got some funding and recently purchased a new quilting machine and donated their old one to the willows group.
That's about it for me other than to say while you are both wet and cold down south we are enjoying beautifull daytime temperatures of around 24 to 26 degrees. Night time temps are around 8 to 12 degrees and we can't remember when we last saw rain. But you really didn't want to hear that did you?
Hope you are all well
With love to one and all.
God Bless
Ken and Lyn
Life in the Willows is hectic. It surprises us that a sleepy village can transform itself into a vibrant busy place throughout the months of May, June , July and August and into Sept.
Many people come up each year to avoid the cold weather of the south, some have been coming here for ten years or more. We have met people who come from South Gippsland, some from Morwell. Moe area as well as a group from around the Lithgow area in NSW plus many more.
Our social calendar has been very busy. Each Fri, Sat and Sunday nights the Rec Centre is opened up and people just flock there. It is a great place to meat the locals and the holidayers as well. Light meals are served and it is a friendly atmosphere. We have attended a number of fund raising events, one of which was a pancake breakfast to raise money for the local fire brigade. Following it was a presentation of what happens when a fire is started. It demonstrated just how quickly a fire can spread once it had started and how important it was to clear the area near your own home.
Each year the Willows crowd have another really big night. It happens the Wednesday night before Gem Fest starts on the Thursday morning. It involves a great night with lots of small raffles happening and a major raffle of a beautiful sapphire ring that had a number of local blue, yellow and green gems in it. It was beautiful and I had hoped it may have been my name drawn out but instead it went to a local lady.
When you arrived there was a long table set up with smaller prizes such as small tool sets, towels, toys, food containers, local pottery etc sitting infront of each bucket. You had to purchase a page of tickets which you could put in any bucket that had something you wanted. The more tickets you put in the more likely you were to win.
One of the visitors in town played his guitar and sang all night and I did hear someone say that he used to be a singer in the Easy Beats
The other big event of the night was the "stake a claim"
To enter the "stake a claim" you purchased as many flags as you wanted for a $1 each. Once you had written your name on your flags you took them to a table that was set up and you placed your flags wherever you wanted it to go on the board. all up on the night there were over 700 flags placed on the board. On the longer side of the table there were letters and on the shorter side there were numbers. A number and a letter were drawn from two barrels and when lined up on the table the person whose flag was closest won the prize. There were six prizes all up and obviously the prizes were sapphires of different sizes and value. Alas, my flags were in the wrong spots.
Steak sandwiches, blt's and sausages on bread were available to eat and reasonably priced. It was a great night and this year was the biggest turnout they have had since it first begun. It is being recognised as a good night and this year there were people from Sapphire and Rubyvale who came along as well as the local crowd.
Gem Fest was great. It had the atmosphere of a Field Day or a Show Day. One pavilion highlighted all the really lovely gems that were valued up to and over $100,000. Overseas buyers are here during the Gem Fest and they are wanting to purchase local gems. Some big money changes hands during this time. There were lots of other stalls selling anything and everything you could think of.
Evidently numbers through the gates were down on previous years but it sure looked busy to us.
We have done some fossicking,mostly hard work with little reward. Even so I have a small collection of mainly green (all different shades of green) and one blue stone, none of which I think are big enough even to be cut.
Whilst here I have been attending both pottery and a sewing group. Pottery is twice a week and involves using local clay that cannot be got anywhere but here. I have three pieces on the go. one a small bowl in the shape of an apple which is almost finished, one peice is a larger bowl that could hold fruit and the last piece is also a bowl. There has been as many as 15 in attendance and everyone helps each other. I have been made feel very welcome even though I have come into the group late.
With the sewing group there are similar numbers attending and you can take your own sewing along with you or if not they have lots af small projects that you can do with help from one of the more experienced sewers. I have made a pin cushion in the shape of a hand bag, a crap bag for all those loose threads you cut off, a scissor holder and a cup bag. the sewing group have just been given their own long arm quilter. The patchwork group in Emerald got some funding and recently purchased a new quilting machine and donated their old one to the willows group.
That's about it for me other than to say while you are both wet and cold down south we are enjoying beautifull daytime temperatures of around 24 to 26 degrees. Night time temps are around 8 to 12 degrees and we can't remember when we last saw rain. But you really didn't want to hear that did you?
Hope you are all well
With love to one and all.
God Bless
Ken and Lyn
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Willow's gemfields
Dear Famly and Friend
We have been warmly welcomed back into the Willows Gemfields by everyone that we have been able to see in just the few days since our arrival. Ricky, Sharon and Jessica along with their pets Georgie, Groovy, Puppet, Shitty Kitty and Wobbles and Casper (who looks very much like Amos, Sharon and Nath's Cat (prior to Roman) when he was just a kitten, and sleeps in the same weird positions as Amos did) have made us feel very much at home.
We are in for a good time over "Gem Fest" which goes from 11th to the 14th Aug and is actually held in the "School of Arts Hall and the Allen King Memorial Park" at Anake. One of the key attractions is undoubtedly the "Jewels of the Outback Exhibition" which features rare and exceptional sapphires, many that can only ever be seen at Gemfest. Can't wait to see some of them.
We were very privileged to have been able to see close up three of these sapphires. One green Sapphire we saw was valued at over $8,000 and it will soon be featured in a gem magazine.
The night before we left Jericho our generator started to make an awful noise and Ken really thought it would be unrepairable so we were in a quandry as to what we would do. It cost us around $1800 and we didn't like the idea of having to buy a new one. So when we got to Emerald on Tuesday we found a repair place that would look at it. Thankfully we got a phone call a couple of days later telling us that it was a bolt off the fan had come loose and that was causing the awful noise. Weren't we happy with that phone call.
Before we arrived here we spent two nights in Emerald where we stocked up on food and did laundry.
Friday night sees a few of the locals and a few ring ins like us and people from the two caravan parks rock up to the community centre for a night of entertainment, mostly karoke, pool or whatever. Last night there would have been around 25 in all who came along. The centre opens Sat and Sun nights as well and light meals are served. Tonight it's meat pie, potato and mushy peas. since we were last here they have now put in an outdoor fire to sit around. It was made by one of the locals and it looks a bit like a pot belly stove. Throws out a good heat.
Barry, Ken's mate from a longway back arrived the day after us and his van is backed up near ours so it works out really good for all of us. I have a lovely place to sit in the mornings where I can catch the early morning sunshine.
We are heading off soon so that's it for now.
Love to one and all
God Bless
Ken and Lyn.
We have been warmly welcomed back into the Willows Gemfields by everyone that we have been able to see in just the few days since our arrival. Ricky, Sharon and Jessica along with their pets Georgie, Groovy, Puppet, Shitty Kitty and Wobbles and Casper (who looks very much like Amos, Sharon and Nath's Cat (prior to Roman) when he was just a kitten, and sleeps in the same weird positions as Amos did) have made us feel very much at home.
We are in for a good time over "Gem Fest" which goes from 11th to the 14th Aug and is actually held in the "School of Arts Hall and the Allen King Memorial Park" at Anake. One of the key attractions is undoubtedly the "Jewels of the Outback Exhibition" which features rare and exceptional sapphires, many that can only ever be seen at Gemfest. Can't wait to see some of them.
We were very privileged to have been able to see close up three of these sapphires. One green Sapphire we saw was valued at over $8,000 and it will soon be featured in a gem magazine.
The night before we left Jericho our generator started to make an awful noise and Ken really thought it would be unrepairable so we were in a quandry as to what we would do. It cost us around $1800 and we didn't like the idea of having to buy a new one. So when we got to Emerald on Tuesday we found a repair place that would look at it. Thankfully we got a phone call a couple of days later telling us that it was a bolt off the fan had come loose and that was causing the awful noise. Weren't we happy with that phone call.
Before we arrived here we spent two nights in Emerald where we stocked up on food and did laundry.
Friday night sees a few of the locals and a few ring ins like us and people from the two caravan parks rock up to the community centre for a night of entertainment, mostly karoke, pool or whatever. Last night there would have been around 25 in all who came along. The centre opens Sat and Sun nights as well and light meals are served. Tonight it's meat pie, potato and mushy peas. since we were last here they have now put in an outdoor fire to sit around. It was made by one of the locals and it looks a bit like a pot belly stove. Throws out a good heat.
Barry, Ken's mate from a longway back arrived the day after us and his van is backed up near ours so it works out really good for all of us. I have a lovely place to sit in the mornings where I can catch the early morning sunshine.
We are heading off soon so that's it for now.
Love to one and all
God Bless
Ken and Lyn.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Photos
Mouse and John outside their tent. their tent is designed for warm weather thus the openess with the fly screen. it had another cover which went over the top which made it warmer. Never the less they found it a bit on the cold side. After leaving us they were heading north to warmer weather.
Jericho
Dear Family and Friends
It's now more than a week since we pulled in at Jericho. There continues to be around 30 vans per night. We are lucky to be right beside the river as it has given us a chance to watch the birdlife and their daily habits have been interesting. The larger birds come swooping in taking fish right out of the water then landing on the bank before devouring it with relish. There are wo small ducks that float around each day and from time to time two larger ducks float on by, we presume theyare the parents of the younger ones. Their are two large cormorant birds that seem to play together in the aafternoons as they sweep down and around the part of the river where we are, They look to be playing chases as they fly around. On land we seem to see a few Willy Wagtails, Butcher Birds and Apostle Birds and twice now we have seen two wild budgerigars one a pale blue and the other predominantly blue with yellow. Both beautiful.
We have also had the pleasure of a cat who has made itself at home with us. We have named it Ginger. It began by coming in the evenings at around six o'clock so we assumed that it may have been enclosed during the day and let out at night when it's owner came home from work. It would be gone in the morning. After a couple of days it suprised us by being on our chairs in the morning. It would sit on our laps and make itself quite at home. It dived for the van door whenever it was opened, which made us think that it may have been left behind by someone in a van. It was very clean and desexed and flea free. for a couple of nights it evidently didn't go home as we could tell it had been on one of our chairs. I started feeding at a couple of days ago as it was slightly on the thin side and by this time I knew that someone else here have fed it also.
Mouse (tell you more about John and Mouse's visit here shortly) made enquiries at the local pub when she went in to buy some milk and was told that it belonged to someone who had recently moved from the area. Mouse was told it was left with a neighbour but they didn't know if they were looking after it. It has been missing both afternoons yesterday and today so it goes somewhere, would love to have it as it is a lovely cat and jumps on your lap when you sit down but obviously we can't take it with us so when we go it has to stay but untill then I will enjoy its presence.
Mouse and John are on holidays and have caught up with us while we were here at Jericho. They have their tent and camped here beside us for a couple of nights. It was good to catch up with them. We had a good time with them here, We went on a drive with them to see the local sights (not much to see unfortunately) and checked out the local airstrip as a possible stop over when
John does his yearly flying hoiday.
We plan to leave her either tomorrow or Tuesday, not sure which.
That's it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
It's now more than a week since we pulled in at Jericho. There continues to be around 30 vans per night. We are lucky to be right beside the river as it has given us a chance to watch the birdlife and their daily habits have been interesting. The larger birds come swooping in taking fish right out of the water then landing on the bank before devouring it with relish. There are wo small ducks that float around each day and from time to time two larger ducks float on by, we presume theyare the parents of the younger ones. Their are two large cormorant birds that seem to play together in the aafternoons as they sweep down and around the part of the river where we are, They look to be playing chases as they fly around. On land we seem to see a few Willy Wagtails, Butcher Birds and Apostle Birds and twice now we have seen two wild budgerigars one a pale blue and the other predominantly blue with yellow. Both beautiful.
We have also had the pleasure of a cat who has made itself at home with us. We have named it Ginger. It began by coming in the evenings at around six o'clock so we assumed that it may have been enclosed during the day and let out at night when it's owner came home from work. It would be gone in the morning. After a couple of days it suprised us by being on our chairs in the morning. It would sit on our laps and make itself quite at home. It dived for the van door whenever it was opened, which made us think that it may have been left behind by someone in a van. It was very clean and desexed and flea free. for a couple of nights it evidently didn't go home as we could tell it had been on one of our chairs. I started feeding at a couple of days ago as it was slightly on the thin side and by this time I knew that someone else here have fed it also.
Mouse (tell you more about John and Mouse's visit here shortly) made enquiries at the local pub when she went in to buy some milk and was told that it belonged to someone who had recently moved from the area. Mouse was told it was left with a neighbour but they didn't know if they were looking after it. It has been missing both afternoons yesterday and today so it goes somewhere, would love to have it as it is a lovely cat and jumps on your lap when you sit down but obviously we can't take it with us so when we go it has to stay but untill then I will enjoy its presence.
Mouse and John are on holidays and have caught up with us while we were here at Jericho. They have their tent and camped here beside us for a couple of nights. It was good to catch up with them. We had a good time with them here, We went on a drive with them to see the local sights (not much to see unfortunately) and checked out the local airstrip as a possible stop over when
John does his yearly flying hoiday.
We plan to leave her either tomorrow or Tuesday, not sure which.
That's it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Ilfracombe to Jericho
Dear Family and Friends
Ilfracombe is a small town just 30 klms out from Longreach. Our only reason for going there was to catch up with some washing. We decided to stay there rather than go further was that someone at White Cliffs said that it was a good park. It is a little town doing what they can to get people to stay there. The town is probably best known for their mile long display of old machines. One piece of machinery is said to be one of three left in the world.
There is also a house that gets opened up every afternoon by volunteers. The owners of the house raised a number of children with the last one dyeing in 1990's. The house was shut up and nothing has been touched from that day to this. Inside it looks more like "the Little house on the Praire" with a few mod cons such as a mangle for the washing and a slow combustion stove. Everything in the cupboards remains as it was and we could could see old jelly packets and bex powders sitting on a shelf. One of the surprises was that they had a writing desk that was probably a Circa 1920's with writing materials and paper and outstanding accounts ready to be paid. Photos still hang on the wall just as the beds have their old quilts and covers on them.
The other two things we looked at in Ilfracombe was a display of bottles of all shapes and sizes and a gun collection that was housed near the mile of machines.
From there we went to a free camp spot on the LLoyd Jones Weir. We were able to meet up with Ken's cousin Jean and her husband Ray. We were going in opposite directions so we spent the night there before making our way up to Lake Dunn. We spent only one night here as on the first morning we awoke to grey clounds, thunder and a prediction of rain which would have been OK as we had sufficient supplys with us. Except that before long everyone was packing up and heading out and as the ground was dark soil that bogs with just a short shower of rain we decided to pack up and leave rather be stuck there for a couple of weeks and maybe even longer.
From Lake Dunn we came to Jericho where we are now and again Jericho is a small town trying to keep there little town going. This is a lovely spot on the Jordan Creek and caravans come and go each night and morning, give or take there are 30- 40 vans here each night. Their is also a larger dam about a 100klms north by the name Lake Galilee, quite a little biblical area.
Alpha is just 50klms from here and we will spend a night or two there before going on to Emerald and then backtracking to Willows Gemfields.
When we arrived at Ilfracombe the owner Cathy said that they have a communal happy our from 6 to 7 each evening. She said to Ken people start coming down to the shed where it was held as early as 5.15pm and if we wanted to get a seat be early and come with your own drinks and nibbles. We rocked up around 5.30 and people flowed in right up to 6pm. Every seat was taken and late comers sat on benches that lined the walls and some had to go home and get their own seats. There would have beenevery bit of 60 turn up. What a happy hour that turned out to be. Cathy, the owner, gave general info on the local area and what was good to see and how you could book tours etc. She told a few jokes and then did some bush poetry written largely by a local. These poems were written about the outback including one about caravaners which had us all laughing our heads off. Some of the poems were quite long but she never missed a beat repeating them. We were told that the following night her husband would do happy hour and they would take turns, even their children participated. It was a great night and we were tempted to stay on just to see what happy hour would include.
News wise that's it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Ilfracombe is a small town just 30 klms out from Longreach. Our only reason for going there was to catch up with some washing. We decided to stay there rather than go further was that someone at White Cliffs said that it was a good park. It is a little town doing what they can to get people to stay there. The town is probably best known for their mile long display of old machines. One piece of machinery is said to be one of three left in the world.
There is also a house that gets opened up every afternoon by volunteers. The owners of the house raised a number of children with the last one dyeing in 1990's. The house was shut up and nothing has been touched from that day to this. Inside it looks more like "the Little house on the Praire" with a few mod cons such as a mangle for the washing and a slow combustion stove. Everything in the cupboards remains as it was and we could could see old jelly packets and bex powders sitting on a shelf. One of the surprises was that they had a writing desk that was probably a Circa 1920's with writing materials and paper and outstanding accounts ready to be paid. Photos still hang on the wall just as the beds have their old quilts and covers on them.
The other two things we looked at in Ilfracombe was a display of bottles of all shapes and sizes and a gun collection that was housed near the mile of machines.
From there we went to a free camp spot on the LLoyd Jones Weir. We were able to meet up with Ken's cousin Jean and her husband Ray. We were going in opposite directions so we spent the night there before making our way up to Lake Dunn. We spent only one night here as on the first morning we awoke to grey clounds, thunder and a prediction of rain which would have been OK as we had sufficient supplys with us. Except that before long everyone was packing up and heading out and as the ground was dark soil that bogs with just a short shower of rain we decided to pack up and leave rather be stuck there for a couple of weeks and maybe even longer.
From Lake Dunn we came to Jericho where we are now and again Jericho is a small town trying to keep there little town going. This is a lovely spot on the Jordan Creek and caravans come and go each night and morning, give or take there are 30- 40 vans here each night. Their is also a larger dam about a 100klms north by the name Lake Galilee, quite a little biblical area.
Alpha is just 50klms from here and we will spend a night or two there before going on to Emerald and then backtracking to Willows Gemfields.
When we arrived at Ilfracombe the owner Cathy said that they have a communal happy our from 6 to 7 each evening. She said to Ken people start coming down to the shed where it was held as early as 5.15pm and if we wanted to get a seat be early and come with your own drinks and nibbles. We rocked up around 5.30 and people flowed in right up to 6pm. Every seat was taken and late comers sat on benches that lined the walls and some had to go home and get their own seats. There would have beenevery bit of 60 turn up. What a happy hour that turned out to be. Cathy, the owner, gave general info on the local area and what was good to see and how you could book tours etc. She told a few jokes and then did some bush poetry written largely by a local. These poems were written about the outback including one about caravaners which had us all laughing our heads off. Some of the poems were quite long but she never missed a beat repeating them. We were told that the following night her husband would do happy hour and they would take turns, even their children participated. It was a great night and we were tempted to stay on just to see what happy hour would include.
News wise that's it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Monday, July 11, 2011
Longreach Pictures
The Planes at the Qantas Founders Museum 
From a different position
From a different position
The Australisn Stockman's Hall of Fame
Longreach Pictures
The ringer statue at the Stockman's Hall of Fame
Cows yoked together as they demonstrated how they drag a log to the big cart and how they drag it up on the cart for transport
One of the camels that were there too
These cows used for heavy haulage are enormous. You can see a man inbetween the cows. He is in the process a yoking them together. You can just see the top of his hat. He was every bit of 6ft plus. The second cow black and white cow was humungous.
One of the beautiful sunsets we have seen
Cows yoked together as they demonstrated how they drag a log to the big cart and how they drag it up on the cart for transport
One of the camels that were there too
These cows used for heavy haulage are enormous. You can see a man inbetween the cows. He is in the process a yoking them together. You can just see the top of his hat. He was every bit of 6ft plus. The second cow black and white cow was humungous.
One of the beautiful sunsets we have seen
Longreach
Dear Family and Friends
While everyone in Victoria and NSW have been experiencing very cold, wet, windy and snowy weather we have been basking in sunny Longreach with daytime temperatures in the mid twenties. Unfortunately our night temperatures have been as low as two to four degrees so getting out of bed in the morning has been a bit hard. Thankfully the day warms up quite quickly so the cardigan is dispensed with by the time I sit outside to have my breakfast.
Longreach is recognised as the frontdoor to Queenslands outback. The Thompson River runs by on the outskirts of town. Longreach is smaller than I expected, probably no more than two or three thousand and has a small but adequate shopping area. Tourism is clearly its main attraction with The Stockman's Hall of Fame, Qantas Founder's Museum and The Powerhouse Museum all being within the town's precinct.
We have stayed at a very popular camping area on the Thompson River north of the town on the Winton Rd. There has been anything from 60 to 100 vans here on any of the seven nights we have stayed here. They come in every afternoon and just as many leave every morning, its quite amazing. Many we have spoken to are biding there time before going on the the camel races in Boulia which start next Friday.
One afternoon while we have been here a chap came along and said if we were interested there would be a bit of music happening further down the camping area and we were welcome to come. This chap and his wife were muso's and used to do a bit of work in the pubs and clubs while travelling. Now they just do it every so often when they feel like it. So we decided to go along with about 80 others. They played for a while and people either sang along with them or just listened. Then after a while a couple of bush poets got up and recited some bush poems. One did "Mulga Bills Bicycle"and the other one did a Banjo Patterson one. They were both extremely good. There was also a country and western singer from Tamworth and she did a number of songs and she was very good. A few jokes thrown in and it was a very pleasant evenings entertainment all for nothing.
We are packing up this afternoon ready to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast . We are planning a big day tomorrow, all of 27klms. We need to catch up on washing so we will stay at a little park at a small town called Ilfracombe, just east of Longreach.
Enjoy the Pictures
That's it for now.
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
While everyone in Victoria and NSW have been experiencing very cold, wet, windy and snowy weather we have been basking in sunny Longreach with daytime temperatures in the mid twenties. Unfortunately our night temperatures have been as low as two to four degrees so getting out of bed in the morning has been a bit hard. Thankfully the day warms up quite quickly so the cardigan is dispensed with by the time I sit outside to have my breakfast.
Longreach is recognised as the frontdoor to Queenslands outback. The Thompson River runs by on the outskirts of town. Longreach is smaller than I expected, probably no more than two or three thousand and has a small but adequate shopping area. Tourism is clearly its main attraction with The Stockman's Hall of Fame, Qantas Founder's Museum and The Powerhouse Museum all being within the town's precinct.
We have stayed at a very popular camping area on the Thompson River north of the town on the Winton Rd. There has been anything from 60 to 100 vans here on any of the seven nights we have stayed here. They come in every afternoon and just as many leave every morning, its quite amazing. Many we have spoken to are biding there time before going on the the camel races in Boulia which start next Friday.
One afternoon while we have been here a chap came along and said if we were interested there would be a bit of music happening further down the camping area and we were welcome to come. This chap and his wife were muso's and used to do a bit of work in the pubs and clubs while travelling. Now they just do it every so often when they feel like it. So we decided to go along with about 80 others. They played for a while and people either sang along with them or just listened. Then after a while a couple of bush poets got up and recited some bush poems. One did "Mulga Bills Bicycle"and the other one did a Banjo Patterson one. They were both extremely good. There was also a country and western singer from Tamworth and she did a number of songs and she was very good. A few jokes thrown in and it was a very pleasant evenings entertainment all for nothing.
We are packing up this afternoon ready to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast . We are planning a big day tomorrow, all of 27klms. We need to catch up on washing so we will stay at a little park at a small town called Ilfracombe, just east of Longreach.
Enjoy the Pictures
That's it for now.
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Windorah Photos
An inquisitive cow interested in us as we camped by the River.
Just one of the five dishes at the Solar Farm.
Dust clearing on the road after we had passed by
Bedourie and Birdsville intersection
One of many amazing panoramic views we saw on our Sundaqy drive
Just one of the five dishes at the Solar Farm.
Dust clearing on the road after we had passed by
Bedourie and Birdsville intersection
One of many amazing panoramic views we saw on our Sundaqy drive
Windorah Photos
An old Iron boat abandoned on the banks of the Cooper Creek
Just some of the bird life in and around the Cooper
Barb and Laurie on their way to do some work
Cooper Creek
Charles Sturt quote
Just some of the bird life in and around the Cooper
Barb and Laurie on their way to do some work
Cooper Creek
Charles Sturt quoteWednesday, July 6, 2011
windorah
Dear Family and Friends
We have been without mobile and internet coverage whilst we have been in Windorah with Barb and Laurie, so I will catch up on all that has happened during that time. It was really good to catch up with them. They are well and enjoying themselves living and working in Windorah which apart from being in remote outback QLD, is in the heart of what is known as the Channel Country.
It gets this name because the Cooper Creek which runs on the edge of the town splits and divides itself during the wet season, into a vast tangle of channels, which fill up very quickly covering a huge area of land mass eventually empting itself into Lake Hope in South Australia.
Coopers Creek was named by Charles Sturt in 1845 and the reason he called it a creek and not a river was because at the time he was here it was during the dry season and the water was stagnant and not running. Little did he know that at another time of year it would become a expansive water system of many channels.
Windorah is an aboriginal name meaning "big fish" and lies 35 klms from where the Thompson and Barcoo rivers meet forming Coopers Creek and its many, many channels. Barb and Laurie showed us aerial pictures on the TV of the creek in flood and it is only by air that you get an understanding of these channels and what happens when it is in flood.
On Sunday, the day after our arrival, we went for a pleasant Sunday drive to have a look at this unique and beatutiful landscape. We took with us morning tea and a picnic lunch and all up we covered 500klms. We got a very good idea of how far the Barcoo Shire covers west of Windorah.
Our first stop was known as J.C. ruins which lays 80klm due west of Windorah and was once a thriving community known as Canterbury. All that remains are some of the wood that once was the hotel. Nearby was a small cemetary, a reminder of how hard life was back in the 1800's. Adults, all too young to die and small children not strong enough to fight off illnesses like dysentry and fever.
We also stopped at an old pub out in the middle of nowhere. The old bloke who had it died and thay had an auction and sold off everything. The chap who bought it put a fence around it ands it just sits there going to rack and ruin.
Our journey took us out on the Birdsville Rd to Betoota where we turned north going through a private property then coming back into Windorah on the Diamentia Development Rd.
If we think it remote out here and we have the luxury of cars and planes how much greater that sense of remoteness must have been with only horse and cart to get around.
Barb and Laurie have to go to work each day and when they are in town they come home for morning tea and lunch. On Tuesday when Barb came home she asked if I would like to go with her on a garbage run. This particular day she was just doing the bins located along the banks of the Cooper where many people like to free park. It's a busy little area judging by the amount of rubbish we collected. Clearly free parking brings many tourists to the to the banks of the Cooper Creek and to the little Caravan Park they have in town. It amazed me just how many caravans there were staying in the caravan park each night.
We had a clean up day giving the inside and outside of the car and caravan a good clean though the dust in such a dry area means it won't be clean for long.
From the information centre we picked up a brochure telling us about the various buildings you can see in the town. The school was started in 1888 and this year has just seven pupils. Barb is trying to organise it so that Natalya and Lachlan can come for a visit during the Sept school holidays and if they do it might be possible for them to spend a day in school and experience school in the outback and likewise tell the kids there what school is like for them.
In the middle of Albert St in town there is a large rock with a plaque on it in remembrance of Constable Thomas Callahan, a policeman who perished in 1888 when travelling from J. C. ruins
to Windorah. He lies in an unmarked grave about 40klms out of town.
On the edge of town there is a Solar Farm that is a fairly new govenment initiative progect looking at new ways to produce energy. It consists of five very impressive solar dishes that provide Windorah with their power during sunshine hours. It is a first for QLD and Windorah was chosen for its location because of the number of cloudless days they have throughout the year.
Barb was saying the other day that they have yet to experience a dust storm. In 1987 they had 10 dust storms in the one year making that their all time record for any given year.
Two things I have learnt whilst being in Windorah. The first is that you don't leave an external house or car door open as snakes are fairly common around here including some of Australia's most deadliest and they will go inside uninvited. The second thing is that whenever you go outback in your car you never turn the engine off just incase it won't start again. Laurie said that at times when they go out somewhere for work it is not uncommon for them to leave the engine idling for three or four hours while they complete the job.
We decided we would all go camping down on the Cooper during our last few days together. We headed off late afternoon on Friday and had ourselves set up in no time. We weren't in a public area as Barb and Laurie had arranged for us to be on private land so it was very quiet and peaceful. Bird life is prolific, we spotted Crows, kites, ducks, egrets, cormorants and shags plus some we couldn't name. During the day we often saw wild pigs on the opposite bank of the river and once we saw lots of little piglets which were cute except they are wild and considered a nuisance. We had a roaring fire going each night and spent our nights sitting around it and star gazing.
Barb and Laurie headed back into town on Sunday afternoon and we stayed the extra night before setting off for Jundah, Stonehenge and Longreach. We spent just one night at Stonehenge at a camp spot in the middle of town before heading on to Longreach.
We decided on our way to Windorah, not to go to Willow Gemfields and we would just go straight up to Darwin. but whilst we were with Barb and Laurie we watched a DVD we had bought last year about sapphires and the way they were mined. We realised how much we had been looking forward to seeing our new friends and having a go at finding some sapphires. So we changed our mind and we are going back there and we are now quite excited about seeing everyone. that means we have decided to stay in QLD and head home to spend christmas with the family.
The camp spot we are at is just 4klms north of Longreach on the Winton road. It is a huge camping area and there is probably 60 vans, campers and motorhomes with room for plenty more. Evidently there are often a hundred or more camping here. Because there was plenty of room we gave our neighbours plenty of space between us and them and wouldn't you know it someone came and parked right beside us. so we feel a little cramped
That I think brings us up to date
Love to one and all.
Ken and Lyn
We have been without mobile and internet coverage whilst we have been in Windorah with Barb and Laurie, so I will catch up on all that has happened during that time. It was really good to catch up with them. They are well and enjoying themselves living and working in Windorah which apart from being in remote outback QLD, is in the heart of what is known as the Channel Country.
It gets this name because the Cooper Creek which runs on the edge of the town splits and divides itself during the wet season, into a vast tangle of channels, which fill up very quickly covering a huge area of land mass eventually empting itself into Lake Hope in South Australia.
Coopers Creek was named by Charles Sturt in 1845 and the reason he called it a creek and not a river was because at the time he was here it was during the dry season and the water was stagnant and not running. Little did he know that at another time of year it would become a expansive water system of many channels.
Windorah is an aboriginal name meaning "big fish" and lies 35 klms from where the Thompson and Barcoo rivers meet forming Coopers Creek and its many, many channels. Barb and Laurie showed us aerial pictures on the TV of the creek in flood and it is only by air that you get an understanding of these channels and what happens when it is in flood.
On Sunday, the day after our arrival, we went for a pleasant Sunday drive to have a look at this unique and beatutiful landscape. We took with us morning tea and a picnic lunch and all up we covered 500klms. We got a very good idea of how far the Barcoo Shire covers west of Windorah.
Our first stop was known as J.C. ruins which lays 80klm due west of Windorah and was once a thriving community known as Canterbury. All that remains are some of the wood that once was the hotel. Nearby was a small cemetary, a reminder of how hard life was back in the 1800's. Adults, all too young to die and small children not strong enough to fight off illnesses like dysentry and fever.
We also stopped at an old pub out in the middle of nowhere. The old bloke who had it died and thay had an auction and sold off everything. The chap who bought it put a fence around it ands it just sits there going to rack and ruin.
Our journey took us out on the Birdsville Rd to Betoota where we turned north going through a private property then coming back into Windorah on the Diamentia Development Rd.
If we think it remote out here and we have the luxury of cars and planes how much greater that sense of remoteness must have been with only horse and cart to get around.
Barb and Laurie have to go to work each day and when they are in town they come home for morning tea and lunch. On Tuesday when Barb came home she asked if I would like to go with her on a garbage run. This particular day she was just doing the bins located along the banks of the Cooper where many people like to free park. It's a busy little area judging by the amount of rubbish we collected. Clearly free parking brings many tourists to the to the banks of the Cooper Creek and to the little Caravan Park they have in town. It amazed me just how many caravans there were staying in the caravan park each night.
We had a clean up day giving the inside and outside of the car and caravan a good clean though the dust in such a dry area means it won't be clean for long.
From the information centre we picked up a brochure telling us about the various buildings you can see in the town. The school was started in 1888 and this year has just seven pupils. Barb is trying to organise it so that Natalya and Lachlan can come for a visit during the Sept school holidays and if they do it might be possible for them to spend a day in school and experience school in the outback and likewise tell the kids there what school is like for them.
In the middle of Albert St in town there is a large rock with a plaque on it in remembrance of Constable Thomas Callahan, a policeman who perished in 1888 when travelling from J. C. ruins
to Windorah. He lies in an unmarked grave about 40klms out of town.
On the edge of town there is a Solar Farm that is a fairly new govenment initiative progect looking at new ways to produce energy. It consists of five very impressive solar dishes that provide Windorah with their power during sunshine hours. It is a first for QLD and Windorah was chosen for its location because of the number of cloudless days they have throughout the year.
Barb was saying the other day that they have yet to experience a dust storm. In 1987 they had 10 dust storms in the one year making that their all time record for any given year.
Two things I have learnt whilst being in Windorah. The first is that you don't leave an external house or car door open as snakes are fairly common around here including some of Australia's most deadliest and they will go inside uninvited. The second thing is that whenever you go outback in your car you never turn the engine off just incase it won't start again. Laurie said that at times when they go out somewhere for work it is not uncommon for them to leave the engine idling for three or four hours while they complete the job.
We decided we would all go camping down on the Cooper during our last few days together. We headed off late afternoon on Friday and had ourselves set up in no time. We weren't in a public area as Barb and Laurie had arranged for us to be on private land so it was very quiet and peaceful. Bird life is prolific, we spotted Crows, kites, ducks, egrets, cormorants and shags plus some we couldn't name. During the day we often saw wild pigs on the opposite bank of the river and once we saw lots of little piglets which were cute except they are wild and considered a nuisance. We had a roaring fire going each night and spent our nights sitting around it and star gazing.
Barb and Laurie headed back into town on Sunday afternoon and we stayed the extra night before setting off for Jundah, Stonehenge and Longreach. We spent just one night at Stonehenge at a camp spot in the middle of town before heading on to Longreach.
We decided on our way to Windorah, not to go to Willow Gemfields and we would just go straight up to Darwin. but whilst we were with Barb and Laurie we watched a DVD we had bought last year about sapphires and the way they were mined. We realised how much we had been looking forward to seeing our new friends and having a go at finding some sapphires. So we changed our mind and we are going back there and we are now quite excited about seeing everyone. that means we have decided to stay in QLD and head home to spend christmas with the family.
The camp spot we are at is just 4klms north of Longreach on the Winton road. It is a huge camping area and there is probably 60 vans, campers and motorhomes with room for plenty more. Evidently there are often a hundred or more camping here. Because there was plenty of room we gave our neighbours plenty of space between us and them and wouldn't you know it someone came and parked right beside us. so we feel a little cramped
That I think brings us up to date
Love to one and all.
Ken and Lyn
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wyandra
Dear Family and Friends
Hope you liked the photos. they are all taken in and around Cobar. If you wondered why there are a couple of photos of a pub it is because the lace iron work along the top floor is the longest lace work in NSW.
We left Cobar yesterday around 9.30am and drove as far as Wyandra which is half way between Cunnamulla and Charlieville. They have a free camp spot behind the public school and there would have been about 15 vans scattered around the area set aside for campers, a couple looked like they had been there long term rather than short term. The scenery ranged from bushy to vast open plains.
We encountered a variety of wild life both dead and alive. They included sheep, cattle, kangaroos (mostly dead ones), emus in prolific numbers (mostly alive), pigs, foxes, goats, feral cats and minature horses. Bird life was mostly crows, hawks and eagles all eating the road kill.
The days are getting warmer, we are down to t shirts and shorts but the nights are very very cold sometimes down to just 1 or 2 degrees.
We left Wyandra about 8am this morning and have spent the day on the road travelling. We are spending tonight at Quilpie and tomorrow we will travel to Windorah which is where Barb and Laurie are living at the moment. Barb and Laurie are Lee's parents and we are really looking forward to seeing them.
There is no internet or telephone connection so I' don't know how long it will be before I blog again but it shouldn't be more than a few days to a week.
Love to one and all.
Ken and Lyn
Hope you liked the photos. they are all taken in and around Cobar. If you wondered why there are a couple of photos of a pub it is because the lace iron work along the top floor is the longest lace work in NSW.
We left Cobar yesterday around 9.30am and drove as far as Wyandra which is half way between Cunnamulla and Charlieville. They have a free camp spot behind the public school and there would have been about 15 vans scattered around the area set aside for campers, a couple looked like they had been there long term rather than short term. The scenery ranged from bushy to vast open plains.
We encountered a variety of wild life both dead and alive. They included sheep, cattle, kangaroos (mostly dead ones), emus in prolific numbers (mostly alive), pigs, foxes, goats, feral cats and minature horses. Bird life was mostly crows, hawks and eagles all eating the road kill.
The days are getting warmer, we are down to t shirts and shorts but the nights are very very cold sometimes down to just 1 or 2 degrees.
We left Wyandra about 8am this morning and have spent the day on the road travelling. We are spending tonight at Quilpie and tomorrow we will travel to Windorah which is where Barb and Laurie are living at the moment. Barb and Laurie are Lee's parents and we are really looking forward to seeing them.
There is no internet or telephone connection so I' don't know how long it will be before I blog again but it shouldn't be more than a few days to a week.
Love to one and all.
Ken and Lyn
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Cobar
Dear Family and Friends
Today has been a real winter's day here as it has been both wet and cold. Even worse at Orange where Mum and Dad live as we picked up their local news tonight and they have had a very heavy fall of snow. We did venture out to go to the Tourist Information Centre where we picked up a local map and were given direction to a viewing platform where you can see right down into the open cut mine. We went to have a look but it was very wet and cold and we quickly ran up to the platform, we took a quick look and our reaction was wow! We ran back to the car and decided it was worth coming back when it wasn't so wet. We didn't have the camera with us so we will go back and take some photos. It was quite amazing.
At the tourist centre they have a heritage museum and it is said to be one of the best museums in the state and they say to give yourself and hour to an hour and a half to see all the exhibits.
We will also go back to have a look through it.
We have been told to be really careful around Cobar and Bourke as they have the same sort of problems as Wilcannia. We have found Cobar to be a lovely town and we would come again another day. Yet again this afternoon caravans came in aplenty, they line up out the front waiting to come in and they won't take bookings so it is first in best dressed though it a large park with lovely big sites.
Ken was speaking to someone who had spent the night at the caravan park just out of Bourke and he had heard that in the park in town windows were broken in cars and boots had been jemmied open so with that knowledge we will stop only for mail and keep on our way.
Ken has to fix one of our water outlets tomorrow as the shower outlet was shattered when we drove those hundred klms on the dirt. I also got him to clean windows in and out for me this afternoon as the van is very dusty we would wash the whole thing but your not allowed to wash your vans here.
No pictures yet but more will follow tomorrow
Love to one and all.
Ken and Lyn.
Today has been a real winter's day here as it has been both wet and cold. Even worse at Orange where Mum and Dad live as we picked up their local news tonight and they have had a very heavy fall of snow. We did venture out to go to the Tourist Information Centre where we picked up a local map and were given direction to a viewing platform where you can see right down into the open cut mine. We went to have a look but it was very wet and cold and we quickly ran up to the platform, we took a quick look and our reaction was wow! We ran back to the car and decided it was worth coming back when it wasn't so wet. We didn't have the camera with us so we will go back and take some photos. It was quite amazing.
At the tourist centre they have a heritage museum and it is said to be one of the best museums in the state and they say to give yourself and hour to an hour and a half to see all the exhibits.
We will also go back to have a look through it.
We have been told to be really careful around Cobar and Bourke as they have the same sort of problems as Wilcannia. We have found Cobar to be a lovely town and we would come again another day. Yet again this afternoon caravans came in aplenty, they line up out the front waiting to come in and they won't take bookings so it is first in best dressed though it a large park with lovely big sites.
Ken was speaking to someone who had spent the night at the caravan park just out of Bourke and he had heard that in the park in town windows were broken in cars and boots had been jemmied open so with that knowledge we will stop only for mail and keep on our way.
Ken has to fix one of our water outlets tomorrow as the shower outlet was shattered when we drove those hundred klms on the dirt. I also got him to clean windows in and out for me this afternoon as the van is very dusty we would wash the whole thing but your not allowed to wash your vans here.
No pictures yet but more will follow tomorrow
Love to one and all.
Ken and Lyn.
Monday, June 20, 2011
White Cliffs
Dear Family and Friends
Today we have done a drive of about four and a half hours and have gone from White Cliffs to Cobar. We are settled into the caravan park here. Surprisingly the park here is really good and quite full. I was expecting an ordinary park with just a few vans but the sites are large and it is very busy. We got here about three thirty and from then on there has been a steady flow of vans coming in some on their way from Broken Hill and others on their way to Broken Hill. It seems to be a bit of a junction leading in all directions.
We packed up early today and said goodbye to those we have met at White Cliffs. We feel fairly sure we will run into a couple of people some where along the way as we are heading in the same direction.
White Cliffs has the distinction of being the first commercial opal fields in Australia. Opals were found here as early as 1884 but no interest was taken of the find untill in 1889 when station hands culling kangaroos found opal and took some samples back with them. Those samples put White Cliffs on the map as within the next year opals from White Cliffs could be bought from England, Europe and America. Not suprising the town of 30 soon became a community of over 500 and at its peak there was an estimated 5000 living there. Then drought, dwindling markets, epidemics caused by bad water and the onset of the first World War all took there toll and many of the townspeople drifted away.
The morning after our arrival we set off to look around the town and visit Dick Wagner who has the Aussie Southern Cross Opals shop. Dick's shop and his house behind the shop are all underground so we found it very interesting. Regretably we did not take any photos as it is hard to describe.
Thats it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
Today we have done a drive of about four and a half hours and have gone from White Cliffs to Cobar. We are settled into the caravan park here. Surprisingly the park here is really good and quite full. I was expecting an ordinary park with just a few vans but the sites are large and it is very busy. We got here about three thirty and from then on there has been a steady flow of vans coming in some on their way from Broken Hill and others on their way to Broken Hill. It seems to be a bit of a junction leading in all directions.
We packed up early today and said goodbye to those we have met at White Cliffs. We feel fairly sure we will run into a couple of people some where along the way as we are heading in the same direction.
White Cliffs has the distinction of being the first commercial opal fields in Australia. Opals were found here as early as 1884 but no interest was taken of the find untill in 1889 when station hands culling kangaroos found opal and took some samples back with them. Those samples put White Cliffs on the map as within the next year opals from White Cliffs could be bought from England, Europe and America. Not suprising the town of 30 soon became a community of over 500 and at its peak there was an estimated 5000 living there. Then drought, dwindling markets, epidemics caused by bad water and the onset of the first World War all took there toll and many of the townspeople drifted away.
The morning after our arrival we set off to look around the town and visit Dick Wagner who has the Aussie Southern Cross Opals shop. Dick's shop and his house behind the shop are all underground so we found it very interesting. Regretably we did not take any photos as it is hard to describe.
Thats it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
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