Take Me Home Country Roads*

Someone asked me the other day what was my dream destination.

Easy Peasy. I have a thing about our country towns.

They are full of character and history and each and every one has a story to tell.

I visited a few on a short road trip last weekend. What these small rural townships generally have in common is a memorial to those fallen during the Boer and both World Wars. You don’t see many of the more recent conflicts on these memorials and I assume that as the world changed so did these small communities, some virtually disappearing as industries changed and the population moved closer to the cities.

Maclagan was surveyed in 1889. Twenty years ago it had a population of nearly 400. Ten years ago it had less than 200. It is interesting to note that so many of the early families lost more than one son during the war/s.

Just up the road is Cooyar, bustling with a population of nearly 250. The heritage listed ANZAC memorial was really stunning, surrounded by gardens, and the Cooyar Hotel, opened in 1903 saw a steady trade from travellers.

The parklands opposite the pub were also interesting in that in the early days this marked the spot of the local Memorial Hall, or community meeting place, which was swept away by floodwaters and killing two locals.

Maidenwell is another little village popular as a stop before the beautiful Bunya Mountains.  To be honest it was so unpleasantly hot I just quietly died under a shady tree with a refreshing  bevy. But thats what makes a good Queensland pub……

Lastly, Crows Nest, a thriving metropolis of 2000 only 40 kms out of Toowoomba, Queensland’s largest inland city. I have shared my visit here previously after a decadent stay at  Bunnyconnellan Guest House on a gorgeous olive grove.

I discovered somewhere new from this township’s past which I found fascinating:  Bullocky’s Rest Park which was originally used as a camp for bullock teams hauling timber from Cooyar to Toowoomba due to the availability of a fresh water supply. 

“A place to meet on the journey way

A place to rest at the close of day

Sharing a billy and a tale to tell

Midst the night time clanging of the ole bullock bell.”

I’ve visited an Art Gallery, an Antique Store and even bought raffle tickets to send kids from Boys Brigade to Canberra for a week.

Bali? No thanks.

*Apologies to John Denver

February Books

I was going to list all the books that I read throughout February but thought “who gives a rats?” So I will share a book update instead.

The Little Community Library has been in existence now for four years, coinciding with my retirement, and is self managing other than a weekly visit for a quick tidy up. It is well supported by locals although the demand for children’s books continues to outstrip supply.

Some of the books that have been through the Little Library over the past few months are tagging along on a short road trip we are taking to the Western Downs area of Queensland where they will join some of their country cousin Little Libraries along the way. A local Charity Store also provides books to recycle across Little Libraries as does a national service organisation. It is amazing how a handful of fresh titles can add to a Free Library in a rural setting that has been doing it tough given recent floods, bushfires, and kennel cough. Lookout south coast of New South Wales : a delivery is coming your way too.

I picked up some cheap reading material at a car boot sale last week : $2.50. Bargain!

Although this was a stupid move when you consider the pile of books by my bed that I haven’t as yet touched.

A member of our Book Club recently recommended “The Underground Railway” by Colson Whitehead which I saw this week made the New York Times’ 25 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time List. As a newcomer to our reading circle as well as to our shores it is interesting that this lass is introducing us to a wider circle of books. Indeed, this one is a five star read.

Another recommendation by a group committed to expanding the practise of letter writing which I recently joined is “The Little French Bookshop” by Cecile Pivot. This is a nice little book – yes, I have been lectured about the use of nice – about a woman who runs a french bookshop who instigates a letter writing workshop.

Life Lesson :

Books can have more than one life. Share, Give, Recycle.

We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: We need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” – Philip Pullman

Big Things.

The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, was Australia’s first “Big Thing”. Built in 1964 it still stands proudly on the highway in front of what was once a large banana plantation and which now doubles as a tourist attraction promoting oddly enough, bananas.

Australia has over 230 “Big Things” all across the country. They are generally on major roads, kitsch, and butt ugly. We have a Big Prawn, Big Lawnmower, Big Orange and Big Rocking Chair. Personally, I don’t get the attraction though many holidaymakers arrange their journeys around these tourist traps. 

A selection of our BIG THINGS. Hideous, aren’t they?

The first time I saw the Big Banana wasn’t until the early 1990’s with my own children.  Knowing we were in for a long car trip and attempting to stop a war from breaking out  in the back seat I kept both daughters bouyed with the wonder of the Big Banana. Can I tell you how appalled I was to arrive in sleepy little Coffs only to find the cover (or skin) of the banana away at the dry cleaners. Try explaining that to Little People.

I was reminded of this following my recent travels to Far North Queensland where everything seemed to be Big. The Big Cane Toad in Sarina, The Big Snake in Ayr, The Big Mango which looked like it had been hit by a truck in some little town along the way, and my favourite, The Big Opened Sardine Can at Home Hill. No explanation for that one, sorry.

I wasn’t even aware of these Big Things until I was an adult. As a child the only large object I had witnessed was The Big Potato at Robertson on the way down the South Coast and you would never have guessed that the huge brown lump sitting in a paddock was a spud.

So why?

According to one source, “Big Things have become something of a cult phenomenon and are sometimes used as an excuse for a road trip where many or all big things are visited and used as a backdrop to a group photograph. Many of the big things are considered works of folk art and have been heritage-listed, though others have come under threat of demolition.” Sayonara Captain Cook in Cairns.

I’m not a fan of Big Things though I think this is in part because I was traumatised as a teenager after having spotted an army truck full of young soldiers urinating on The Big Golden Guitar at Tamworth, Australia’s country music capital.

Not so traumatised that I wasn’t excited showing 18 month old Harry The Big Crab in Cardwell.

Does your part of the world suffer from Big Things too? Do you have a favourite?

Lee Kernaghan and The Avenue of Honour at Yungaburra, FNQ

Saw the documentary film Lee Kernaghan : Boy From The Bush on the weekend and am still soaring from the buzz. In no way a country music fan I saw Kernaghan in concert in a little country town pre-Covid and let me assure you country music in a rural township surrounded by Akubras is a totally different animal. Right up there amongst my favourite concerts, with the added bonus of The Wolfe Bothers. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The movie includes archival clips from Kernaghan’s childhood and early career as well as spectacular views of the Australian outback in all its beauty and brutality. (Tip for Tourism Australia : Forget the “where the bloody hell are you” and “throw another shrimp on the barbie” campaigns*. Boy From The Bush is the real deal.)

Kernaghan is a musical story teller with a deep love of the land and its people. He has raised millions $$$ performing around the country to assist farmers struggling from drought, bushfire and flood. Absolute respect and he seems the sort a bloke with whom you could share a plonk and a cheese platter.

A new song about to be released in collaboration with Mitch Tambo and Isiah Firebrace, both indigenous, written whilst sharing a campfire on the banks of a river bank deals with reconciliation – Come Together – sent chills up the back of my spine. 

In June I shared my plans to visit Yungaburra in North Queensland to visit The Avenue Of Honour in commemoration of the fallen in the Afghanista conflict. See Serendipity Part 1 : Yungaburra, FNQ.

Lee Kernaghan had written a song with lines taken from a letter written by Private Benjamin Chuck to his wife whilst deployed and held by the Australian War Memorial, for his Spirit Of The Anzacs CD which culminated in Ben’s Dad organising The Avenue of  Honour in respect of his (late) son and his brothers in arms.

These will be the last holiday photos that I share but for anyone travelling to North Queensland, Yungaburra on the shores of Lake Tinaroo is an absolute must. I shed no tears, but rather, choked on the tranquility, the quiet beauty, and the powerful reminder of the young Australians lost during Afghanistan. This memorial parkland is just so well done.

The figure on the left represents Commando Benjamin Chuck. The rock represents the harsh Afghanistan environment.

Bordering the Avenue are Flame Trees which flower from October through to December. Their flowers are bright red to coincide with the red Poppies of Remembrance Day in November.

Lest We Forget

* Aussie’s do not throw shrimp on the barbie. We do not have shrimp. We have prawns. We throw prawns on the barbie with a dash of oil and a couple of teaspoons of freshly crushed garlic. “Don’t come the raw prawn” means don’t tell lies or fibs. And blokes use Prawn as a derogative when a woman with a tantalising body has an unattractive head. End of todays kultya lesson

Far North Queensland and Movies

Over 1,700 kms (1,000 miles ) away from home in Far North Queensland and I’ve bumped into a friend from the Adelaide Hills, way, way down south and along way from the east coast. When I say bumped, I mean literally. My facial recognition skills are shonky at best, and when face masks, sun screen and floppy sun hats are added to the equation the result isn’t pretty. Funnily enough, it was actually her husband I recognised from photos, though we’d never previously met.

Carol and I became friends 12 years ago because of our shared love of Australian movies. We both wrote reviews for a mutual literary friend.

So it was perhaps apt that I bumped into this woman at the North Queensland Army Museum in Townsville where a knowledgable volunteer was enthusiastically extolling the virtues of an army truck exhibit which was driven by Nicole Kidman ( AKA Our Nic) in the movie Australia.*

It’s a fascinating museum manned by volunteers and Army Reservists with entry by donation. At the entrance is a sculpture that represents the Australian tunnellers involved in blowing up Nazi bunkers near Ypres in Belgium during WW1 as depicted in the movie Beneath Hill 60. (From the book of the same name by Will Davies and based on the memoirs of Captain Oliver Woodward. An excellent read!) The movie was shot in Charters Towers, 135 km south west of Townsville, with the sculpture donated by the film crew.

In an attempt to elevate the 20 month old grandchild’s education to a higher plateau – afterall, you’re never too young to learn about Errol Flynn, are you? – we visited the popular Australian Hotel in the trendy Palmer Street Precinct for a refreshing bevvy. In my quest for Flynn memorabilia I visited this area forty years ago only to find the Errol Flynn Room – so named because he stayed there prior to his move into acting and before his New Guinea escapades – closed for refurbishment. Back then the pub was a lonely dilapidated shell of a building down by the Port ; these days the area has been gentrified and the accomodation is as swank as. Sadly, the Flynn Room no longer exists. ( Wretched millennials?)

A further 400kms north to Cairns and we came across the Australian Armour And Artillery Museum. About over museums by this stage, though if you have an interest in the movie Fury featuring Brad Pitt then this place with its movie memorabilia ticks all the boxes.**

Lastly,  looking over from Caldwell to Hinchinbrook Island where Nim’s Island was filmed. Lousy weather which made it all the better for investigating Australia’s biggest memorial park commemorating the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Coming full circle and travelling south once again we stopped at Bowen, famous for its summer mangoes .The township of Bowen hit a high note when the main street was transformed into a 1942 Darwin for the movie  Australia. Think the beef cows being shunted down the main street and along the wharf…..

Of course there is more movie paraphernalia in Far North Queensland. It’s just difficult when your hands are full – peeling prawns.

* Manual windowscreen wipers – very handy during a cyclone

*My advice? Get your hair done while the lads knock themselves out.

Serendipity Part 1 : Yungaburra, FNQ.

In November 2020, during the middle of a Pandemic, I wrote about a musical tribute to our servicemen and women in the form of a CD called Spirit Of The ANZACS. Country singer, Lee Kernaghan, along with other Australian singer/songwriters Garth Porter and Colin Buchanan, were given access to the diaries, letters and stories of Australian and New Zealand diggers held by the Australian War Memorial as a project for the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli.  These letters covered 100 years of ANZAC history from the First World War right through to Afghanistan. Many of the lines in the songs on this CD have been directly lifted from these letters, many written on the battlefield.

The song I included in that post was titled I Will Always Be With You from a letter written by Private Benjamin Chuck, 2 Commando Regiment, who lost his life in 2010  in the mountains of Kandahar Province  in a chopper accident during his third tour of Afghanistan. 

It’s been a year for serendipitous events.

Earlier this year I attended a social function commemorating Australian servicemen and women. There were several interesting stories including that of Hilda Rix, artist. Google her -it’s a fascinating tale. Another story was that of a father from Far North Queensland who lost his son in Afghanistan and who fund raised and worked his tail off to create The Avenue of Honour at Yungaburra on Lake Tinaroo.

The Avenue

The Avenue with its 250 m of sand coloured path representing the barren Afghanistan landscape, twin rows of Illawarra Flame Trees and Central Monument symbolizes ‘the final journey home’ of the Fallen. It comprises 3 main elements:
– The entrance and pathway to the Central monument
– The Monument and The Honour Board
– The journey home leading from the Memorial

A plaque representing each one of the 42 fallen soldiers (40 killed in action plus one training casualty and one non-combat related death) from the Afghanistan Campaign is present on the Honour Board adjacent to the Memorial. The centrepiece of the Memorial is a cairn of stones sourced from Afghanistan surmounted by a pair of sculptured wings in full flight depicting the contributions made by all services and symbolizing the undaunted spirit of the Australian Digger. The Avenue has all night lighting with the Honour Board and Monument bathed in blue light.

A series of plaques distributed throughout the Avenue feature service commendations from Military Commanders, Five VC Award Recipients, references to major engagements fought, the role of Explosive Detection Dogs, and literary contributions from community members.  

     – from https://www.avenueofhonour.com.au/memorial/history/

The entrepreneurial gentleman was Gordon Chuck, father of young Benjamin Chuck.

In April at my local Dawn Service in Cleveland, thousands stood in the cold and the rain to honour those who had served. This year the names of the fallen from recent theatres of war were announced over the loud speakers with nominated persons depositing a wreath by the cenotaph. It was a moving service with many shedding a silent tear. And Benjamin Chuck’s name was amongst those called.

I’ve started packing for a road trip. Shouldn’t. The financial advisor will spit chips but you know what ? You’re a long time dead.

One of my stops will be The Avenue Of Honour at Yungaburra, Far North Queensland.

Elyne Mitchell and The Silver Brumby

This Clayton’s Lockdown that we’ve been experiencing since New Year,( the lockdown you’re having when you’re not having a lockdown), also known as the Shadow Lockdown, seems to be more difficult to endure this time round. Maybe it’s because the media keep insisting we are all going to cop a dose regardless, or alternatively there is little more to accomplish in the decluttering and home maintenance area.

Or maybe it is the fact that any travel adventures were dashed from Day 1 of 2022.

Last year I discovered there was an Annual Man From Snowy River Bush Festival in the wilds of Victoria. Lots of whip cracking, camp ovens, horses, markets, poetry and bush music. See here :https://bushfestival.com.au/whatson

Anyway, not going to happen. 

Good news homegrown bloggers and a little distraction, especially if you are not a tennis or cricket fan:-

A feature of this Festival is the Elyne Mitchell Photo Story Award.

Who was Elyne Mitchell?

Mitchell was the  author of a series of children’s books very popular with young girls, in the 50’s and 60’s : The Silver Brumby. There were 13 novels in this series in total and she also wrote non fiction books including her family history which I would love to read (her father was Henry Chauvel from the Australian Lighthorse Brigade in WW1 and she married a Changi POW who later became a politician) which included her own photographs, many of which were taken in the area where this Festival is taking place.

Hands up those who remember The Silver Brumby? 

Confession: I was never into equine flesh nor did I enjoy Black Beauty or Flicka. Too sad. More a Rin Tin Tin kind of girl…..

All photo story entries (maximum of 200 words)  must have “a specific reference to the theme “The Overflow” and an Australasian rural experience and must be the writer’s own work. Clear images must be provided. Written entries should demonstrate the significance of the image to the entry.”

There is an entry fee and th closing date is 14th of February 2022. More details here: https://bushfestival.com.au/whatson/elyne-mitchell-photo-story-award-competition.

I’m so over gardening, rearranging the house, and playing with new recipes this is going to be my shiny new plaything for the weekend. Looking at old holiday snaps might soothe the soul too 🙂

Cows, Gas, & Bottle Trees

Roma is situated 480 kms west of Brisbane and is the administrative centre for the Maranoa Region, Queensland. It is one of those country towns I’de heard of but had no interest in visiting. 

Stupid me.

The town was incorporated in 1867 and is named after Lady Diamantina (née di Roma), the wife of Sir George Bowen, the Governor of Queensland at the time. Currently with a population of over 6,000 Roma is big enough to provide plenty of choice for all the essential services with a smattering of the arts and culture and a strong connection to heritage.

It’s a Cow Town with the largest store cattle saleyards in the Southern Hemisphere. This means you can get a good steak at any pub in town. Don’t dis this : most of our better quality meat is exported overseas. It may also account in part why so many of my female millennial friends make the journey west all frocked up for the picnic race meetings and the annual rodeo.

Believe it or not, the saleyards are a popular tourist attraction and a visit is highly recommended. I loved it – who ever thought that you’de ever hear such a statement?

The other big tourist attraction is the Big Rig and Oil and Gas Museum. Bizarre, granted, but a fascinating history of our Natural Gas and Oil industries. It’s well worth paying extra for the guided tour or to the evening light show for all the fascinating tidbits.

Who knew you could sell tickets for this kind of venture?

Roma’s War Memorial and Heroes Avenue are Heritage listed. Residents planted a Bottle Tree for each of the local lads who died during World War 1, and Heroes Avenue is lined with 140 trees, each bearing a soldier’s name. 

Attached to Roma’s Library is a delightful Art Gallery which is well worth a visit, and as per usual in a country town, the clothing shops sell quality over quantity.

Also add the Bush Gardens to your Must Do List. The garden is 14 hectares wide and contains many species that Roma is famous for such as the Mulga, Coolibah and Brigalow.

My visit coincided with the last legs of this years winter mouse plague. All I can say about this is that you don’t understand the situation until you’ve experienced it. Nothing quite says Good Morning like greeting the day with half a dozen dead mice at the front door.

I’m looking forward to a return to Roma for the races. Guess I’m just over the rodeo stage of life …….and the mouse stage.

Much Needed Therapy : A Day On Straddie

North Stradbroke Island, affectionately known as Straddie is an island that lies within Moreton Bay off the coast of Brisbane. It is a 45 minute vehicular ferry trip from my sandpit or half that on the people-only Straddie Flyer. At 68,000 acres it is the second largest sand island in the world. Known as Minjerribah to the First Australians the Quandamooka people are the traditional land owners and their presence is still keenly felt on the island.

Fun Fact: Originally there was only one Stradbroke Island but in 1895 it split into North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island after some bizarre events. Firstly, in 1894 the 1,600 tonne barque Cambus Wallace from Glasgow, carrying explosives, shipwrecked in a narrow passage. Five sailors we’re lost, the others managed to salvage barrels of rum and most of the explosives, although they were deemed unstable. Rum and explosives being a heady mix there was one hell of a BOOM, and further storms and strong currents led to the fragile strip of land dissolving and breaking completely away in 1898.

All ferries arrive in Dunwich. The township has a fascinating history having started as a military post, becoming a temporary lazaret, a quarantine command, and then the largest asylum in Queensland for the poor, disabled and disadvantaged. There also remains evidence of the financially rewarding Dugong harvesting industry.

Used For Boiling Down Dugongs

Myora Springs has been the meeting place of our First Nations people for eons with it’s fresh water feeding into the bay. 

Amity Point remains relatively untouched by progress and is a camper’s and fisho’s paradise.

Do you remember the Disney movie Finding Nemo? This movie featured The East Australian Current, a large scale flow of water that runs south along the east coast sweeping warm tropical waters from the Coral Sea southwards to interact with the cool temperate waters of the Tasman Sea. You know what that means? All manner of sea life including sharks – big, hungry buggers. We sat mesmerised and watched dolphins and whales at play. Look hard and you may just spot Nemo.

Point Lookout is nothing short of spectacular. The old beach shacks of days gone by are well and truly gone and the high end real estate is at such a stage that I could probably afford to purchase their letterbox and possibly a water feature or two. Despite the exorbitant prices, it is still acceptable to walk sand in through the house and barbeque on the verandah overlooking the view. It retains that holiday vibe. 

I just have to tell you that the Straddie Pub is a Must Do item on any visit to the island.

Wind burnt, sun burnt, and thrilled to have to stop driving in order to allow a koala to cross the road we returned to Dunwich for the ferry ride home.

From Dunwich back over to the mainland.

Feeling improved and in a much better head space, thank you for asking…………….

War Memorials on my travels

Did you know that there is a Queensland War Memorial Register, currently with over 1300 sites listed?

War memorials resulted from a ground swell of community sentiment going back to the Boer War when memorials were usually situated within cemeteries. With the mass casualties of the First World War affecting almost every family communal memorials in prominent public places were established as a tangible symbol of national mourning. 

These memorials are ever so present in country towns where the names of the fallen indicate just how many local families lost their husbands, fathers and sons. Some are big, some are small. Each are poignant.

Roma, Qld

Longreach, Qld

Ilfracombe, Qld

Chinchilla, Qld

Exhibition in Winton, Qld, in a Troop Train transporting soldiers to the Big Smoke. ( Located in the Waltzing Matilda Museum)

These are just a selection from my recent travels. I’ve always been a sucker for these memorials and how they correspond to a township’s history. When I was in my teens and working for Veterans Affairs ( then Repat) my dream was to travel Australia and photograph all those in small, country towns. Copped the ” responsibility lecture” instead. In those days I listened to what I was told. How things change.

For more information go http://www.qldwarmemorials.com.au