Barcaldine

The shearers strike at Barcaldine is a famous part of Australia's industrial history. " The Tree of Knowledge" was the famous landmark where the shearers gathered. Sadly it no longer lives but the remnants of the tree is here for good with a monument made of timber to this place and the shearers. The monument is like a giant wind chime with pieces of wood hanging from the roof. It's amazing to listen to it. You can see it for miles approaching Barky as its affectionately called. When I was here last about 10 years ago it was just a big black box and looked terrible I thought. But now it has aged it fits much better into the landscape.

Blackall Wool Scour

The wool scouring plant was located here because of the sheep industry and the plentiful supply of hot artesian water .

The steam engines completed the water to boiling point by forcing the water between these things. I thought they were an interesting piece of machinery. 

This is the place where the very famous shearing legend "Jack Howe"  broke the record for the amount of sheep shorn with hand shears.   321 sheep in 7 hours and forty minutes. That's one sheep shorn with hand clippers every one minute and 25 seconds for a whole day..not beaten to this day by a person with hand shears . 

In one working week he sheared a sheep every one minute and fifty seconds.   He set this record in 1892. The  navy bonds singlet was named after him and is now commonly known as a Jacky Howe, but it has to be navy as this is the colour of the flannel he wore. His wife took the sleeves out of his shirt to make a sort of a singlet. 

Sheep yards made of gidgee wood  as the white ants don't eat it 

Sheep Station brands of the day that were sent  to the Blackall wool scour.

Next stop Blackall

If you want  to read a poem called the "Bush Christening" by Banjo Patterson you will hear this river referred to .  Blackall is  960 kilometers or 600 miles from Brisbane.

Sculptures using bits from the past tell many stories in the outback . People are 

resourceful and creative as you will see on our journey

The early surveyors  measured things from this stump as it held their gear steady. If it were west beyond this point , you were the other side of the black stump which is a common Aussie saying to refer to somewhere far  far away. Whoops missed a pic of the black stump, the original one burnt now they have one of petrified wood in the same spot.

This was just a funny name for a gully

Our Trip begins a Morven

For those who like patchwork and stitching news it will be a little short over the next 3 weeks because we are on an outback trip. So here we go ....



Some areas have been very dry so there are lots of cattle on the road and kids on school holidays loving to help. Never underestimate what kids in the bush can do...

Gidgee's Bush Camp   - best Coffee shop , great coffee and where you least expect it. If you go there its a must do go to the "Kill for a Cuppa" coffee shop .

The Piliga Sculptures

Looking up from the bottom of the George.

Looking down from the top

During our 'Scrub Stitchin' Retreat Chooky and Sonia organised a trip to the Piliga Sculptures. The sculptures were worked on in consultation with the indigenous community in the area.

I love this ,it's rock but to me it looks like a Eucalyptus or gum  tree when the bark is peeling.
These sculptures are so deep in the scrub no-body would know they are there!

Arriving at our" Scrub Stitchin" retreat April 5 2018

We arrived about  12.00   The room was ready !  I made these couple of little bags for swaps and for a room buddy gift. 

Finally got into a Di Ford quilt I did a workshop on 18 months ago . All set up ready to go!

My little car found its twin at the retreat . They parked together all weekend .Mine is on the left. 

We all made two 10.5 blocks one in white and bright and the other in creams and traditional.  There was a draw if you won you got to choose the colour lot you wanted and the other was to be made up and donated to a charity. In the end They both are goig to be donated to charity .

See the two pioneer men in the photo, can you believe they were related to one of the ladies on the retreat. They were Georgina's great uncles.

Deb and I having a few laughs


This is what I was working on .. "Cloverdale House" by Di Ford 

Thanks to Chooky and Sonia for organising it all. 

Small Project

Working on some small projects at the moment