South Australia Bound.

For the next 4 weeks I will be travelling in South Australia. We left home on the 8th April and headed to Lightning Ridge, Cobar and then Broken Hill.

Lightning Ridge is a very different town, population -unknown, it appears to have no real rules about building or mining but very famous for opals especially the black opal which fetches the most money for the miners. The ridge as it's known is a place of
 "make- do". People use anything and everything to build things and make art.  Lightning Ridge is also the home of a well known Australian artist John Murray who treats the subject of the outback with some humour. 

Build your own castle

Mullock heaps - evidence of opal mining throughout the town 

creative signage 

no rules 

Old is important 

John Murray's Gallery

Some creative metal art

 

COBAR 

 Cobar has a sliver, lead ,zinc, copper and gold in the area. So red and so dry. The landscape really lives up to the name so often given to Central Australia -  "the red centre" 

Beautiful old pubs.

Town Sculpture 

 

  Broken Hill has large deposits of silver, lead and zinc as well.That same ore body became the largest single source of silver, lead and zinc ore ever discovered on earth, generating over $100 billion in wealth.  It was also the home of  Pro Hart another famous Australian artist. 

On our way to Broken Hill

Rest time for the driver BM

Broken Hill

Memorial to miners 

The mine 

 

Travelling with Pam and Tony 

Out side of Broken Hill is Silverton , once a thriving silver mine now almost a ghost town and a  famous location for movie making. MAD MAX 2, parts of  Mission Impossible  and Priscilla Queen of the Dessert were filmed there. It is certainly the place if you want to show isolation, the red colour of the outback and miles of nothing.

Mel Gibson ??

Not much grows in the dry climate 

Open space forever 

See you at Peterbourough.

Lov'n my New Kitchen and Living area

New cupboards and benchtops.

New floor covering through out the living areas and the hallway removed as well as a part wall.

Moved the dining room 

No its not a TV above the stove just a very modern range hood. This was Mr Bird's choice. He didn't do too bad I thought.

New Life

Dad just missed his 8th great grandchild Brooklyn ,born on Mum and Dad's 61 st Wedding anniversary.  But she brought some sunshine to great grandma's life. Congratulations to Shaun and Kirsty.

These Two

These two just love a bit of play acting and dressing up. Nanny Gail found some things belonging to her grandparents ... glasses and hat. I guess  this is what they thought they would look like . 

                Not sure what he was thinking Are you?

Celebrating the life of my wonderful Dad

I could not have wished for a more loving, kind, fair, hardworking and creative father. He was a true gentleman.  I loved him every minute of the 59 years and 11 months I had him as my Dad, my teacher and my best friend.

A younger "Ray" working in the bush all his life , he had a passion for nature.

After many years in the logging industry he bought this tractor in 1976  and began to do agricultural earth works ,  scrub clearing , fence lines and de-silting dams . He loved his Volvo loaders , his first one was sold to a farmer in the area and recently he found it and had to have a photo shoot. Of course he had many newer models after this  one.


Thank you  for your messages of love and support over the past 10 days .

Sitting and Watching

I am spending many hours sitting , watching and comforting  this beautiful man, my dad. Sadly he is really not well. The many memories going over and over in my head fill the hours and the tears of course.

At home the carpenters are hard at work - we are nearly there. The kitchen is almost done. A few more days ..... 

Interesting Photos

Mother Nature at her best and most interesting.

If you are a 30cm long brown snake caught in a pool you curl around a piece of fly away grass and float around.

Sunset from my back yard .

The park is so dry but there is still fun to be had at the end of the day.

Who can you see loving being lost in the ball pit.