After the Major Flooding Event we took a drive 120kms east from Mount Isa through the Selwyn Ranges to Cloncurry and more specifically to the newly reinstated Chinaman Creek Dam Lookout now with a bitumen road and water tank art, which was completed in October 2018 by street artist, The Zookeeper. The mural features local Cloncurry children, Barrack a Mitakoodi dancer with the “Deadly Dancers” group and Brianna also a dancer with the same group who is depicted throwing a paper plane, a reference to Cloncurry as the birthplace of John Flynn’s 1928 Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service, which later became the Royal Flying Doctors Service. Shovel and I read books and enjoyed the view of Chinaman Creek Dam, now a canvas of tonal greens since the heavy rains.
We arrived in Kalgoorlie with the intention of perhaps obtaining work and staying for a while, however after Shovel experienced the run around by workpac, a recruitment company, we made the decision to abscond a few days later. Never ones to miss an opportunity to explore, we made the most of being in town and ticked a visit to the ‘Super Pit’ off the list. Kalgoorlie’s main tourist attraction is of course the mine, one of the largest open pit gold mines in Australia. Also known as the Fimiston Open Pit, due to the style of mineralisation that is of abundant sulphides and tellurides, the rectangular or oblong shaped mine is approximately 3.5km long and 1.5km wide and 600m deep. Gold was first struck in Kalgoorlie in 1893, with Thomas Flanagan, Patrick Hannan and Dan O’Shea discovering the first alluvial gold on the slopes of Mt. Charlotte. Their find resulted in a gold rush with several independent mines tolling away on the ‘Golden Mile’ some unsuccessfully until 1989 when Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) bought out the mines to create the super pit we now see today. Production results published in 2018 stated about 800,000 ounces of gold was produced per year with mine life expected until 2021. The intention then is to process lower grade previously extracted ore until 2031. Earlier in 2018 the open pit mine experienced two substantial landslides in the space of 12 hours that ultimately resulted in the temporary shutdown of operations and a reduction in output, with joint venture partner Newmont Mining reassessing production life. Months prior to the landslides 36 employees were made redundant and more endured the same fate months after the landslides. This upheaval of production targets and uncertainty amongst the workforce could potentially have been the reason why the recruitment company was noncommittal, first saying there was work, then giving us the run around... Now known as the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder the two separate towns amalgamated in 1989 and boast a stunning array of architecturally designed civic and commercial buildings in their main streets. When people flooded to the region to secure their futures in the late 19th century many came ill prepared for the harsh outback climate, hot dry summers with low rainfall. Much of the success of the two towns is owed to CY O’Connor, an engineer who was responsible for the design and construction of a freshwater pipeline from Mundaring Weir near Perth to Mount Charlotte Reservoir in Kalgoorlie. The original pipeline first constructed in 1903 is still in use today and remains the lifeline for the region, without this pipeline the town would not be viable. HEART WALKPhil & Emily Braham Streets paved in Gold 2017 Buodoon Edie Ulrich Going out Bush 2018 Andrew Frazer Unraveled 2018 Stormie Mills Drowning Within 2017 Jason Dimer Kgungka Thurtu (Sister Girl) 2018 Rosie Woods Untitled 2018 One aspect we enjoyed immensely about Kalgoorlie Boulder was the large-scale public art displayed through out the town and revealed by undertaking a 4.5km self-guided walking trail. Known as the ‘heART walk’ and designed to promote liveability and social cohesion the project incorporating 60 contemporary murals was concluded in 2018 and showcases local and visiting artists.
A fascinating 290 kilometre journey had us passing through a contrast of landscape. The road trip began with dry wheat country and rolled into the hills of Mount Remarkable, an area that looks like it is begging to be explored with its 960 metre hills filled with gorges and bushwalking tracks. The flat road suddenly turned into a windy range taking us through the hills of Mount Remarkable and out the other side to see the narrowing Spencer Gulf. It was quite a change of weather from hot and dry to windy, damp and cold. The bends of the road eased out to a straight road that put us on the A1 into Port Augusta. We stocked up on goodies in Port Augusta and had lunch by the city park, which entertained us with views of the Gulf and some local street artworks. We ventured out of Port Augusta and the country changes again to dry arid saltbush landscape. The road took us past a town called Iron Knob, its 64 percent graded iron ore has supplied the country since 1900 and makes up 21 percent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We drove along and made it to our destination, Kimba. The caravan park was a hassle free set up so easy we did it twice, as I (Shovel) put a water filter on too heavy for the mains tap, the water feature is nice though, isn't it? We went for a walk in the afternoon to witness the almighty 8 metre tall flaming Pink Galah and the stunning silo art put together by artist Cam Scale in 2017. The silo artwork is quite jaw dropping with the amount of detail thrown into the 30 metre towering concrete cylinders. We finished the day off with a delicious curry dinner at the servo. You might think delicious, curry and servo are never seen in the same place but Kimba is an absolute game changer.
South Australia was officially declared an English colony on 28th December 1836 near where the “old gum tree lies in the suburb of North Glenelg. Colonisation history took a different path to the likes of Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Brisbane. The approach to South Australia was a planned colony of free immigrants, promising civil liberties and freedom from religious persecution. Land would be surveyed and sold at a rate too expensive for labourers and journey man, this was to raise funds to immigrate working class settlers. These ideals were originated by Edward Gibbon Wakefield after reading about Australian settlements when he was serving time in prison for attempting to abduct a heiress. The ambition of a free settler colony was to create a utopian style crime free civilisation. Not even a Gaol was in the plans. This changed quickly in 1837 when there were reports of escaped convicts on the run from New South Wales on the South Australian Register. While a temporary Gaol was put on the cards, a burglary, a murder and two attempted murders occurred, this forced South Australia’s first governor John Hindmarsh to make the decision to employ the state’s first ever police force in 1838. Adelaide was off to a slow start economically until wool and livestock imports arrived in 1838 from Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. By 1860, wheat farms expanded as far as Encounter Bay to Clare, alongside producing wool, fruit, meat and wine, which were all strong exports in Adelaide. Through the mid 1800’s Adelaide was seeing large economic growth through it’s exports, the boom brought gas lighting, a university, a couple of reservoirs and the South Australian Art Gallery to the city. The 1890’s brought on an economic depression, the value of South Australia’s exports almost halved leaving their two main exports as wine and copper. Mining towns like Burra and Broken Hill lent an economical hand with Copper, Lead and Silver. The 1900’s brought in electric lighting and a tram network to Adelaide. The finish of World War 1 started a prosperous postwar boom, its growth made Adelaide the third most populous metropolitan area in Australia. The boom was short-lived with the droughts and great depression in the 1930’s. World War 2 times transformed Adelaide’s industry from agriculture to manufacturing. Companies like General Motors took advantage of Adelaide’s more safer location to bring the manufacturing industry to life, driving the city into the 20th century. The 1950’s brought an Airport and the Murray River pipeline, the 60’s was Flinders University and Medical Centre. The 1970’s started a social reform with the Adelaide Festival of arts, which created a cultural revival in the city. More recent highlights for Adelaide was being the host for the Formula 1 grand prix in the 80’s and V8 supercars to now, which shuts off parts of the city for cars to paint the roads with tyre marks. South Australia has had quite a progressive history, leading the nation and the world by example. It was the first Australian capital city to be connected to London by telegraph in 1872. In 1895, South Australia was the first place in the world to allow women to stand for parliament, in that year women were also granted the right to vote. In 1936 Adelaide was the first city to generate public housing for families in need known as the South Australian Housing trust. The first Aboriginal flag was raised in 1971 on Victoria Square to support land rights for Aboriginal people. In 1975, South Australia was the first state to decriminalise homosexuality. In 1977 South Australia introduced a 10 cent refund on every can or bottle recycled, which was a first. In more recent times, South Australia is still reputable for a progressive approach to combat issues. In 2017, U.S Company Tesla installed the worlds biggest lithium ion battery pack just outside Jamestown to combat wind power outages around the state, its response rate to power outages is within milliseconds beating its hydro, coal and gas competitors by well over 2 minutes. Although South Australia gets forgotten about by its east coastal neighbours, they’re a step ahead of the country. On our first day in Adelaide, we took a train into the city to do a walking tour. Our guide Graham met us at the Parliament building steps away from the train station.Graham took us around the city and enriched us with his knowledge on Adelaide’s history. We started off with no idea about Adelaide and South Australia and finished the tour with a new founded appreciation of Australian History. Our walking tour inspired us to visit the Adelaide City Library, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australia Museum. The Art Gallery journeyed us through many eras of art ranging from Ancient Egyptian Art right up to modern contemporary art. Its variety of paintings and sculptures take you on a trip around the world and back in time with out a plane ticket. Adelaide’s South Australian Museum is filled with a wealth of natural history knowledge. The museum had an impressive display of taxidermied animals from around the world, the realness of the specimines leaves you waiting for them to come to life. The museum features a level of Australian Indigenous History and a level of Papua New Guinea History, all filled with paintings, clothing and beautifully handmade tools for hunting and gathering. The four story high squid keeps you interested, although just a plastic replica, it is 11 metres long and based on a real squid caught in New Zealand, the largest one caught at that time, the most recent largest recording stands at 13 metres. After hours of fuelling our minds with art, culture and science, we went for a walk around the Mortlock Wing, the first building of the Adelaide library. The Library was opened in 1884 to the public, and now still stands strong with a collection of 23,000 books. Every part of the library is so well preserved it feels like it hasn’t aged since the day it was built. Walking through the entrance feels like you’ve blasted through a time machine making you feel a part of the history. Its a beautiful inspiring place to wonder around, relax or maybe even read a book. On one of our days in Adelaide, we took a walk up to Mount Lofty, Adelaide’s lookout. The track begins at Waterfall Gully, named for obvious reasons, it has two running waterfalls which flow elegantly at the start of the track. It made for a very active day out in Cleland Conservation Park’s nature. Nestled on Adelaide’s shore is the coastal suburb Glenelg, its gorgeous town hall and Anzac memorial was surrounded by unfortunate lifeless feeling beach apartments. While walking around Glenelg we felt like it lacked a lot of atmosphere, shops lacked colour, cafes lacked taste and people lacked excitement of being there. Adelaide has spoilt us with a large amount of convenience. Everything to do there was just…..easy. Everything there just felt so easy to do, getting to a beach, getting to the city, getting groceries, a franchise acai bowl cafe we loved called Delicia would pop up every where we go and even to park a car somewhere, barely a sweat! Although Adelaide can lack hype compared to its other cities, it filled our days with some good solid chill.
Flagstaff Hill Maritime VillageAdmittedly this wasn't one of the most exciting tourists attractions we'd experienced, but we did learn many interesting maritime facts, including the Shipwreck Coast, that stretches 120 kilometres from Apollo Bay to Portland is aptly named as it has claimed over 100 ships, with many coming to grief at Lady Bay in Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Cape Otway. Most famously the Loch Ard ran aground on Muttonbird Island, near what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge in 1878. Of the 54 passengers on board only two survived, Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, Pearce saving Carmichael's life by dragging her from the wreckage to safety before leaving her in a cave whilst he went to raise the alarm. A peacock made by Minton Earthenware and sent from England to be displayed at the Great Exhibition at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne due to be held in 1880 also survived the wreck. Amazingly the peacock was pulled from the wreckage of the Loch Ard two days after the disaster, remaining for many years displayed in the hallway of a Geelong residence before being purchased by Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in 1975. The peacock is currently valued at over $4million and was the highlight of museum, standing at 152 cms tall the detail and colours are stunning and worth paying the $18 entrance fee just to see.
Around TownShovel and I really enjoyed the relaxed slower pace of Warrnambool and had a wonderful four days exploring the area. The township of Warrnambool was first surveyed in 1846 with the name Warrnambool derived from local indigenous language meaning volcanic cone. But it was back in 1800 that the area now known as Warrnambool was first documented by Europeans when James Grant sailed past in the Lady Nelson. A replica of the ship is displayed at the Visitor's Centre in Mount Gambier. Warrnambool became an important shipping port, but due to the advent of the railway and the devastating coast line the port was closed in 1942.
Jimmi Buscombe a local artist created the "wombat" drawing out of chalk on a rail underpass near his home as a practice run for street art he was commissioned to complete for the local city council. A local graffiti removalist loved the image so much that instead of removing it painted over it with an automotive clear paint immortalising the art work and providing an accidental platform for future commissions for the artist. We were told of this story by a lady in a beautiful homewares store called, Ink and Feathers. We took another leisurely Sunday journey into the city of Melbourne. A feast of Gnocchi at the Veggie Bar for lunch, a stroll around the city, a visit to the library to witness Ned Kelly’s armour and a chocolate fix at Max Brenner. After getting our buzz of chocolate goodness, we went to achieve today’s objective, taking off into the virtual skies on a flight simulator.
After a briefing in the main room, the instructor took us into a replicated cockpit of a Boeing 737-800, running just like you would see if you look in before you take your seat on the plane. The instructor sat me in and explained the main controls of the aircraft. We were placed at JFK International Airport, lined up on the main runway. We set up the aircraft for takeoff and pushed the throttle forward, a pull back of the stick put us into the sky of many pixels. The flight took us over pleasant views of a virtual New York City, circling around the city we lined up to land at LaGuardia Airport. We lined up with the runway and eased the wheels onto the Tarmac. With the instructor happy with the skills, he put me on an airport in Aspen, Colorado, USA, which is notorious for its challenging terrain through mountains and dense weather. Set up for take off again, we virtually took off as hard as possible to lift up over the nearby mountains. Clearing the mountain peaks, we leveled out and flew over the well-known Colorado terrain. After a few turns we were lined up with the runway and had to descend steeply over a large nearby mountain. After the mountain, we straightened up the nose again with the middle of the runway and hit the tarmac nice and firmly. We taxied back to the terminal and shut the engine down, the fasten seatbelt sign is switched off which meant we made it to our destination. I had a ton of fun taking to the virtual skies with an amazing instructor who got me in the air and back on the ground. A massive thank you to Gumby for making this special moment happen, love you babe xxxx Sydney, around the world it’s the first thing that comes to mind after Kangaroo when you ask anyone about Australia. Indigenous Australians inhabited this part of the land for over 30 thousand years. It’s the country’s largest capital city with its most recently recorded population coming in at approximately 5 million people. It’s also Australia’s oldest city, ever since the first fleet landing in 1788, it has evolved from a colonial outpost to becoming a city in 1842. Events like the gold rush and world war two brought many migrants in, to seek opportunities they couldn’t find in their home countries, creating a lot of growth in Sydney. Although one of the most expensive cities in the world, it is the 10th most liveable city in the world, making it still statistically appealing for migration. Most notable landmarks are the architectural wonders of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Well-maintained historical buildings from the colonial era still keep themselves present after surviving horrid high-rise development proposals on the rocks, courtesy of activist Jack Mundey. With mild subtropical weather it makes it an inviting all year round destination for local and international tourists. Lane Cove National ParkWe arrived into Lane Cove Caravan Park at North Ryde, Florence was unhitched and set up in a National Park and we were only 10 kilometres from the city of Sydney. Surrounded by a variety of large local gum trees and the lights of the city in the background, the location was beyond believable.
Thursday, we went into Mosman to do a Pilates session, public transport was a long trip over so we opted to take the car. We navigated our way through 15 kilometres of highways, tunnels and some off-peak (thankfully) traffic. The drive wasn’t too bad and we got there with some time on our hands, so we went for a walk to get a feel of the place. Mosman is rather posh, old buildings are filled with boutique shops, fancy cafes and chemists that didn’t have vitamin c’s. Streets were filled with cars like M series BMW’s, Porsches, Maserati’s and all the other fancy stuff from Europe. Locals are hard at work here, with image and an occupation to fund it. After pilates we took the train into the Quay and went for a look at the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art. Only level 2 was opened that day but was filled with some inspiring modern art from across the country and around the world. Its art deco styled building used to facilitate the maritime services board but had been an art gallery since 1991. After getting in a dose of art we went for a walk around the Sydney Opera House, one of the 20th century’s most famous and distinctive buildings. Taking in the exterior of the opera house makes you appreciate Jørn Utzon’s unique form of Architecture; the building to this day still feels well ahead of its time. We were craving a burger, so we went on a Google adventure for food and it led us to a place called Bar Luca in the city. The place was packed so we thought we couldn’t go wrong eating here. We ordered burgers that go by the name of ‘Blame Canada’ it was loaded with poutine, maple bacon, lots of liquid cheese and a beef paddy, maybe vegetables. After making our way through the burger marathon, we ventured our way back home. On Friday, we kicked the day off exploring some of the track along the river that goes through Lane Cove. The views were endless with stunning waters, wildlife and trees. It was a great feeling to be living next door to all of this iconic nature for a few days. We took the train into the city and then boated our way along the Harbour arriving at Cockatoo Island. Arriving into the island you see an amazingly diverse range of buildings, industrial and residential. We went for a look around for half the day and got enriched with its history. We jumped back on the boat and it made its way back through the busy Harbour to Circular Quay. Dinner-time had come upon us so we boarded the train to a place called Newtown. This colourful inner city suburb welcomed us with a young open-minded vibe. Cool bars, cafes and restaurants nestled themselves in revived old buildings. Blank walls were filled with street art and alternative styles of fashion were worn casually in the Newtown neighbourhood. We come across an Indonesian Café called Solo, it looked inviting so we gave it a go. We sat on the top verandah looking over the street through the 19th century arched window. We went with a dish called the Lamb Gulal, it had things like okra and roti along side good old potatoes, it was definitely one of the best feeds we’ve had on the trip down south. After some brilliant food we explored more further back up street and come across a book store open late at night called ‘Better read than dead’. The entrance looked average and humble until it opens up to a massive 3 level catalogue of books, it kept us busy for a while. Alternative Newtown is a fun place to hang out, whether to just walk around, eat food or just take in the atmosphere it’s certainly worth a visit. On Saturday, we got onto a walking tour around Sydney. The tour was called ‘The Rocks Journey Walk’. It was an informative 3-hour walking history lesson, which took us around some of the first buildings and landmarks in the country. We learnt a lot about Sydney and Australia in that time and have it in more detail in the rocks journey walk blog. We walked around the rocks area to find some lunch; passing through a few narrow laneways of sandstone we dropped into the Glenmore hotel. The Glenmore is a gorgeous pub, and is one of the few buildings standing after the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This Aussie icon was built in 1921, and on the inside it takes you back to that era with art deco styled rooms with original furniture. The lunch hit the spot and so did the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We caught the train home and rested for a while, to preserve some energy for the big night out at the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. We ventured our way into Wyndham station to walk over to Oxford Street, where the fun and games kicked off. On our way we had a quick look through the Queen Victoria building, built in the 1890’s its Romanesque style architecture is rich with stained glass, mosaic floors and windy staircases. It also features a statue of the ever so happy Queen Victoria out the front. We made our way towards Oxford Street, along side 300 thousand other people to witness the 40th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. We were blown away with lights, glitter and loud music. After having a blast dancing the night away, we zig zagged through the streets of the city to make our way home. Sunday was a day of relaxation, we were pretty much dead to the world after days filled with walking, walking, dancing and walking. We put our feet up and enjoyed the sounds of nature in the Lane Cove National Park. We finished off the day with a drive into a trendy suburb called Glebe; the route took us over the Harbour Bridge and through the city, leading us out behind Wentworth Park. It’s an old but well looked after area, the houses were restored beautifully and the park nearby was well manicured. We went into this place called Soul Burger, a café where they make burgers taste like beef, chicken and pork….but they don’t have any of that in them. The food was nicely done and surprisingly cheap for vegan, certainly a hit with the university students. To finish off the day, we sat down at the well-manicured park and ate our cow, chicken, fish and swine friendly burgers. Our time in Sydney was certainly a good one; it’s easy to dismiss the city as overrated and hectic to get around. Our time here proved to us that it is anything but that, we drove in and out of Sydney pretty easily with a caravan, the traffic is horrid on peak times but easy enough to avoid. We loved the drive around the city on the Sunday, its surreal driving over the Harbour Bridge and going past all the famous icons of the city. If you don’t fancy driving, the trains will happily take you over the Harbour Bridge, a connecting ferry at Circular Quay boats you through the Harbour itself. The Mardi Gras is truly the most fun anyone can have, the streets filled with colour and dancing will bring a smile to anyone’s face. The city is rich with fascinating history; every street and building has a story to it. Sydney was certainly a highlight for us, if you give it the chance it will show you a great time.
On one of our days in Ipswich we thought we would get some city exposure in and take a drive into Brisbane, the ‘River City’. Queensland’s capital city was named after the Brisbane River it was built around, which was named after a Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane Governor of New South Wales 1821-1825. The area was a prime location for Sydney’s Colony of secondary offenders, which formed a penal settlement in 1824. Today ‘Bris-Vegas’ has a population of 2.4 million; remains of its early 1800’s architecture are still around. The city is reputable for it’s unique ‘Queenslander’ style architecture which is present in a lot of the earlier original suburbs closer to the CBD. Our drive into Brisbane was a bit of a culture shock, piled up peak hour traffic and navigating through unknown streets with an uncertain destination reminded us of what we’ve been missing out on for two years. We arrived happily at the car park and were excited to put our best shoes on and explore the urban delights. The start of the day we went on a quest to find a Reuben Sandwich, a few Google bum steers finally got us in the right direction, leading us to a walk from Fortitude Valley over to South Brisbane. The South Brisbane area has changed dramatically over 10 years; more eateries, supermarkets and boutique shops have filled up Grey Street. We found our eating destination, Pourboy, not far from the South Bank train station, this place cured our hunger with a pretty decent sandwich. With some fuel back in the tank we caught the train down the road to browse through the Gallery of Modern Art. The GOMA is the largest gallery of contemporary and modern art in Australia, it was filled with many displays of cinema, photographic and painted forms of arts. It was a nice surprise to see a display of Torres Strait Island Art, easily assumed to be similar to Aboriginal art, it is a completely different form of artwork and unique to the remote island life that is embraced there. Gumby visited Horn and Moa Islands and a Torres Strait Island Museum back in 2016. After getting our fix of art, we took the train back to Fortitude Valley for something completely different, Mini Golf. The Valley is reputable for being a suburb of hard partying through the night and rancid odors of hangover in the day. During the day there is an old Church that opens at mid-day, that offers a blessing of pizza, rounds of mini golf and a jukebox loaded with rock and roll, it goes by the name of Holey Moley. We dropped in for a round of nine and putted our way around holes themed with Pac-man, The Simpsons and even through the legs of a donkey with Donald Trump on its backside. We ended our day with a KX Pilates session in a trendy suburb called Newstead, which had a lot more nicer feel (and smell) than its neighboring Valley suburb. Although classy, it still had a good vibe with people out exercising, clean streets and well-manicured apartment buildings. Gumby introduced me to the reformer pilates, I had a ball and she was lit up with excitement doing her first session in two years. Although a huge day trying to keep up with the pace of the city, we had a lot of fun in Brisbane. We were enriched with food, art and a diversity of atmosphere. The Pilates session was the perfect way to top off the day, we walked into the relaxing city night after the class feeling beyond fulfilled from today’s excitement.
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The JourneyChoose Curiosity The Catalogue
November 2023
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