WINTON OUTBACK FESTIVAL

Back home again and what a whirlwind couple of weeks.

The Winton Outback Festival was a great week and can now be crossed off the bucket list but  I don’t know whether we will go back again.  Financially it was worth it though.

We arrived at about 6.30pm at the local show grounds and as Phil and Rod had arrived earlier they had a spot saved for us next door.  Within about 30 minutes we had the basics set up and it was into drinkies time.  Doug, Marie and Maureen arrived the next day at about lunch time.

Doug, Marie and I on the racetrack

Rod and Maureen

Stuart and Phil

We were set up in the main street right in front of the stage and except for Friday when everything moved to the sports grounds for the Dunny Derby that was our place of business for the week.

Events held throughout the week included egg throwing to be caught by a partner many many mitres down the street -

                                                                               – OR NOT!
 Whip cracking, wool bale rolling, fencing gear carrying and many more events that suited the outback of Australia.  Ages ranged from about 5 to about 70 for these events which were graded in their difficulty according to age and gender.

Stuart photographed these door panels in one of the old hotels in the main street depicting Banjo Pattersons Swagman and the music and lyrics to the famous song.

The highlight of the week for these types of events was the arrival of Australia’s strongest man Derek Boyer who while being presided over by a representative of the Guinness Book of Records attempted to beat his own record of rolling a 500kg car 10m times in 5 minutes.  This he did in under 5 minutes but didn’t beat his existing record.  In doing so he injured a muscle in his back and the paramedics were there to assist.

Derek rolling the 500kg car down the main street of Winton

Upon success of Derek's car roll

An interesting point I found out about Derek was that he is a type 1 diabetic and self medicates every day.  This is of special interest to me because of a grandson who is also type 1.  When I spoke to him he said to tell Joel that it will never be an impediment unless he allows it to be.

The Dunny Derby held in Winton every 2 years has world wide notoriety as being the only one of its kind in the world (apparently)  These structures?? Are built like an old Australian outback ????house on wheels with a pulling frame out front and must be pulled over the course with a person sitting on the throne.  Along the way they must alight the vehicle and pick up rolls of toilet paper (what else).  The best thing about the whole even is that the money won went to the charity they represented.









That night was a line up of stars including Adam Harvey to entertain a couple of thousand people.

Adam Harvey

Saturday was back to the main street with a lineup of finals of the iron man and woman events and finished with an Elvis impersonator Dean Vegas to round off a successful week according to organisors.

Elvis aka Dean Vegas performing in the street to the crowds
The story goes that he is standing for Mayor of the Gold Coast at the next elections

We planned to get away on Sunday around lunchtime but wanted to see Australias strongest men Derek Boyer push a semi and 4 wagons along the road.

Being interviewed by Neale Stuart (The voice of the Outback)

As he was still suffering from the injury he sustained earlier in the week he decided to leg press the road train by putting his feet on the bull bar of a 4 wheel drive parked facing the semi.

                                                          He moved it about ½ a mitre. 

Not satisfied with 4 he added an extra 2 wagons to the push.

We got away as planned after an early, light lunch at the Matilda Centre with Phil and Rod who were leaving for home on Tuesday.  With about 100km of dirt road to cover I was a bit worried about dust getting in the van but that wasn’t the problem.  Just as we were coming down into a creek with very rough terrain the van jumped off the tow ball and hit the dirt.  We got across the bridge with it dragging in the dirt and pulled up with the driver of a vehicle following us coming to our assistance. A quality found mainly in the bush.  The trailer mate managed to lift the van back onto the beast and with a bit of straightening out of the catch we were on our way again.

A great couple of weeks but good to be home again.

SPIRIT OF THE OUTBACK

I am travelling out to Longreach to meet up with Stuart who has driven out from home in Mackay as he is doing “Westtech” in Barcaldine, but before I board the train for Longreach I have to see the eye surgeon regarding an eye problem I have and It appears that in November I will be lining up for a Corneal Transplant in my left eye which will hopefully give me more vision than I have had in that eye since I was about 17.  This will be followed by one in my right eye next year.  I am really hoping that it will not interfere with our plans to travel next year.

Back at Ipswich and really looking forward to the trip on the Spirit of the Outback tomorrow at 1.00pm, and then on to Winton for the Outback Festival next week.

As the Queensland Wheelchair basketball team “The Spinning Bullets were due to play in the finals this weekend in Brisbane and their first game was to be at 11.00am Brett had to get me to the station by 9.30am to give them enough time to make it to the stadium in time.

Eithen and his big sister Mia ready to go to the finals

Little Mascot Number 1

 Last year the Spinning Bullets coach Tom Kyle made Eithen their mascot and so he has a replica singlet and leads the team out onto the court for their game. Tom is also Eithen’s coach for his basketball and has take Eithen under his wing and is very proud of the way he has improved in the last 12 months.

 Eithen in Prep with friend Charles on left and on right getting end of term awards

Mia and Eithen on Tramp at home

Mia on swing with Molly

After booking my suitcase in at Roma Street Station I caught a train to Southbank and wandered through the markets til it was time to come back and board the “Spirit of the Outback” for Longreach for departure at 1.10 pm.

Spirit of the Outback just coming into Roma Street Station

 About 1 hour into the trip we learnt that the on board computer which backs up the driver has failed and so as we approached Gympie 1 ½ hours late we were told that another driver had to be found for the train to continue.  I don’t know why I travel...............

The pod in which I live for 24 hours is small but comfortable with a very large window so I have a great view of the passing countryside.

The bed folds up into a seat with a full length window

The hall is very tight and zig-zagy with pods going off on each side.

Afternoon Tea of coffee, tea and scones was served at 2.00 pm and dinner will be at 7.00 pm with  choices ranging from soup and salad, steak, stew, fish and vegetarian as well as dessert.  Breakfast at 7am will be a surprise.  There was a choice of continental or full cooked and my breakfast companions were a couple from Brisbane and a nice young man from Italy who is travelling all round Australia and is currently going out to Winton for 3 days fossicking with palaeontologists.  He had some wonderful tales to tell about his adventures.  He also mentioned an Airline which goes all round Europe at incredibly low prices called RYAN AIR.  

We woke to find out that we are now 2 ½ hours late at Anakie and a few sighs in the dining room at this news prompted the waitress to say that we won’t be charged for the extra time on board.  I also noticed a major change in the poor condition of the line compared to the smooth coastal line.  These lines are very rough.

By the time we got into Longreach we were 3 hours late and a lot of unhappy people on board as they had to catch other transport to other corners of the country, but for me it was a welcome smile from Stuart and on to Winton.



IN THE MOOD

Just getting away from home sometimes can be a real battle!!

Thursday night as we were getting ready to go out to the theatre I got a phone call from our bank informed me that someone had tried to access my account and tested it out by trying to withdraw $1 twice.  Consequently my account was frozen and I couldn’t do wages or withdraw money for my trip to Brisbane the next day.  Fortunately Stuart and I have separate accounts and so he gave me his card to bring to Brisbane.   Kylie dropped me off at the airport and I was on my way.

 After sitting in the plane on the tarmac for nearly an hour we were informed that our there was a big possibility our luggage couldn’t be loaded and they would know in another 30 minutes.  We were then informed that it was definite the luggage (which was locked in the pod already) couldn’t be loaded onto the plane due to some glitch with the Mackay airport.  We were allowed to turn phones back on and inform family and friends that we would be late which was ridiculous in my case as Brett had travelled from Ipswich to pick me up and by now was waiting on the road side near the airport with Mia and Eithen for my phone call to say we had landed.  People were given the option of leaving the plane (without their luggage, as they couldn’t retrieve it from the pod) or staying on board and the luggage would follow later in the evening.

Most opted to stay but some got off without their luggage..... Not sure what good it was going to do.

Eventually we got underway and arrived in Brisbane in record time because there was less weight with no luggage I guess.

On landing in Brisbane we were met with ground staff who took our paperwork regarding luggage and they assured us that it would be delivered (even to Ipswich) following a phone call to ascertain a time convenient to us.

Arrived back in Ipswich to go and have a look at a potentially new home for Brett and Katrina and the kids which will give more ease of movement for Eithen and the ability to put in a pool a bit later on.

When my luggage hadn’t arrived by 10am I tried to ring Jetstar to no avail and after 3 other phone calls 2 lasting over an hour on hold with someone telling me how important I am and how they know how busy I am and they don’t want to keep me waiting, and eventually getting 2 foreign persons telling me this office is closed till Monday, I gave up.

Hopefully things will smooth out from now on.

A quick visit to my Orthopaedic surgeon informed me that the right knee replacement that I had 12 months ago is going great but I didn’t need him to tell me that.  His next statement wasn’t so good as I need a knee replacement in the left knee in the not too distance future as well. 

Tuesday I stayed at Michael and Shell’s in order to attend the theatre performance of “In the Mood” by an American Jazz group.

The Show was as great and more than we expected with a stroll down memory lane listening to music by Glen Miller, Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter and many more.  3 couples singing and dancing in front of the 13 piece band which included saxophone, clarinet, trombone, trumpet, bugle, piano and drums.

A tribute to the Australian Forces who served beside the Americans in W.W.2 bought the house down with not a dry eye in the house after finishing the segment with a rousing rendition of Waltzing Matilda.

USE OF BOTTLE TOPS TO SEAL A BAG.....

This hint was sent to me by my son, Joe who with my daughter in law Nicki and grandsons Ryan and Conner just bought a new Nova and has done quite a few weekends away.
I have seen the idea before but I thought it needed airing again.
WHAT A GREAT IDEA. NO MORE TWIST TIES OR RUBBER BANDS. This method is WATER PROOF AND AIR TIGHT. GREAT! The guy who first thought of the idea should be given an award for originality!!!

                          Cut up a disposable water bottle and keep the neck and top, as in photo.

                                   Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top to seal.

The bag is made air-tight, water will not leak, it is easy to open and the top and screw cap can be used over again!

SHAR'S BIRTHDAY

Last weekend saw us (Shar, Jill, Shirley W, and I) pile into Shar’s car and head west.
The reason for the venture was Shar’s XX Birthday and we were in celebration mood so a stop at the top of the range at the Eungella Challet started our weekend with a lovely lunch.
Eungella is a mountain range about 85 kms from Mackay which gives incredible views of the Pioneer Valley below and on clear days you can see the ocean.  The picturesque valley is a sight to be seen at this time of year with the little pockets of different colours where in some cases cane has been harvested, in some plants are very small and green and in some cane is ready to be harvested and the cane has gone to seed and the "Arrows" are a vibrant creamy pale green.

                                               Me standing in front of cane ready for harvest

My grandfather and my father standing in front of a stand of cane in Mackay in late 1930's or early 1940's.  It was definitely a larger variery of cane and todays varieties are not quiet as tall.

Shirley, Shar, Jill and I in front of the large fireplaceat the Chalet

The Chalet is situated just at the top of the range and was significantly damaged in the last cyclolne that ravaged Queensland but is now well and truly up and running again.



                                          Standing in front of the lookout on one of                   the many walks that take you to the edge for more views into the valley

There were some great items on the menu but as we knew that all (well most) rules would be broken regarding food we went for the home made pies, mushy peas and chips – all that is except Shirl who, not being a Queenslander couldn’t come at the mushy peas.
On to Broken River Resort where we got our rooms sorted, settled in, had a cuppa and then down to the river to see if there were any of the very illusive platypus lurking about. They are mainly seen just on daylight and dusk and as we agreed that nothing on this earth save an earthquake was going to get us up at daylight we thought we would head back down later that afternoon.

At about 4ish someone decided it was probably 5 o’clock somewhere the wine came out and we enjoyed a quiet hour not saying much (no! I lie) we 3 caught up midst a reasonable amount of laughter and talking while Jill painted her toe nails (was it something one of us said)



By the time we got down to the river to do some platypus spotting there were quite a number of people wanting to do the same. It wasn’t long before we were rewarded with a little bit of a splash and this tiny 50cm or less Ornithorhynchus swam under the bridge.

Dinner saw the arrival of Pete and Shirl and Lorrelle and Jeff who completed our party. The dining area and bar had a large central fire which kept Jack Frost at bay..........

Jill, Shirl and Shirl in the restaurant waiting for our table

Peter and I sitting opposite the girls also waiting for our table

Shar, Narelle and Jeff - yeah same as before

                             .........and then it was back to Shar’s room for the birthday cake.

Notice the candle - stolen from the dinner table because we didn't have any other

All the rooms appeared to have wood fires except mine which had an oil heater that wasn’t working so I froze all night. Breakfast was back in the restaurant and after a quick checkout we left Eungella and headed back for the coast.



Just out of Finch Hatton we made a left turn into Senini’s Road which led through the cane paddocks, across Cattle Creek to a lovely spot that I earmarked for the drive further at a later date.

What a pleasant couple of days with good food, good company and good wine.

We are now up to Saturday afternoon of the Charters Towers Country Music Festival for 2011 and it has been an interesting day.


It started with breakfast this morning up at the Dining Room with about 100 other people of similar vintage having a huge breakfast and listening to poetry (good and bad) from about 5 poets. One face amongst the many I saw was Jo Cronin who taught the kids back in Moranbah a generation ago.

Jo was one of the poets and seemed to be very well known to the compare and a lot of the audience as being a regular face at the Charters Towers Country Music Festival and when all was over I went over and chatted to her. She couldn’t remember my face but as soon as I mentioned Brett she remembered and asked me how he was doing. She now teaches handicapped children out of Mackay North High School and when I explained about the problems Kathy was having with Corbin she asked me to get Kathy to contact her.

The days entertainment was either song writers competitions or singers competitions and most were very good some very average but got to hear Tommy Contor who with his father Viv, when he was about 8, played at a pub I was managing in the Pioneer Valley. Tommy is now all grown up and a very good singer in his own right and won the male vocal last year. He has entered a number of sections this year. His mum Barbara and father Viv must be very proud of him.

Tonight will be a packed house and every chair (and Stuart says there are about 2,000) will have a bum on it for the star of the Festival Troy Cassar-Daley. As our stand is just at the entrance of the main stage we have a close unrestricted view of the entertainment.



Troy Cassar-Daley



Luke Austin

                                                           

Last night was an 11pm finish and I don’t anticipate tonight being any earlier so we have both had a rest ready for the multitudes.

Sunday has rolled around with more of the same singing and song writing competitions but most has been easy on the ear.

Tonight will be the finals and the presentation and hopefully an early night as we want to pack up and get an early start tomorrow and get home as a reasonable time.

Tuesday morning I have an early breakfast for management at work and then 3 weeks paperwork to catch up on as well as a trip to Brisbane to get my head around. This was a gift from Stuart for Easter to see a concert I really wanted to attend and apparently Shell has been a party to this surprise again, also. Thanks Shell!!

Stuart will only be home for a few days and then he is off west for about a month doing the near western show run and I will really have the house to my self for a while as Ricki Lee is moving back home with her Mum. She is enjoying a little bit more freedom now with her license and car. Joel now has his learners permit so the worry factor just doubled. Stuart’s granddaughter Deanna has had her learners now for a while and typical of country kids she is breezing her hours as she has probably been driving on her parents property for quite a while.