Back to the farm

Although today’s journey was not a long road trip as Australian road trips go, it took from 7.30 am until 5.30pm to get from Adelaide to Swan Hill. We found so many things to stop and take photos of! At the border between South Australia and Victoria in a town that has shrunk almost to a ghost town we noticed a fantastic mural on the wall of a now empty row of shops. The mural is three dimensional.

Can you see how the farm equipment continues into the painting?

When we walked across the road to the picnic tables we looked down and noticed that they were inlaid with colourful tiles that had been made to commemorate businesses and clubs in the town – the town of Pinaroo.

Above our heads was a clock – but not just any old clock, this was different to any that we had seen before. This was a war memorial clock.

At Ouyen, some kilometers further along we found many more things of interest including more murals. I include a photo of one of the sign boards to show you where we were!

Helpful?

Rather than continue showing the town’s artwork I will instead share a wonderful sight that was perfectly natural.

There must have been very strong winds way up high because we were all fascinated by the patterns of the high level clouds and all of us could not help but aim our cameras upward! That shot is only one of many and each is very different from the other.

And then we drove past our old farm. Some things do not change – this is the road past the entrance to the farm.

Yes, that is a salt lake - some days it is bright pink, today it was glistening white.

Now for a couple of shots of the land – wide open spaces with very little timber.

When we were farming we ran sheep as well as grew grain crops but there is now a dreadful weed/grass that has a seed with multiple barbed spikes all over it that cling to anything that touches it. Shearers would need leather leggings to be able to shear sheep raised here so it looks as if this is no longer sheep country. We saw no sheep.

Finally I am showing a photograph that shows the nature of the soil we were farming – it is fine and it can blow in drifts. Farming methods have changed since our time here and it looks as if they have overcome the problem of the paddocks blowing away in every puff of wind – but when we were farming every hill looked like this (this shot was taken on the side of a minor road near the farm). 

My memories of life on the farm was that  every mouthful of food felt as if it was sprinkled with sand. I am glad we live where we live now!

AJ