Turning back the clocks

I'll start by commenting on trucks on the Newell Highway.  Elsewhere that we have stayed on a major Highway (Hay, Dubbo, Bourke) the trucks have basically stopped from midnight to about 6am.  Not Gilgandra where they came along the Newell throughout the night.  We still got a fair nights sleep but it was curious.

Back to the post title.  Many years ago a flight from Sydney landed in Brisbane during the time NSW had daylight saving but QLD didn't.  Not realising that the then Premier of the Peanut State was sitting in business class the pilot said:

 "WE have landed in Brisbane.  Set your watches back an hour and your mind back 50 years. "

The pilot was sacked.  Today it was Winter so the situation didn't arise but I am typing this from St George Qld.

Before getting there we got up, With some trepidation as it was rather cool (1 degree at Dubbo)!  After breaking our fast we went for a walk along the Castlereagh, in the Callitris forest opposite the windmill walk.

Very pleasant with a few good birds including Black-faced Cuckooshrike and Fan-tailed Cuckoo, both of which have left Carwoola for warmer climes (such as Gilgandra).  Several Mallee Ringnecks were seen  as well as 2 Rainbow Lorikeets.

The first less pleasant sight was where some local 4x4 owners had ploughed up the riverbank.

A curious sight was the remains of a bucket hanging in a tree.  Why was it there?

The second less pleasant sight was a former pig dumped beside the track.  Tammy was most interested in getting some fresh meat.

 We then headed North and on approaching Gulargambone were impressed by sculptures of Galahs.  There were at least 30 of these in various numbers..

 Then Frances worked it out, pronouncing the town as Gullahgambone rather than Goola....  They had a Memorial Hall and the plaque was snappable from the street.

Coonamble had a much more impressive memorial, which from conversation with a local had been in many locations in the main street.  I was impressed to notice that the District had lost 84 men in WW1 but 'only' 25 ub WW2.

 There was quite a bit of muralisation around the town, possibly inspired by the spiffy, abstract Shire logo.

 As we pressed on towards Walgett we met a herd of Santa Getrudis on the Long Paddock.

 After Walgett - looked no better than on our last visit - we came across an oversize load.  That was certainly truth in advertising.

 Here is the emu sculpture on the highway just outside Lightning Ridge.

 This nice mural was on the wall of the 'Ridge Social Welfare Centre.

We didn't stay long in the Ridge but headed off back to the Highway.  There was  a brief interruption as Mr and Ms Plod were doing RBT - possibly mid afternoon on a Sunday was not a bad time.  I passed: Frances noticed Mr P, who 'did' me look in the back seat of the car.  I wonder why?

Once across the border - of which we have no image as it came and went a tad swiftly - birdlife picked up.  Highlights were:

• a huge all black wedgetail lifting off from some roadkill;
• several kms further up the road an Adult White-bellied Sea Eagle lifting off with some road kill; and
• several clans of Apostlebirds  in a 2km long stretch.  My estimate was at least 100 birds  in total.  Now that is a bunch of Apostles!

What was surprising was that all this birdlife was in the general vicinity of the very notorious Cubby Station: the cotton farm that makes the Darling run backwards.  I don't think they would have been pumping today, as we had driven for 500km with water lying beside the road.

We found the Caravan park at St George and checked in. Most of the clients seem to be jolly fisherpersons.  A bunch of them were gathered at the camp kitchen - near our site -  being jolly, as well as doing Benny Hill audience impressions.  

 This was a worry but they had their drinks and/or tea and calmed down again and by 8:30 all is good!

• Bird of the Day:  Mallee Ringneck   Eagles were contenders but both available down South . The flock of the day was the Apostlebirds,
• Vegetation of the day: Many hectares of dead stuff in a wet area.  I presume it was an indication of the drought that has probably broken..
• Memorable moment:  This category includes things that we can think about to work what story is being told.  The can hung on a tree wins out over the Coonamble War Memorial moving up and down the street,
• Comment of the day: As the party was breaking one one of the members said "Well we'll see you later somewhere.  I probably won't recognise you but I'll say g'day any way.

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