Sunday Selections

 

Wudinna, South Australia

I am continuing with my theme of country towns as we travel through South Australia towards Western Australia.

Linking with Sunday Selections (river-driftingthroughlife.blogspot.com)

The meme is now continued by Elephant's Child and I occasionally join in as do a few others. Andrew is one. Drop in to Elephant's Child and have a look

Wudinna is known as Granite Country where granite has been quarried since the 1990's.

The Australian Farmer granite sculpture in Wudinna

"Australian Farmer" celebrates the spirit of Australian farming communities from pioneering days to the challenges of rural living today. It is a reflection of life, spirit and soul of the farming community.

Minnipa

Another of my Windscreen shots of scenery near Minnipa

Minnipa is a small town in the wheatbelt area of  South Australia.  From Minnipa we drove about 15km to Pildappa Rock.

Entering the town of Minnipa which is dominated by the silos

Pildappa Rock

Pildappa Rock is magnificent granite outcrop and provides great views of the surrounding area. 

The track into Pildappa Rock

These are the original geraniums planted in 1938

Looking down at our car and van from the  lower level of the rock

Wave formations on the rock

Pildappa Rock is very large and we were surprised at its size.  It's nowhere near the size of Uluru but it is huge and is well worth a visit.  We spent some time there and we climbed to a lower level which was quite easy but was very windy so we didn't go any higher.  There is a picnic area and also free camping.

 There are wave formations and a gutter system at the base of the rock which contains water most of the year..

Blackall,Qld

Continuing on from our trips to Queensland in 2013 and 2016, our next town is Blackall.

Sculpture in Blackall - Roly Poly

Eagles nest sculpture in Blackall

Eagles nest  sculpture around Blackall

The Eagles Nest sculpture is really great, it is made of old railway spikes, and timber and bolts and other bits from around the local area and some apparently from an ol bridge.  It is quite large and is one of quite a few fun and interesting sculptures scattered around the town.

Jackie Howe statue

Another lovely bronze  statue  is this one of Jackie Howe with a stud ram and stands in the main street.  Jackie Howe was a champion shearer and in 1892 set the record for  hand shearing 321 sheep in 7 hrs 40 minutes.

Beyond the Black Stump

The Plaque on the Black Stump

 This is a well known saying here in Australia "Beyond the Black Stump".
 This phrase comes from the custom of using a fire-blackened stump of wood as a marker when giving directions to travellers. 
 In more recent times it is just a phrase that we use to describe anywhere in the outback.  

The Barcoo Hotel in Blackall

Another  Major Mitchell plaque just out of Blackall

The inscriptioon on the Major Mitchell  plaque

Dry countryside around Blackall

Blackall welcome sign

The Information Centre

Our caravan at Blackall

Blackall Wool Scour

The Blackall Wool Scour operated from 1908 to 1978.  The wool scour is a wool washing plant operated by steam and is the only one left in Australia.  The wool scour is now a tourist attraction and is open from May to August as a working wool washing plant running on steam from water in the nearby artesian bore. 

Blackall Wool Scour - artesian bore

The 20 stand shearing shed

A lovely old Queenslander

NZ Cruise - Napier

Day 8 of our cruise and we arrived in Napier and caught the shuttle bus into the lovely town of Napier.  On our previous cruise we missed the port of Napier as the weather was too rough for our ship to berth so on this trip we were excited to see this Art Deco town , located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island.  The population of Napier is about 63,900.  

We walked from the shuttle drop off point in the city centre and were greeted by the Scottish pipers, which was lovely as I do have a Scottish grandparent and love the sound of the bagpipes.

Hupmobile another  of the lovely vintage cars on display

Another lovely vintage car and owner/driver dressed in vintage style

Model A Ford and Willys Overland Whippet Four - Vintage cars and owners

The main shopping area is Emerson Street

The Dome

 Completed in 1936 as offices for the Temperance & General Insurance Co., it was one of the city’s largest commercial buildings.  The Dome is now a boutique hotel.

A Wave in Time bronze sculpture by Mark Whyte on Emerson Street in Napier, New Zealand

Beautiful house on hillside above Napier

An interesting vintage taxi

Another art deco building

Botanic Gardens

Botanic Gardens and lily pond

Sculpture at the Napier Aquarium

The Six Sisters were built along Marine Parade in the late 19th century. Architect Robert Lamb was hired by a prominent businessman to design near-identical, two-story residences for his six daughters. Surprisingly, the wooden structures suffered little damage during the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake. They are now mix-use of apartments, boutique shops plus a bar and grill.

View from our balcony

And the band played for us!

Another view as we leave  Napier