Mr P. and I love a road trip, as regular readers will know. And we always try to get away for our birthdays, so off we went in late-ish June for mine. This was to be an art gallery trip, as we knew of two new galleries that had opened recently - Tamworth Regional Gallery, and the Yarrila Arts Museum, both in New South Wales. (And we snuck in a visit to NERAM - the New England Regional Art Museum.) Funny how every gallery and art museum has to have an acronym these days.
 |
a sculpture in Warwick QLD - on our way!
(Designer John Simpson, who sadly passed away before this was erected,
though his ashes are interred in the foundations.) |
 |
| Bluff Rock, known for the massacre of the local indigenous tribe |
Sadly, the local indigenous people were thrown off this rock by European settlers (so the story goes), most to die, and the rest injured and never seen again. This massacre was in retaliation for the (supposed) murder of a shepherd on Bolivia Station. But there are conflicting stories, and who knows the truth of it? Tragic in every sense, anyway.
 |
| a bit of street art in Deepwater - a platypus! |
 |
| Deepwater River - sadly, no platypuses seen :( |
 |
| and ... the bridge over the Deepwater River |
 |
| You guessed it! It's Uralla, on Thunderbolt's Way (he was a local bushranger!) |
 |
| the Uralla Institute building |
 |
| and the Moonbi chook |
 |
| the new Tamworth Regional Gallery (and Mr P. looking serious) |
 |
| their fabulous new gallery |
 |
| in the small town of Manilla - old silo, and some old tractors |
 |
| and the Manilla fish! |
You can just see the stained-glass window to the left of the fishy mouth - which is a depiction of the Manilla fish! Manilla is a small town on Fossickers' Way, apparently famous for fishing, paragliding and mountain biking! Who knew?!! Oh yes, and the best coffee, even at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon!
 |
| forgot to add Captain Thunderbolt (aforesaid famous bushranger!) |
 |
| a wee train going by in the tiny town of Nemingha |
 |
| the real estate agent of Manilla town |
I just had to add in this photo! Can this be real? I laugh every time I see this. Do we call him Purt for short?
That's enough for now; more to come in another post!
 |
| c. Sherry M. |
Looks like that you and Mr. P had a great time :-) I love that sculpture in Warwick. Didn't get the joke of that last photo though...
ReplyDeletewe had a great time thanks Angie. The joke is in his name. I mean who the heck is called Purtle or Peevey? Hehehe ...
DeleteThat is an incredible name. It would be remembered by clients!
ReplyDeleteFor sure Marie.
DeleteEnjoy your travels. Wonderful scenery and photos especially of the one of Bluff Rock. Thanks
ReplyDeletethanks Judee. Yes I think that one of Bluff Rock is pretty good considering we were going 100 kph and it's thru the windscreen :)
DeleteYou taught me the word “CHOOK” which i think is pure Australian. Now you have provided me with perfect illustrations. The street art chook seems to me to be a perfect visual definition of the word.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Yep I love that word :) Mm is this comment via chatgpt by any chance? It just doesn't have your usual rhythm...
DeleteWonder-filled adventures are wonderful! I love the way you and Mr. P travel.
ReplyDeleteThank you David!
DeleteIt looks as if you had the entire place to yourself throughout your trip.
ReplyDeleteTandy | Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com
yep it was pretty quiet Tandy. We don't really get big crowds anywhere except on the beach :=)
DeleteBluff Rock is so beautiful, but what a horrible story!
ReplyDeletevery true Jeff!
DeleteSherry, we are a family that loves a good road trip as well. We feel like we get more bang for our buck on vacation! lol Thank you for the tour and the little bit of Australian history about Bluff Rock. What a cute town. We have plenty of beautiful landscapes with tragic histories here in the States too.
ReplyDeleteYep nothing quite so much fun as a roadtrip. Yes tragic stories abound I fear wherever there were indigenous peoples! But hopefully we have all learned and grown and are doing better.
DeleteI love your photo essays like this, Sherry - it really gives a good view of the country near you! Sometimes the best coffee is at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon... :-)
ReplyDeletethank you David. I love putting them together. Yes we were amazed that in this tiny country town you could get great coffee at 3pm!
DeleteLooks like you had a fab time. We did a road trip to Tamworth before we left Australia - your trip was all about the art galleries and ours was all about the big things! We saw the Big Chook too but can't believe I missed the Big Fish! That real estate agent though - LOL!
ReplyDeleteThe big fish is in Manilla which is off the beaten track (we were heading to the Barraba art silos), which is why we were so surprised about good coffee at 3pm :=)
DeleteSherry, this looks like the best time. You had to have had loads of fun. Lots of great sights and the photos are all terrific. I especially love this because you are visiting spots I know I will never see so I watch and learn!
ReplyDeletethanks Jeanie. Yay for a roadtrip!
DeleteGreat photos from your road trip Sherry. Hope you and Mr P are doing well!
ReplyDeleteyes thanks Neil. We are doing fine.
DeleteWe love a road trip too Sherry, and home from just another one yesterday, from Cairns again.Yours sounds wonderful, my Aunt and Uncle owned a sheep property at Deepwater many years ago. Take care, Pauline Happy Retirees Kutchen.
ReplyDeleteyes they're so much fun, aren't they? How is your daughter going now? Deepwater is a funny little town!
DeleteOh that rock reminds me of Picnic at Hanging Rock somehow. Looks like a great trip so far.
ReplyDeleteah yes interesting. We had a great trip indeed!
DeleteThanks for sharing all your travels as I know Australia is not part of my future :)
ReplyDeleteyou are welcome Judi.
DeleteYour road trip sounds like a fantastic adventure, full of interesting sights and unexpected finds! And Manila town, theres actually one outside of PHilippines?
ReplyDeletethanks Raymund. It's actually Manilla with 2 'L' s, like the folder :)
Delete