Dead Man’s Pennies

Dead Man’s Penny

Yesterday, on the ABC radio, we heard some ladies had found a Dead man’s penny at the Longreach RSL Club. Well we have a bit of a story to tell about one too.

A couple of Christmases ago our youngest, Angela gave Greg a strange present – it was a Dead man’s penny with the name George Ernest Sherwin written on it. George would be Greg’s great uncle and died in 1918 of his wounds in France. Well Greg was dumfounded to say the least having never heard of Dead man’s pennies before. It transpired that the manager of Mt Margaret Station and his wife had found the Dead man’s penny on the rubbish dump. Mt Margaret is near Eromanga and Quilpie in SW Qld.

 The penny is not in pristine condition having been burnt but it is bronze and did survive, the engravings are all still visible and it has no dents or scratches on it. Evidently the manager or his wife knew Angela through the work she was doing in the area at that time and as her surname was Sherwin they contacted her and gave her the penny.

 It was George’s brother who had worked on Mt Margaret many, many years ago, he must have had the penny in his possion.  When he died from being run over by a train in Quilpie whoever was at Mt Margaret must have eventually thrown his belongings onto the dump and that penny was just sitting there all those years waiting to be found. If those people had not known Angela we would probably never have known about the penny and would not now have it in our possession. So thank you very much Anne Whiteman and Peter who recently passed away at a far too young age. Our condolences, it was a very tragic accident.

And I’ve just remembered, it’s Anzac Day today, so quite fitting that I put this post up!  Serendipitous!

George Ernest Sherwin

Wonderful rain at Kilcowera Station.

Camping at Kilcowera on Cardenyabba Lagoon

This is Cardenyabba Lagoon, just east of the Shearers Quarters ,the creek that fills it is running very big after a wonderful 104 mls of rain over 2 days.  We are very happy people.  The lagoon has gone from bone dry to chocka block full!  Fantastic for visitors who want to bush camp.  The 2 little dogs and I walked down there this morning to check it out.   Sooo happy!!!!!  I was kinda glum about no water in it after having it full for 3 years, our visitors love camping there!  And who wouldn’t when you get sunsets like this one?

Outback Beds for all your accommodation needs!

Outback Beds

 

I thought you might like to know a little about Outback Beds an organization that we are members of!

Outback Beds consists of a network of owner-operated farm stays and accommodation throughout Outback NSW and southwest QLD. It was formed in 2002, the Year of the Outback, which was also a time of drought. The general aim is to bring together people who have a vision for diversified use of the land and to offer travelers an authentic Outback experience.

OBB is a peak body representing Outback NSW and SW QLD, including the famous Darling River Run and the Dowling Track.  All positions within the organisation are served on a voluntary basis. The yearly AGM, held in the quiet month of February, is a great time for catching up, meeting with old friends and the opportunity to meet new members/friends that come to the meeting. Often there will be industry representatives at the meeting to give members insights, tools and tips about the hospitality business.

The website http://www.outbackbeds.com.au contains much useful information for people contemplating a visit to the outback region. The logo and brand, which features a black cockatoo on a bed-head, and the slogan “Stay in the outback with friends” is becoming well known. OBB are a high profile group and still growing in this, their 11th year in business.

The free Outback Beds Map is very popular and well used by most of the travelling public it is widely available in most visitor info centers, roadhouses, cafes and shops.  OBB also have promotional material such as stickers, pens and pads and polo-style tops, all with the OBB logo.

A recent and most exciting development is that OBB are now partnering with National Parks (NPWS) to promote accommodation in Far West and Western NSW. This will take place in the form of an Outback and Rivers Map. The NPWS 2013 campaign includes this map, which will locate National Parks, accommodation and camping facilities (both within the parks and Outback Beds), Visitor Information Centres and touring routes to link visitor travel in the region.

Outback Beds have won many awards which led to TV commercials and print media advertising.

• 2005 Department State and Regional Development Business Enterprise Award
• 2006 Inland NSW Tourism Award winner- Destination and Product Development
• 2007 Inland NSW tourism Award, Distinction –Destination Marketing
• 2007 Tourism NSW Distinction –Destination Marketing
• 2012-Outback Tourism Symposium – Outstanding contribution to Tourism in Outback NSW and in recognition for 10 years in Foundation

OBB have a Freecall number 1800 005 298 where prospective visitors can make enquiries and request brochures and maps.  We love being a part of this network, all members work together to help each other out as well as helping our visitors find another great place to stay while they are in our area.

Members establishments range from fine hotels, a pottery place with accommodation and horse riding, cattle and sheep stations, caravan parks, B&B’s and cottages and cabins.  Truly something for everyone!  Check them out at www.outbackbeds.com.au  and facebook http://www.facebook.com/OutbackBeds?ref=hl#!/OutbackBeds

Activity down below- you would be surprised!

 

Recently, I was on our newest airstrip, the one above, walking up and down the sides poisoning the small mulga trees that were, and are, attempting to take it over again, when thousands of feet above a jet whizzed by.  It got me thinking, all those people up there drinking scotch, coffee, a beer, reading, eating, watching movies, chatting, keeping their kids happy, admiring the flight attendants – does the thought ever cross their minds that down in all that emptiness beneath them, lives are being lived, jobs being done, life and death issues are being dealt with in the small towns and on the stations, that people are earning a living down there in all that nothingness.

I love the fact that Kilcowera is open for visitors so they can see firsthand what it is like to live and work in our fairly harsh environment.  But these visitors usually have some idea about life in the bush already, they have travelled all over Australia looking at, out of the way spots such as ourselves and they keep searching out more places off the beaten track to go to.  The majority of Australians live on the coastal strip and never drive over the big hill and I reckon it ‘s these ones who would be surprised at  how much is going on beneath them as they wing their way over the continent.  Lucky ducks!

Just in the last month in my area we have had major bushfires with many spotter planes and water bombers in the sky, the Royal Flying Doctor has been called in to airlift an injured volunteer firefighter ( a young girl ) to Charleville hospital and 2 vehicles have been destroyed in the blazes. Many people spent Christmas day and New years day and all days in between, out in the heat, day and night, 24 hours non stop, trying to stop the fires.

Other people are on the ground on motorbikes and horseback mustering sheep, cattle and goats, the road trains are driving back and forth with their loads of stock or freight for the towns and stations.  There are also hundreds of oil workers in the outback at any given time.

The kids are back on holidays from their boarding schools or hostels, they are on their ponies, or motor bikes or driving around in something on the place, cause all station, and most town kids can drive by the time they are 6 or 7.  And these kids are out helping Mum and Dad with the fencing, mustering, checking the waters, climbing and oiling the windmills, cleaning out troughs and wells, changing tyres and working on the cars and machinery.  There’s always plenty to do.

Spare a thought for all the people down below toiling in their gardens just to make a little oasis in the outback for themselves and their family and all the other inhabitants of the Outback – there is plenty going on down there!  Happy New Year!!

Spring in the Outback – Wildflowers at Kilcowera Station

 

We’ve had a great spring for the perennial wildflowers.  However there are very few annual wildflowers, as we didn’t get any follow up rain after the 55 ml we received in July.  And so far this spring all we have had is dry storms which have started bushfires.  About 30,000 acres of Zenonie has been burnt out.

The top picture shows Silver turkey bush which flowers profusely in late winter, it’s colours range from dark purple through to a nice lilac colour.  It’s very good at staking motorbike tyres!

The Cassias are next and they flower for months, this one we call broom bush or punty bush.

Then the Eremophilas start, the prettiest and showiest of them all is sturtii, common name in our neck of the woods is False Sandalwood.  Also Eremophyla maculata is pretty nice too.

The colours range from a pale pink through to dark lilac. When they get to the end of their flowering period the ground around is covered in blossom and the bush still has white bracts all over and looks like it has been frosted  This bush is considered to be a woody weed but redeems itself for a month or so each year by the display it puts on.

Eremophyla maculata is poisonous to stock, but the birds love it!

Then the acacias start flowering and they are always spectacular.

This one is Acacia victoriae.

And this one we call dead finish, it’s super prickly and Zebra Finches really love building their nests in them for protection from predators.

Other trees and shrubs flowering are the Leopard Trees, Whitewood, Needlewoods and the Bloodwoods should start soon.  All this means lots of food for the bees, insects and birds.  We also have an abundance of Bearded Dragons, Goannas and Emus around.

Lucy in the wildflowers, Kilcowera Station, Outback Australia.