Around the Riverina




The grasses are growing, the Murrumbidgee is flowing and the waters are swelling in the Riverina right now.



We arrived in Narrandera and settled into a very cosy apartment and just as well it was cosy because as you can see from the weather snap it was proving to be somewhat chilly for the start of our week in the Riverina. None the less we did begin with a visit to the tourist information centre where Ian belted out a tune on the 'almost' biggest playable guitar in the world - it got outdone in 1991 but as they say -'It's still big and it's still fun'. (Accentuate the positive!
From playing the Big Guitar to flying the Tiger Moth - apparently there was a training school for pilots here during the war - and with flight firmly focused on, we headed for the wetlands and discovered that the water was plentiful, so much so that the road was closed but we could walk along it and check the birds in flight and revelling in the abundant water and the life it offered.


The treat for the day was discovering three Koalas tucked up in the gumtrees above the flood waters. An added bonus was the mother and baby in the fork of this tree in the photo - a furry ball of blur but definitely there. 
Our visit to the Parkside Cottage Museum provided many chuckles and lots of 'stuff' to enjoy - but not always understand - including a Snow Shoe (yes just one...think about it) and wooden skis from Scott's Antarctic Expedition, at least that's what the information sign said........... as well as a World-wide shell collection. But for me the winner was the Furphy water cart - if I could just get this one into the car I'd take it home with me.


Coleambally - Wiradjuri Country




Flood water, sunshine and the two of us at Darlington Point on the levy bank. This is the round about way as we travel through Yanco, Leeton, Darlington Point and finally arrive at Coleambally.

A Brolga greets visitors as you arrive on the edge of town - I think I should have 'flown' a little closer for the photo.  Another sign of just how much people love their town - water wheels included or are they channel / trench diggers - either way we have now arrived in the town of about 600 people. The water tower has had some thought and an elegant wineglass shape with mosaic murals around the base tell the stories of the town.

The Brolgas seem to be a feature of the town - didn't see any but this one snuck up behind me. And if you have ever read the children's book  'Are You My Mother' then the 'Snort' I am climbing could look familiar. It is in fact the machine from the USA used, along with others, to dig the irrigation channels.


The day has been much enjoyed and before leaving the newest town in NSW I found myself surrounded by colour, a very happy place. Our final fun outing was an evening wander on the closed Newell Highway to enjoy the birds and now we know about them - the koalas. The clever photo we took was managed by me holding the iPhone camera up to one eye piece of Ian's binoculars while he focused the other eye on the creatures and I snapped when I could see the animal on screen - much laughter but also a photo worth keeping!!


Narrandera Op Shops, Antiques and old buildings


Just one of a number of delightful buildings of Narrandera town. This one also has a side business known as Mon Repos - quite a collection of French linen and bits and pieces as well as some very large pieces of furniture, nothing to come home with - there wasn't a Furphy available.


Before exploring some of the Op shops and antique shops we did spend a fair part of the morning wandering the very wet Wet Lands, at least those parts that weren't flooded. In the centre of town is a Royal Dalton Fountain purchased and then dedicated as a war memorial by an alderman and his wife in 1922.

Narrandera Council Chambers with working clock.  Built in the 1870s this delightful home housed an early store of the town as it sits parallel to the river where all the life and business began. Built in 1884 this is one of my favourite buildings - it has been a bank for over 100 years.


We finished the day by the water, enjoying the quiet of the evening and the sound of lots of water constantly on the move, plus many mosquitoes now thriving due to all the water.