Esperance to Gascoyne Junction 21st March – 10th June

Spent the last three days in Gascoyne Junction, a small town (pop.149) with huge horizons which claims the blessed distinction of being the least religious place in Australia. With rain predicted for the next few days it doesn’t seem like I’ll be heading to the Kennedy Ranges or Mt Augustus for a while yet. So its time to complete unfinished video edits and half written stories.

The message is clear – can’t put off writing this blog any longer

Rabbits on The Chicken Ranch

Varley 7th April & Flight JQ987 14th May 2021

Seated in the front row of the Jetstar flight JQ987 next to me heading to Perth were Ann and Ben who had been visiting their son in Cairns and were returning to suburban Perth where they have lived for the last few years. The mention of my stay in Karlgarin pricked their ears and prompted them to reminisce about their time spent living in the small town of Varley some 99km to the south east (pop. 50).

“Ah!” I replied knowledgably “I know where Varley is, I stopped there, that’s the place with the Rabbit Cemetery” What are the chances I thought?

“That’s the one” smiled Ann who sat beside me. Ben tuned in smiling at Ann and I simultaneously “Yes, that’s Varley all right, only one Rabbit Cemetery”

“We helped build ‘The Chicken Ranch’ and organised the Rabbit Cemetery with the local school children” Ann proudly explained “It was an old fuel dump. The shop over the road sold beer but didn’t provide anywhere to sit so the old fuel depot became the spot. The idea of the Chicken Ranch started from that social activity” It’s now a RV overnight stay area which includes the Rabbit Cemetery. “We spent many working bees there; Nev now looks after it” she added.

Footnote: Each 8km of the rabbit proof fence includes a ‘yard trap’ where rabbits were funnelled and captured. As I understand it, the cemetery was created as a reminder of the cruelty associated with control of an introduced species.

One could also angle that same argument at introduced broad scale pastoral and grazing practices and the impact on native flora, fauna and soil health generally. This paradox has been at the core of discussions with enlightened farmers such as Robbie (Fluffy) & Charlie (Chisel) in Karlgarin and Luke in Mukinbudin. They are well aware that current farming practices have no place in the future. The good news is these farmers exist but the bad news is at the present there don’t appear to be many of them. Hopefully I will find more.

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Greasy Pigs & Roosters

Karlgarin 7th -17th April 2021

Large flattish granite rock monoliths appear to have been tossed evenly throughout the Wheatbelt region … the sight increasingly popular with tourists. For early settlers the rocks aesthetic appeal was overridden by the need for water. Low meandering split stone walls were erected around their girth to channel water into reservoirs and tanks that served thirsty communities and their livestock.

Half way between Karlgarin and Kondinin, a turn off down Spurr Road leads to McCann’s Rock which not only provided water but was a social magnet. A place where in the past the harsh realities of remote rural existence were washed away with a cool swim, a picnic or better still a cool beer with mates. Public holidays, car rallies, Anzac day services, Guy Fawkes celebrations … any excuse to bring surrounding districts together.

The clip below includes the voices of mother and son Laurel and Charlie (Spanner) recollecting bygone events at McCann’s Rock.

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More Rocks

Wheatbelt April – May 2021

For those keen to sample more rocks the clip below visits Buckley’s Breakaway, Wave Rock, The Humps, Mulka’s Cave, Kokerbin Rock and Beringbooding Rock near Bonnie Rock. Contrary to the rules of logic there isn’t a rock at Bonnie Rock, only a grain silo and 3 people from what once was a town of 130.

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Karlgarin Sunrise

Karlgarin 18th May 2021

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Hurry

Fremantle 18th April 2021

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Way Out West

Fremantle 18th April 2021

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Late Entry

Fremantle 18th April 2021

‘Late Entry’ was added after posting the blog yesterday as I was left with a residual concern that some may think the above two clips “Hurry” and ‘Way out West’ have somehow misrepresented Fremantle. That combined with a discussion with a grader driver this morning about roads not opening for some time prompted me to fabricate the following clip about my day walking around Fremantle and ending up in Ric O’Shea’s bar listening to an Irish folk group.

Oh! … Big thanks to Su and Ian for looking after the Lawnmower while I flew back to Cairns, and me when I was in Fremantle.

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WA Planning History

Crestwood Estate, Perth 15th May 2021

You may have heard of David Ritter, the CEO of Greenpeace but you may not have heard of David’s father Paul who was the first town planner for the City of Perth. Paul was an Architect, Town Planner, Perth City Councillor, Heritage advocate, Philosopher, Sculptor, Author of more than 20 books (subjects ranging from The Free Family, Universal Manifestations of Orgone Energy in Spirals, Planning for Man and Motor etc) and if that’s not enough he was a bankrupt, spent 16 months in prison and published 2 books of Prison Poems!

Unlike Brisbane which is a text book planning tragedy due to the elevated freeway destroying visual conductivity between the CBD and the Brisbane River, Perth was saved a similar fate by Paul playing a key role in stopping an eight-lane freeway on the Swan River foreshore. Other notable achievements was having one of his sculptures termed ‘shish kebab‘ by Barry Humphries. Just some of his remarkable achievements, which are many, are mentioned here.

Heading out of Perth in the direction of Bonnie Rock (following Chisel’s advice) was an opportune time to experience one of Paul’s applications of Radburn principles. – in a nut shell the principal is to separate cars and pedestrian movement resulting in social and energy consumption benefits. Australia has had some spectacular disasters in application including the the suburb of Villawood by Cox Architects which was said to isolated communities and encouraged crime. Eventually police refused to go into it and stated “It was hell”. Villawood was demolished in 1998.

In contrast, 50 years down the track Crestwood estate is considered by many to be one of the few highly successful examples of Radburn principles. My impression from being there is it is an exemplary community development but for some reason the houses face the street and not the common? Still …. looks like a vast improvement on current suburbia to me and it was built in 1970!

General shots of common, pedestrian tunnels under roads and the community centre below:-

Muka

Mukinbudin 17th – 24th May

Staying in Mukinbudin gave me a chance to explore the eastern Wheatbelt country. The camp kitchen made an ideal lounge and office however one afternoon without warning it was commandeered by ABC Radio’s Andrew Collins and his producer Sam to interview the characters of ‘Muka’. All was forgiven when they invited me out to dinner at the pub and we were joined by local yabby farmer Heath. The train clip below incorporated some of the characters including Bill Crook at the Muka Men’s Shed.

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Birdsongs

After the ABC radio crew handed back my office, the next couple of evenings was spent cooking with Jean-Michel Maujean who was collecting birdsongs from remote areas of Western Australia. He was undertaking a PhD focusing on combining birdsong recordings and sounds from 3D printed instruments using specialist computer software to produce Orchestral pieces.  He introduced me to Australian composers Hollis Taylor & Jon Rose who are doing similar but different things with both bird songs and fences.

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Blowing in the Wind

Riding between Mukinbudin and Geraldton the damage from Cyclone Seroja was evident with trees down, sheets of roofing iron in paddocks and distorted windmills.

Bird on the Wire

Sunset 1

Geraldton 26th May 2021

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Sunset 2

Geraldton 27th May 2021

Update 10/06/2021 – Just came back from the Shire of Upper Gascoyne offices with advice that Roads won’t be open until mid next week at earliest. So that gives me another week here … bloke in Shire said Kenny Kempton may be worth talking to?

Greetings from the Gascoyne Junction office (Big Agnes has had the week off, back in action tomorrow now the rain has gone!).

Cheers for now 87)