Blogs from New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 23

Setting moon and rising sun, blue sky above. It was to be an early start to what would be another big day of driving through the Riverina to NSW/Vic border at Tocumwal. Driving south along the Newell Highway the dramatic effects of the prevalent drought is really biting into the landscape. Months of low rainfall has seen the precious top soil of the dry dusty paddocks being blown on the hot westerly winds. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, meaning new methods of dry farming need to be implemented. Crop and stock selections more resistant to drought impact need to be considered. Emu and Kangaroos have withstood drought for millennia in this dry brown land, they could be farmed with the appropriate infrastructure. Native grasses such as Kangaroo grass can be harvested for ... read more

After our amazing day eating in Sydney we still hadn't heard back from (or even met) our host at the house we were staying at. We made a decision to head northwards to a coastal town called Woolgoolga for a blueberry picking position. After a "short" 9 hour bus ride we arrived at an empty bus station in Coffs Harbour, 1/2 hour away from the fields. With no transportation, we messaged our work contact who sent a car to pick us up (after much haggling on the price). A student-aged South Korean couple picked us up and were both surprised that we had left the U.S. to work abroad at a blueberry field. This should have been a warning sign but we ignored it and all the subsequent red flags. We arrived at a dilapidated farmhouse ... read more

Holidays are a wonderful time when parents get to spend much-needed quality time with their children. Festive seasons only get better when you get to spend them with family, even if they live far away. But if your kids are aged between the Terrible Twos and Fearsome Foursomes, you need to keep a keen eye out for health and safety hazards that they could encounter while on holiday. Whether you are staying home for the holidays or going on a trip, here are some tips that will keep your pint-sized loved one safe throughout. Childproofing Not everywhere you go on holiday will be suitable for your kids. Hotel rooms or even someone else’s house will not be fully prepared to handle rambunctious toddlers. To keep your kids safe, you will have to childproof their surroundings. If ... read more

Second last day on the road. A bit sad, but am keen to get back to clean up the house, myself and the touring gear. Got away nice and early to fuel up and get a greasy breakfast (dagwood dogs for the kids - good parenting) at the servo. Out of town before 8am. First stop was Bourke. Not much going on except I got stuck in a toilet and Suz had to bail me out by kicking the door in! Next stop was at Nyngan where we fuelled up and had a look at the Big Bogan. Interesting - reminds me of me… We finally got to Peak Hill after Phil and Jen, who stopped in Narromine for some damper ingredients, accidentally started heading to Dubbo before they realised they were meant to head for ... read more

So, here we are in the Blue Mountains and they really are blue but, why is it so? According to a map produced by the Blue Mountains City Council, the phenomenon is known as ‘Rayleigh Scattering’ after Lord Rayleigh who first investigated it. It is caused by scattering rays of light coming in contact with fine dust particles and droplets of oil dispersed by the eucalyptus trees. The distinctive blue haze that gives the Blue Mountains their name is quite different and of a different hue than that found in any other part of the world. The first official use of the name ‘Blue Mountains’ is attributed to Captain William Patterson of the New South Wales Corp, in his dispatch describing his attempted crossing of the mountains through the Grose River Valley in 1793. Our exploration ... read more