Camel Racing, Australlia

Several towns in Australia have Camel Racing and have done for years. This link is to just one place that has the Racing. 

The first camel to arrive in Australia was brought here by a Mr. Horrock in 1840 from the Canary Islands. The next major group of 24 camels came out in 1860 for the ill-fated Bourke and Wills expedition. The first time explorer Giles used camels, he travelled 220 miles in 8 days without giving water to the camels.

However, in 1838 research tells that Joseph Bruce and John Gleeson brought out 18 of the first 'Afghans', who arrived in (the colony) South Australia.  More camels arrived from British India as well.

Camels were used to carry all kind of goods and men in the outback of Australia.

Before the building of railways and the widespread adoption of motor vehicles, camels were the primary means of transporting goods in the Outback, where the climate was too harsh for horses and other beasts of burden - so says my research.

There are currently over one million feral camels in the rangeland ecosystem of Australia.  Feral camels are causing significant damage to the natural environment as well as to social, cultural and economic values across their extensive range.

The places that I know of that have Camel Racing are marked in blue.  We have been to these areas but not to the towns.

Near Port Arthur, Tasmania

Down Port Arthur way there is a little walk as well as big ones, this one was a little one whereby you can see the Great Southern Ocean and of course it goes beyond.  What is known as the Pillar in the second photo with many of them, only a couple can be seen here. The sea washes and roars as you watch it on a calm day as it was when these photos were taken.  I remember standing there in awe at these sea photos.

There were boats sailing along in this area above, but I missed them as they were going fast.

The Penitentiary at Port Arthur. This building was constructed as a flour mill and granary in 1845 in an effort towards a self-sustainable settlement, the area where the bad convicts were sent.

Tasmania with the red icon and Antartica at the bottom of the map.

The Wattle

 It's Wattle time once again, so off we went to find some in flower which wasn't very hard to do.  All the wattle isn't out as yet and we were only about 10 to 15 minutes west from home.

The wattle in the photos is known as Acacia pataczekil, commonly known as Pataczek's wattle or Wally's wattle, is a rare leguminous species of flowering plant endemic to Tasmania, Australia.  An attractive evergreen shrub to small tree grown ornamentally outside of it's native range, it is believed to be the most frost hardy of all the Acacia.

The Lake is called Trevally Lake and you can see the wattle across it on the other side.

In another area close by there is another place to have a picnic, the loos above and the shelter below with a fireplace and a chimney with wood provided along with table and chairs.

As we were driving through the neighbourhood where the houses are we came across this peacock wandering around as if he owned the place.

Couldn't help myself!

Well, I just had to do this post, and post it.  Queen Mary of Denmark and Ariarne Titmus the swimmer.  The women are from Tasmania.  Queen Mary of Denmark was born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, went to school there and so on, later meeting Prince Federick of Denmark in Sydney when at the 2000 Olympic Games.  They met in a place called the Slip Inn, the rest is history.

As we might recall Ariarne (born here in Launceston, Tasmania, Australlia) has done well in the Paris Olympics, and it was there that the two hugged after Ariarne and her teammates had won their gold medal in the 4 x 200 metre free style.  It was Ariane's 4th Gold Medal at that time.

The above photo was taken well after the last Olympics.  One of the pools named after Ariarne Titmus here in Launceston.

Ben Lomond, Tasmania

  This is the view from the dining room and family room windows.  It snowed on Ben Lomond but most of it was gone the next day.  It takes about 56 minutes to get there from home here.  The mountain is 1572 meters above sea level, southern end.  

Snow doesn't fall there every year but of course most years, there is a snow making machine up there as well and a little village.

The above photo is of Jacobs Ladder on the way down Ben Lomond taken several years back on a warm summer's day.

We used to take Sasha with us in the caravan in Tasmania.  This is him in his basket at home here, then in the caravan with his full coat of long hair which I used to brush everyday if not more.

 Sasha the Shih-Tzu.  Long gone but wonderful memories.  He had been outside so hence he is a little wet. It had been raining, I guess.

The Outback

 We have visited and stayed in the outback town of Bourke a few times way back.  Bourke is on a bend at the Darling River and it about 800 kms (500 miles) northwest of Sydney the capital of New South Wales (NSW).

The first British explorer to explore the river was Charles Sturt in 1828 who bane it after Sir Ralph Darling, Governor of New South Wales.  Having struck the region during an intense drought and a low river, Sturt dismissed the area as largely uninhabitable and short of any features necessary for establishing reliable industry on the land.

Further exploration of the area did not occur until 1835 when the colonial surveyor Sir Thomas Mitchell conducted an expedition.  Following tensions with the local people (the Aborigines) Mitchell built a small stockade to protect his men, and name it Fort Bourke after then Governor Sir Richard Boure.  British pastoral settlement failed to occur for many years in the vicinity due to the large distances from the colonized areas and the strong resistance from the local Aboriginal population.

Eventually the first British pastoralist to appropriate land around Fort Bourke was Edward J Spence in late 1858, but it was Vincent James Dowling with his head stockman, John E Kelly, who successfully established the Fort Bourke Cattle station and homestead in 1859.  Dowling clashed with the resident Aboriginal population, receiving a spear through his hat and his horse being wounded by a boomerang. However, he was able to come to terms with the Indigenous people, who became a cheap source of labour or his run.  {Wikipedia}  More to read

An area further north 10km actually was chosen for the town of Bourke in 1862 as Fort Bourke was prone to flooding.

The caravan park off the Kidman Highway north of Bourke, NSW

The Police Station in Bourke.

The Post Office

Cameras at the intersection in Bourke, they are there for the Police to see what is happening in the street, mostly for the Indigenous people.

A Camel Caravan on the way to Bourke in 1900.