The old Hospital

 This old hospital is in Deloraine, Tasmania, Australia, I once worked there for about 2 years  as the Sister in Charge during the day only. 

I travelled 1,000 mile each fortnight in my MGB car and in the summer, I'd take the roof off and go for it.  I once came across an elephant on a trailer behind a truck with its trunk over the side of the road where I wanted to pass, oh gosh - I was late for the Doctor's rounds that morning with much laughter from the Doctor's.  

Babies were also born at the Hospital and the Dentist used to pull teeth in the Theatre.  Oneday after dental surgery on many children (we used to use Ether) after all was finished I was talking for awhile to a Nurse and then proceeded to clean away the instruments the Nurses were not permitted to touch, when I became rather fuzzy nearly falling asleep when I saw out the corner of my eye I had left the Ether top off the bottle and the doors and windows were closed - oh dear, the top went on the Ether and the windows I opened along with the door...much laughter from all when I told them how dumb I was.  

So now Arcoona Manor is for sale having been an accommodation house for several years and privately owned.  Arcoona was built in the Edwardian style, was completed in 1892 for a Dr. Cole and his family.

This is one side of Arcoona in about 1967, then me taken there in my uniform.

This photo is of me, Mum and Dad plus my MGB taken about 1967 or 8.

Below is how Arcoona Manor is today. 

The table above is the original, the room we used to call the ballroom when it was a hospital. 

The above room was once a ward as were all the rooms downstairs of size and the fireplaces worked as we always had a fire in them in the winter.

Below is one of the bedrooms upstairs and once was the maid's bedroom along with others.

Deloraine is west of Launceston about 35 minutes drive.  Dotted in red on the map.

In the Garden

A few flowers in bloom in the garden so far this winter along with the fungi underneath the Magnolia tree here at home.

Camellia, 'Margaret Davis'

The fungi were in a difficult place, so they are not that clear.

Maiden Hair Fern grown outside.  Camellia below.

The Punchbowl, Launceston, Tasmania.

The Punchbowl Reserve is a good place to have a picnic or a walk around the pond, have a game of cricket in the summer or football in winter, or just run around.  There is a playground for children as well.

The Turbo Chook or Tasmanian Native Hens are good swimmers' fast runners with strong legs therefore some people call them 'turbo chooks'. The chooks can run up to 50km hour are plentiful near marshes, rivers and so on. The Native Hen is protected, and they don't fly.

These photos were taken recently in autumn. 

The photo of the Native Hen below was taken a few years ago with my Canon camera...you can see the difference in quality to the phone.

The map of The Punchbowl about a 7 minute drive from home.

Pine Creek, Northern Territory, Australia

Pine Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia is known for its gold rush history and heritage buildings.  It's located in the Katherine region, about 90 km north of Katherine and 226 km south of Darwin.

Pine Creek is one of the oldest towns in the Northern Territory and it is named for the pine trees that once grew by the creek in the centre of the town.

By 1875 there were two hotels, The Royal Mail and The Standard, competing for business.  A public school opened in the town in 1899.  By the 1890 up to 15 mines were operating in the area, and the town's population exceeded 3000 people.

The population declined significantly in the interwar period.

Bats in Pine Creek.

The ghost bat is a species of bat found in Northern Australia.  The species is the only Australian bat that preys on large vertebrates - birds, reptiles and other mammals - which they detect using acute sight and hearing, combined with echolocation, while waiting in the ambush at a perch.

These bats can be found in the abandoned Kohinoor adit near Pine Creek and are a threatened species. 

The ghost bat is a species of bat found in northern Australia. The species is the only Australian bat that preys on large vertebrates – birds, reptiles and other mammals – which they detect using acute sight and hearing, combined with echolocation, while waiting in ambush at a perch.

A Ghost Bat (borrowed from the internet)

The Main Street.

The Post Office and Museum as in the photo below from the other side.

The train shelter.

The photo I took of these bats are a different species to the Ghost Bat.

The above photo from the Internet as I wasn't able to get a close up of one or two.

Pine Creek where is red square is.

Hollybank

 Hollybank is about 30 minutes from home.  I have taken photo's at Hollybank and done posts before and all are different, this time once again they photos are different again. 

There is a cricket pitch, barbecue, fireplaces, toilet and tall trees, plenty of bush to go bushwalking, and of course birds.

There is Holly as well, the last photo.

Fungi, never seen any other variety there.

Mt. Morgan, Queensland, Australia.

Mt. Morgan is a town we visited several years ago in Queensland, Australia.  From memory it was a hilly place and once a gold mining town. In 1882 the mine produced gold, silver and copper. Among those making a fortune from this mine was William Knox D'Arcy who used his fortune to finance oil exploration in Iran, which led to the formation of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (now BP) in various locations in this world.

Mt. Morgan mine closed in 1990.

Mt. Morgan is 38 km (24 mile) south of the city of Rockhampton, and 680 km (420 mile) north of the state capital Brisbane in Queensland.

The drive into Mt. Morgan, the view, and below the 1st caravan we had.

  Aboriginal Art as a mural.

Mt. Morgan State High School, former Technical College Building.

Main Street shopping area.

The Toilets in the main street. I do like the mural, and it can be seen more clearly if enlarged, just click on it.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The original one was built in 1889 then years later was demolished, and a new one built in 2004

 

The flower garden in the main street.

Photo of a small area of the mine taken in a dead-end street. 

The Post Office opened on May 18,1884, then of course rebuilt later.

Queensland National Hotel which was built in 1889, one of Mt. Morgan's original 27 hotels. The two-story structure is heritage listed now.  the tower at the top of the building was used as a lookout during WW11, to spot enemy planes. It is now used as a private residence.

Mt. Morgan is inland and south of Rockhampton in Queensland, the map shows the area with the red dashes around it and of course the area is larger than the map shows.