Curtain Springs, Northern Territory.

The outback of Australia.

Curtain Springs Station is an interesting place.  The area is: 416,400 hectares.  Acres: 1,028,948 acres. That is a huge area.  Curtain Springs Station came into being in 1956 with owners Peter Severin and his wife Dawn (dec) along with their toddler son Ashley and 1,5000 head of cattle settled there.  There are 4 generations now living at Curtain Springs Station.

You can read the history [ here ] and the site also shows videos.  If you have time and interested it's certainly worth visiting their site to read the history and what they do now.

We stayed for a couple of nights in the camping area as it is on the way to Ayres Rock (Uluru) a 1 hour and 16 minute drive away. There is no water but of course there is water underground, if there wasn't you certainly couldn't live in Central Australia.

Mt. Connor is larger the Ayers Rock (Uluru) Northern Territory and is seen on the way to Uluru.  Mt. Connor is 859 m high (2,818 ft) and lies within Curtain Springs Cattle Station. There are many camels in the area too.

These photos are far from Curtain Springs Station.

As you can see by the map, it's in Central Australia, far from towns.

The below photos of Curtain Springs were taken from Google Maps and it gives you some idea what it's like to live in the middle of nowhere with hardly any grass.

Port Germein.

Port Germein is 70 km south of Port August South Australia overlooking Germein Bay, the community of around 400 or so boasts great fishing and crabbing, wonderful walks, good markets with lovely beaches, mountains, national parks, wineries and a cute village.  We travelled there in 2004 and again in latter years, so the first visit is a long time ago and photos I took are from that year.

Port Germein was put on the map back in 1881 when its jetty was built to allow sailing ships to be loaded with grain. Because of its shallow beach, the jetty was extended a couple of years later which made it 1,680 meters.  Since that time it has been shortened a little by storm damage and various repairs, it is still the longest jetty in South Australia.  When the railway arrived some years late the larger ships could no longer moor, Port Germein went into something of a decline and things closed.

The AI below is of The Blue Swimmer Crab as I didn't have a photo of one, nor could I find a decent one and of course they are not as blue as the AI made it.  However, it gives us an idea of what they are like.  

The Blue Swimmer Crab is an edible, wild caught crustacean found in Australia and Indo-Pacific coastal water. They are also called the 'blue manna' or 'sandy', it is a popular food with a mild, sweet, nutty flavour, typically caught in bays and estuaries and used in dishes like boiling, salads, and pasta.

The Hotel above years ago and the photo below I took when we passed through which has now been renovated.  I noticed the balcony is the same as in the railing but very different now apparently.  

Mud flat which are not that attractive. If you click on the photos you can see the wooden bridge.

The Big Thong near or a bit inland in Port Germein.

Crystal Brook is a sweet town and we always had lunch at the Bakery there when passing through.   Crystal Brook is before Germein and is 197 km from the Capital of South Australia, Adelaide. 

'During WW11, Crystal Brook was the location of RAAF No. 32 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot, built in 1942 and closed on June 14, 1944.  Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supple of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of 900,000 pounds ($1,800,000).'  Wikipedia

Crystal Brook (or creek) supplied water to the town until 1890 when the Beetaloo Reservoir was completed, which at the time was the largest concrete dam in the southern hemisphere.

A Meal

 I'm not that fond of coffee but used to be.  These days we have a coffee machine so a decent cup or mug of coffee can be given to visitors and ourselves once in a while.  I usually drink water but have a cup of tea for breakfast. These beans below go into the grinder and are an Italian blend.  I add to the coffee for visitors, sometimes for us too.  Visitors seem to love it. What do I add?  Jameson Irish Whiskey is one spirit I use; another is Frangelico or Tia Maria both a liqueur. 

A Capuchino is what I prefer, one I made below.

Prawn Cocktail for Entree, and below Barramundi fish, salad and chips for dinner in the evening.

Sunset at Ballina, NSW

On the home front here in Launceston, Tasmania there has been very strong winds and rain.  Two people from the same family were standing outside in a paddock on the northwest coast and were killed as the tree fell. It was a large strong looking tree but alas - the wind.  Trees all over the roads, falling on houses in the whole of the State of Tasmania, no power for so many people fortunately we were lucky.  No planes flying, no ferry across the sea all too rough.  Today it's a lot better as many workers have cleaned the mess up over the weekend.  Now to continue todays post.

Ballina is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.  It lies 740km north of Sydney and 185 km south of Brisbane, Queensland. The urban population in 2021 was 46,190 people. 

There are few lovely beaches in the area and of course fishing for those that love to fish. The town center has everything one could need.

We've stayed there a few times in the past as we travelled towards home and looked about the area.  

Photos taken at a caravan park and just a few steps to take these photos of the sunset and Richmond River.

The Big Prawn situated in the carpark of a hardware store known as Bunnings in Australia.

Lucinda Jetty, Queensland

There is a long jetty at a small town on the east coast of Australia in Queensland, the town is called Lucinda.  Not a lot of people live there but it's a pleasant small town situated between Townsville to the north being a two hour drive, to the south Cairns being a three hour drive.

The Lucinda Jetty is still very much alive and in use as the world's longest bulk sugar loading facility, used for exporting raw sugar from the Lucinda Bulk Sugar Terminal to large ships.

You cannot walk the length of the jetty which is 5.76km long (3.58 miles long). 660 pylons curves the earths curvature. 

There is another jetty there a much smaller one where people can fish, catching Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, queenfish, northern bluefin, tuna, coral trout, big juicy mud crabs and barramundi.  

Sugar Cane growing.

The end of the jetty you can just see.

The beginning of the jetty and the bottom photo not far from the above photo.

Looking towards the beginning of the long jetty.

Breakfast

I love Manuka Honey which is indigenous to New Zealand and parts of Coastal Australia.  

Manuka honey is special due to its potent, stable, and unique antibacterial properties. The honey has ability to fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs which makes it prized medicinal powerhouse for topical wound healing, soothing sore throats, and supporting gut health.

I eat it on one slice of toast for breakfast every morning.

Daylight saving begins on Sunday 5, 2025 in a few States in Australia. 

Vegemite is spread lightly on toast with a lot of butter, it's rather tasty but the key to eating it is not to spread it thick.  I recall many a mum including myself giving it to very little children on the crust of bread for them to chew on.

You can say not for me, or yuk - I won't be offended.

Quiche for dinner or lunch.

Open sandwich on different days/weeks, salad and chicken on a bread roll with tea or water to drink.