This part of Australia has subtropical rainforest, beaches with white sand to the east, and then it gets dryer and has less vegetation to the west, which is where we headed on Saturday morning. To set the scene: we finally got rain. And, rain here can be different because it is softer, and more misty – like Hawaii and Washington. And Florida. Or sometimes in the mountains.
We have a nice routine going now – we get up, go for a walk, and then make a breakfast of porridge and coffee, and have it outside on the veranda
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Once we finished breakfast on Saturday, we got dressed in rainy-day clothes, took hats and umbrellas, and set off for Casino (pop. about 12,000 – about 40 minutes away), and for the start of Beef Week! Because yes, we are also in cattle country.
As you can see from the photographs, the first part of the street closure was for the vintage car display – it really was too bad there was rain, or the owners have been out beside their car, bragging among all the visitors admiring cars from days passed. I have posted some of my favorites (Spencer, you would have enjoyed this), some of Rod's favorites (purely Australian cars) and the show in general.
Once past the car show, we entered a main street covered in sawdust, with a row of cows down the middle tethered to a rope, and they were categorized by breed – Hereford (brown and white), Angus (black), Charolais, Braford (cross between Brahmin and Hereford), and Limosin (the white ones)
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But the main event was the judging of cows on the hoof in the center of main street – by age and weight class. There were some mighty handsome cows being show off that day. And then the second main event was the cattle auction, where the various meat brokers and butchers bid on the beef, that would be slaughtered by Wednesday, when the judging of the carcass on the hook would take place. So cows could win three times – best in show, highest auction price, and best carcass.
And going to Casino was special because we met up with Rod’s friends – Shirley, her sister Kay, and Kay’s son Gary. In between the cattle viewing opportunities we went to a local Art Show at the Casino Community Building (a very good show, too!) and we had lunch at the local pub and restaurant. Once again tourism promotion and event planning was discussed, and I continue to learn a lot about each area we visit.
It was a very interesting day, and we returned to create a great stew from local beef and vegetables – and we watched the movie "Australia". Happy trails to you too!
Beef Week Celebration Begins!
Monday, June 02, 2014
Casino, New South Wales, Australia
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2025-02-15
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Louise
2014-06-02
Good to see you again Diane!