Crystal Brook, South Australia, AustraliaWe have become very, very comfortable here with my friend Pam Hogben in the Beetaloo Valley. Pam lost her hubby to cancer 4 years ago, lived in their motorhome for three years and finally completed her home on the hill early last year. The build was not without challenges and it must be satisfying and rewarding to now have the home, that she and Graham planned finally finished. I'm sure she receives many accolades from her visitors. Pam really enjoys her friends visiting and is very persuasive, insisting we use the Guest Wing. Her home has certainly been built to accommodate visitors and make them feel very welcome.
Pam and I became virtual friends exactly two years ago. It was the 10th birthday of pixels2pages, a scrapbooking group of women (now all American or Canadian) who have been providing webinars and training for digital scrap bookers since 2010. Pam reached out to me and asked me to join a Facebook Group named FALANZ - Forever Artisan Lovers Australia & New Zealand. When the 'Pixies' formed, there were Pixies from Australia and my friend Jenny was one of the Pixies. Hence the reason I love the group and have paid a membership for the last 12 years. Pam and I will digi scrap and watch webinars over the weekend of 8th -10th April. The p2P birthday is 7th April.
We arrived at Pam's Monday afternoon after travelling 3,000 kms in five and a half days. Tuesday was wash day and a 'talking' day, but we do know now we can get here in 5 days!
Wednesday - Pam took us for a tour of the area. She had an appointment in Crystal Brook, just 10 minutes away at 10.30am, so it was a good time for Peter and I to sample a pastry from the bakery and walk the town for a bit. Pam had taken us for a tour of the small town prior to her appointment. It has a Museum we could visit and maybe we will before we go home. It is open Sundays and by appointment. It is a Heritage Centre as well and is located in the town's first double storeyed construction which was built in 1875 as a butcher's and baker's shop with domestic accommodation attached. Price to visit is $6.00 with the discount of a $1.00 for seniors. So very comparable to the CVHS Heritage Centre re visiting and entry fee.
Peter and I walked the subway under the railway line and there were some interesting display panels. They told the stories of women who had provided service and made a significant contribution to the growth and community of Crystal Brook. I had my CWA fix for the day reading about Hannah Amelia Robinson.
From Crystal Brook we headed back past Pam's home en route to Laura and Wirrabara, but not before we drove to the Laura Lookout. The Lookout provided magnificient180 degree views towards Gladstone and Laura. The new distance dial said that Perth was 1823 kms west and Sydney was 1046 kms east. You certainly wouldn't tow a caravan over the road we took, but the road down to Laura from the lookout was fine. Pam the 'Tour Guide' related stories about the hobbies etc of the people living in the Beetaloo Valley. It is very much a lifestyle area.
The cute little town of Laura is where Pam had a small property when she met Graham. She took us past the property at 1 Tom Catt Hill Road, where she had her menagerie. Pam has always loved chooks, so that was one of our first talking topics! Especially since I had quite a few chook things in the cottage, together with my chook kitchen curtains. Laura is the home of Golden North Ice-cream, the boyhood years of C.J. Dennis and the Laura Folk Fair.
The next stop was Wirrabara and the beautiful silo art on the Viterra Grain Silos. The silo art was painted by Sam Bates. In April 2018 Sam, otherwise known ‘Smug’ visited the town of Tumby Bay during the ‘Colour Tumby Street Art Festival’. It was here that Smug met the organiser of the festival Dion Lebrun. The local Wirrabara Community did not want a local resident painted on their silos, so Smug chose Dion Lebrun to be the inspiration for the Wirrabara Silo Art. The artwork also depicts the rich history of the area which has strong ties to the forestry industry as well as referencing the beautiful local flora and fauna for which the area is also well known. It took Smug three weeks to complete the silo art in October 2018. I wonder if readers of this blog can find the signature trademark of painter Sam Bates on one of the silos? I think he must have liked Phantom comics!
By now the tummies were rumbling and a visit to Wirrabara is not without a visit to the 'Old Bakery' and Julia's Kitchen. In 2018 we visited the bakery on the south side of town, named Evelyn's Bakery. I think Julia's Kitchen will always be on our SA bucket list from now on. Plus there were also some very interesting pieces of metal art you could purchase from the bakery. Pam has many pieces around her home. Might have to convince Pete to go back! The various mosaics around the town also added to Pam B's photo shoot. They were very nice and had been done with much larger pieces of tiles. Wongabirrie Park across the creek was pretty special.
From Wirrabara we drove to the Bluff Lookout in the District of Mount Remarkable. The new lookout within the Wirrabara Forest was officially opened on 17 September 2021. So we were among the first visitors that Pam has taken to the lookout. We had great views through to Port Germein and Port Pirie. We were glad we talked to a Queensland couple who were on their way to WA to go prospecting at Leonora. It actually meant those coming up had arrived before we started down! The road was narrow and steep. We stopped at the historic Tree Nursery before reaching Wirrabara again.
From there we took the 25 km Gorge Road through the Flinders Ranges to Port Germein. There was still evidence of the devastating fire of January 2014. Homes were also lost north of Wirrabara, plus there was damage to Gorge Road with water run off the following winter. There had been indecision as to whether the road would be repaired and thankfully it has, as it was a very pretty drive.
By the time we got to Port Germein it was too cool and blowy to walk out on the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. I did walk a little way though, just so I could say I had! We had not been to Port Germein in earlier travels to SA. The small town is 246 kms north of Adelaide. The jetty is 1676 metres long and was built to cater for the ships which came to the port to collect the wheat harvest. There was some quirky metal artwork around, so they were appealing for a photo shoot and to scrap-bookers!
After a quick drive around the 77 hectare island of Weeroona our next stop was Port Pirie. Weeroona Island is connected to the mainland by a 300 metre causeway. Pam provided us with a comprehensive tour of Port Pirie, the town where she taught for over 20 years. She travelled from her property at Laura each day for a number of those years. We had visited the town in 2014, but confessed it had not really ticked our box and in the end decided we would continue heading north to Port Augusta. Pam took us across a narrow bridge with the town's swimming area on the right and the port on the left. Once again somewhere you possibly wouldn't find, especially with a caravan behind. It provided great views of the port
The day was well and truly close to being done. We decided a drink and dinner at the Warnertown Hotel would complete the perfect day. Thank you from 'Pam the Tourist’. We really enjoyed the scenic loop tour or as ‘Pam the Tour Director’ has named it The Mid North Loop Tour.
Heather allen
2022-04-08
Those silos are much better than some in the West. So many other paintings around and about towns that are also fantastic. Love some in Katanning. Glad you enjoyed the day out being shown by a local. Makes all the difference seeing it from a local.
Jenny
2022-04-09
There's a bear in there, oh I mean a skull. Love that silo. One of the best when we did our trip in 2019. The detail was just fantastic. A great day tripping around and seeing the area through someone else's eyes. Cool and damp here after a 39c day on Thursday.
Shirley
2022-04-10
Enjoying reading your blog
Wendy
2022-04-10
What a great way to see everything being taken around by your friend Pam, knowing the places to show and tell you there story. All sounds very enjoyable and interesting.
Pamela Joan
2022-04-11
I just loved reading your blog - and have thoroughly enjoyed your stay with me. My Mid North Loop Tour looks pretty good in your blog!! Thanks for blogging with such detail. It was certainly my pleasure to show you around my little part of the world.
pamandpete
2022-04-15
Thank you all for your comments. Your compliments and the interaction is really appreciated but not necessarily expected. They help to keep me blogging!