FRIDAY MAY 5     BOORT

We slept in a little this morning. It turned into a lovely day, after a chilly early morning.

After breakfast, did some ball throwing with the dog, on a grassy area in front of some empty cabins, down at the end of the park. Then, she ignored my commands (pleas?) and took herself off into the lake for a wallow in the water. A wet tummy is heaven! Later, since she was already wet, John threw a stick into the water for her, a few times. She loves that game. Her retrieval is a bit hit and miss, though, which is why we don’t use a ball.

A local attraction was the Spanner Man’s display. I’d been told at the office that one needed to book ahead for a tour of that. I tried to phone. There was no answer and the message machine informed that they did not take messages, and to try again later. Hmmm – not a very customer friendly way to do business.

After all that, we got rather a late start to go off for a drive. I thought we were just going to go north for a little way and maybe check out the location of the Spanner Man’s premises. However, once headed out, John kept going – all the way to Quambatook.

Apart from a fairly large area of grain storage – heaps covered by blue plastic sheeting – we found the place a rather sad and battling little town. As with many such towns these days, a number of closed-down businesses indicated that it had once been larger and more significant in the area. Now, there was a General Store rather than a supermarket, and it was combined with the Post Office.

Given the huge grain storage area, I did wonder about the mouse population of the area?

We explored a couple of roads outwards for a little way, as John likes to do, then headed west, to Dumosa, then the Calder Highway and Wycheproof. This was interesting enough travel, through sheep and grain country. It was fairly flat, but there was some variety. Also, some irrigation channels.

I saw a decent sized brown snake, sunbaking on the road a short way ahead of the car. John didn’t see it at all. Observant driver! I made some sort of “Oh, look out” comment. I think we missed it? John turned the car around to go and have a look, but it had gone. At least, I hoped it had, and wasn’t up under the car somewhere! Imagination is not always an asset.

Later, back in Boort, we heard talk that there had been lots of brown snakes around. I would have expected, with the cold nights now, that they would be in hibernation, but supposed that autumn mice were still around the grain areas and this was an incentive to stay out and about longer.

At Wycheproof, I went to the IGA supermarket to get some fruit and ended up buying other produce too. It seemed fresher and more recently replenished than the stocks at Boort.

Gave Couey a comfort walk for a little way, then put her back in the car.

Wycheproof is a town where the railway line runs down the centre of the main street – the highway. I would love to be there when a train actually came through. There were no fences or barriers – the onus is on drivers and pedestrians to watch out. I suspect that any train that does come through does so very slowly.

The time was getting on, so we went to buy lunch at a good-looking establishment. Bakery on Broadway. (Broadway is the actual name of the main street through town, despite it also being the Calder Highway). John chose a sausage roll and a cheese and vegemite scroll. He could not resist buying a Boston Bun – for tea. I had a very yummy ham and salad roll. We had coffees too. Sat in their outside dining area and ate. We noted this place for future travel, as an excellent place to stop to buy lunch.

Wycheproof seemed to be another small town that was rejuvenating itself, having somehow an active, more vibrant air about it. I guess being on the highway helps, but not all towns so located have managed to turn that to advantage. Anyway, great bakery, with modern product lines.

Back to the car. Turned off the highway, for Boort. On the edge of Wycheproof, passed Mt Wycheproof which, at about 43 metres, is the smallest registered mountain in the world! Now that’s a question for Trivial Pursuit…

Coming in to Boort, passed through a dry swamp area, part of a real complex of lakes and swamps around the town. We also passed burning off grain stubble. Yesterday, from the caravan park, we’d seen the smoke from that.

Our “little drive” turned out to be about 200kms! John’s “little adventures” have become notorious in our circle. We might be adding to the legend.

John had a nap. I walked Couey along the lake front, past the boat ramp, playground, BBQ’s, and the sports area, as far as some parkland that had a couple of intriguing metal sculptures – of a redfin fish and a large bird.

There was also an historic pump engine on display – used for irrigation water pumping. I’d had no prior idea that there was irrigation in these parts.

The walk took me along the Federation Walk – a paved path that featured a plaque for every Prime Minister since Federation in 1901. It had not been updated since Kevin Rudd’s first term, though.

Boort had really done this lakefront precinct well. There were a couple of seating arrangements, obviously done by the Spanner Man. One was a tall, stand-alone sort of sculptured column, with smooth seats around it. The other was arranged around the base of a tree. Brilliant concepts and workmanship. Each piece used a hell of a lot of spanners!

Tea was chicken noodle soup and the Boston Bun.

Watched football on TV. I couldn’t stay awake and was in bed and asleep well before the game finished.