In Search of Art in the Aussie Outback: Goondiwindi

We arrived in Goondiwindi late in the afternoon. It had been a long day. There is a lot you can't do before set off a trip until the last minute. Jenelle is in Hervey Bay and I am in Clontarf. On top of doing her final pack for the trip, Jenelle is dealing with the emotions of spending her last night at her Mum and Dad's home. For over fifty years this house has been a constant in Jenelle's slightly nomadic and often hectic life.

Yesterday I gave the phone to Bob and Lesley Rutt (Bob's Bug Busters) who will look after the business for us while we are away. I am suffering from mobile phone and business separation anxiety.

I picked Jenelle up from the Brisbane airport at just after 11.00am and we headed west. We have lunch in Toowoomba on our way. Paddocks of rust red, almost ready to harvest sorghum crops stretch to the horizon on either side of highway as we bounce our way across the southern Darlings Downs.

Our caravan park in Goondiwindi is only few hundred metres from the showgrounds. The lure of a cold beer and a Dagwood Dog is too tempting to resist. We check out the show pavilions as the light begins to fade. A lot of the art work on show is quite impressive, we are both surprised by the quality and creativity.

We make our way to the Wilga Bar overlooking the main arena and settle in to await the fireworks at 6.30. A cold beer ($3 a can) and hot cup of chips help us wile away the time observing the locals at play. The annual show, no matter how modest, is always a great social occasion in the country. As the sun goes down the evening quickly becomes quite chilly. By 6.45 and with no sign of movement on the fireworks front we decide it is time to hunt down a Dagwood Dog each and head home. There is nothing at a city show like a freshly cooked country quality Dagwood Dog. Hmmm... the memories of childhood flood back.

Early evening at the Goondiwindi Show. From our spot in the Wilga Bar the Evening Star shines down on the blaze lights of side-show alley.....

The cabin we are staying is very modern, clean and well equipped. However during the night the temperature plunges and the walls of the cabin do little to resist the freeze. Jenelle ends up half way down the bed trying to get away from the cold coming through the wall.

Needless to say we are up early the next morning. We drive into the centre of town, park and explore Goondiwindi on foot. The sun is coming up and we warm up surprising quickly.

The Victoria Hotel....