So from our peak at Rinadeena, it was time to head downhill from the mines and into an area, barely a village named Dubbil Barril, note the strange spelling as opposed to Double Barrel. The rainforest route on the way down was totally amazing, we past gorges. We must have gone…
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This isn’t actually a post about former Manchester United and Scotland star Gordon Strachan. Though you really could have fooled me there. When I heard that the Gordon River flowed through a town called Strahan, I almost expected an action replay of the 1986 World Cup, where Scotland went 1-0 up on West Germany before…
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Living in this land down under makes you think how the English language differs from country to country. In Northern Ireland for example there are many differences from England in speech. Check these out – Northern Irish word first Snib – Latch – the opening part of a door Hot Press – Airing…
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WEST COAST WILDERNESS RAILWAY PART FOUR – LUNCH AT RINADEENA (RAINDROP) So I left behind the remote mining village of Lynchford, for this lifetime at least. This is where the train tracks got steeper and became a railway incline, as part of the famous “rack and pinion” system. I had already been on the…
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It’s truly kicking in – World Cup Fever. The passion that I first had back in June 1986 is back. I was too young to remember the 1982 World Cup sadly. Which is a shame because Northern Ireland won the group, and beat host nation Spain. However by 1986, I was a big Norman Whiteside…
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It’s sounds a bit silly if I say “I’ve always been interested in railways”, because I say that about so many things. But there is something inspiring about being onboard a train. There’s history, character, atmosphere, geography, music involved in train journeys. And Michael Palin has a series called “The World’s Great Train Journeys.” I…
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It was a worry, and one that I didn’t foresee, stupidly. I had longed to do the Tasmanian Western Wilderness trip since I had arrived in the state. Last month, on a break from farming work I found the time to road trip it, all on my own. The plan was spontaneous and began…
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Salamanca Market is a famous market in Hobart, Tasmania. I’m not sure why it’s called “Salamanca” market, possibly leant from a traditional style Spanish market, but these days there’s definitely nothing Spanish about this pretty little morning market in Tasmania’s capital. I could easily have spent 5 months in Tasmania without ever…
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Ask me 12 years ago if I thought I’d be working as a broccoli harvester when I’m 30, and I would simply have laughed at you! But there I was, aged 30, working on farms in Northern Tasmania as a broccoli harvester. Loving it. I got into it totally by chance, but through my insistence…
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My second time in Hobart was three months after my first time. And I’ll be back again next week to watch the World Cup with a Northern Irish mate. It’s a city that has grown on me, or what I mean is I didn’t like it much at the start and now I do. I…
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