Travels in the countryside

Went for a quick exploratory trip around the nearby countryside last Tuesday; Eudunda, Marrabel (of local Rodeo fame - statue of buck-jumping horse in main street), Saddleworth, Tarlee, Roseworthy, Freeling .. but if anyone is expecting a series of photos from it .. ferget it. Had two purposes in mind. Might go back to some of them in the future, but fuel prices out here tend to preclude the "casual" or "touristy" journey, and it costs me roughly $50 a week just to get to and from work.

Am on Autogas, but the local pump price is 10c per litre more than city price. If am clever and time it right, can fill up at Munno Para (last pump at city price on the journey back - 68-70c/litre, thank whatever gods there are that am not stuck with petrol or diesel) when I go back to the city, but that is variable. I do have a 2c/litre BP Autogas discount card, but that is not accepted here. Can get 300K out of a 45 litre tank-full of Autogas, and only switch to petrol when the gas runs out (no gauge) but dunno how that translates into relative economy; must do the sums, one day. Have read (or heard) somewhere that Autogas is only economical when LESS than half petrol price. At the moment it's just a smidge under half - but whaddya expect, it's Liquified PETROLEUM gas.

So what was I doing? Ah, went back up to Eudunda to post some 'notices' ..

Mature single male farm worker, no pets, .. looking for somewhere in or near Eudunda to park a 16' poptop caravan and annexe .. etc.

Yer, I know, the 'mature' refers more to "old" than "sensible" but what the heck. Haven't had any phone calls as yet, but guess that country people are a bit suspicious cautious about this sort of stuff, so will just have to drop in to the local pubs more often so that they can put a face to the notice.

Also, will remind the reader that Eudunda was the birthplace and early development centre for Colin Thiele. Author [Sun on the Stubble, Storm Boy, Fire in the Stone], Educator (won't mention that I knew him, and that he booted me out of Wattle Park Teachers College when he was Principal there .. though that's a long story.)


The other reason is that I wanted to visit Roseworthy Agricultural College (that is what i know it as, but now a campus of the University of Adelaide) as my father obtained his Diploma there in 1934. Also have in my possession an original pencil sketch of the front of the building, signed Dora Whitford, 1930. Had intended to donate it to the State Library, but have changed my mind and now think that it would be better appreciated at the College. Had a bittuva chat with the campus Manager, and he would be happy to accept it.

This pic (27 May 2008) is as close to the view in the sketch as I could re-create it. Not quite, as that bloody big tree on the right was in the way, and wasn't there in 1930 .. heh.