Citizenship Ceremony

It became official - we attended a ceremony to make us fair dinkum Aussie citizens. I couldn't decide which brooch to wear so I pinned them both to my jacket and asked a friend to decide. (I went with the cat.) Later, it fell off my jacket and, after hunting for it everywhere, I thought it was lost, but it was returned to me by the local pub, where we went to celebrate after the ceremony.

The cat came back

The citizenship ceremony was a special one to mark seventy years since it was first introduced. Our ceremony, for reasons I couldn't quite fathom, was an event held with selected individuals at Floriade, the weird floral festival of Canberra, in a marquee. 

Placed around the edge of the marquee were a number of outfits created by flower arrangements - wearable art, if you will. Some had signage explaining their rationale: others didn't. 

National Eucalyptus Day by Genel Jordan is inspired by the tree which 'is synonymous with the Australian landscape. In the spirit of National Eucalyptus Day, this dress celebrates, in a small way, the majesty and beauty of these iconic trees. The form of the dress takes its inspiration from the structure of the tall eucalypts of Australia's native forests, the hues of their bark and the patterns often found on their trunks. The decoration of the dress is inspired by the vast palate [sic] of colours and shapes of the eucalypts [sic] foliage, its flowers and the fauna which make these trees their home.' 

National Eucalyptus Day by Genel Jordan

Save the Great Barrier Reef by Nada Anderson 'seeks to focus people's attention on the current state of the Great Barrier Reef and the impact of coral bleaching. This is illustrated by the transitioning of jewel coral colours to the whiteness of the bleached dead coral. Climate change is having a devastating effect on the reef by increasing ocean water temperatures, which in turn leads to coral bleaching. Two consecutive years of coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017 caused extensive damage to more than two-thirds of the reef. We need to act now before it is too late.'

Save the Great Barrier Reef by Nada Anderson

'In Australia 1 woman a week is killed by domestic violence. Physical or sexual violence affects further 1 in 3 women and many more women experience the disenfranchised grief and trauma caused by financial, emotional and psychological abuse. Attitudes need to change.

White Ribbon Day is a bystander campaign that aims to prevent men's violence against women by raising awareness and dedicating revenue from fund raising towards education and support.

The white leaves in the dress bodice represent the 1 woman a week killed by domestic violence. The tatami window work on the skirt symbolizes the new growth that women experiencing domestic violence can achieve when provided with adequate support and resources. Colour has been used symbolically with white symbolizing protection and possibility, and green symbolizing renewal , growth and harmony. The gold leaf represents the courage it takes for women to leave an abusive partner.'

White Ribbon Day Australia by Tracy Dodt

'National Organic Week is a week that creates awareness of the benefits of organic methods and farming production systems. I have conveyed this in my dress by using organic products. These are products that have not been sprayed with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or any other artificial chemicals.

I have also used organic lines, shapes, and natural colours and represented organic in the bottom of the dress where it flares out, it is light and very full. This symbolizes what an impact filling your life with organic products can have on you and your health.'

National Organic Week by Esmae Barry

'Each day in Australia 50 women are diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancer. The Cancer Council's Pink Ribbon Day aims to raise awareness about these cancers and also help raise funds for research, support, services and prevention programs.

My botanical garment was created to honour all of those who have been diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancers. Having a beautiful Aunty of mine go through the struggles of breast cancer has made Pink Ribbon Day an organisation that is truly close to my heart, and that's why I have created a very pink and feminine piece to represent strong, beautiful women who are affected by this disease each and every day.'

Pink Ribbon Day by Anna Carbone

I didn't see the rationale behind the following pieces (although obviously there is an allusion to the Aboriginal flag in the last one), but I think they are all stunning.

Surrounded by these beautiful, living pieces, full of thoughts and memories, we became nationalised citizens of Australia. We then had a drink with friends and rode on the Ferris Wheel above the gardens. 

Him Outdoors with brewing chums

General Philosophy flying the flag

All smiles from Gindelle

Newest Aussies

You can take the boy out of Burnley...

Views from the top:

Calamity Sue, Emma Cake, and their shadows

This is the image on the diary page this week. I am so lucky and grateful to be a citizen of three wonderful countries. 

At the weekend our weekend walk around The Pinnacles took us past some beautiful scenery and a bearded dragon. He/she was merely trying to sun himself/herself (they can be either depending on the temperature) and wasn't entirely appreciative of being photographed. 

Back from Beyond

The final leg of our journey saw us drive home through many more miles of nothingness. We drove all day on dirt roads without seeing another vehicle and with only bearded dragons and feral goats for company. Although there is no water in the creeks, there has actually been rather more rain than usual in this area of late, and there is substantially more green than normal.

Salt Hole Creek

Bearded dragon keeping watch

We went for a walk in Mutawintji National Park, where we stumbled across this little piece of history. William Wright, manager of Kinchega Station at Menindee, was signed on as the leader of the support group for the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition of 1860. Wright visited Mootwinjee in 1859 and 1862 leaving his mark here in the blue triangles. 

Markings left by William Wright

Even in the harshest of climates there is beauty; flowers bloom even if they are weeds.

We stayed at The White Cliffs Underground Motel. As the name suggests, it is cut into the White Cliffs. And it's underground. The thirty rooms remain at a constant temperature of 22-23 degrees, which is welcome when outside temperatures range from below freezing in winter to above 50 degrees in summer.

As well as the bedrooms, there is a dining room, several lounge areas and even a conference room. The motel is surprisingly comfortable and, once I got over my claustrophobia, I had an amazingly good night's sleep, undisturbed by noise or light.

Our snug underground bedroom

Going underground

He drinks wine; he reads about beer; so multi-talented

White Cliffs artwork

It makes sense there should be a decent wine cellar

People always blather on about the light in these places, but this is pretty special. We walked out in the sunset, as the wind whipped across the plains. The view of the stars is meant to be exceptional here at night, but it was cloudy so we couldn't see anything after dark. 

Opals were first discovered in White Cliffs in 1884 and it became Australia's first viable commercial opal mining field; by the end of the 19th century it was the largest producer of precious opal anywhere in the world. White Cliffs predominantly produces seam opal, and is notable for producing opal pineapple, a strangely-shaped opal fossil in the shape of a mineral crystal.

George Hooley and Alf Richardson were out on Momba Station hunting kangaroos when a horse kicked up a bright stone. Unsure as to the value of their find, they showed surveyor Charlie Turner who advised them to send a sample to Tullie Wollaston in Adelaide who was interested in opal.

Wollaston came immediately to meet Hooley, Richardson, Turner and partner, Clouston. The opal was so different from anything he had seen, Wollaston barely knew what to offer them. With his funds limited to 150 pounds, Wollaston decided to offer 140 pounds, keeping ten pounds in reserve. "On naming the figure there was a great calm. They were simply paralysed - but only for a moment and then eight hands shot out."

In hindsight Wollaston realised, "I could have had the whole lot for ten pounds but did not regret offering a fair price." Wollaston went on to prosper and made the men the first Opal Kings of White Cliffs.

It was once populated by a boom of thousands; now people go out there to escape society, fossicking in the soil for the gemstones. Most of the permanent inhabitants live underground, like wombles, but many of the itinerants live on their mining sites and use fairly basic mining equipment. It's quiet and peaceful, but so isolated it would take a special type of person to live out here. At the last census the town had a population of 103.

Him Outdoors examining the diggings

Red Earth Opals has a cafe, a showroom and a range of paintings and artwork. We had a delicious coffee while looking at the opals for sale. We simply couldn't resist buying a gorgeous crystal opal ring for my birthday from Graeme Dowton who mines the gems and sets them in jewellery himself. 

Our journey home took us through several little towns such as Wilcannia. During the great river-boat era of the mid nineteenth century, this was the third largest inland port in the country. Located where the Barrier Highway crosses the Darling River, it played a major part in the transport of goods by paddle steamer, namely wool and wheat.

During the 1880s, the township was prosperous and home to over 3,000 people. It's current population is just 600, with 466 (77%) people being of Aboriginal descent. Despite the fine old buildings such as the churches, wharf warehouses, post office and court house, it feels abandoned and depressed; in the 2015 Dropping Off the Edge Report it was listed as one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in the state.

St James Anglican Church, Wilcannia

  

Bridge over the Darling River

...and Cobar - the name derives from the Aboriginal Ngiyampaa word for copper, Kuparr, Gubarr or Cuburrs meaning 'red earth' or 'burnt earth', the ochre used in making body paint for Corroborees. The name also represents an Aboriginal attempt to pronounce the word, 'copper'.

The town, on the eastern edge of the outback, is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way (to Queensland) and Barrier Highway (to South Australia). Its economy is based on mining and pastoralism and it retains much of its nineteenth-century architecture.

St Laurence O'Toole Catholic Church, Cobar

Geographical mural, Cobar

This is the Big Beer Can - Australia likes their odd 'big' icons

Final stop: Orange, back to the greenery and at a favourite winery, Stockman's Ridge.

Cheers!