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Moonta, SA

S 31°03'44" E 137°34'19

Wed 29 Oct - Thu 6 Nov 2003


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photo of fromg in linda's garden

When we left the rally we went to Moonta to stay on Jerry and Linda Osmond's property for a few days.

We had first met them on the way to the Townsville Rally. They hail from New Zealand and tour Australia in a fifth wheeler towed by a full sized prime mover.

They bought the house in Moonta two years ago because they wanted to settle down in Australia, they like this part of the country, and the property has ample parking for several motorhomes.

Some motorhoming friends of the Osmonds, Bob and Val, were already there and the Procters came in soon after us so we were a pleasant number for happy hours.

Jerry celebrated his sixty sixth birthday while we were there and we had quite a party which left some of us thoroughly distressed the next day.

On Friday, Jerry took us on a guided tour of Moonta, a copper mining town from the 1870s. With the benefit of some expert knowledge of the place, we saw a very old town which has survived the death of its primary industry and which thrives today as a real working community still using the buildings from its earliest days.

On Saturday , Jerry took us to Wallaroo, sister town to Moonta where the copper smelters were built in the nineteenth century. Wallaroo doesn't have the same feeling as Moonta. The modern developments have overwhelmed the old and it's just another town.

In the afternoon, we took the ride on the Moonta Tourist Railway which Jerry drives. The tour take one through the old mining area and the driver gives a thoroughly comprehensive and interesting description of the conditions in the mining area in its early years when 6000 people lived in primitive accommodation in among the mine shafts, mulloch heaps, slime pits, stables, domestic livestock, and one anothers' sewage. Epidemics of infectious diseases took a huge toll on the population. In one week, 105 children under 3 years old died and were buried in unmarked graves in the town cemetary. This was the richest copper mine in the world at the time and the shareholders did exceptionally well but the miners, as always, had it pretty hard.

pjoto of the parachuting bear

In the afternoon, I made a valiant effort to fly the Amazing Parachuting Bear. After several attempts including one where the bear plunged into a tree, I m,managed to get everything just right only to have the wind drop before I could fly one last time.

On Sunday night we had a communal roast dinner. As we didn't have and meat, I cooked some Indian roast veges which some of us thought were yummy.

Jean had offered to alter a skirt for Linda and finally decided to take it apart completely and re-make it. I had to find some black overlocker thread so, on Monday, we went to Kadina to shop.

Tuesday was technical chore day. I planned to change the oil in the generator, top up the batteries, mend the air horn, rewire the cigar lighter in the Little Motley, and clean the water filters which had picked up the smell from some bore water. I managed only the last of these tasks because I had to make new a mounting for the filters before I could replace the filter elements with new ones. The water now tastes good but the other four chores will have to wait for another day.

On Thursday night, the Procters and we took the Osmonds out to dinner at the local tavern. We had the advantage of a booze bus so ewe were able to imbibe freely. The wine was Evans and Tate Shiraz 1997 which was so good that I actually remembered its name and recorded it here. The food was superb. I needed to thank the chef but was told that I'd have to go into the kitchen to do this as they were extremely busy. I took a glass of the Shiraz and ventured into the backroom. There I met a little, elderly, white haired lady busy cooking. I congratuilated her and gave her the wine. She seemed pleased that someone had shown their appreciation of her work. I later discovered that she was the proprietor's wife! What a lucky guy he is.


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Created: 30.10.2003 and last revised 8.11.2003
Author: Robin Chalmers Copyright in all the material on this site is asserted by the author
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