Tenterfield

This week I went up to Tenterfield on a quick bush fire relief trip. It's quite a few weeks since fire tore through the New England district so most people have received their relief grants and this weeks service was about providing service to the few left navigating the system.
Instead of 6-8 hour days in a packed Recovery Centre, the multi-agency team spent 2-3 hours in each location, seeing only 1-6 people at each location. It was a relaxed team with not a lot to do but I was impressed that the government guy organising us said it was vital support for the few who still needed access to recovery services.

You probably can't see the barbed wire on top of this fence but it's there. I wondered if there was a gaol I'd never heard of but no, this is the showground.

Outside the Tentefield Railway Museum

Tenterfield Saddler, immortalised in song by Peter Allen. The shop was owned by his grandfather and is still open a few hours a day.

A road side rest stop. The little shelter had a large fire place in the back and there was a composting toilet about 50m down the road. We set up here for a few hours and saw a few people who had suffered large losses. 
Bluff Rock in the back ground was the site of an aboriginal massacre, acknowledged with a stone and plaque telling the story.

A scene on "tourist drive 7"

Also on tourist drive 7

Sunnyside Community Hall was another place we worked from. Built in 1902 and obviously well loved.

Tourist Drive 7 passed through farmland where the cattle were allowed to wander across the road. These girls and calves looked at the car with mild interest.

The view from "Mount Mackenzie Lookout" 

There has been rain since the fire so the usual charred look of the fire ground is softened by fresh grass.

The Railway Museum was shut so I took the photo from the gate. 

I saw quite a few goats when I took a drive up over the Queensland border. I'm not sure if they were feral.

The motel we stayed in was rather lovely with well tended gardens and a tasteful dining room. The service was great, too.

"Steinbrook Hall" was another community hall we operated from. Super rustic and super hot  under the metal roof but the verandah on the back had a cool breeze blowing so we sat there. There was much discussion of steak and beer.

The historic cork tree on the edge of Tenterfield. It was a very large tree and quite beautiful.

Kangaroos at Glenlyon Dam

The 1974 Childrens Book of the Year was "The Nargun and the Stars" I must have read it sometime later and don't really remember the book except that it must have described this kind of granite outcrop particularly well because I never fail to think of the book when I see these rocks. 

A lovely old church now operating as a real estate office.

Back to the dam.

The old manse next to the church.

This baby burger and his mates were very interested in me. And very, very cute.

 

I have a busy week of work coming up, plus a dentist appointment, sleep specialist and Milly needs vaccinations before she goes to board while I take the Indian Pacific across the continent. I've been looking forward to this trip for a long time and now the time is almost here!

I'd love to send a post card if you'd like one. I'll probably pop them in the post sometime after Christmas so hit me up!

taikylie at yahoo dot com dot au