My garden of OZ Delights.

Its been a little over two years since we have lived here and we have had great joy in planting the garden with native and non native plants and fruits and see how they have grown. The credit is shared with our lovely Aussie neighbour whose avocados are probably the best in the land but conveniently hang over my fence. So it is a question of who gets to them first, the possum or me. You will be pleased to know its evenly shared.  So today you can share and delight in the plenty of my OZ garden. 

Aboriginal wealth

I have been lucky enough to experience two special exhibitions lately. One is called "Wild Australia" and it showcased the physiques of Aboriginal men. This was an idea of a man called  Archibald Meston who considered himself to be an amateur anthropologist and a spokesperson for the Aboriginals he was in contact with. He was influenced by the classical Greek body and he wanted to showcase the Aboriginals physiques as being equally impressive and noteworthy. The show, which took part in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane was called "Wild Australia" and was photographed by some of the early photographers in 1892 - 1893. Meston was not a great business man, and rather patronising to the Aboriginals who he regarded as little more than noble savages.The show did not survive but what did survive were the pictures of the show and the men who were painstakingly identified and linked to families in the area. He became Queensland's advisor on Aboriginal Communities and is remembered for  his efforts in writing the first draft of the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1897. 

Here are some of the impressive pictures of the show which is on at the University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus in the Anthropology Museum. 

The second exhibition is called "Terrain" and is on in the Gallery of Modern Art on South Bank. It showcases the most beautiful fibre art collected from Aboriginals all over Australia who have not only used traditional methods of basket weaving and matting but have also gone on to make innovative and appealing art from them. 

There is so much wealth and wonder to be gained from considering Australia's first people. 

Noosa Heads

A funny name for a place and I guess like everything there is a story to be told - Quite a few aboriginal tribes inhabited this area, the Umbundi, the Dulingbara and the Gabbi Gabbi and Noosa probably comes from the aboriginal word "Noothera" meaning shade or shadows. The headland is full of beautiful big trees offering that shade and Aboriginal tribes must have been happy in this shady place with an abundance of fish and shellfish and natural resources. The white men did n't come to the area much before the 1800s and then difficult times ensued both for the Aboriginals who saw their land usurped and the developers who wanted to make money. The white men saw the area's potential and there was a lot of timber logging that went on along the Noosa River. In the 1920s it became a favourite holiday destination and it is sometimes referred to as the Jewel in the Sunshine Coasts Crown. It is one of the few north facing beaches and as such is protected from strong winds and storms but at the same time offers up a good surf. Nowadays it has a reputation as an upmarket resort where a lot is made of its good food and food festivals, sporting activities, fishing and shopping. 

We went up on a beautiful autumn day - strong, open sunlight as Queensland is famous for, the sky a clear blue with nothing to interrupt it or disturb the unity. The countryside quite green from all the rain we have had recently and Noosa, well just delightful. Main Beach was warm and friendly, heaps of beautiful sand, families enjoying the best of the weather, surfing, sunning themselves making brilliant sandcastles and having fun. A board walk right there and restaurants and shops galore in Hastings St to satisfy each whim and appetite. Probably best of all, the whole headland being a national park with paths and walkways that everyone can enjoy. 

Some great restaurants down by the Noosa River serving up some fabulous food.

Just the most gorgeous setting for a wedding - the backdrop couldn't be better and Margaret and Tony whoever they may be, are right to choose this place for Take 2 ! 

The nature of the beast

Yesterday I was at home with the windows closed, even the birds were taking refuge under the covered roof. I was wearing my thermal track suit bottoms and fleece and had my British Airways socks on with my flip flops. A right Chav, my boys would say, but the weather called for it. Winds  shook the biggest of trees, rain lashing down for 48 hrs, four people lost their lives being swept away in a flash flood. I live here and I almost incredulous at the nature of the beast. 

Today the sun is out, some pretty white clouds dot the sky and as I cleaned the garden of broken branches and leaves a kookaburra came and sat nearby and I saw the water dragon sunning itself on the branch of the Frangipani tree. Even moments like these need to remembered as their unremarkable nature take on a different tone after the cataclysm of yesterday's storm. So I am off to celebrate the birth of Buddha with Brisbane buddhists.