For my first twenty-two years, I lived with my family in flat 4, one of five, large living spaces that made up Ulleswater. The address of this rambling, old, two storey building is 107 High Street, North Sydney in New South Wales. Those childhood and adolescent years were spread through the 1950s and 1960s. A dominant memory that always typifies Ulleswater for me was its great sense of community. It was a safe place where things operated somewhat like an extended family. Continue reading “Memories of Ulleswater”
Kurt Jacob had only recently arrived in Melbourne from Germany to start the first official Hohner Agency, when he was approached one day in 1937, while walking along a Melbourne street, by Horace Pearson. Continue reading “Kurt Jacob, Hohner Harmonicas and Me”
The last studio recordings made by Australian singer-songwriter Gary Shearston came out in 2001. In 2007 a selection of Gary’s recorded work was released in recognition of his valuable contribution to Australian music.
The village that uses this slogan on its entry sign is one of the least populated settlements in the Greater Blue Mountains. The surrounding sections of the Wollemi National Park suffered greatly in the Gospers Mountain fire of 2019/2020 but the vegetation closest to the old shale mining ruins was saved along with the present-day buildings. Now many of the trees along the road from Lidsdale feature sleeves of epicormic growth and, on a misty March morning, the shrubs near the Wolgan River glisten with the webs of thousands of orb spiders.
Epicormic sleeves in a forest below pagoda-like formations – Wolgan Gap, on the approach to Newnes
The only surviving building from the early 20th century shale days is the Newnes Hotel which was moved in the 1980s to stop the river undermining it, losing its liquor licence in the process. Now Lithgow Environment Group stalwart, Thomas Ebersoll, is modifying the hotel to include live-in staff quarters for management of the cabins and camping ground, so rapidly are they regaining their popularity.
A permanent pub with no beer – the Newnes Hotel
Thomas is renowned for finding time for special projects. Although, kangaroos, wallabies and numerous bird species have returned to this part of the national park since the big fire, wombats are slow to come back. A striking wooden sculpture by Thomas is adorned with a message for a prodigal wombat, containing this wording:
Why I built this seat
A giant wombat reclined here,
long time ago.
His name was Bob.
As he sat & contemplated
the world he thought:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have
a proper seat here”
He might be back one day.…
Wagons from the 1910 Newnes shale railway in the background while, in the foreground, another relic provides scale for Thomas Ebersoll’s wombat seat.
