The library team celebrated my departure but had trouble popping the cork!
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On the drive back to Adelaide there was lots of stock grazing the long paddock.


I visited my former Darwin colleague Kaye Henderson's parents property at Goodnight.

A crisp Thurgoona morning.

I enjoyed a pleasant afternoon and evening at work colleague Helen and Nevilles property at Baranduda, as well as a quick birdwatching expedition to Chiltern to try to spot some Banded lapwings.



We needed Nevilles long lens and extender to see the Lapwings in the middle of a paddock.

Also took a trip to Burnie and had a breezy picnic on the foreshore.

Saw these brown juvenile Pacific gulls along with the common sea gulls.

There was lots to see and take photographs of.

We toured in and around the small towns near Devonport and Launceston. The weather was great except for a short time when we were near Cradle Mountain, so I have an excuse to return soon.

On a whim, instead of heading for Adelaide for the long weekend in Victoria and Adelaide I decided to take a quick train trip to Melbourne and then a flight over to Devonport to see Sue and Ken Weslake. I spoke to Sue briefly on Wednesday and confirmed with her that I was coming. I surprised Ken when I walked in on Friday evening.

Ken and I went to high school together over 40 years ago at Marion High in Adelaide.

We tried to replicate this image that is over 40 years old we think.


We had a great weekend with trips to Launceston, Sheffield


and Penguin as well as Burnie. This lighthouse is at Mersey Bluff,Devonport.

I enjoyed my first ever trip to Tasmania and am already planning a return visit soon.

The Opening of the new Albury/Wodonga Hume Freeway project.

See this link to a local ABC story.
The authorities allowed the public to do a once only walk/run/bike ride. I took a stroll with the crowd.





It will make a tremendous difference locally as thousands of semitrailers travel through Albury everyday. Its nothing to be along side 6 or 7 at the traffic lights or travelling across the causeway between the twin cities. Acccording to the ABC website it will carry an estimated 35 thousand vehicles per day. It actually opens for traffic on Tuesday morning and will make my travelling from Thurgoona a lot easier and quicker.

Despite the 40c heat today I decided to undertake a bit of touristy activity.I visited the very attractive Albury Railway Station and then went to the opposite end of town, to the Monument Hill.