Up The Creek (Or Where in the World Is Wodonga?)

2007-04-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

My time in Wodonga has ended. Go to my personal blog whilst in Adelaide at
http://dreamingdeserts.blogspot.com/
and then my return to Darwin at Top End Tales at this link

2007-03-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-03-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

A crisp Thurgoona morning.

2007-03-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-03-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-03-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

There was lots to see and take photographs of.

2007-03-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-03-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-03-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-03-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-02-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

I spent the wekend in Geelong and Ballarat to attend Clive Fergusons 60th birthday. His wife Pauline also has her birthday in these few days as did I on Sunday. I stayed at Karen's sisters place in Geelong.

2007-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

The Sydney skyline is always dramatic.
Views from Darling Harbour

A view from Pitt Street.

2007-02-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

It was nice to catch up with lost contacts. I saw Jenny Paradiso, formally of TTG Library and West Torrens Library now working with Ex Libris

Along with a former TAFESA colleague Joanne Rivers

Jenny and Kate from UNISA got tangled with a very good magician.

2007-02-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

The Information Online dinner.
This was good as I spent my evening with Darwin colleagues.
This is Jayshree with Ruby who works at RDH Medical library

Di Sinclair,Ruby with Ann Ritchie
MaryAnne, Sue Goldsworthy, and Anne Wilson

Maryanne and Ruby

Jayshree and Robyn
Quiet conversation

2007-01-30T22:27:00.000-08:00

Dave and I joined the ladies for dinner at The Rocks.

This is Jessie and Karen having a laugh.

2007-01-29T18:15:00.000-08:00

The Information Online conference is underway. I attended a great dinner last night at Cockle Bay, "Coast", sponsored by EBSCO. This morning I have caught up with many old friends and colleagues from Darwin and Adelaide as well as some of the company representatives that I know. I have organised some trials of new databases for the TAFE that I hope will be useful for all.

This is Richard Sayers from Caval with Gillian Hallam from QUT.

Jayshree with a Fijian colleague.

Sarah managed to capture the Blogger at work

2007-01-28T19:02:00.000-08:00

Today a walk to the Australian Museum, where Dave and I saw a great BBC Wildlife Photo Exhibition
Click the link to view some of the images.
and then a walk through Hyde Park to Darlinghurst.

I am always interested to see trees on the top of high rise buildings.

2007-01-28T01:59:00.000-08:00

Today we spent time in Erskinville and Newtown digging in the crates.

2007-01-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

Trip to Sydney. I flew from Albury to Sydney with my flight over an hour late in leaving due to 'technical difficulties with the aircraft". Not the most re-assuring of announcements during the flight! Dave and I saw lots of evidence of the Australia Day celebrations, but in the end were too tired to watch the fireworks.
On Saturday morning we went to the Glebe Flea Market.

and then to the Museum of Contemporary Art.
On the way we saw a Korean television commercial being made:

Then we walked around Circular Quay and The Rocks,

and saw lots of brides and their grooms walking around the area.

2007-01-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

We spent a couple of days moving the Reference Collection this week and it was all hands on deck.
The team worked well, we had fun and did it all in less time than we thought was needed.

2007-01-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

A trip to Ettamogah on Saturday.
I decided to visit this famous Pub. My undertanding is this is the original, well a modern version of it. It was a pleasant rural drive , 10 minutes from Thurgoona.

2007-01-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

About Thurgoona! Just minutes from Albury CBD, an easy three-hour drive to Melbourne or a brief 60-minute flight from Sydney. Quoting from the club I have joined, the T hurgoona Country Club Resort:
"With a ten-minute drive, you can visit the famous Ettamogah Pub or take a leisurely scenic cruise down the Murray on the Paddlesteamer Cumberoona. Picturesque Lake Hume with views of the magnificent Victorian Alps is just up the road. Here you can go water skiing, sailing, swimming or just sit and relax. A little further a field, about 45 minutes by road, are North Eastern Victoria’s famous Rutherglen Wineries, where you can taste the excellent wines from well known vineyards such as All Saints, Morris and Campbells or investigate the rich history and character of townships such as Beechworth, Bright and Yackandandah."

2007-01-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Then after the lunch a trip into Albury and a drive to Beechworth. I have discovered that the famous Beechworth Bakery make my favourite cake, the Eccles cake, so I enjoyed a pleasant afternoon tea eating one .

Beechworth is a great little town, I certainly will be taking visitors there. There are mamny bookshops, antique stores, cafes etc.

2007-01-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

A busy Saturday. First of all a drive to the Hume Dam, which was blanketed with smoke from the Victorian bush fires across the border. It was well worth trip. the area was teeming with bird life.

The birds were in their hundreds!

Then a trip back to Thurgoona for another nice lunch at the Thurgoona Country Club which I joined last week.

2007-01-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

Big day today! My household 'stuff' finally arrived from Darwin, via Melbourne. Just goes to show I did not really need most of it having lived out of suitcases for nearly two months.
Its one more removal of connections with Darwin. It looks like my unit at Karama has sold.

However having said that I am looking fowarding to meeting many of my CDU friends, Kaye, Karen, Jessie, Jayshree and my previous Associate Director, Anne at Information Online.
I am keen to hear Diana G. Oblinger speak. She was an editor of Educating the Net Generation
Its an e-Book Its available online at this link .
Her abstract for the conference reads well:
Listening to What We're Seeing -
'One student walks across campus listening to an iPod; another is engrossed in text messaging on her cell phone. During class, they're Googling, IMing and playing games - often at the same time. More likely to use the library as a gathering place than a resource, this is the Net Generation. They co-exist beside older students who are juggling work, childcare and eldercare. Although we see them daily, do we understand our learners? What do their experiences, attitudes and expectations mean for educational institutions? '

2007-01-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

During the night we smelt smoke and we woke to see and smell this. It's from bushfires a fair way from us. Wodonga sits in a basin so the smoke is well across the city.

Compare this last shot with this one from December 3rd.

2007-01-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

The view from my office window last week.
Lots of Grass parrots and ducks.

2007-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Had a nice run to Rutherglen, the heart of the Victorian wine country. I visted only two of the wineries, Brown Brothers. and then Bullers where I chatted to Andrew the wine maker. His soon to be released 2006 Shiraz Vignonier was fantastic.

Rutherglen has lots of cafes, bakeries and a great bookshop. It was a pleasant walk through the town.

2007-01-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

Melbourne Skyline

Busker in Bourke Street Mall

Dave ready to click.

Hugh worked in this store in Mlebourne before going to work in Europe

Chinese ladies at Southbank promoting Chinese New Year activities.

Gondola on the Yarra

2007-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

I took a trip back to Melbourne, in a rental vehicle, via Mount Gambier, where we caught up with an old TAFE friend brian Johnson and his wife Lucinda.

Then to Ballarat where Dave and I stayed with Pauline, Clive and Katie.

2007-01-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed bird watching with Karen:

2007-01-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas trip to Adelaide.
I spent time with Barbara and her family,

Then caught up withKaren, and also Pam and Dave.
Had a Christmas meal with friends Terry and Martin and his family.

Also had a meal with Peta and her husband Pierre as well as Karen and Barbara.

I visited my brother Tony and his wife Joey and ended up feeding an orphan with a bottle.

2006-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

I had my first Managers meeting here yesterday. A good fun bunch of people.This group was spreading Christmas cheer.

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I went out to Thurgoona after work and came across this gentleman on his Harley.

2006-12-13T13:48:00.000-08:00

The Library had a good Christmas lunch today, with the casual staff joining us.

Helen Bartlett, the lady on the left went to Marion High School in Adelaide,
the same time as I was there in the early 1960's,its a small world.

Is this a Christmas Bunny?

It feeds on the front lawn of house I am living in,

2006-12-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

Today the campus has been shrouded in smoke from the bushfires which started after lightning strikes a week ago. People have described driving in pea soup so it would be quite dangerous on the freeway

Compare these two shots
Yesterday

Today

2006-12-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

A busy weekend. I moved in to a house in Barton Street, Federation Park, Wodonga as a boarder until my property in Darwin sells and I find somewhere to live.

I went to across the border to Albury and Lavington to shop and then attended a social club Christmas party. On Sunday I went with work colleague Helen to the Friends of Chiltern Park group Christmas meeting in the Park.
We saw very few birds, but quite a number of wallabies and echidna.

2006-11-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

I have started work with my new TAFE team and the staff of the La Trobe University library team here

This is the view of the lake just near my office.

2006-11-26T18:16:00.000-08:00

I arrived this afternoon after driving from Geelong this morning. I flew into Adelaide last Monday 20th November. I stayed with Karen for a few nights I picked my car up on Tuesday from Port Adelaide, had it serviced on Wednesday and then left Adelaide on Thursday morning. I managed to catch up with a few friends whilst in Adelaide.
Barbara had asked me to take some photo's of Chloe and Max.

Here I am with Chloe

I dropped in on David Beauchamp, now working in Naracoorte at Mini Jumbuck, and Then lunch and a quick tour of the Naracoorte Caves.We spent Thursday night in Mt Gambier.

Kay Beauchamp works in the laboratory at Di Giorgio Winery

Had a detour to see and try the Tree Top Walk in the Otway Ranges called the Otway Fly.It was worth doing and comparing with the one at Walpole in Western Australia.
Wethen stayed with Karen's mother in Geelong for the last few nights, meeting Karen's sisters Ann and Vicki and niece Sam.
Here is Vicki, Karen and mother Jean

On the way to Wodonga I had a meal at Benalla and saw this Edward "Weary" Dunlop statue in the park.

2006-11-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

My Darwin team had lunch today with me in The Shed.

2006-11-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

Someone called Bruce commented on my new blog and had a delighful quote from another blog re Albury. If you want to have a laugh take a look at "downontheborder"

2006-11-02T05:20:00.000-08:00

I know little about Wodonga so it will be fun discovering.
Whilst I would not call myself a twitcher I am a keen birdwatcher so was glad to read about this.and also this.
"There are four of Australia's Endangered Birds who are regular visitors to the Chiltern Forest, known as the Chiltern Box Iron Bark National Park.
"The Chiltern Box Ironbark National Park surrounds the picturesque historic town of Chiltern, so birdwatchers can easily access the many excellent bird locations by foot from town, or reach any location in the district by a short bicycle or car ride.
Chiltern is one of the Premiere Bird Watching areas in Southern Australia.
The district has exceptional bird diversity, due to the high quality of habitat protected in the Chiltern National Park and surrounds, and because the location of the district is on the boundary of two distinct bioregions, the drier woodlands of the inland, and the wetter mountain forests. More than 220 species have been recorded at Chiltern, 180 of them residents or regular visitors." [http://www.tourisminternet.com.au/chbird.htm]

2006-11-02T05:04:00.000-08:00

I am about to start a new career move, back to the TAFE library environment at Wodonga Institute's David Mann Library
"The David Mann Library is a shared use library facility between Wodonga TAFE, La Trobe University and The Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre. You will find the library near Lake Drive between the Wodonga TAFE and the La Trobe University Campus"

I will start at the beginning of December.