Sunday, July 1, 2012

Photos


PHOTOS
Something a bit different today, some of my own photos from rural South Australia.


This abandoned farmhouse near Arno Bay on the Western side of Spencer Gulf was built by the great grandparents of a friend of mine, the same family still owns the land albeit in a much more recent house.





This shearing shed is still in use. They recently replaced the near 100 year old engine with a new Japanese generator and electric motor. The dark staining on everything is Lanolin from the fleece and everything smelled that distinctive smell. (OK..so that and Sheep Shit)



How long does it take a very slow growing Australian eucalypt tree to grow up and over a fence post?
This is near Wallaroo on the Eastern side of Spencer Gulf
(near where my ancestors settled after coming here from Wales nearly two centuries ago)



Moonta Mines in Moonta on the Eastern side of Spencer Gulf. This immense building held just one steam engine and pump cylinder to pump dry the copper mines of two centuries ago. This shot was just on Sunrise in Autumn.



..and this 10 foot shaft was the exhaust for that engine, it's glazed bricks showing the immense heat it endured throughout it's non stop life. 
To get this shot I had to crawl in through a tiny cleaners access hole and lay on my back in several inches of Bat Shit right on Sunrise. I'd have stayed to get some shots of the tiny bats and wait for the Fox that lived there judging by the feces, but I felt things crawling under me as I lay there and wasn't absolutely sure there weren't any of them in my clothing, a quick exit and strip to flick out my clothes ensued.



Cheers from Australia!



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9 comments:

Joe Pereira said...

Fantastic photos Tempo, combined with humanity and history. CHeers Australia

Anonymous said...

Hi Tempo,
Fantastic photos, and great information as well. I really enjoyed the post.

Adorabibble said...

I love these photos. you live in such beautiful country, as hard as it is. I always enjoy your own photo's best. Stay warm!

mapstew said...

Nice photies pal! :¬)

Windsmoke. said...

Bonza photos. So you have Welsh ancestry just like me :-).

River said...

Love these photos, especially the well.
We lived near Arno Bay when I was very small, one of my brother's middle names is Arno. I don't think we were there very long, I have no memory of it.

Tempo said...

Hi Guys, Just a few of the many thousands of photos I have in my archive spanning many years.
Hey Windsmoke, the family story says they sold their farm in Wales and took a ship to Adelaide in South Australia, then Schooner to the Moonta/Wallaroo area where they bought a farm. (took a plot of bush and started clearing) There is still family living on the land in the area.

Twisted Scottish Bastard said...

Lovely photos and potted history. It's nice to be able to know how you belong with the land. Pity about the creepy-crawlies, but that's Aussie for you.

Just lucky the snakes didn't get you.

Tempo said...

Hi TSB, The bities keep the place from being over run by bloody tourists, nothing is actually that dangerous but we like to keep the myth up to keep the place to ourselves.