GPO

These days, most would never refer to the post office as the GPO -  General Post Office, and yet they are integral to each state capital city. All six GPO's are still standing although not all are used for postal services. This is Brisbane's GPO, built in 1872 in a colonial style. Locked front private boxes were installed for the first time in the British Colonies in 1876. It also accommodated the colony's telegraph department. The GPO's are such an intrinsic part of our capital cities that all official distances are measured from their doorstep. With electronic mail, faxes and mobile devices, many believe that the days of the letter are doomed, but hopefully these stately buildings will remain.

Now, Where Did I Park My Plane?

I don't think you'd have any problems finding this old girl, sitting at the QANTAS Founders Museum in Longreach. In fact, as you drive into the town, this dominates the scene rather than any town landmark. Being able to get up so close to the Jumbo is an amazing experience. Better still is being able to explore the workings of this aircraft with a tour of it, with a wing walk included. It's only then that you realise just how big the 747 really is.

Build Your Own

In 1926 Q.A.N.T.A.S. became the world's first airline to both build and fly it's own aircraft. It was a bold step for the engineering staff with their humble workshop in an isolated country town. 


The engines and all metal parts were imported from England. Spruce and Oregon timbers for wing spars were Canadian, but the maple used for the propellers and the plywood needed for cabin construction came from Queensland. Large rolls of linen were imported from Ireland while the dope used to make the linen taut came from England.


Above is the original hangar where it all started.

On One Ordinary Day......

.......By a lake, 95 million years ago. Lark Quarry was part of a great river plain, with sandy channels, swamps and lakes brimming with freshwater mussels, lungfish and crocodiles. Rainfall was over a metre a year, so the surrounding lowland country was lush and green. On the day that this drama unfolds, herds of small two-legged dinosaurs came to drink by the lake. The herd was stalked by a 4 tonne, 3.5m tall and 8 to 9m long therapod - a sharp-clawed toothy meat-eating dinosaur. The herd panicked, stampeding across the muddy flats.

A record of those few terrifying, minutes is cast in more than 3300 fossilised footprints conserved at Lark Quarry, 110kms from Winton. This is the site of the world's only known record of a dinosaur stampede. It is said that the stampede scene in Jurassic Park was inspired by Lark Quarry. If you ever get the chance to visit...GO!

The Flying Kangaroo Is Born

I'd like you imagine it is November 16, 1920 and  the birth of a new airline has been announced; Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd better known to the world as QANTAS. The first board meeting was held here in Winton at the Winton Club and in 1921, the Winton Shire Council became the first local authority in Australia to support commercial aviation after subsidising by half the cost of establishing a landing field in Winton, to the sum of twenty pounds. 


This sun-baked paddock is the original landing strip, and I suspect that it wasn't in much better condition than we see it now. The first commercial flight took place on 2 November 1922

Understanding Matilda

After yesterday's post, I thought I'd give those of you who don't know some explanation of several words in "Waltzing Matilda". This is taken from the National Library of Australia.



When Allan and Co. published the Marie Cowan version of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ in 1936, they felt it necessary to print a Glossary Of Australian Terms to explain the ‘dialect’ used by Paterson.
WALTZING MATILDA The act of carrying the ‘swag’ (an alternate colloquial term is ‘humping the bluey’). First reference to the term in historic newspapers:Â THE EIGHT-HOURS SYSTEM AND SHODDY ARISTOCRATS. (1891, November 16). South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839-1900), p. 7. - http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48254042
"...many times I have had to go on the "wallaby" and 'waltz Matilda' in this colony..."
Matilda is an old Teutonic female name meaning ‘mighty battle maid’. This may have informed the use of ‘Matilda’ as a slang term to mean a de facto wife who accompanied a wanderer. In the Australian bush a man's swag was regarded as a sleeping partner, hence his ‘Matilda’. (Letter to Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Churchill, KG from Harry Hastings Pearce, 19 February 1958. Harry Pearce Papers, NLA Manuscript Collection, MS2765)
BILLABONG A small ox-bow waterhole on the outside channel of a river. Perhaps Aboriginal ‘billa” – water; “bong” – dead.
COOLIBAH Sometimes spelled coolabah: a species of gum or eucalyptus tree.
SWAGMAN An Australian itinerant worker, so called on account of the ‘swag’, usually a chaff bag, containing his ‘billy’, provisions and blankets.
BILLY An open topped tin can, with a wire carrying handle, used for boiling water into which tea was thrown.
TUCKER BAG A bag for ‘tucker’ or food.
JUMBUCK A sheep. The term may be a corruption of ‘jump up’ (Macquarie Dictionary, 3rd rev. ed. Sydney: Macquarie, 2001)
SQUATTER A grazier, pastoralist or station (ranch) owner. Note that the meaning of the word changed later in the twentieth century to mean a person who occupied or resided at a property illegally.

Waltzing Matilda

I'm guessing that there would be very few people who ever visit my blog who would have any idea who this is, but he wrote the words of what is affectionately referred to as Australia's second National Anthem; "Waltzing Matilda". It was written in January 1895 by Andrew 'Banjo' Paterson, it was first performed at the North Gregory Hotel, Winton. They say that there are four versions of the song and it seems that there are no 'official' lyrics, but it never stops a group of proud Aussies from singing it, and we always seem to get the words right somehow!

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?"
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?",
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
"You'll never catch me alive", said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."
"Oh, You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Crossing The Line

Oh, how different it was in days gone by when it was permissible to smoke on public transport. This sign is on one of the trams at the Brisbane Tramway Museum. With such small compartments inside the trams I would imagine that everyone on the 'other' side of the line would also be exposed. Some things from the past weren't so good after all!

Off The Rails

Two more gems for you from the Brisbane Tramway Museum. I can't help but think how wonderful it would be to see these old girls rumbling along the streets of the city, albeit totally impractical! 


Car 47 on the left is a 1901 California combination car and this type was used in the first electric fleet. Car 65 was built in 1921 in Brisbane. They were commonly known as Jumping Jacks or Toast Rack cars because of their pitching action at speed and their seating arrangement.


As with all things from the past, and in a constant effort to solve traffic and public transport woes in large cities, there has been cries for the re-introduction of trams in Brisbane. With the current financial constraints I can't see it happening. Such a shame, in my opinion, as they function very well in European cities, and seem to offer efficient cheap transport.

On Track

There was a time when Brisbane, like many other cities around the world, had an extensive network of trams. A massive fire destroyed much of the fleet of city trams in 1962, and this was seen as the beginning of the end, with the tram network being closed down completely in 1969. 


Fortunately the Brisbane Tramway Museum has managed to preserve some of the rolling stock, and  with the hard work of volunteers we can experience a jump back in time and ride some of the restored trams over a short track. Tram 99 seen here was used between 1936 and 1945.

Ancient History?

Our history may not be as old as some other countries, but here this is old! This is in South Bank, very close to the river, and has been converted into a restaurant. Come back tomorrow and we will have a closer look at that lovely tree.