To Swan Hell and Bourke

Hello all. Today I'm going to be telling you about my mammoth road trips undertaken this week. Firstly, on Wednesday I went down to Swan Hill in Victoria (about a nine hour trip) and then, after returning on Thursday, the Webb family took a trip inland to Bourke (a mere four hour trip). Let me tell you how it all went...

I went down with Matt to Swan Hill to help him move some stuff in preparation for his family's move there this weekend; I also wanted to check out a first year centre and see another Cornerstone set-up. There are some important things to pass on about this adventure.

i) Ruth told me that I had to tell you that Matt was pretty ashamed of his packing skills here. He told me that it was the worst packing that he had ever done. Nothing broke though, except for maybe a bit of a cupboard.

ii) Here's a handy hint - it doesn't really work too well to try and cook meat pies on a truck engine. It seemed like a good idea, but by the time we checked them out the bottom crusts were black and charred. I tried a bite of the unburnt bit but it tasted like I had put my mouth to an exhaust pipe and inhaled. Matt then chose that moment to tell me that he suspected that the truck had an exhaust leak. Not nice. In fact, I couldn't get rid of the taste of carbon monoxide for a few hours.

iii) Avoid the Hay Plains. Imagine a landscape that's totally flat and devoid of anything interesting. Now imagine this stretching on for about three hundred kilometres. That's about three hours of nothing but sky and flat scrubland. Yes, it may sound romantic but it was one of the most soul-destroying experiences of my life. By the time we got to the other end I was about ready to throw myself off a bridge - but that may have been a residual pie effect.

iv) Swan Hill itself is pretty nice and we noticed that there seemed to be an opening for a mat rental business. Maybe I can convince Bill that he needs to do a run down there - a sixteen-hour round trip should sort the men from the boys.

v) I hurt my finger. Ouch. It's gone a bit black under the fingernail.

Bourke is a different kettle of piscines. It's a town that is considered to be a gateway to the Outback - there's not much civilisation left inland after Bourke. In fact, in Australia the phrase "Back O' Bourke" is used to refer to something that's in the middle of nowhere. Bourke has suffered greatly because of the drought and the town looks very dry and desolate. However, it has something of a rich history by Australian standards and some of the locals are optimistic that tourism will replace irrigation as the lifeblood of the town. It was encouraging to find hope in such a place.

We stayed with John and Heather Buster on their farm. The Busters were one family who, I guess it's fair to say, were instrumental in making Cornerstone happen thirty years ago. The Busters are just one family who have really felt the impact of the drought but remain hospitable and generous. The boys certainly enjoyed the trampoline, swimming pool, rope swings and all sorts of things. It's certainly a great life for children out here.



Bourke is, of course, where Splashe Cola originated. It's no longer produced here but we were able to get a photo of the factory where it used to be made. Even this sight is not enough to dampen my addiction.


Paul and Robyn Roe took us out to Bourke to see where Cornerstone all started. We visited Pera Bore, the original Cornerstone Community site, and although the properties had fallen into a state of disrepair we spoke to people who were still influenced in one way or another by the impact that Cornerstone had on the town. It's really exciting to be a part of Cornerstone; you feel that you're a part of something that's leaving a lasting legacy. That's a pretty great place to be. No doubt I'll have more to share with you about these trips over the coming weeks but it's getting late and I wanted to get something up on the blog before the end of the weekend. Have a good week and I think that I might have something exciting to show you on the next update...