Grandpa Harold Ennis went to school here

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Thanks to Stewart Ennis who sent me these amazing photos of Mussoorie in Northern India where my Grandfather, Stewards Dad, Harold (”Pete”) Ennis went to school in the 1920’s.

Stewart visited Mussoorierecently, and tells me he had a great time imagining Pete at school in this mountainous area, where the classrooms have been pretty much unchanged in over 80 years. Stewart thinks if he looked hard enough he might even have found Grandpa’s name carved in a desk somewhere.

Horses and carts are still used for transport, and the red-coated porters, Victorian balustrades, bandstand and promenade are just as they would have been in the 1920’s when Grandpa was there.

If you look closely, you can see “H.Ennis” on the Roll of Honour at the school.

Thanks, Stewart! I would love to go there one day.

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Cycling 50km for a Beer

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We rode from Lawnton to Redcliffe and back today. The round trip was about 50km and took us just over 90 minutes each way. Luckily the trip is mostly flat, so once you settle into a rhythm, it’s pretty effortless. (Honestly, it is!). I’m really impressed with the quality of bikeways along the way, and love the way that the old Hornibrook bridge is available for use by pedestrians and cyclists. It’s a beautiful old bridge, a little run down, but as you can see in this photo, it still has a bit of old charm.

Four of us rode: My mate Simon from next door, Isaac, Harrison and me. The good thing about cycling is that although it’s hard work at times, you get to have some good conversations with the people you’re riding with. Sometimes one or two people might go ahead for a while, but it was a team effort, so we all tried to stick together.

Lunch at the Woody Point pub was a highlight for me. Cold beer tastes magic when you’ve ridden 25km in the heat beforehand. I’d love to do this ride again!

You can see where we went on the map below. Unfortunately the batteries on my phone ran out halfway on the way back, but we started and finished at the same point so it gives you an idea of the route.





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More Mandin Pics

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Here’s some more pictures of the Mandin Fish Trap on the North Pine River.






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Round-About on a Bora-Ring

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Nineteenth century aboriginal elder Dalaipi lived in what is now Petrie, north of Brisbane.

He was the custodian of several sacred sites in the district including a bora-ring called “Nindur-Ngineddo” (meaning “leech sitting down”).

Sadly, the bora ring today is under the round-about at Petrie, and no trace of it remains.

It does seem ironic that a modern circular traffic construction should be sitting on top of an ancient circular spiritual construction.

Perhaps the spirit of Dalaipi had something to do with that.

You’re supposed to treat a bora ring with respect and not just go blundering through it. The busy traffic makes it virtually impossible for anyone to casually blunder through the site at all. In fact I risked life and limb to just cross the road to get to it.

Although thousands of cars per day drive around it, I think it would be rare for someone to actually walk through it.

Cobb & Co Horse Change at Petrie

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Cobb & Co operated a horse -drawn coach service between Brisbane and Gympie in the noneteenth century.

The coaches would stop at “Murrumba” – Tom Petrie’s homestead (now at the top of Armstrong Street, Petrie).

At Murrumba, they’d change the horses, freshen up, and continue the journey to Gympie along what today is known as “Old Gympie Road”.

Nothing remains of the homestead, but Tom’s grandson, Rollo, unveiled this memorial to the coach stop in 1987.

This is a beautiful spot. If you’re ever in Petrie and have a spare ten minutes, walk to the top of Armstrong Street in the grounds of the Catholic Church and Schools. If you’re still, you’ll hear the hoof-beats of the Cobb & Co coach coming up the road.

It’s magic.

Rachel’s Map

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Here’s the latest map of Rachel’s journey to date.

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Margaret River

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Margaret River

A postcard from friend Rachel who’s currently touring around Australia.

Rachel says at this time of year south-western Australia is warm during the day but still nice and cool at night. Ideal spring weather.

The Margaret River region of WA is one of Australia’s premier wine-making districts. It also has some fantastic beaches, and some significant sites of Early European settlement.

It is thought that Margaret River is named after Margaret Wyche, who was a cousin of the founder of nearby Busselton, John Garrett Bussel.

Busselton

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Busselton

A postcard from friend Rachel who’s currently touring around Australia.

This has to be one of the longest wooden jetties in the world. In fact it IS the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere – so long that you need to catch a train to get to the end of it.

Busselton is a town in the south west region of Western Australia with a population of about 20,000.

Cape Naturaliste

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Cape Naturaliste

A postcard from friend Rachel who’s currently touring around Australia.

She’s currently worried about a leak in the van she’s driving, and doesn’t know where to look to fix it.

Pay someone else, Rach!

The French Vessel Naturaliste visited this cape in 1801. It was visited earlier by the Dutch vessel Leeuwin in 1627, but there are no records which remain today.

La Naturaliste, the ship, under Captain Hamelin was part of a French expedition led by Nicholas Baudin which explored Australian waters around 1801. She was a bomb-corvette which Baudin sent back to France in 1801 with numerous Australian natural specimens.

The headland itself is at the western edge of Geographe Bay, in the south-western region of Western Australia.

Happy 18th Birthday, Sam!

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Here’s some photos from the party we had on the deck this afternoon to celebrate Sam’s 18th. He turns 18 in 4 days, and is having a party with all his mates soon, but we thought we’d have one first with all the family. It was one of those rare occasions when we were all together so we were able to get a new group photo.

I cracked open my bottle of Johnny Walker Green Label and a lot of us tried drinking it from the Quaich – a pewter mug from Scotland that you pass around. I think it always tastes better that way!

It was a beautiful afternoon – the sunset was stunning, and it was lovely to have baby Chelsea there to share it with us too.

Congratulations on reaching 18 years, Sam. You’re a fine young man, and we’re proud of you!