Country WA

From somewhere on the Merredin-Nungarin road in the WA Central Wheatbelt. Press Z for a wider view.

Happy Wall Wednesday to all. This Australian Shelduck a symbol for the small town of Dumbleyung in Western Australia. It appears in a number of places throughout the town, although I have no idea why this symbol is used here. The town has a population of about 300 and is famed as the place where Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record on 31st December 1964, his boat "Bluebird" reaching 276.33 mph (444.71 km/h) on the nearby Lake Dumbleyung. He thus became the only person to break the land and water speed records in the same calendar year. The fine picture above was taken by Mrs Much Younger (and Far More Attractive) Owl, and has been used here with her permission

Pemberton, WA, next to the track of the tramway. Happy Fence Friday, everyone. I hope your day brings you satisfaction and your weekend brings you joy.

Lake Ewlyamartup, Great Southern region, WA. Information about the lake from Wikipedia . It's an ephemeral lake, sometimes almost disappearing in the height of summer. More info about how the lake was saved by the local community can be found here . (I prefer this when it is seen as large as possible by pressing Z.)

Katanning evening. (Black is best. Press Z.)

Press Z for bigness.

Happy Fence Friday to everyone everywhere. I hope you enjoy a fine and pleasant weekend. It is the start of spring here in WA. Actually, according to the indigenous Nyoongar people of the region it is Djilba or First Spring, the season of conception which encompasses August and September and when many of the 12,000 different species of wild flowers which explode throughout WA begin to bloom. Many of these species are not found anywhere else in the world. We look forward to seeing them over the next two months. This is one of the traffic bridges over the Avon River in Northam, WA. The picture was taken by my wife and is used with her permission. Thanks, hon.

Happy Fence Friday, everyone. Let us hope all goes well with each of us and that we can enjoy our weekend. This is typical of the design of many pubs and hotels in country Australia, especially those built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the pastoral lands were being cultivated and the grain crops were being established. When we stayed there in July there was a dinner and meeting for (I think) the Rotary Club, which probably included many of the town's residents. It sounded as though a good time was being had. We, on the other hand, ate a nice pub meal in the bar with maybe fifteen people there; old and young, single and couples. The hotel is currently for sale, again this is a reflection of the decline in population in Wheatbelt towns and the relative isolation of Wyalkatchem from the main highways. Press Z to see it bigger, please. It deserves to be admired for its perseverance if nothing else.

Disused station in Wyalkatchem in the Wheatbelt of WA. Grain trains still pass here during the harvest season on their way to the CBH silos nearby. The town is a small one, perhaps 500 people, and it is not a place one would visit casually, thus a railway station is considered low priority. HFF everyone. I hope your weekend is a fine and pleasant one. Please keep yourselves safe.