Cowra Part One – Family History

Our trip around the locations at which Jill’s Grandfather served during his police career is not in the same order as the places to which we was posted. We are now at Cowra and today, we spent a few hours exploring the nearby little village of Gooloogong, which is where his story starts. Frederick GeorgeRuffles,…

Beaches, Pioneers and History

I’ve always thought that the most scenic coastline I have ever seen is along the Oregon Coast in the USA. Yesterday, we explored the beaches and coastline for about 15 kilometres to both the north and south of Batemans Bay and I think that in many ways, it rrvals the coastline of Oregon. The beaches…

Around Merimbula

It’s been very wet here in Merimbula. Since we arrived two days ago, we have had over 100 mm of rain (4 inches). Everything feels damp, the ground is sodden and some roads are closed. Even this poor bedraggled Wattle Bird sheltered under the verandah of our cabin for an hour or two. Fortunately, we…

Bombala – Part One

It was raining when we left Lakes Entrance this morning and it stayed wet all day. We refuelled before leaving and headed towards almost the most western place that we could go in the State of Victoria. We didn’t stop at many places, not only because it was raining, but we had seen much of…

In Search of our Family History

Next Friday, we begin a driving tour into central New South Wales in search of some family history. We originally planned this trip some months ago but couldn’t undertake it because of Covid restrictions. It’s now a good time to go. We are going to visit the towns where Jill’s grandfather, Frederick George Ruffels, was…

Two Places Named Walla Walla

Some towns that seem quite unremarkable have a fascinating history when you look a little more deeply. Such is the case of Walla Walla, NSW. On our way home from Port Macquarie, we called into this little town because it is the name sake of the city in which my lovely friend Keiko lives in…