EMERALD CITY

We Cardinals have had our little excursion to the town of Emerald, in Central Queensland, 

about 240km west of Rockhampton and an area I have never previously visited.

Like many regional towns, life has centred around the Railway, and in this case a beautiful, heritage-listed, Railway Station building.

In between business meetings, we wandered around and found a few oddities:

In 'Discovery Park', a 25 metre high easel with Van Gogh 'Sunflowers'!!

Why???? Because they grow sunflowers in this agricultural region.

(Also cotton, and mandarins, we were told).

Outside City Hall, pieces of a fossilised tree, 250 million years old.

It was unearthed in 1979 when a new railway bridge was being built across the local river.

A Bush Chapel, serene and quietly contemplative, in the local Botanic Gardens.  

A mosaic pathway depicting the history of the area, beginning with the indigenous Dreamtime...you know the story:

While agriculture continues, there are now many coal mines surrounding the town, and the population has exploded in recent times.

But country hospitality is as good as always, and a lot like that of the Southern USA.

Did a little detour to the nearby gemfields, and the towns of Rubyvale and Sapphire...

I found it hilarious, and just like driving through a town in the old Wild West..

No time for fossicking, but perhaps we will return another year.

Fairbairn Dam, which provides the water supply for town, agriculture and mining..

It was fun, and I enjoyed the change of scene.

Before I pop off, I must apologise to those fellow bloggers whose blogs have disappeared recently from the blog list on my side bar.

At least, I hope it was only recently, when Google put us all in a spin of confusion.

It slipped by me because everyone has remained on my Dashboard.

I'll never get a grip on the background region of Blogland, but there you go.

I was never at all technically minded.

Have done my best to replace all missing blogs, and promise to be more attentive in the future!

Happy Friday Everybody XXXX