Thursday evening at the York

Begun in 1900 and completed in 1901, this elaborately decorated hotel stands majestically half way up Hannan Street. I had been looking forward to dining there since the school social committee had announced that would be the venue for a staff get together.

My friend and I went along and I immediately fell in love with the warmth of the public bar where we joined a number of people enjoying an early evening drink in front of a log fire.

A short time later we found the cheerfully warm dining room and our colleagues. The food was tasty, though from past experience I remembered to stay away from fish dishes.... On the centre of one wall was a carved wooden fireplace, which whilst not in use still added to the general ambiance of the room. Deep red awings were an unusual wall feature and we spent some minutes trying to work out what they were actually made of. At first I thought glass, but then decided painted metal.

In between the bar and the dining room is an elegant staircase, not wide, but ornate and quite different. As with a number of older buildings here, the ceilings are beautiful. A large, decorated domed one can be seen on the upstairs landing.

I certainly hope to visit this hotel again.

Next weekend sees me back in Perth for a few days, before heading over East to see Rob and Susi in one of my very favourite cities, Melbourne.

Eight weeks in

In answer to a couple of personal queries............

Yes, Kalgoorlie is a great medium sized town. That doesn't mean it's perfect, or that I don't get homesick. Of course things go wrong, but they would in Perth too. No, I don't really like everyone I meet, or everything I see, but then what's new?

Am I enjoying the change, the differences? Well I think the honest answer is, Yes, generally speaking, I am. That doesn't mean I am staying, but if I had to, I'm sure, with a few changes, it would soon become home.

Yes, so far I am pleased I came, even if earlier today I was all ready to leave. Knowing I can, if I like, probably means I'll stay for the time being and savour both the ups and the downs.

Magic Morning

Yes, breakfast at Montys', they serve real coffee there!


Next stop, the Boulder sweet shop, certainly worth a look see. Lollies from your childhood, whether you're an Aussie, N. Zealander, Pom or American, something sweet for everyone.


At the top end of Boulder is the a very large hole..............





These tyres are off the dump trucks.......imagine how tall they are standing up!


The trucks travel up and down the sides of the massive hole that is behind the wire fence.









I'm standing inside a bucket that was used to lift the blasted rock into a dump truck. On counting, the trucks appear to hold around six bucket loads.



These three trucks are just a few of those that are continually travelling up the sides of the inverted mountain.


It is from this huge open pit that Kalgoorlie gold is
extracted. http://www1.superpit.com.au/kcgm_virtual_pit/index.html

Hilarious - but where to begin

A text at about 2:30pm........"Are you out on the town tonight? " Yvonne

Odd, I thought, but replied in the negative.

"Would you like to go out for dinner?"

All sorts of strange thoughts coursed through my confused brain. Yvonne was in Perth, how could we go out to dinner........we're 600kms apart.

Still, this required a positive approach and of course my answer was, "Yes, are you here?"

"No, but on my way."

I couldn't believe it, my friend, Yvonne was coming all the way from Perth to see me and would be here in time for dinner. Wow, Unbelievable!

At 7 o'clock on the dot, Yvonne and surprise, surprise, her delightful daughter, Stephanie visiting from the food capital of Australia, Melbourne, arrived on my doorstep to take me to dinner. How exciting and I was going to get to show them Kalgoorlie by night.

It is cold now in Kalgoorlie, around 4C min, which makes for chilly nights. Where could I take them for a delicious, warming evening meal. I mean they had just driven just over 6 hours to get here.

We drove along the main street looking at suitable venues. Hm...should it be The Palace, of which I have already written, or perhaps the Kalgoorlie Hotel, commonly known as "Judds". We decided on the latter as I hadn't eaten there so it would be new for me too.

Disappointment greeted us as half way up the stairs we saw the sign, "PRIVATE FUNCTION", the restaurant was closed for a 21st.

Still we had our alternative, so armed with my recommendation, that the food was acceptable at The Palace , we found ourselves once more ascending a staircase only to be met with the same sign, "PRIVATE FUNCTION". Another 21st!

Who would believe it, two of the largest venues in town closed to visitors for dinner because of birthday parties.

Feeling more than a tad embarrassed now, I pointed to the rather imposing building on the opposite side of the road. The Exchange, has a restaurant.

So we headed across the road to end up in, Paddy's Ale House. A local girl band had just begun their first set. It was strangely comforting the loud, familiar tones enveloping us as we ordered our meals. Looking at the menu and our surroundings we decided that fine dining was probably not what we were about to experience. And for once we got it right.

It was NOT fine dining, in fact it would be hard to find a worse fish dish if we'd tried. We all tasted Steph's steamed, whatever and giggled whilst at the same time pulling faces. The potato mash, what can I say, was it really made of potatoes or is there some substitute of which I have no knowledge. Yvonne said her Char chicken was tender at least, and my dish well, it was ....... edible.

We then endeavoured to find somewhere to have a coffee. The Dome was closed, the remaining pubs did not appear to be likely caffeine venues. So back to the hotel where Yvonne and Steph were staying.

The small bar area in the hotel was filled with a party of happy after dinner drinkers. The three of us perched on bar stools and enquired if we could possibly have coffees. The young, rather cute barman, (that fact was pointed out to Yvonne, by a rather inebriated lady who semi accosted her), was all too happy to make us coffees, but appeared a little nonplussed when Stephie, bless her, asked him for a hot chocolate. With a bit of a mutter the barman disappeared only to reappear a minute or so later carrying a large tin.

In order of serving; Steph's hot chocolate only filled 3/4 of the cup; mine was a warmed, watery milk, completely coffee less. I think he forgot to put it in. Yet another round of giggles ensued. Yvonne, obviously the favoured one of our party told us it was one of the best coffees she' d tasted.

We left the bar in hysterics.....the Saturday evening had been an experience I feel only Kalgoorlie could have given us. One not easily forgotten and sure to be remembered with laughter for many years.

Seeing Red, yet again

On May 13th I relayed the saga of the Telstra Telephone debacle. It was all supposed to have been sorted.........pommy colloquial speak for, problem solved.

Why I should have been so taken in I have no idea. Lulled by a lack of contact from the aforementioned company, I naively opened a bill from Telstra.

Not only was it excessive, it was billing two different people and two different telephone numbers. I admit to owning one, but not the other. Isn't it strange how we only open these, "cans of worms ", outside normal working hours, when nothing can be done. Silently seething appears to be the only option.

Soooo this morning, before work and with great trepidation, I once again braved the Telstra Call System. A friendly operator called Graham from NSW assured me after a long 30 minute wait on the phone that it has now been all corrected. Hm....I wonder

On the way back to Kal

Merredin's claim to fame, besides being a well know town in the wheatbelt, may be the two dogs adorning the rooftop of a local hardware store.

DUST STORM

Driving back I left the pouring rain that enveloped Perth and its environs and headed eastward. The dark cloud cover disappeared to be replaced by fluffy white blobs that eventually gave way to a clear blue sky. This in turn became tinged by a dull orange haze as the dry, red earth was pushed into the air by a strong wind. It was similar to being in a bush fire, though without the inherent dangers.

Note the famous water carrying pipeline

A Fleeting Visit

It looked sooooo good. Home is always a special place.

I returned at the end of last week with mixed feelings. Some sadness for the main reason I was there and happiness knowing I was bound to see friends, family and beautiful Perth again.

It was, as expected a time of catching up; the latest gossip, cups of tea, coffee and of course glasses of red.

Kambalda

This afternoon I took a brief look at a town reliant on its nickel mine. The town itself is in two parts, with East Kambalda being small and quaint, nestled on the side of a hill. West Kambalda does not have the same feel, being more modern in its layout and on the flat. Having said that there is a most unexpected and spectacular view to be had from the Redhill Lookout.






http://www.nullarbornet.com.au/towns/kambalda.html

Yea.....Aren't Weekends Great??

Sex and the City........I am sure I wasn't the only one who managed to see the ultimate, "chick flick", this weekend. I, like Margaret Pomeranz, loved it, though I do understand why David Stratton did not.......

Whilst I never made it to the Kalgoorlie launch, with over 300 bedecked ladies....I did get to the cinema the following evening with 16 other female teachers. With cocktails before hand at the local five star resort, then the movie, followed by a delicious dinner on the balcony of, what I believe is the oldest hotel in town, it was a most enjoyable evening.
The Palace Hotel was built in 1897 and is a beautiful old building with a lovely ambiance.


Before I left, a friend pointed out a rather large, ornate piece of furniture that adorns the entrance to the hotel. Along side it was a plaque explaining its origin and a poem.


Do you ever dream, my sweetheart, of a twilight long ago.
Of a park in old Kalgoorlie, where the bourgainvilleas grow?
Where the moonbeams on the pathways trace a shimmering brocade,
And the overhanging peppers form a lovers' promenade?
Where in soft cascades of cadence from a garden close at hand,
Come the murmourous mellow music of a sweet orchestral band.

Years have flown since then, my sweetheart, fleet as orchid booms in May,

But the hour that fills my dreaming, was it only yesterday...

The gift and the accompanying poem were sent to a barmaid who had worked at the Palace Hotel . They came from Herbert Hoover, who had lived and worked in Kalgoorlie as a mining engineer before returning to the USA where he became its 31st President.

Soap Box ......... Who do they think they are?

http://http//www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/07/2268092.htm

They make my blood boil.....who do they think they are? The more I hear them, the more I think they must be joking. Listening to the rhetoric, I fully understand why teachers are in such short supply.

This current State Government appear completely insensitive to the plight of the teaching workforce. Why is there a shortage of teachers in W A? Easy to answer.

Teachers are so undervalued in Western Australia by this Government.

What other degree can be obtained in 3 months? It takes four years to obtain a Bachelor of Education, and yet it is thought so little of, anyone else, with a degree, can add that to theirs in 3 months.

I am beside myself with rage. How Dare They. I am a professional teacher. I trained for four years purely to teach the children of Western Australia. How Dare this current government so undermine my qualification and that of thousands of others.

Brrr ............... Cooler Temps

Today
15°
17:00 AWSTSat
Fair

Is the heater back, No.......and as predicted the temperature has fallen quite significantly. It is forecast to drop even further in the next few days. So after using the oven for two nights to take the chill off the place and almost turning blue early this morning I took up a colleague on their generous offer to lend me an electric heater. It is now sitting in pride of place adding a touch of warmth to my unit which had briefly turned into an icebox.

Goodbye

These flowers are for Nancy, a friend of mine.

Sunday

A day of bits

Dog Training

Unsuccessful search for Trash and Treasure

Round of Gyms......hm which one shall I choose?

Lunch at home

Walk around the Arboretum ..... delightful as always.

When and where did I say that cycle race finished. I must have been wrong. Couldn't find it.

Discovered a hidden treasure......an award winning Garden Centre.