Australia Day at Wombat 2013, at the Tractor Pull

Vintage 1929 Tractor, pulling 36metres

Happy Australia.
We went to the Australia Day breakfast in the Newson Park at Harden NSW, 
Ultramarathon runner Greg Donovan is the Australia Day Ambassador this weekend. Mr Donovan and his son Matthew raced into the record books with their 150 kilometre run across Antarctica last year. Greg shared the story of their ultramarathon mission to raise money for type 1 diabetes research.
Then we went off to the Tractor Pull at Wombat.

Wombat Tractor Pull

The tractors take it in turns to pull a load and the one that pulls it the furtherest is the winner in their section. There and a number of sections - catering for the oldest models to the newest. Great fun.

Andrew pulled 39 meters in his John Deere diesel Tractor

After popping into Poppa's Fudge Factory in Young to buy some of their home grown olives for dinner. It has the most delicious Fudge!

I look around these days and the words of Dorothea Mackellar's poem ring true-

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

These words ring true as I look out from the veranda across the fields. During January 2013 we have had the highest temperatures ever recorded.  This has persisted for many days leaving the land and trees gasping for water.
At the promise of rain today - 26th January -  we looked forward to the break in this event. But alas - the rain was on this hills around us but none eventuated on our little plot. What a difference it is from when we first arrived two year ago.

The approaching Storm - went around us and we received no rain

Today Bargara, Queensland and the surrounding area have been devastated by mini Cyclones, with flooding rains and high destructive winds causing much damage to the beautiful seaside town.
In this Country the elements can be harsh. Droughts, floods and fire scar of Australia's landscape causing pain and hardship to its people and wildlife.
Australia is a land of mateship. In hard times the people of this Nation pull together to assist each other. To share the pain and burden of this untamed land.
Australia is a beautiful country. We are very blessing to be able to call Australia home.
God bless Australia and all its people - both the traditional owners and more recent arrivals .
YAH - the rain has arrived - 10.30pm!!! err well 1ml is better than nothing!