Sweet Wayfaring

The poplars don't colour in the mountains, the leaves just drop off, but out west they go golden. So what better excuse for a drive out to Mudgee for the weekend. I've been wanting to go back ever since our trip on an incredibly hot day in December. My backlog has been used up so I will be posting every second day for a while.

If you've been to the show as a child you're enchanted for life. This ends our show series.

They were everywhere, especially the animal nursery.

I think more people were eating junk food than real food.

Down to earth and practical -- watching Bluey perform in the the sheep dog trials.

And down sideshow alley the sprukers peddled their cheap wares.

Mum can I have one of those bubble machines?

Just what a well built Aussie bloke needs -- a good strong ute.

Actually there was a girl over there. Out in the show ring they were reenacting something to do with the Light Horse Regiment

I reckon he might enjoy showing his wife Marg how to grow perfect blooms now he has time to shower them with attention.

I had such fun people watching, so to wrap up the visit, over the next ten days I'm running a series of candid B&W portraits of the faces of rural Australia (every one with a hat), starting with the Show Girl winner for 2010 getting ready for her tour of the show ring in a classic car. Yep out in the country, show girls still exist along with debutante balls.

In the show ring the crowd were treated to stunt driving, the grand parade, horse events and more. Around its perimeter farmers yarned at equipment exhibits, sprukers peddled gadgets and local groups perfomed on the central stage. The stunt show was popular ... good to get some tips for hooning on a Friday night.

And if not wearing a hat then beautiful hair is an alternative favoured by the young.

The show is perfect for people watching and nothing is more noticeable to urban eyes than the plethora of hats. Aussie Acubra's, feminine raffia and American cowboy are common but the jaunty colonial was a one-off.

No show is complete without a Sideshow Alley.

This beautiful Hereford Steer was for the weight guessing competition. But there were plenty of more serious competitions being judged, whether it be prize winning livestock, Mum's best dahlias, the kids cute drawing, Uncle Harry's huge pumpkins, or Aunty Mabel's unbeatable fig jam and preserves. Photo specially selected for Martina.

And now for something different. Most country towns have an annual rural show, the opportunity for everyone, from farmers to school children, to display their best work, win prizes and have a weekend of fun. We're at the Royal Show at Bathurst, a rural city (population 26,500) west of the Blue Mountains. It's sheep country so there were prize winning fleeces, sheep dog trials, shearing competitions and of course champion rams, ewes and lambs. Lot's more to come.

To answer Julie's question ... the photo for today and the last couple of days were from a road out from Bega. This is the end of our seaside interlude. We returned home relaxed the energised. Tomorrow I'm taking you on a very different day out, over the the mountains out west.

And no drive is complete without looking for a haystack - not quite so pleasing when wrapped in plastic. The farmland around here is so lush.

And no drive is complete without finding at least one abandoned farm house. It was pretty hard to get this one - shooting directly into the sun.

No drive is complete without taking afternoon tea and chatting to the other patrons. Isn't she beautiful.

Kiama is famous for its blowholes. But spirts for water through a rock hole aren't very photogenic so I've provided the view as well.

Once last moment of reflection on the cliff before we go for a drive.

I adore the way greenest green hills roll down to the sea at the South Coast. However, as Winam said the other day Kiama is very accessable. I wonder how much longer the hills will remain farmland green. Also it was boggy up there on the cliff, no wonder the grass is green.

A morning walk on the cliff top. Small birds hopping about in the sun.