Mar 7. Benalla

It was time to move to new hosts, make new friends and see a different part of the country. Barbara and I packed up and John took us cross country to the town of Dookie where we would meet the Rotarians from Benalla.

On the road we passed out of the flat irrigation zone into the more hilly, volcanic soil in this area. 

Cropping patterns changed. There was less fruit and more grain being grown. As we got up into the hills, it turned into pasture. 

Change over in Dookie

They have a tree decorated with poppies to recognize the ANZAC heroes.

Dookie is a small place and after we changed cars we visited the main general store. It has a coffee shop in addition to a surplus and antique store that specializes in military clothing and hardware. Everything from WW1 helmets to hand grenades

Our new hosts Bruce and Ann stayed with us when their team visited our district in September so it was great to get back together with them. After a driving tour of the Ag college that Bruce had attend (very similar to NSAC) they took us out to their farm. At 50 ha Bruce says it's "too big to mow and too small to be profitable!" They have cattle to keep the grass down although a mob of kangaroos help as well. We saw them several times. Just like our deer.

They have a whole range of fruit trees to cover to keep the cockatiels and cockatoos away. There are some great views across the valley.

I picked and ate a grapefruit off their tree and we had lunch using some of the vegetables from their garden.

After lunch they took us to meet up with the group at a blacksmith shop in Baddaginnie owned by Phil Rees. 

We all tried our hand at forging a steel plant hanger. It was hot work. Some did better than others
. 

The local volunteer fire brigade BBQed our supper and we enjoyed some Rotary fellowship. Jim found an antique Fordson tractor to admire.

Fire control is a big part of life here. Part of the crew had just returned from a call and brought one of their trucks for us to see. It's 4wd and has some safety features we usual don't see designed to protect crews if they get overrun by fire. The whole truck will douse itself with water while the crew shelters inside. 

One of the firefighters was from Canada. He married an Australian and is living in Benalla. 

We made a donation to the firefighters in recognition of what they do. Even if the day seemed relaxed, we were exhausted when we got home. The moon was full and the sky clear.