We moved out to Tara, a rural town 5 hours from Brisbane. I’m not sure how we came to live here, it all happened so quickly but somehow ended up out here.
We started doing the house up and put in a new kitchen but its not finished and now that Val is no longer able to climb up ladders, it doesn’t look like it will ever get finished. It’s all a tad depressing really.
Tara is in the middle of a drought so we need to be careful with water, try explaining that to a man who has never experienced a water shortage. I at least have lived on an island where tank water is the norm and you learn to be careful. Val still runs the water down the sink while he rinses his teacup or is wiping down the bench.
We have just spent the last two days attempting to get Val in to see the local doctor. Yesterday the doctor was called away to the local hospital to attend an emergency and finally we decided to reschedule to today. Guess what, just as we arrived the doctor was leaving again to attend an emergency at the local hospital. I am glad that he is on hand for emergencies but we have now spent two days hanging around Tara, which has a very few shops, a library and a lagoon. We had a cup of tea at the cafe and then walked up the street and back down, the whole exercise, including the coffee break, taking approximately 35 mins, so then we went and sat at the lagoon which is about as exciting as watching paint dry.
After one o’clock we returned to the surgery and Val finally got into see the doctor. He has to go to a neurologist in Toowoomba. I tried to make the appointment but he has gone for the afternoon. Will ring in the morning again. Hopefully I can get him in on Tuesday as we already have an appointment on that day with another specialist, but we all know that won’t happen and I will end up doing the 5 hour drive twice.
I so miss Canberra where everything is only a few minutes away.
Today is our 45th wedding anniversary and I was thinking of going into the Tara hotel for dinner, but I’m not sure I can be bothered now after having driven in there already once today.
We have lots of Kangaroos hanging around at the moment, I’m not sure why there has been a sudden increase in numbers, maybe its the drought bringing them into be near the dam.
I notice that the council is doing up the footpath in Tara. They would be better off spending the money on doing up the roads. We have to drive along dirt roads once we turn off the highway into the Miegunyah estate. When the grader hasn’t been over the roads, you drive over ruts that are very challenging, your teeth rattle all the way home.
My daughter always says ” Die a slow death in the country”, I am beginning to know what she means.
Don’t get me wrong, for some people this would be an amazing lifestyle but it doesn’t suit me or at least I don’t suit it. I like to travel at a moments notice but with the closest airport 5 hours away, I suddenly have to take all sorts of things into consideration, such as how am I going to get to the airport. If I drive, where do I leave the car, usually I get my gorgeous grandaughter to pick me up, but I hate hassling her to drive out here from Brisbane to pick me up. Not that she ever complains.
I am just venting because I have had a lousy couple of days and I am sure things will be better tomorrow, but all I can really say is roll on early October as I am off to Canberra again. And then another trip to the US in March.
Okay so what have I found are the pros for rural living:
- Peace and quiet – the nearest neighbour is 60 acres away
- The birds – we get an assortment of beautiful parrots flying in
- The Kangaroos – although there are getting to be way too many of them
- The large Goanna that lives in a log by the dam
- The cute rabbits that provide an excellent meal on occasion
- Plenty of room to ride motorbikes
- Cypress pines grow beautifully
- You can have a dogs, a cow, chickens and pigs. I won’t have any animals as they are a tie. Val brought a couple of pigs when I was in Canberra, and they bred and had 8 piglets. They went to the butcher as soon as they were big enough, they are now in the freezer.
And what are the cons:
- Miles from anywhere – so you can’t pop out to the movies on a whim. Our local theatre is 80 klms away.
- Food and commodoties tend to be more expensive.
- Medical services are not as readily available
- You can’t grow stuff in this soil here. I have been trying to build up a patch of soil but because it is so hot and dry the plants don’t survive.
- Water doesn’t penetrate through the top layer of sand.
- We are in drought conditions and there is no rain in sight.
When we first brought this place we considered doing aquaculture and hydroponics and brought everything to get this going. But it has never eventuated.
The back dam has dried up in this drought. There were some kangaroos standing in the middle of the dam but they hopped away before I could photograph them.
