We all arrived at Woolgorong under perfect weather that held through Day 1, resulting in a magical stary night, as is always the case when you are camped in the middle of nowhere in particular, far away from the ambient light generated by cities and towns which destroys the night sky. From Day 2 onwards, however, we were regularly looking north-westwards, trying to gauge whether those particularly ominous looking clouds were going to cause us any grief. The Homestead’s Caretaker was definitely caught between a rock and a hard place: Only 4mm of rain fell over the entire summer months, as the tail end of cyclones and summer storms that normally brush past the Station had effectively by-passed it altogether this season. On the one hand, he was hoping for some good rain to wash everything down, dampen the dust and provide the much-needed water for the bush to rejuvenate. On the other hand, he did not want the weather to interrupt the momentum of the work that was being done. In the end, it was a compromise of the two – it rained at lunchtime, at nighttime and on the Saturday afternoon, after the project was finished.
In fact, some 14mm in total of rain fell, so he was looking forward to seeing new grass shoots again within the next few days. The only downside to the rain was the cancellation of the “Inaugural Woolgorong Bocce Championship” due to the playing area being underwater! As an aside to the project, we personally learned a lesson on how to read the ground and area on which you want to set up camp. Whilst we thought we had chosen a good spot, it turned into a muddy, slippery quagmire during the night of Day 2 when the heavens opened. Getting up before the crack of dawn to dig drainage channels in the pouring rain to prevent our camp from flooding is not something either of us are in a hurry to repeat! As more rain was forecast (and did eventuate), we partially packed up and relocated to drier ground, but not before the 4WD was slip-sliding its way through the mud, particularly when the camper was hooked up. All terrain tyres are good but are no match for ankle-deep mud. I was not worried however: I am sure there would have been plenty of volunteers to form a 4WD “conga-line” to drag us out, if it had come to that!
The building was anything but square or level. The walls resembled “life on the ocean waves” and the stove chimney was heading in directions all of its own. One Member helped clean the stove, using a drill-driven wire brush. To everyone’s surprise, with persistence and an admirable amount of patience, he discovered that the shelf immediately under where the wood is loaded into the stove is not a solid piece of metal after all: It has a beautifully filigreed pattern, making it both functional and decorative. By Day 2 “smoko”, the stove was lit and it did not go out for the rest of the time. People were boiling water and cooking dinner; someone washed a plate and fork from the pantry room to use, as they had forgotten to bring either to the kitchen. Everyone can vouch for the deliciousness of pan-fried chorizo slices done on a wood-fired stove that one Member spoilt us with during pre-dinner drinks!
To Frank’s amazement and everyone’s delight, the project was completed by the end of Day 3. To put that in perspective, Frank had planned on a 5-day timeframe. The roof and verandah were completed; doors, hinges and frames were repaired; floors swept and the shade cloth covering the windows was removed. Replacement window flywire and window louvres were sourced from another abandoned building on the Station. Running water was restored to the kitchen sink and the wood box (with its external loading door set into the wall) was repaired and loaded with wood.
An old map of Woolgorong and the surrounding Stations had been found in the pantry room and took pride of place on the kitchen servery. The old fridges, tables, chairs and benches were manhandled back into the dining room area and were used for the pre-dinner drinks gatherings. There is nothing more satisfying that sitting having a drink and nibbles, chatting with friends and listening to rain on a corrugated iron roof that had not been there just a couple of days beforehand! “Snug as a bug in a rug” springs to mind.
To be continued….
