*** UPDATE ON BOOKS *** If you are a fan of my books or have a slight interest, I am proud to tell you I have published a couple recently. One is a summary of our move here. “OZ” is a short read but tells about our adventure getting settled here in Tannum Sands.
KANGAROOS: Last Sunday, Nancy and I elected to try out a new golf course. A small community near by named Calliopi boasts an 18 hole course so we decided that would be our target for the day. We had a tee time and a cart reserved, checked in, got briefed, and were off. We enjoyed the course. It had more hills than most of the other courses around here so that was a new challenge for Australian golf. We had a pleasant time, Nancy beat me as usual, and we enjoyed a Tasmanian Beer when we had finished. I didn’t take any pictures of the course but, of note, were the Kangaroos. On the 7th, 8th, and 9th hole (we only played 9) there were at least thirty or forty kangaroos hanging out in the shade of trees along the fairway. Occasionally one would cross to another tree but mostly they just layed or stood around watching us. They didn’t seem to mind when I asked them if we could play through so we did. I did take some pictures of them so here they are. (Please keep in mind that the photographer is in the bright sun and the Roo’s are in the shade).
BRUSH FIRES: We are finishing a long dry winter and spring is dryer and warmer than normal. As usual this causes brush fires. Because the area is nearly tropical there is a tremendous amount of undergrowth. Through the winter that all dies, and because here is no snow, dries out. In spring it becomes a tinderbox. We had a major fire quite close to our house just the other evening. Fortunately it was controlled and eventually went out before causing any property damage. Again, because the area is tropical, everything grows back quickly and in a month or two, you can’t even tell there was a fire … except for the lack of undergrowth.
UTEs Here’s a little feature I found interesting. Australian guys are UTE crazy. A UTE is short (remember they shorten everything) for utility truck … what we call a pick up. They really do them up and all for getting into the outback and camping. Australians love the outdoors and camp, hike, and camp all year long. Here are some photo’s of some of the UTEs I have seen.
Them’s the UTEs … I’ll keep an eye out for more interesting ones. Once we start camping in a month or so I’m sure there will be plenty at the campgrounds.
Here’s a couple pictures from Nancy and my favorite hangouts, The Tannum Sands Hotel and The Tannum Sands Surfers Rescue Club. They are two of the three regular restaurants that serve dinner in the evening. There are other places to eat in Tannum Sands but most of them close after lunch or are carry out oriented.
I will frequently add new items of interest that in find here in Tannum Sands. To save you the disappointment of checking I will update the title with the date of the newest post.
A while back we went to a special Mud Crab festival that the local pub we frequent was hosting. Not knowing what was so special about muyd crabs we decided to check it out. They catch these things and mostly eat them However, as a fundraiser, they band the claws of a bunch of them, auction them off, and race them. They were going for up to $600 each. Not sure what the winner got but it was all for charity so it was “all good’!
I mentioned earlier that we had a bif 4th of July Celebration at the campsite Andy and the family were camping at. Here’s a couple of pictures of the events.
I mentioned Andy worked here. He works at Queensland Aluminum Limited. They build a site overlook for the local people, and visitors, to see the facility. Here it is.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Gladstone hosts a very large sea port. Being part of greater Gladstone, Tannum Sands enjoys that same body of water. While some people would say we are on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, we are actually on the shores of the Coral Sea. Most locals will make that distinction. As mentioned, here are some pictures from around the local area.
These are four new pictures of Tannum Sands. They were commercial pictures I saw ina coffee shop that I took pictures of.
Tannum Sands has a population of a little over 5,000 people. It does host a grocery store, a couple hotels, a pharmacy (Chemist in Aussie), a gas station with a car wash, a Domino’s Pizza, A Colonel Sanders Chicken, a Subway Sandwich shop, several local restaurants, a couple garden shops, one that features plants and fertilizers and one that features equipment. There is also a fairly big clinic, a state and a private primary school, and a state high school. It also has a variety of churches, charitable organizations, and clubs. Gladstone, when you add in Tannum Sands and Boyne Island (another small suburb) has about 50,000 people.
I will add more photos of and around Tannum Sands.
