a regional town...

a regional town
historical quirks
live on
a welcome sign
says so#tanka

📷2022 - June - I never tire of finding regional town signs splashed with a healthy dose of character...
Ariah Park has a 1920's preserved main street. The town is on the outskirts of my Temora in NSW... pic.twitter.com/fvY87yxYHM

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) June 28, 2024

wheat and wool...

wheat and wool
birth pangs of
a once new nation#haiku

📷2022- June - Ariah Park is a 1920's village near Temora... In Davey Park, near the railway line, is a grand display of old machines for handling wheat. Ariah Park is the birthplace of bulk wheat handling... pic.twitter.com/mWMi9tpA9Z

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) June 26, 2024

more Photomania...

Loving creating layers of artistic possibility...

Above is a memorial to the legendary tennis player Evonne Goolagong...

It is in the main street of her birthplace at Barellan...

Above is a feature at Ariah Park...

Ariah Park (2) - Davey Park...

A humble sign in the little 1920's town Ariah Park...But don't be fooled...

A wander round the park reveals a treasure trove of historical wonders...

A huge mural is eye-catching...

These wool bale stencils represent those used by farmers in the Ariah Park region...

It was completed in time for Australia Day 2017...

And then, scattered round the park, is a huge range of intriguing old farm machinery...

More details on the H.V.McKay story HERE

It is as if these old beasts of burden have now upscaled to precious artworks...

(Yes...I took many photos)...

All these items were close to the railway line...

But there was more...closely linked to the rail itself...

 

This little 'truck' was significant in reducing the labour and time involved in handling wheat...

As per the above sign, wheat silo construction began in 1918, soon after the 1916 construction of this little truck...

And the first silos were built in the Riverina of which Ariah Park is a part...

NOTE: Ariah Park is acknowledged as the birthplace of Australian bulk grain...

However, the silo story needs clarifying...

Maybe the first silos were built/being built in the Riverina, but Peak Hill silo, in central west NSW between Parkes and Narromine, claims to be the first operating silo in August 1918...

Work had started on the Ariah Park silo in 1916 but then halted and not completed till 1920...

And across from Davey Park, near the railway line, the silos stand...

Ariah Park (1) - Coolamon Street...

In my last post on signs, based on Monday's drive, I deliberately left out one sign till this post - which simply focuses on the quaint 1920's village of Ariah Park in the Temora Shire region of the Riverina...

This sign must be unique...

The 'wowser and bowser' reference is possibly best explained (most amusing) by Motorbike Nation HERE...

The wide main street's median strip is lined with peppercorn trees planted in 1916...

Now a closer view of what Ariah Park is all about...

The above photo represents one view of Coolamon Street, the main street...peppercorn trees + angled, small driveways where cars can park on the median strip - left and bottom right...

NOTE: The street is empty because most shops appear to be closed on Mondays...

But still I enjoyed wandering so freely...

More views of the main street + a closer view of one of the peppercorn tree trunks...

The above 2 photos demonstrate how cars use the median strip's single-vehicle driveways under the peppercorn trees...

At one end of the median strip (nearest the railway and facing the railway) is this bronze statue...

Ariah Park is the birthplace of bulk wheat handling. 

Prior to that, wheat was packaged in bags and carried on the shoulders of men...

At the other end of the median strip is this statue...originally a memorial to men and women in WWI, but more plaques have been added with the names of those involved in WWII and the Vietnam War...

Interestingly, the soldier figure faces toward the town's centre...

what's in a sign?...

Today, I drove to Ariah Park, still in the Temora Shire, and Barmedman in the Bland Shire of New South Wales...

Not only did the scenery enchant me, but the signs were quite interesting...

Notice the picture gallery of significant symbols for Temora Shire...

The Ariah Park sign, in Temora Shire, uses the same technique of significant and somewhat similar symbols...

The major difference appears below in metal...Birthplace of Australian Bulk Grain...

*Not till I uploaded this photo did I notice that a Tin Hut sign appeared to the left in the background...

I have no idea what that is all about...

Further, this stylised sign on an Ariah Park's building's side wall intrigued me...

The sign appears to suggest that Plume Motor Spirit was used for cars, but TROVE 26.8.1920 suggests it was being used for aeroplanes...

In 1916, the Vacuum Oil Company introduced its popular "Plume" (petrol) and "Laurel" (kerosene) brands to the Australian market...

Finally, the sign that appears when leaving Temora Shire needs a mention...

It represents a nod to Paleface Adios (1969–1989) who was an Australian harness-racing horse that competed as a pacer throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.

Paleface Adios was foaled in Temora...