Manning Laneway Festival

So, we just got back from participating in the Manning Laneway Festival.

Manning is a super-wealthy local suburb here, mostly of older residents but they are all still highly active in different things.

A section of the Manning Laneway behind the
local public library - 
looks a bit different when there are
a thousand people in there and stalls and 
music and kids and things.
 

I have to say I was not expecting quite as large a turn-out as actually eventuated - which was at least four/five thousand people over a few hours.

As soon as I have a chance to organize the pics I took I'll post something up here of it.

Basically we had a stand to do with the Autism employment project and bush-fire safety and the potential for kids with Autism gaining meaningful roles as wildlife and bush wardens. 

'Bush' here in Australia means the outback terrain with all of its flora and fauna and ancient land formations and even the very ancient rock and cave art. There is an enormous amount of traditional culture from the most ancient times, right through the the relatively modern era of Australian poets and bushmen and their artistry with horses and livestock - and in all of that not leaving out the Afghan camel drivers who opened up the inland to the Western people.

I think I've already told the story of the finding of the world's richest gold ore deposit (Boddington Mine) by a geologist who listened to a local Aboriginal prospector who told him that the gold was where the tiny red-flowered plants were.... Turned out to be totally true. That geologist lives here in Salter Point (Manning). I know him quite well. 

One of the most interesting, exciting, atmospheric and truly historically redolent things you will ever do, if you have the chance to - is go for a journey on the first class Ghan, the Australian overland express train.

Best 'high end' food, best service, highest quality and best travelling environment of anywhere on the planet. Absolutely no question at all. Beats the pants off the European Orient Express.

That's how good, because Orient Ex is stunning.

...If you were really paying attention to the last music track (and the last Blog article and all of the comments!), this will hit you (watch the video... chuckle; what's it saying? What did you ask - how to slip laterally across time? I dunno. How?):