EMERALD. Pt 2

We have been here for 3 days now, and it’s been all systems go.

Emerald is a rural town in the Central Highlands Region with a population of 15,000. 

It lies on the Nogoa River, is 270 km from the Coral Sea Coast, and approx 270 km west of the city of Rockhampton.

Emerald sits approx 10km south of the Tropic of Capricorn, and was established in 1859.

The town takes it name from the emerald and other precious stone deposits in the area. It was also named from the pastoral run “Emerald Downs”, a name chosen in 1860 by pastoralist Peter MacDonald.

So, in saying all of that….it’s a nice town for a stopover for a couple of days…(stock up with groceries, fuel and water). .but way too big for us. 

Being there’s Mining, Cotton, Grapes, Melons, Citrus Fruit…...and much more…. it’s a very busy place. 

We have managed to do a bit of sightseeing ….

This is one of “ The Big Things” to see around Australia. 

“The Big Easel”………

This enormous “canvas” is constructed of 24 sheets of plywood, laminated to create a seven metre, by 10 metre surface, coated with fibreglass, and decorated with approx 50 litres of paint. 

The easel, contains 13.6 tons of steel and stands 25 metres high. 

The painting is a replica of Van Gough’s Sunflowers, which he created in 1888 and is now housed in the National Gallery in London. 

Canadian Artist Cameron Cross was working in Canada in the late 1990’s when he had a vision……to replicate Van Gogh’s seven Sunflowers paintings on a massive scale in different parts of the world.

Cross selected seven sites for his Big Easel Project, based on either their Sunflower agriculture or connection to the Dutch artist.

Cross began in Altona , Sunflower capital of Canada, in 1998.

His second was in Emerald, Australia, known for Sapphire Mining and sunflower production. 

(Wow…..that was a novel) …….but I thought it interesting being we have a 

“Dutchy” in the house 😊😊 and his offspring 🥰🥰

We also went for a drive to the very small towns of Rubyvale and Sapphire

today. A round trip of 120km, so “just up the road” in these parts. 🤣🤣

There wasn’t much to see, being both are mining towns of all things valuable that sparkle.  

There was a market on, but it was mostly selling Gems, which we wouldn’t know anything about. 

But there were certainly some characters there 🤦‍♀️ 

And the houses were like bits of corrugated iron, canvas and caravans that had seen much better days. 

But all part of the diversity of the Aussie people. And you had to give way to the huge Brahman Cattle wandering the streets 🤣🤣🤣🤣 ……all good fun. 

The sky was a lovely blue, and the sun was out……but the wind was absolutely freezing 🥶🥶

Stay safe 🦋🦋