Lighting Ridge NSW Day 2 July 10, 2023

 Lighting Ridge NSW July 10, 2023
Just Rustic, Bardo Station, Lightning Ridge

If yesterday was more of same, today was out of this world.

We had asked at the info place about anything new in town and they had told us of this fairly new tour. It's a museum of 'old things', hence the Rustic name, located out on a farm 30km north off town.
A nice easy run of about 30 minutes over excellent dirt and gravel roads takes us out to the station.  The driveway leads to a clearing where there is a large shed and a few old cars and trucks, and a helicopter. It's not really a proper helicopter, just one the owner Robert Turnbull made up out of bits 'n pieces laying around the place. Just for fun. Actually he made it up, called his neighbour, who was struggling with the effects of the drought, and told him he had a new helicopter. The neighbour hot-footed over straight away and when he saw it, laughed his head off. Mental health treatment 101.

Helicopter, Just Rustic, Lightning Ridge NSW

Robert entertained us for an hour or so as we sat around a huge fire pit, as he told us his family history, the history of the land, the rivers, the climate. You name it, he spoke authoritatively about it.

Then we had a session of divining for water using two wire rods, ostensibly from the overland telegraph wire. First extensive instruction with astounding results followed by a practical session which had me laughing away to myself. Water Divining may or may not be a real skill, but funny as hell to take part in, and I suspect more of Robert's home-brewed Mental health Plan.

We went next to the new shed. And we started to get an inkling that Robert wasn't just another collector of old junk, this shed is full of stationery engines and pumps and stuff, all in, "100% fully working order", or even "as new". Quite a few of these pieces were family heirlooms, or came from the original owners, or had been used by his father for a hundred years. And they all were perfectly clean, and indeed, fully functional. The centrepiece was a Wolseley (same as the car) engine. His story was that it had been build by the Wolseley Sheep Sheering Company in England as one of two specials that were both sent to Australia. The other has never been seen since, and so this one is claimed to be the only one in the world. Wolseley was founded on the back of Frank Wolseley's inventions of mechanised wool-shearing while he live in Australia.

Extremely rare Wolseley Engine, Just Rustic, Lightning Ridge NSW

Back in the main shed, we had an extensive tour of everything from pumps, to spanners, and sheep shearing stands to bait laying buggies used to help exterminate rabbits. There was so much stuff my head began to spin. And everything had a story, which made it personal, entertaining and informative. Roberty made it clear that quite few items had been bought at auction or on eBay or the like. He just likes collecting interesting things, especially of they form part of a story and go with other "things" he has.

There was also a long, very long, table covered in tablecloths and laden with strong hot tea in teapots complete with knitted cosies, and plates of piping hot scones, straight out of the wood fired oven. With jam and cream, of course. And all served on proper crockery with silver spoons. What a treat.

While we ate he entertained us with poetry he had written, further tales of farming and all interspersed with the odd yarn.

A spanner. Not just any spanner but one from a Massey Ferguson Tractor. look closer, you'll see the marking that were used to 'dip' the petrol tank and see how many gallons of petrol were left.  Just Rustic, Lightning Ridge NSW

But wait, as they say, "There's more".

And indeed there was more, a lot more. Right behind us the wall turned out to be one of three 40ft containers that held a mind-blowing collection of things, way too diverse to list or describe.

After 4 hours we had finished the tour. My head was spinning with facts and figures. My mind was racing back through the tales he had told of his and his families lives in the 100 something years they had been farmers, and river-men, and advocates for farmers, and lobbyists and social workers and ... who knows what else. 

If you ever go to Lightning Ridge, do yourself a favour and get on this tour. It doesn't run all the time, depends on the roads and the weather and farming chores, but of it is on, grab it.

This last snap sums up the collect. We've all seen egg-beater mixers, even have one or used one back in the recesses of time. But has anyone ever seen a stand for one? I know I hadn't!

Egg-beater stand.  Just Rustic, Lightning Ridge NSW