Good morning readers. I hope all is well with you. Things on this side of the globe are pretty awesome.
Where am I writing this magnificent tome from, you ask? well, from nowhere but deep in the heart of the New England, New South Wales, Australia. It’s cold and cloudy, although the cloud layer is going to break up in a few hours. The New England is a region of New South Wales that is in the North of the state. It’s a high-altitude part of the country, and sits on the Northern Tablelands. Where I am sitting right now has an altitude of around 1100m above sea level, and is about 1km from the Great Dividing Range (a mountainous area that separates the eastern coastal areas of Australia from the west. Finding a picture defining the area is more difficult that one thinks, but I have found one (from the Wine and Brandy Corporation):
Clicking on the picture will take you to the source of it. Interesting site!
The New England is known for it’s cold winters and mild summers when compared to the rest of Australia. It is one of the best superfine wool producing locations in the world, and also produces excellent beef, wine, and lots of other produce. There are plenty of really awesome things to come and see here, some really cool history, as well as great fishing (some of the best trout fishing in the state, along with native cod and perch species). I have been living in the region for 17 years now, and would be hard pressed to move anywhere else.
Pine Trees, Uralla
One of the things that has gained my attention recently is fishing in the area. There are many rivers that are stocked with trout species, and most of them are within an hours drive of where I live*. These rivers are a delight to walk up, and I couldn’t really think of a better way to pass the hours then by fishing for trout. Here are a few pictures of a rainbow that I recently caught. It measured 40cm from tip of the head to tip of the tail fin.
This lovely was caught on the Cobrabald River, which is stocked by the fishing clubs around here. About 1km further down the road from the turn off to the Cobrabald is the MacDonald River, which is much bigger and I eagerly wait until the opening of the Trout season again in October to go and fish in it.
McDonald River Bridge, Aberbaldie
For fishing I use Spinner Lures – namely Blue Fox and Panther Martins (which are really hard to get in Australia so I order them in from America usually). I am also seriously considering getting a Japanese Fly-Fishing setup from TenkaraUSA. I do have a western fly fishing setup from Rod & Fly, but I am always whipping the flies off. I still can’t work out why.
Now, if you don’t like fishing (and I can’t work out why you wouldn’t), there are still plenty of things to see and do in the New England. Sightseeing is one of the best things to do, and there are quite literally piles of museums and galleries to look at. Armidale, the capital of the New England has a whole gamut of churches, and almost all the towns in the region have lovely parks full of deciduous trees (which are spectacular during Autumn and Spring).
An Autumn Scene, Gostwyck
Guard’s House, Uralla
Until the next time!
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