A boat on the sand

 For the past few days, we have been watching a sailing boat that has been parked on the sand. Today I took the camera out to get a few pictures. 

It's about a hundred yards past the aquarium but has been moving about a bit as the tide goes in and out.

That's quite a lean but apparently, water is not inundating the keel since it bobs around at high tide. We presume the owner does not want to pay mooring fees at the local boat harbour.

Two young ladies also came out to investigate.

Under the masts.

Inside. Yesterday I watched a wind surfer carry his gear over to the boat and get onboard so I suspect he might be it or maybe just one passenger.

This is a windmill that would be generating quite a bit of electricity in the strong wind.

The bow and anchor.

Barnacles.

I paced the length of the boat and I estimate it is about 60' long.

So now my curiosity has been satisfied and I have a record of its visit. The walk back into the stiff wind was much more difficult than the walk out.

Finally, on January 22, the boat has been refloated and towed away. The boat was being used just to live on and floated away one night. The local Police did not inform the local Airsea Rescue which would have rescued it, so it just sat there. The local council informed the owner that if the boat was not refloated by a certain date, there would be a $38K fine. I suspect the owner may have departed.

Still, even though I am glad to see it gone, it was of interest for a while.

Dubbo Jail

 Dubbo is a pleasant town and its major tourist attraction is its old jail.

Robin at the entrance. It cost about $40 for the two of us. 

Thankfully, they did not charge extra to get out.

The jail was closed in 1966 and became a tourist attraction in 1974. Presumably, this was the original paint.

Men's cell block.

The cell for the condemned. The gallows were stored and re-erected for each of the eight hangings that took place over the years. The prisoner would have heard the workmen working on the gallows.

Observation flap.

The bed. I suspect it was very cold in winter.

We briefly entered a cell that had no illumination. Even with the door open, it was so dark inside. 

The padded cell.

A depiction of an escape.

Presumably an exercise yard.

Last words of the eight executed prisoners.

Photos of inmates. The bloke on the right was an American who was executed.

Hood.

Various ropes.

Looking towards the cells for females.

Wash tubs.

A replica of the gallows.

The last man executed in Australia was Robert Ryan in 1967. Ryan proclaimed his innocence to the end and there is still doubt. The case caused so much uproar that capital punishment has been eliminated in Australia with a law passed to prohibit its reintroduction.

The guard's quarters.

We escaped and proceeded at a leisurely pace down the main street.

Very wide footpath and overhang. 

Evil Kneivel made an appearance. This version seemed to be in his 60's or 70's.

Wattle.

We then continued to the main park where the War Memorial is located.

What a magnificent avenue of jacaranda trees.

Roses grow very well in Dubbo.

More roses.

Greenhouse.

Inside the greenhouse.

It was a beautiful day in the low 70's with a light cool breeze.

Australia knows how to do playgrounds for children. In the background is the local swimming pool.

We toddled back to the station to wait for our train. Robin had tracked how far we had walked and it was over 4 km which is a long way for me these days.

Waiting to pull a freight train.

Waiting room. We preferred to sit outside in the breeze.

The train arrives back in Sydney at about 8:48. Dinner on the train was a lamb stew with a glass of wine which cost $8.50 and the same for the wine. Robin had a vegetarian dish. We reckoned they tasted better than airline food. I presume the airlines don't pay much more for what they provide.

Although the latter part of the ride home was in darkness, we both reckoned the trip back to Sydney was more beautiful than on the way out to Dubbo. The golden glow of the late afternoon makes the scenery more spectacular.

Or as Bill Nighy would put it in his 'World's Most Scenic Railway Journies' TV series,

EPIC.

While Robin was growing up, the two of us enjoyed many long trips together as well as riding to school in our car and going out together on Saturday mornings. When I was much younger, my father would occasionally take me on a trip with just the two of us and I realize now how much he must have enjoyed them. It was wonderful to experience such a trip again.