A Palm Springs gal takes in the Australian bush. Photo: Terry Guilford By Julie Statkus
DEAN Jackson's home town of Palm Springs in California seemed far away last Thursday night when she visited the Archies Creek pub to hear the Bass Coast Pickers.
DEAN Jackson's home town of Palm Springs in California seemed far away last Thursday night when she visited the Archies Creek pub to hear the Bass Coast Pickers.
As Phillip Island is to Melbourne, so the desert resort town of Palm Springs is to Los Angeles (about 100 miles away). Stars including Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby once built their modest shacks in the canyons surrounding it.
These days it has a permanent population of about 45,000, and about 100 golf courses laid out beneath dual four-lane freeways. “Freeway madness,” said Dean, who was staying with Inverloch’s Terry Guilford. She loved the scenic drives in Gippsland with dual carriageways bordered by lush foliage.
As for the evening at Archies Creek. she had a great night. She enjoyed the music – with many songs she recognised from the US as well as new ones, some of which were written by the performers.
“I was glad I got to go … as a tourist, it probably wouldn’t be on the list of things you would go to and you would miss out on a great experience.”
A highlight for her was the evident respect the musicians felt for one another and their ease, talent and spontaneity. She enjoyed the music and voice of the woman who played the mandolin and Alison Chapman's warmth, songwriting and singing skills. She loved the obvious appreciation and pleasure experienced by the audience. She loved the man sitting in the corner on his own strumming away. She loved the two men at the bar who spontaneously waltzed with each other. One of the men said, “This isn’t me at all”. And she enjoyed the meal and a couple of glasses of Australian wine.
That isn’t all Dean enjoyed about Bass Coast and South Gippsland. She was invited to watch sheep being shorn. First there was the drive to the farm, then the meal for the shearer and his team (including her, she was pleasantly surprised to find), then the shearing. Dean said she learnt that the belly gets done first and that wool is put into a separate pile as it's not so good. She was impressed with the care and expertise shown by the shearer.
And then the shearer showed Dean how to make a whip and how to crack it. She loved how he scraped the pelt and then plaited it. He said he would make a small one for her personal use to take home. I suggested to Dean she may need short stiletto boots to go with it. She gave me a funny smile and said she already had a pair of those.
Somehow I think Dean may come back to Gippsland.
These days it has a permanent population of about 45,000, and about 100 golf courses laid out beneath dual four-lane freeways. “Freeway madness,” said Dean, who was staying with Inverloch’s Terry Guilford. She loved the scenic drives in Gippsland with dual carriageways bordered by lush foliage.
As for the evening at Archies Creek. she had a great night. She enjoyed the music – with many songs she recognised from the US as well as new ones, some of which were written by the performers.
“I was glad I got to go … as a tourist, it probably wouldn’t be on the list of things you would go to and you would miss out on a great experience.”
A highlight for her was the evident respect the musicians felt for one another and their ease, talent and spontaneity. She enjoyed the music and voice of the woman who played the mandolin and Alison Chapman's warmth, songwriting and singing skills. She loved the obvious appreciation and pleasure experienced by the audience. She loved the man sitting in the corner on his own strumming away. She loved the two men at the bar who spontaneously waltzed with each other. One of the men said, “This isn’t me at all”. And she enjoyed the meal and a couple of glasses of Australian wine.
That isn’t all Dean enjoyed about Bass Coast and South Gippsland. She was invited to watch sheep being shorn. First there was the drive to the farm, then the meal for the shearer and his team (including her, she was pleasantly surprised to find), then the shearing. Dean said she learnt that the belly gets done first and that wool is put into a separate pile as it's not so good. She was impressed with the care and expertise shown by the shearer.
And then the shearer showed Dean how to make a whip and how to crack it. She loved how he scraped the pelt and then plaited it. He said he would make a small one for her personal use to take home. I suggested to Dean she may need short stiletto boots to go with it. She gave me a funny smile and said she already had a pair of those.
Somehow I think Dean may come back to Gippsland.
The Bass Coast Pickers jam at Archies Creek ... one of our more unusual tourist attractions.
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