Where we're gonna be...

[Riverlander]

Girt is going to be pi**ed off if you are going on a holiday without her.
Cheers

[Greynomad]

John,
Please don't tell her!!!

I've checked out the geek link.
Tried the solution suggested.
Here's a test pic:

Test Pic.jpg

Yup.On preview it looks OK.
Wot say you all? Is it right-way-up?

ps: To pre-empt the questions...
Yes, the numbers are backwards, but the hands show the time right-way-round. (Confuses the Sister-in-Law no end! )
Originally, the mechanism ran backwards and the hands showed the correct time relative to the numbers. ie. mirror-imaged. Thus the hands as shown would have indicated 25 to four.
However, the reverse mechanism eventually karked it, and I couldn't get one which ran correctly, so settled for a normally-rotating mechanism.
(Originally I gave it to SWMBO when she reached A Significant Birthday and vowed to start counting her age backwards from then. Gave her a clock to count her age with. )

[Greynomad]

Set off last Sunday, heading for Bundaberg.
First stop, Peak Hill, NSW. Old gold-mining town.
There are two CPs with cabins (In Girt's absence, we are reduced to 'Tourist Class'.)
One CP has rave reviews, t'other is rated poorly.
SWMBO specified the good one... so guess where I accidentally booked us?
Was booked for 3 nights. After the 2nd night, we fled.
Now motelling it in Coonabarabran for a night before resuming The Plan.

Paused in Parkes for another look at The Dish.
Last time we were there the ankle-biters were below waist-height.
G'daughter is now up to my shoulder. So it's been a year or three...

The Dish & Me.jpg

Discovered they have a great 3D theatre showing some good films about radio astronomy.
Well worth the $3.50 (Seniors) price!

You Are Here.jpg

You Are Here... -->

Also stopped at the Henry Parkes Museum in town. Been driving past it for the same amount of time... shoulda stopped lots earlier!
Much more to the man than just "The Father of Federation"!!
The lady at the door said we'd need 2 hrs (this was an hour before closing ) to see it properly.
(Lots of Olde Stuffe from the region as well.)
With all the old machinery & ironmongery out the back, I'll need four hours! Minimum!!


Pity none of the ironmongery is for sale...

Also took a quick side-trip to Siding Springs Observatory for another squiz at the optical telescope there...
Verrry interesting!!
They now have a few videos explaining stuff... like the fact that every year they have to re-coat the mirror with vapourised aluminium 3~5 atoms thick!

Apparently bird poop and bat poop are not good for the mirror surface...









HEY!! My pics are right-way-up! The Fix musta worked!

[BruceS]

Well done but how can I be sure that second one is REALLY the right way up?
What was wrong with the motel Ray? Noisy?, fleas?, bed bugs?, no 'action'? (not the motel's fault?)
Funny how people 'stop in Parkes' to view the telescope? Not really in the middle of town, huh?

[supersparky]

Well done but how can I be sure that second one is REALLY the right way up?
What was wrong with the motel Ray? Noisy?, fleas?, bed bugs?, no 'action'? (not the motel's fault?)
Funny how people 'stop in Parkes' to view the telescope? Not really in the middle of town, huh?

Bruce, that's because not many people want to stop in Alectown.

Ray, If you are reading this, turn left at Tomingley and go out to Narromine and have a squiz there. Has an Aviation museum among other things. Then head to Gilgandra. You can check out Dubbo on the way home. There is/ was ( haven't been there for a few years) an observatory right in Gilgandra with a 300mm telescope. It's right across the road from a reasonable motel. You actually get to look at real things in the real night sky. So long as it isn't too cloudy.

[jon_d]

Our first trip in the bus was to Parkes and we visited the museum.
They had the Silver City ?Comet? train which we explored.

3 years later, we're in Broken Hill; low and behold, there is the other loco at the other end of the line.. It was a light bulb moment for the boys. (and me)

[Greynomad]

Bruce,

Well done but how can I be sure that second one is REALLY the right way up?

Try enlarging it... there's text there showing where our Solar System sits in the Milky Way galaxy.
(The illustration is a diagram of our galaxy from info provided by radio astronomy)

What was wrong with the motel Ray? Noisy?, fleas?, bed bugs?, no 'action'? (not the motel's fault?)

T'was a cabin in a CP, not a motel room. c1960s~70s, and had not been updated. Wavy floor, bow in wall, cockroaches in bathroom, flushing the toilet produced a faeces overflow bubbling up in the shower base, no cooking utensils & only a m/wave, table-for-two with 2 chairs, balcony accommodation for one chair, total of one dual powerpoint, threadbare towels, no two items in the cutlery drawer matched (looked like it was sourced from the OpShop!)...
Do you want a full list? Or is that enough?

By comparison, we're now in a cabin in the Bingara Riverside CP. Full oven/cooktop, m/w, electric frypan, full set of pans, mixing bowls, plates, all cutlery matches, three blankets + Doona, dining table & six chairs plus two wicker chairs for the balcony (got their two and our two on it), side table in kitchen, TV remote works, plenty of powerpoints (one inside wardrobe ), big fluffy towels... much more betterer!!

Funny how people 'stop in Parkes' to view the telescope? Not really in the middle of town, huh?

Yes, we travelled back from PH to Parkes on a day trip. Stopped at The Dish en route (26km to town).

[Greynomad]

Ray, If you are reading this, turn left at Tomingley and go out to Narromine and have a squiz there. Has an Aviation museum among other things. Then head to Gilgandra. You can check out Dubbo on the way home. There is/ was ( haven't been there for a few years) an observatory right in Gilgandra with a 300mm telescope. It's right across the road from a reasonable motel. You actually get to look at real things in the real night sky. So long as it isn't too cloudy.

David,
A bit late, but thanks for the thought.
We're now in Bingara heading for Goondiwindi in a coupla days.
Will file the info on Narromine for another trip...
Gilgandra: been there, done that. Great telescope!
Have also done the observatory thing in Charleville...
Siding Springs has a 3.4 METRE mirror!
Puts my 5" Dobsonian in the shade!!

BTW,
C#&A has purchased the Charleville Bush Camp for use as a Member Park. (They'll tolerate non-members for an extra charge...)
Dunno if the deal included the 'Proper' CP which backed onto it & was owned by the same bloque.
(Not even sure if it was also for sale when we last visited... only saw the sign on the bush camp paddock)

[Greynomad]

Bruce, that's because not many people want to stop in Alectown.

Speaking of Alectown...
Town is so small it doesn't even have a pub!

Spotted this 'garden' there, between Parkes & Peak Hill...

Gnomes Galore 1.jpg

Gnomes Galore 2.jpg

Eat your heart out, Gnomesville, WA!!

[Greynomad]

Still in Bingara.
(Departing Saturday AM for Goondiwindi, via Warialda & the vast metropolis of Croppa Creek .)
Went for a walk through town today...
Bought another boot last at an Op Shop. Couldn't help myself.
Would have bought a second one they had, but space is at a premium when travelling sans motorhome, and I'm not sure the Supercar's rear suspension will take much more... as we also picked up a bagful of books at the Vinnies shop, and some Zuccini Chilli Pickles from a local Community Arts & Crafts shop. (Pickles were so good we went back for a second -- bigger -- jar for home!)


Also took a quick trip up to the local lookout. Sign at base says "Walking Track"...
Also says "Unsuitable for caravans"...
Good thing we ignored the first and heeded the second (not towing one) !
Grades are so steep a mountain goat would struggle!!
Coming back down selected 'Manual', and locked it in 1st... still had to ride the brakes!
View was spectacular, though... Worth the effort (in the car, at least )