Roma - Day 1 - The Big Rig

In our general wandering around on our recent trip, Roma was one place we definitely wanted to visit, and to make sure we were there on a Tuesday.  We arrived on a Sunday, so all went to plan.

Roma was declared the tourism town of Queensland in 2024 and we can see why.  For a town with a population of just over 7,000 it punches well above its weight.  We last visited here in 2003 and didn’t spend a lot of time on that occasion.

We started our first day by going for a walk.  Here, we started to see Queenslander style homes.  We always love to see the high set weatherboard houses.  Concave verandahs, like on the cream walled house, are something that you don’t seem to see anywhere else.

Our first destination was the Information Centre located at The Big Rig. The Big Rig is an outdoor museum featuring the natural gas industry in the area.  We opted to buy the daytime ticket as well as the evening ticket.  Both very enjoyable.

Before we went in we had a little look at a historic slab cottage that is in the same area.  

The history of this building is interesting.  Just imagine a family of eleven living in this tiny space.  Mind you, as the weather is much warmer in Roma than we are used to, I’m sure the boys would have all slept outside on the verandah, as was often the norm in those days.

It was a nice little showcase into a simpler time.

Now, for a bit of Roma’s history since European settlement……

The Roma area was initially settled by pastoralists in the late 1840s, with the township of Roma being established in 1862.  In the 1880s the railway came to Roma.  There wasn’t a wonderful water supply, as the town is not located by a river, so they started to drill for water bores in the early 1900s.  To their annoyance, when drilling they struck gas, not water.  This happened at a couple of locations.  They did reach water eventually.  After five years of the gas going unchecked, some bright spark decided that they could harness the gas.  A holding tank was built and gas street lighting installed.  It was a wonderful sight…..until the gas petered out after only 10 days. It must have been very disappointing.

However, there continued to be interest in drilling for gas and there was quite a boom from the 1920s.  Then there was the inevitable bust in the 1930s.

Alongside agriculture, there is still a significant natural gas industry based around Roma to this day, with much being exported.  I’m pretty sure that the natural gas that we have here in Bathurst is piped from Roma.  There is quite a bit of controversy about the natural gas industry at present, but that is a story we won’t go into here.

Back to The Big Rig.

The main feature of The Big Rig is, funnily enough, a big drilling rig.  This rig, the EMSCO Rig, was imported from America along with some experts to oversee it.  It arrived in 1928 and was used at four different sites, being finally decommissioned in 1941.  It was steam driven.  After it was decommissioned, some parts were scavanged, but the main part was left abandoned out in the scrub.  It was eventually decided to dismantle it and bring it into town and the museum be created around it.

There are also several other machines and vehicles from the gas industry.  Rather odd looking and don’t mean a lot to me.

One thing that wasn’t there when we visited in 2003 is the Big Rig Tower.  This is so very impressive.  

It stands the same height as the drilling rig and you can go up by the stairs or a lift.  We were lazy and went up the lift and we were so pleased we did.  

You walk in and the walls are all like TV screens.  It’s like you have entered the lift with some workers.  As you go up it is like you are going up the inside of the rig and you are seeing the landscape from the height you are at.  At various spots you see workers climbing the ladder on the outside of the rig, and when you reach the top there is a fellow sitting on top of the rig.  So very clever.

Once you step out onto the viewing platform you get the best bird’s eye view of Roma and the surrounding countryside.  You also look straight across to the top of the rig.

Mick, being reluctantly compliant for the touristy photo.

We the took the option of descending the tower by the stairs.

Another new feature was a treetop walk beside the creek, in among the birds.  Rather pleasant.

Once we had seen all we wanted to see, it was time to do some more exploring during the day.  I’ll get back to that later.

Late in the afternoon, it was time to return to The Big Rig as we wanted to go up the tower again to see the sunset.  As you can see, there wasn’t a sunset, as it was cloudy, but we did get to see a hawk sitting at the top of the rig.  A perfect vantage point.

The evening event was also good.  Firstly we went to the base of the rig where we learnt some more information about it and the history.

Don’t the two towers look wonderful in the evening light.

Then there is a light and sound and display telling interesting stories.  The highlight is the big flames as they tell of how one of the gas wells caught fire and burnt for ages.  It was a big tourism drawcard, with people travelling from Brisbane to see it and there were postcards printed.  The fire was finally extinguished when a clever fellow worked out a way to move a big dome across to the well by cables and then drop it down to snuff out the flames.

It is a very touristy attraction, but well done and we learned lots about a major part of the town’s history and current industry. Definitely worth the visit.

Looking Back at 2025

I always like to have a little look back at the year and see what we got up to and how I went with my little goals.  You can read about them here.

In some ways, I’m glad to move on from 2025.  There was a rather sad time in the middle of the year when Mick and I both lost our Mums within six weeks of each other and then I had surgery requiring a fairly long recovery.

However, there were also good times to be had.

So, let’s have a look at what I achieved on the stitching front.

After reading my post at the beginning of the year, I had a chuckle at my wish to “try and concentrate on one project on the machine and one by hand at a time rather than jumping all over the place like I usually do”.  Oh my, how I massively failed at that.  2025 seems to have been very much the year of jumping all over the place.  

I actually did very little on the machine.  Most of what I did was handwork that I could take to my stitching days, which I continue to enjoy.

RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE

Considering I wasn’t going to take part in RSC,  I made more of the Split Nine Patch blocks and managed to get them into a quilt top. It was finally quilted and bound this week, being the very last project finished this year - ie. this afternoon.

I also manage to get both the Fishy Business quilt tops made - still to be quilted and bound,

The only other RSC project that is unfinished is the drunkard path blocks from a few years ago.

CHOOKSHED CHALLENGE

This wasn’t as successful as last year.  Some projects were completed, others not.  I ended up switching around projects nearly every month.  It didn’t really work for me.  Having said that, it did prompt me to work on some projects that would have otherwise just sat in the drawer.

Thanks must go to Deana for going to the trouble of arranging this challenge.

MY OTHER GOALS

• Complete 12 UFOs - Nope, just 5.
• Quilt 12 Quilts on Monique - a huge fail - a big fat 0! - Having said that, I have quilted three in the last week on Elly May.  Phew, at least that is better than none.
• Complete 12 Donation items - There were only a few.

There were the three quilts I have just quilted. I made the Wisteria Corner to Corner Rug for Wraps With Love and also quite a few blocks for various group donation quilts.

• Complete 25 Projects - surprisingly, I completed 22.  
• Work at some crafting for 15 minutes a day.  I achieved 281 days, which equates to 76.99%.  I’m happy with that.

I started 26 new projects this year, which is insane, and completed 17 of them.  That does mean that there are quite a few to carry over to 2026, but I reckon that none of them will be carried over to 2027. Fingers crossed…..or just a crazy pipe dream?

The year started well with the completion of the hexy flower quilt top and also making the Design Curtain that hangs over our display cabinet when needed.  A very helpful innovation.

I started a new Leader and Ender project.  It is Bonnie Lass, by Jen Kingwell.  I’m going well with it, and it should make good progress as I work on the sewing machine next year.  I have completed quite a few more blocks than shown here.

I seem to have spent more time doing knitting, crochet and hand work this last year.  As well as the Wisteria Corner to Corner Rug, I completed a “Snowy” version.  This was intended to be donated, before Mick paid claim to it.  I also knitted another two scarves, a pair of socks, a beanie as well as my linen sleeveless top.

Two bags were completed, both using stitcheries that were hanging around.  I’m really pleased with both of them.

There were several other small projects.

The finale for the year was working on the Wensleydale Quilt.  After waiting in the wings for a few years, I stumbled up on the quilt along and jumped in with both feet.  What a fun project to focus on.  I had hoped to have the top completed by the end of the year, but it is currently blocks hanging on my Design Curtain. That will be rectified very soon.  It will be quilted next year.

Of course, a highlight in December was receiving “Elly May”, my new quilting machine.  

I have already quilted three quilts on her.  They are all for donation and have been great to get the feel of her.  

The final silly little challenge I had was to see how many cotton reels I could empty and collect in my pretty jar.  I’m trying hard to use up a lot of the odds and sods that I seem to have amassed.  Not as many as I had hoped, but a few of those had a lot of thread on them.  I will now throw them out and start again for 2026.  

So, what else did we get up to?

The start of the year saw me very busy organising the display of wedding and christening gowns for the church bicentenary.  It was far more successful than I could ever have imagined.

We managed to get away with the caravan five times, which is about what we aim for each year.  

We had two trips to Queensland.  Sadly, they were both called off short, due to the passing of our Mums.

In May we headed firstly to Lightning Ridge and then to Hebel and then St George. 

In June we headed up through Bourke, Cunnamulla, Charleville, Barcaldine and Emerald.

We also had an impromptu trip to Tamworth for a few days in October. The other trips were to Baradine.  Considering all that happened during the year, I’m happy with that.

We did enjoy the time we were away.

We went to Baradine twice for quilting retreats, as well as travelling to Sydney to meet up with Janet when she was briefly visiting Australia. Of course, Zoom sessions continue to be one of my favourite times. Such a wonderful group of women to know.

It was special to have Lou and Tony visit.

We had some fun days out.  Having said that, we didn’t get to even one quilt show this year and only one weekend of open gardens.

Portland Bonfire, Nocturnal at Scenic World at Katoomba, Bathurst Winter Festival, Mr Squiggle in Canberra’s, Birdhouse mural at Lithgow and Convent and Chapel Wool shop at Rylstone are just a few.

We had a couple of day trips to play the tourist in Sydney, which is always fun…..and then nice to retreat to the other side of the mountains.

In October with friends from Queensland.

And again in December.

In addition to all of this, we have just enjoyed spending time at home.  The garden is looking good and Mick is thoroughly enjoying being a part of the Bowling Club.  He has taken on more responsibility this year and takes pride in keeping the greens and grounds looking good.

On the whole, life has been good and we are still enjoying retirement very much.

A Day in Sydney

We haven’t been in Sydney in the lead up to Christmas for many years, so thought it was about time to have a day trip to play the tourist.

Lots and lots of photos here, so grab a cuppa.

The planets aligned for last Monday. Our calendar was free, the weather was forecast to be 23C and some friends were free as well.  We caught the early train down.

Our first Christmas tree - on the Town Hall balcony.

The first stop was morning tea with Karen at the Queen Victoria Building (QVB).  We have tried to catch up a few times before, but something always foiled our plans.  As Mick and I had breakfast at 4.30am, we treated ourselves to a second breakfast of French toast.  It was so good.  Karen’s banana bread was pronounced excellent as well.

Check out the floor in the cafe.

Now that we were fortified, it was time to start exploring.  Firstly, the Christmas tree in the QVB.  No Swarovski crystals on the tree these days, but it was still impressive.

And huge.

A kind lady took our photo.

The obligatory photo of the stained glass.  It’s hard to believe this building was nearly derelict for many years.

Time to have a wander through the CBD.

Surprisingly, many businesses had no Christmas decorations at all, while others were lovely.

The Strand Arcade is always a show piece and this year did not disappoint.  We loved how the main decorations were gum nuts and gum flowers.

A fun view of Centrepoint Tower.

Next, it was Martin Place, with its flower stall and Santa’s hut.  It would look lovely during the evening, when everything was lit up.

Another kind lady took our photo in front of the huge Christmas tree.

As we wandered along Mick and I were taken with a sculpture in front of one building.  I wonder why?  We have seen another of this artist’s installations at Forbes.

We also stumbled up on the art installation of bird cages to commemorate all the birds that used to live in what is now the CBD.

As always, there was lots of construction taking place and Mick had to stop and watch the crane lifting some air conditioning ducts to the top of a very high sky scraper. 

Once we reached Circular Quay, Karen headed off home.  It was great to have an explore with her.  Hopefully, we can catch up again at some stage.

We had a bit of time to kill before our next catch up, so had a wander around the Opera House precinct.

Looking back towards the city.

There was a bit of a traffic jam with all the ferries on the harbour.

There are plaques set into the pavement to commemorate Australian literary figures.  This is just a small sample.

A.D. Hope was a poet and received his high school education at Bathurst High School, so a bit of a local connection.

We then met up with Betty and Stephanie for a quick bite to eat before heading off to do some exploring through The Rocks historic area of Sydney.

The first spot that Betty took us to was underneath the YHA building.  It is a large building tha only received building approval if it was built on stilts to expose the archaeological dig on the site, which is called “The Big Dig”.  Very original.

All this exploring was thirsty work, so time for a cool beverage at the historic old Australia Hotel.

From here we wandered along, with no real direction to be followed.  There are some wonderful views, showing the vast contrast of our first settled city.

As we walked down one lane way we came across an art installation like the outline of a terrace house.  We didn’t think too much of it and didn’t take a photo.  Nearby was a cordoned off set of very narrow steep steps, with a more accessible set nearby.  We went down and discovered what appeared to be the footprint of rooms with bronze sculptures of furniture in the them.

It was set on the side of a small sandstone cliff and there were even more really steep steps going down.  

The handrails around our pathway had the cutest little bronze terrace houses as finials.

And looking back up.

We were suitably intrigued and were happy to find an information board that advised that there had been eight homes on the side of this cliff and that they were demolished in the 1930s.  There was a photo from 1908.  Oh my!  I can’t imagine living like that.  A little Google revealed that we had been visiting Foundation Park, which was established in the 1970s.  You can read more about it here.  

Once we reached the bottom, we passed through a narrow passageway into the vibrant section of The Rocks.  Such a hidden gem.

And, we found another giant Christmas tree.

From here we took the light rail from Circular Quay back to the QVB and a bit more wander around the shops, before farewelling Betty and Stephanie.

Mick and I continued to wander around and found a couple of more intersting shop Christmas windows.

A gaping hole in the Christmas landscape was the famous David Jones window displays.  The only Christmassy one was advertising their Christmas shop.  This was so controversial that it made the news on the TV and newspapers.  It will be interesting to see if they take note of the backlash and resume their windows next year.

Anyway, the day was getting on, so we walked back to Central Station to wait for our train.  There were some nice trees there as well.

We caught the later train, so didn’t get home until nearly 10 o’clock, so a very long day.  The “Bathurst Bullet” may be the slowest bullet in the west, but it such a wonderful service.

It was a rather enjoyable day, made all the better for being able to catch up with the girls.  We did all that we had hoped to do, as well as the bonus adventure around The Rocks.  We need to do it more often.