After the Barellan washout our movie train moved on to Carrathool. I had been told Carrathool itself had been moved from the Bank of the Murrumbidgee River to where the river boats were used to transport the wool clip. The new location while away from the risk of flood is not immune to constant dust storms that blow across the Hay plain.
Although the night was windy the local people gathered for a good night out at the back of the Carrathool pub which is a sheltered spot.
One of the locals mentioned that he had moved to Carrathool when there was 99 people living there as the town sign states. This man migrated from Europe and was happy to be in Carrathool as he felt needed and accepted by the community.
"It is a good place to be." he said.
The water that was once used for irrigating rice and other crops is no longer available to the district so the farmers are reverting back to dry land grazing or relying on the rain to grow cereal crops. The economy and population has diminished as a result of this change in circumstance.
I reckon that no matter how hard the wind blows at Carrathool the people remain because of their connection to each other and this hard land they love.
Kel Hodge
No comments:
Post a Comment