The Tingle Factor Box

Roaming Roy Goes For A Ride - Richmond Vale Railway Museum Part 2

Last week, Roy visted Richmond Vale Railway Museum, an exciting place to visit in the Hunter Valley. Many of his friends had been asking about where they could go for a steam train ride now that the Zig Zag Railway was out of action, and Roy thought Richmond Vale was the perfect place to suggest. With a wealth of fascinating mining history, museum displays, wonderful old buildings and steam train rides to boot, Richmond Vale is the perfect place for an historical themed day out.

Roy Creates Rocks - Rock Cakes That Is

Recently, some of the children Roy knows have been revisiting the Harry Potter series of books and one told him that 'Harry's Birthday is soon'. Roy hasn't read a lot of the Harry Potter books, but he knew that for his birthday, Harry Potter was often given rock cakes, a type of cake which Roy has been wanting to try, having been given his great, great grandmother's recipe for them recently. We looked up what date Harry's birthday was, and discovered it was going to fall next Tuesday, on July 31st and Roy thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try the famous recipe. Apparently, the cakes Harry receives are hard and difficult to eat, but the ones Roy made were soft and crunchy (at the same time!), and completely irresistable. So this week, Roy Creates Rocks - Rock Cakes That Is!

Would't Want To Swim With That Thing Out There! Megalodon Tooth Fossil

Imagine, you are digging on the beach, making sandcastles with your son. You hit against something hard, and remarkably sharp. You suggest perhaps you should find somewhere else to dig, but your son suggests you dig up whatever it was instead. Carefully, you go about digging out what turns out to have been a rock. It is a very odd shape though, very large and quite sharp, almost like it has a knife edge. You wonder if some human hand shaped it to be an arrow, though it does seem rather large. Later, you take it to the local museum and discover that it is actually the fossilized tooth from some long dead shark. The shark must have been huge!

Roaming Roy Goes For A Ride - Richmond Vale Railway Museum

Recently, Roy was been disappointed to hear that the Zig Zag Railway in the Blue Mountains has closed. Many of his friends are fascinated by trains, and since the closure have asked Roy if he knows anywhere which they can visit now to ride on an old fashioned steam train. Roy didn't have to think long before he remembered a lovely place in the Hunter Valley which not only has steam train rides, it is full of history, Richmond Vale Railway Museum. He thought this would be the perfect place for his friends.

If you would like to visit Richmond Vale Railway Museum it is located near Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley. To get there leave the F3 at the Cessnock exit and follow the signs to Kurri Kurri. The museum itself is on Leggett's Drive in Richmond Vale, about 4 kilometres from Kurri Kurri itself. The museum is open and trains running on the first three Sundays of the month and every Sunday during School Holidays from 10am until 4pm. There is plenty to see, with a small museum, lots of machinery, heritage buildings and of course, the main attraction, train rides. Most of the train rides at Richmond Vale are steam powered, but they can substitute diesel at any time without prior notice (for example, during total fire bans). In fact, there is so much to see that today, Roy is just focussing on the history of Richmond Vale itself. He will return to share more about Pelaw Main and the steam trains.

Roy Creates One Pot Chicken And Rice Casserole

This week, with the cold weather once again upon us, Roy decided he wanted to make something warming. He loves classic 'comfort food', but didn't have the time to put together something complicated which took a long time to cook. He really wanted something quick, easy and delicious which tasted like it had been cooking for hours and hours. He decided to have a look at some of the old cookbooks his Grandma has, and found a recipe which promised to be quick and easy, but what would it taste like? It was a slightly odd recipe, but he decided to give it a try. When it was cooked, it turned out to be delicious, so Roy thought he would share the recipe with you. So this week Roy Creates One Pot Chicken And Rice Casserole.

Is It A Really Disgusting Handbag? Sporran

Imagine, you are a Scottish man. You are going out today, and so you are dressed in your finest, including your finest kilt. The only problem with kilts though is that there is nowhere to keep you belongings - they don't come with pockets after all. You have an old sporran which you wear to keep your belongings in, but you would really like a new one, with silver trimming. Just as you are getting ready to go, your wife hands you a parcel and tells you to open it. There, lying inside is the most beautiful sporran you have seen.

Roaming Roy Goes Boating Without Leaving Dry Land – Ballast Point Park

This week, with the weather finally clearing up and a few warmer days on the horizon, Roy thought it was time to go picnicking. Roy loves to go on picnics, and explore the interesting parks and reserves which are just perfect for such activities. He is always surprised by the number of historic parks to be found in Sydney, and one of his new favourites is Ballast Point Park. Not only is this park steeped in history, it has an amazing secret – it is shaped like a gigantic boat!

Roy Creates Pork, Apple And Sage Savoury Slice.

This week, Roy was doing some entertaining. He loves having friends over, and cooking delicious things to share with them. The problem was, he wasn't sure if these friends were coming for lunch or for afternoon tea, so he needed something savoury which would be suitable for both. He asked his Grandma to help him find something, and together they went through the old cookbooks until they came across what looked like the perfect recipe, a savoury slice. The problem was though, it called for sausage mince and somehow this seems to have become a gourmet item which needs to be ordered in advance. A few alterations later, the savoury slice was ready to eat and it was delicious. Roy was so impressed with it he decided to share it with you (in fact it was so good, it was all eaten before I had a chance to photograph the finished product!) So this week, Roy Creates pork, apple and sage savoury slice.

They Just Look Like Chips Of Rock - Neolithic Bead

Imagine you are a man living in the Neolithic period. You have been chipping away at stone, making a tool and when you look down, you notice small, thin, rounded flecks of stone. They're really quite pretty and it seems a shame to waste them. The question is, what to do with them. You wonder if it might be possible to make them wearable, as they would look very fine around your neck. You try making a small hole in one of the flecks and to your surprise, it stays intact. Soon, you have made enough to lace together and wear.

Roaming Roy Visits An Antarctic Leftover - Antarctic Beech Forest

This week, with the weather cold and overcast, Roy wanted to spend some time remembering some of his favourite bush walks. Roy loves walking through the beautiful Australian bush, and is always fascinated by the range of different trees and plants which he sees. One of the walks which fascinated him most was the Antarctic Beech Forest Walk in Barrington Tops National Park. These majestic trees were very beautiful, but the thing which really fascinated Roy was their name. How did Antarctic Beech trees end up growing in Australia?