The Tingle Factor Box

Roaming Roy Follows The Line - Wollongong's Osborne Park

This week, Roy decided that with the holidays well under way, and the weather warming up, it was time to head for the coast. Roy loves the country, but he knows that as Summer approaches many of his online friends head for the beach, so he wanted to find somewhere interesting to visit near the sea. He decided it had been a while since his visit to Wollongong, and as he looked over the photos of the trip, he remembered Osborne Park. He loved this little park, with its scultures and historic bridge and thought it would be the perfect place to visit.

Roaming Roy Discovers Some Fabulous Fences - Illawarra Dry Stone Walls

This week, Roy was going through his photographs when he noticed a whole selection of photos which were taken of fences. He had completely forgotten about these fences, which he had so wanted to visit and been so impressed by. He had heard that in the Illawarra there are many dry stone fences, which are very important historically, and many of which are even listed as heritage items! He'd never seen a real old fashioned dry stone wall, only those fashionable modern garden features, and he was interested to see what they were like. He was most impressed. Many of them stretch for vast distances, and although they are very old, they have stood the test of time.

If you would like to visit the dry stone fences in the Illawarra, you will need to head towards Kiama and Berry. This is where many of the fences can be found. You will need to head off the main roads into the country areas too though. Roy found most of his fences on his way to Minnamurra Rainforest, but they are dotted all around the area. Just keep your eyes open. Remember though, that these fences are usually on private land, so you can't just wander in to have a look. You will need to find ones that are close to the road. Also remember that the fences are often still being used. Don't damage them!

Although dry stone walling is very fashionable in modern gardens, the techniques used in dry stone building go back thousands of years. Stone is one of the oldest building materials used by humans, and it was used in most ancient societies to build structures which they wanted to last. Dry stone building is not only used to build walls though. The ancient Egyptians used dry stone techniques to build the amazing Pyramids, and in Peru, dry stone techniques were used to build many temples. The technique was also used to build houses, canals, even grave structures, like cairns! In Australia, dry stone walling is also an old technique, seeming to date back as far as the convict times. They are found in areas in Western Victoria, Tasmania and NSW. The Illawarra is one area in NSW where they can be found, used to create field boundaries to keep cattle in.

So, why are dry stone walls built? Dry stone walls actually have many advantages, even over a traditional mortared or cemented wall. They rely on the skill of the builder in fitting the pieces of stone together, and if the builder does a good job, the fence is very strong. Often, the wall tapers in towards the top slightly which works to interlock the stones even more tightly together and provides even more strength. The pieces of stone interlock together and there is no mortar to be worn away by the weather. Often, they are also much longer lasting. In fact, dry stone walls are even slightly flexible and can withstand an earthquake!

Roaming Roy Takes A Break At The Breakwater Battery Museum

This week, Roy decided that it was time to show his friends a place which he discovered a few months ago. May is a very important month in the history of Australia's defence, with the Battle of the Coral Sea taking place in early May and the attempted invasion of Sydney Harbour by the Japanese in late May, both in 1942. He had seen many museums focussed on Australia's defences and war history, but when he visited the Breakwater Battery Military Museum at Port Kembla he was really taken with the museum and it's surroundings and wanted to show his online friends why he liked it so much.

Roaming Roy Forages in a Forest - Minnamurra Rainforest

This week, with the holidays rapidly approaching, Roy decided he wanted to visit somewhere not too far from Sydney, in a popular holiday destination. Many of the children are discussing what they are doing for their coming holidays, and Roy really wanted to contribute some ideas of places to visit. He has many favorite holiday spots, but one which he recently visited, on the NSW South Coast, really caught his attention - Minnamurra Rainforest. It isn't far from Jamberoo Action Park, which many of the children are very fond of, but yet most of the children have not been to visit the rainforest.

Roaming Roy Has A Harbourside Swim - Wollongong Harbour Baths

Last week, Roy and I began a series of posts about Wollongong's heritage precinct, centred around the old harbour. We looked at the history of the harbour itself, and promised to return to look at other features in future posts. When we were thinking about where to visit this week, it seemed appropriate to stay in the area. Now, the decision was simply what aspect of the heritage precinct to focus on this week. Roy has been very taken with a photograph of his Great, Great Grandmother on the beach and wanted an excuse to show you the picture. Even though, by todays standards, she is overdressed, the note on the back of the photo says she was dressed indecently! He thought looking at the ocean baths at Wollongong would be a perfect opportunity to show off the picture (which you can see at the bottom of the post), so this week we visit several of Wollongongs ocean baths. 

Roaming Roy Harbours An Interest In Harbours - Wollongong Harbour Part 1

When Roy and I were deciding where to visit this week, we were looking through photographs of places which are important to Australian's. There were a lot of photographs of Sydney Harbour, which seems to be one of the places we hold most dear. Yet Sydney Harbour is not the only beautiful harbour in New South Wales, and nor is it the only one with an interesting history. So this week, Roy decided to show you one of our most significant heritage Harbours, Wollongong Harbour.

Roaming Roy Finds A Place Where The Sea Explodes - Kiama Blowholes

Recently, I visited the South Coast to see some friends and Roy decided he would like to tag along - after all there were a number of things he had wanted to see in the area and this was a perfect opportunity to make a start. We had a great break and the weather even cleared up beautifully while we were away! Since then the weather has turned nasty again, so Roy decided he would like to bring a little sun back through his post and the perfect place to take you was Kiama (NSW) and it's blowholes - the sun was just beautiful glinting off the spray!

Roaming Roy Sails Into Australia's Past - Captain Cook at Bulli

This week, Roy decided that he would like to show you a very special place in Australia's history, but one which not many people know about. In a little over a week, on April 29 in 1770 Captain Cook first set foot on Australian soil in Botany Bay. Now, you probably all know about Captain Cook and his landing in Australia, but you might not know about his first contacts with Aborigines or his earlier attempt to land, which all happened a week earlier - 'this week' in 1770! So this week, Roy thought he would visit Bulli where Captain Cook first attempted to land, and tell you a little more of the story.

Roaming Roy Learns To Swim - Old Thirroul Baths

With February, often the hottest month in Australia, coming up, Roy and I decided that the perfect place to visit would be the beach. With so many beaches to choose from, the decision which to visit was not easy, but we eventually decided on Thirroul beach on the South Coast of NSW. It is a lovely area, but its ocean baths also have an interesting history. You can access the baths from the beach itself, or you can go through D. H. Lawrence Reserve and down the steps. This Reserve is named after D. H. Lawrence, a famous author who wrote a book called 'Kangaroo' while staying in Thirroul.