No vacant shops in Mitchell

Laura Douglas opened her gallery "The School Hours Gallery" this afternoon. Located in the main street of Mitchell, next door to the cafe, this artspace will serve as a place where Laura can do her graphic design work and hang some of her wonderful art. Described by Laura as a "funky place" the make-over of the shop is an added attraction for Mitchell. With new houses being built and no vacant shops, it's clear that Mitchell is alive and well -- inspite of amalgamation!

Mitchell's Fire and Water Festival opened at 6 p.m. this evening with an Indigenous Fire Dance, followed by a film festival.

Marimbas Make Music in Mitchell

With one more practice to go, our community marimba band (led by Dunkeld State School principal Joy Foott) will perform at Mitchell's Fire and Water Festival this coming weekend.
A workshop on Saturday, led by Sunshine Coast based Jambezi Marimba Band will teach us new skills and spread the word about the joy of playing marimbas. The performance of a special piece of music (created especially for this event) will happen at a concert at the Neil Turner Weir on Sunday -- weather permitting. If it rains, the event will be held at the Mitchell Showgrounds. Our group will wear screen printed marimba T-shirts along with other colourful clothing. The marimba part of the festival promises to be a day full of fun and music.

Mitchell's Fire and Water Festival

Next weekend's Fire and Water Festival in Mitchell promises to be a spectacular event. On the subject of water, Mitchell has already received 30 inches of rain this year, with much of it falling throughout the winter. Consequently, water lies in every hollow, the ground squashes underfoot and grasses and weeds are brilliant green in colour. This is unusual because winter in Mitchell is usually dry, with repeated frosts burning off any new growth. There's plenty of water in the weir and enough water in the Maranoa River for it to be flowing. So, the water part of the festival is very apparent in this arid region of outback Queensland.

School children from Mitchell State School , St Pat's, Mungallala, Dunkeld and Charleville School of Distance Education have been busy creating lanterns, painting T-shirts and making other artistic pieces to use and display at the festival. Every child from every school will participate in the closing ceremony: a Fire Event Spectacular. This festival of river rhythms, film, food and family fun promises to be an event that brings together the whole community in a celebration of fire, water and artistic endeavour.

The Maranoa from a dinghy

Our dinghy, with its electric motor moves slowly and silently up the river, consequently birds are unafraid. The number of herons, ibis, cormorants, egrets, ducks and hawks we saw suggests a multitude of fish in the murky water.

Beneath a densely leafed river red gum we ate our lunch, glad of the shade. Like exotic flowers, six white egrets with yellow legs perched in the naked branches of a nearby gum. Close by, bark was scribbled with the artistic creations of termites and borers. Large black butterflies fluttered by, their white markings lit by sunshine; a red dragonfly hovered; blue wrens and rainbow bee eaters busied themselves in the rustling reeds. Only five minutes from home and here we were, the only humans in an environment rich beyond words. Mitchell on the Maranoa.

With the certainty of no crocs and no visual evidence of snakes, the Maranoa River at Mitchell has a serenity rarely experienced in coastal Queensland.

Humane horse transport between Brisbane and Mt Isa

While exercising Major at the Mitchell Showgrounds (where I can let him run off lead), I noticed a large horse transport parked alongside the horse yards. With Major back on the lead I wandered over to say, "G'day," to the bloke feeding and watering the horses. Seven thoroughbreds, nine stock horses, a stallion and a miniature Shetland pony were in transit between Brisbane and Mt Isa and clearly appreciated this overnight rest stop in Mitchell.
With the sun setting golden in the western sky and the temperature a balmy 25°C, I felt a rush of pleasure that these horses were being transported with such respect and care. A pair of galahs screeched overhead as I said farewell and continued my walk home along the river. A hush fell over me. All was calm.

Sculpture workshop in Mitchell

Although Doug has worked extensively with timber and steel, all previous projects have been strictly practical -- until this weekend. As part of September's "Creativity and Culture Celebrations" in the Maranoa, Cezary Stulgis (artist and teacher) conducted a two-day workshop exploring sculptural form and using wire, wood, plaster, cement and clay to build models suitable for display out-of-doors.
With a Dreamtime goanna in mind, Doug let his mind float free and for the first time in his life created a sculptural piece that served no purpose whatsoever other than a form speaking of shape, texture and movement. By the end of the weekend Doug's 1 1/2 metre long creature had come to life. Beneath the hands of the other eight workshop participants over a dozen models were created. While walking Major later that same day, I met Cezary, his wife and daughter on the bridge spanning the Maranoa River. Together we admired the murals spray painted on the bridge pylons.

Willie wagtail my totem

Not long ago an Aboriginal woman told me that her totem is a Willie wagtail. The occasion was a meeting in Mitchell of "All Us Bush Women" and her words rang true to me also. Wherever I go there is always a Willie wagtail to greet me in the morning, and in the garden their cheerful chatter lifts my spirits.

Even on the beach at Phillip Island they follow me along the beach, swooping around the dogs as they bound along the sand, through clumps of seaweed and into the waves. On moonlit nights a wagtails trill of "Sweet Pretty Creature" alerts my senses, gives me a surge of pleasure. So yes, I believe the Willie wagtail is my totem too and I thank my Aboriginal friend for alerting me to this realisation.