Well time for a nice sunday drive into the outback, and this time it was to the central wheatbelt town of Meckering. So with the commodore packed to the rafters with the kiddies, we set of for the 130 kilometers day drive.
Now why drive into the outback to this little bush town I hear you ask? well mainly because it's the home of one of Australia's biggest earthquakes. That's right I was a little tod of one when on the 14th of October 1969, a 40 second earthquake measuring 6.9 on the richter scale destroyed the town. Now when I say Destroyed the town well their was only one two story building around, and with a population of only 240 Meckertians It's not like the one that hit Newcastle.
But still it made $5 million dollars in damages and hurt 24 people, and scared the shit out of about half a million sheep! And also left a massive faultline of 37 kilometers.... strewth! but the best thing is that nobody was killed. Here are the kiddies having a feed at the park, behind them is a part of the old train track which was damaged in the quake.
Here's Oscar feeding his face, his most favorite pass time! But getting back to the quake the local publican Gordon Berryman, had the beer and the equipment moved over the road to the shell roadhouse and the establishment was known as The Quake Arms Hotel. But the local truckies were known to call it the Shake-Inn, It was open for business 24 hours after the quake selling beer that was reputed to be all 'SHOOK-UP'.
Here's the kiddies on a section of 30" steel waterpipe that was damaged during the quake, it must of been a real friggin' ripper quake hay.
Here are the little nevilles on a steel kangaroo that is in the park, and Harrison is showing off his best little mate Autobot Bumblebee. And that was about it for our day drive to Meckering, we had a look around town then it was a nice drive back to Middleswan.