Going East: A Detour

[xenith]

Heading towards St Marys, but first a detour. We went past the sign to Cornwall.

"Do you want to go up there?"
"You have to ask?"
So she stops the car and turns it around.
"I think there's a cemetery around here, or is it nearer to--" I look about, and then out the front window. "Oh."

We were turning around in the cemetery driveway.



The sign on the gate says "Catholic Cemetery. Church of St Mary 1859-1899." That's what you call a rural cemetery. Who needs a town?


We're on the road to no where Cornwall. I know there's a mine up here, so I guess there's a couple of houses too.


Or maybe a few more.


Or maybe a town.


With a park, playground and BBQ area.


On one side of the park is a coal heritage wall.


This is the plaque from it. I hope they don't mind me borrowing it because it tells the Fingal Valley coal story much better than I could hope for, even if I was silly enough to try googling on Cornwall. (I linked to a larger version if it's hard to read.)

"Properties were wrecked, firearms were brought out, sticks and stones were used in a battle that was unbecoming of coalminers."

This is the best things about this sort of trip. The little bits and pieces you come across that.

"One person died at Blackwood in 2000."
"Where?"
"There."

"Your finger is in my photo."
"No, it had already clicked."
"I can see it!" ... "Anyway, I meant, where is Blackwood?"


"This is a lone pine propagated from the original seeds collected from the site of the Battle of Lone Pine, which was fought at Gallipoli from the 6th to the 10th August 1915 by Anzac forces.

"It was provided by St Mary's Branch of the RSL and planted on Remembrance Day 2006 by Cornwall resident and returned solider, Gunner Noel Bradbury, as a living memory of all the citizens of Cornwall who served their country in times of war."


These are the "miner's cottages" that real estate blurb writers are so fond off. Where they think miners worked in places like Westbury work, I have no idea.


For some reason, that telephone box amused me. You can go to any town, no matter how remote, and there is a phone box! Remember, it's not a town unless there's a phone box.


There used to be all the usual facilities that you'd expect in a country town -- post office, school, church -- but all gone now. Except for the phone box.


And a collectables shop. Which is a very interesting collectables shop. Worth taking the short drive (3 km frm the highway) if you like this sort of thing.


Also a wonderful view of the valley.


Leaving now. Eucalypt plantation.


You can actually see Cornwall from the highway.


Christ Church, Cullenswood. Built 1847, I think by Robert Legge who owned the property of Cullenswood. There was a town here once upon a time, with a couple of churches, post office, hotel, shop and tenant farmers. It was the service town in the area. Then St Marys grew up, and took over that role. Now AFAIK there's just this church, the cemeteries and the property.


Now we are approaching St Marys. That's St Patricks Head behind the town.