#stuart highway

[jackbatchelor3]

What do you mean, it's been five years since the Pride episode?

👬🏳️‍🌈🌃

[jabberamongthetrees]

“I’m devastated. You broke my heart.”

[…]

“So, what is it then? You like to pretend ya wanna help people, yeah? You wanna protect ‘em you wanna keep ‘em safe, yeah? And then you go and do that to a little girl!? Why?! What did she ever do to you?! Tell me why!”

“What’s the point in me saying anything? You’re not gonna believe me anyway. There are two sides to every story, Mick.”

“You know what my Tina said? My Tina said you ain’t worth doin’ time over. And ya know what?…she’s right. Look at you. Look at this place…these pictures, these people. They all moved on from the old has been. It’s about time I joined ‘em.”

[davidryanphoto]

Oz

I've been looking through the archives again! This time it's a trip to Australia - come see!

I continue to re-inspect and scan the oldies but goodies from my vast archives of Kodachrome transparencies (imagine a 20 acre warehouse filled with filing cabinets). This time I’m looking at the continent down under (the warm one). Australia is a magnificent place, a place that I’ve seen only a wee bit of but yearn to see so much more. It would be fun just to take a few months to explore it…

[callum-highway-mitchell]

every time I rewatch old Ballum videos I just think.....hmm I sure miss when they let Callum have storylines and let Tony properly act

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Rebecca Frazier feat. Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Barry Bales, Josh Swift, Shelby Means and Adam Chaffins - “High Country Road Trip”

Rebecca Frazier has got herself a band. But even the likes of Béla Fleck (banjo), Sam Bush (mandolin), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Barry Bales (bass), Josh Swift (Dobro) and singers Shelby Means and Adam Chaffins are not enough to save “High Country Road Trip” from sonic silliness like the sound of a car turning over and Frazier coyly laughing at what she believes are clever lyrics.

But such lyrics as: Summer wind got the windows down/fireweed paints the sky/yesterday been lonesome/but today I feel alive/on this high country road trip are not clever.

The players do the best they can with similarly unimaginative music. Yet, despite its bluegrass star power, “High Country Road Trip” doesn’t do anything to raise excitement for the Sept. 13 arrival of Frazier’s Boarding Windows in Paradise.

Grade card: Rebecca Frazier feat. Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Barry Bales, Josh Swift, Shelby Means and Adam Chaffins - “High Country Road Trip” - C-

6/14/24

[musiconspotify]

#DavidGarnham #TheReasonsToLive - TFC

[unteriors]

Salem Highway, Stuart, Virginia.

[offender42085]

Post 1100

Nico Gallo, Florida inmate K93875, born 1997, incarceration intake April 2018 at age 20, scheduled for release February 2025

Trespassing, Battery on LEO, Criminal Mischief, Resisting LEO with violence

In April 2018, a Stuart, Florida man who attacked a woman and her adult son during a drug-fueled rage in August 2016 was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison. 

Judge Lawrence Mirman sentenced Nico Gallo, 20, who pleaded guilty to trespassing, battery on a law-enforcement officer, criminal mischief and resisting an officer with violence. 

He was received concurrent 5-year sentences for the battery and resisting charge, along  a with a consecutive 5-year sentence for criminal mischief. He was credited with 10 months time served in county Jail for the trespass charge. 

Gallo was arrested following a burglary at a home on Southeast Orchid Street, north of Cove Road and west of Federal Highway near Port Salerno. Authorities at the time said that Gallo, then 19,  jumped through a window at the home and began attacking a woman and her son.

He later told investigators he had an “uncontrollable” urge as a result of being under the influence of drugs.

3v

[scotianostra]

On September 7th 1815, explorer John McDouall Stuart was born in Dysart, Fife.

Descended from a family steeped in military service, Stuart was born in in a sixteenth-century home which now houses a museum in his honour, as seen in the pic. He was the son of army captain William Stuart and his wife Mary (née McDouall). Orphaned in his early teens, he attended the Scottish Naval and Military Academy, Edinburgh, and graduated as a civil engineer.

At the age of 23 he embarked on the Indus from Dundee, arriving at Holdfast Bay, South Australia, in January 1839. He entered the Government Survey Department and, despite primitive conditions in survey camps, found that nomadic life in the bush appealed to him. A man of small stature, his life became a constant battle against ill health and poverty. Assigned as draughtsman for the 1844-46 expedition of Captain Charles Sturt into the interior, Stuart gained valuable experience and received his leader’s full approbation. Sturt’s failure to reach the centre of the continent inspired Stuart’s later achievements.

Returning to Adelaide in January 1846, Stuart was incapacitated with scurvy for twelve months and moved to Port Lincoln for health reasons, while recovering he worked for fellow Scot and shipmate James Sinclair on his properties and tutored the Sinclair children.

In 1854 William Finke and the Chambers brothers, James and John, engaged him to survey leases and prospect for minerals in the northern Flinders Ranges. Between May 1858 and January 1860 Stuart led three expeditions into the Lake Eyre region, seeking new grazing lands and minerals for his sponsors.

In contrast to Sturt, Stuart travelled quickly with limited supplies. Horses were his only means of conveyance. On his first attempt to cross the continent, he reached the geographical centre of Australia on 22nd April 1860, accompanied by two companions and twelve horses --- a feat later described as ‘the greatest and pluckiest exploration ever accomplished’. He tried again the following year but it was not until 1862 that he finally made it to the northern shore.

In poor health Stuart returned to England in 1864, nearly blind and with a broken constitution. He died on 5th June 1866, a forgotten hero. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, London, with a memorial stone erected by his sister Mary.

As a result of Stuart’s expeditions, the nature of the Red Centre was revealed, South Australia gained control of and settled the Northern Territory, and vast areas of the interior were opened up for European settlement. In 1872 the Adelaide-to-Darwin Overland Telegraph Line was completed along Stuart’s route.

His statue was erected in Victoria Square, Adelaide in 1904 and Central Mount Stuart, the Stuart Highway and Stuart Range are named in his honour. The John McDouall Stuart Society was founded in 1964 by descendants of his companions to perpetuate his name and achievements.

A second statue of Stuart can be found in Alice Spring. The statue has been hounded by controversy since it was gifted to the Alice Springs Town Council in 2010, with some saying the work is culturally insensitive. Protests accuse him of not asking permission to enter the land and of killing Arrernte people."You came to Mount Hay and you killed our mob," a letter from Aboriginal elders said. "You went to Attack Creek and you killed more of our mob. This is murder and we can't forget it." it continued.

The Australian Aboriginal singer Warren H Williams also spoke at a protest rally, mocking the size of the gun and calling for the statue to be removed.

"This fella has destroyed both Arrernte and Warramungu [people]...look at the statue, it's a big gun," he said.

"They put a statue up of him, but never asked anybody, even the white people in this town if they can put it up..."

There are numerous memorials to Stuart around South Australia.

[blubushie]

Blu x reader. Mostly-silent car drive with music. Blu tells you about one of the many times he saw the life fade from a mans eyes in excruciating detail. Reader shows Blu a dead animal they found the other day. He thinks its cool then gives you encyclopedic knowledge of said animal. You get drinks together and Reader keeps their head on their shoulders ez. You two say goodbye that night and promise to keep in touch. This is a 10/10 social interaction in my mind. And theres no small talk or Reader will droproll out of the vehicle regardless of how fast youre going. Its graphic details of someones death or zilch.

Ok ok I'll write the first one to break the ice...

DRIVING W/ BLU BUSHIE (BLU X READER HEADCANONS)

You meet him on the side of the Stuart Highway after flagging him down. He asks if you're a hitchhiker and you tell him yes. You notice he's a little bloody—red staining his hands and his rolled-up sleeves. You ask him if it's animal blood or people blood and he just laughs and tells you to get in the truck. You avoid looking at the rifle hanging in the rear window.

Despite your better judgement, you do.

The radio is some Australian country shit you've never heard of but he seems to be genuinely enjoying. He's tapping his fingers on the wheel to the beat of the song.

You spend most the time talking but eventually say something that gets his attention. He perks up a little and flatly corrects you. If you argue with him he'll be a little tense and distant the rest of the night. If you engage or debate him he gets into it and seems to come out of his shell more. Maybe you even get a smile out of him.

He casually mentions some graphic details about his job as a PMP. It's a little out of the blue and he'll immediately apologise when he sees the look on your face about it. He won't bring it up again unless you press him but he seems fine talking about it, and loosens up a little when you start asking questions. It seems he enjoys being asked things and being given the ability to answer.

You point out a kangaroo on the side of the road. He squints and corrects you that it's a wallaroo. You ask what the difference is and he ends up going on a nonstop 10-minute spiel about the difference between kangaroos, wallaroos, and wallabies. It's the most words he says all night.

Someone overtakes you on the right without a signal and Blu mutters under his breath about how the guy's a dickhead. It's quiet and more a resigned huff and he won't say more. If you press him he'll quietly say that he hates irresponsible drivers.

Not even 5 minutes later he's asking you if you want a drink. If you say no he won't mention it. If you say yes he starts to pull over. "What are you doing?" "What, you think there's a pub out here? C'mon." He goes around to the passenger door and opens it for you and guides you to the back of the camper. The lock sticks but eventually it opens and he leads you in. It's small. It's very small.

He walks in and leans against his bedframe (the bed is surprisingly big) and asks what kind of drinks you like. If you say beer he'll raise a brow at you but get you a coldie from the fridge. If you say cocktails he'll ask if there's anything specific and make it for you. He's efficient and quick with cocktails but it's obvious your talking is distracting him if you're talking while he does it. He makes himself a quick old fashioned and settles at the table with you.

If you ask him if he should be drinking and driving he'll give you a look and assure you he can handle himself.

Most of your time spent drinking is him allowing you to talk about yourself. He's kind enough to give some sparse information about himself too. You find out he hunts feral animals for money, and that he likes fine whisky, and that he grew up in the outback. He doesn't offer much more information than that.

He's two drinks down when he mutters something about a "buzz" and says you should hit the road because if he drinks any more you'll be unable to drive.

You both go back upfront and he continues driving.

Eventually you fall asleep.

He wakes you up in the early morning and tells you he's dropping you off and can't take you further. Something about his job being dangerous. "This is where you get off, love. But I'm sure I'll see ya 'round, ay?"

He cracks a joke about not letting yourself get mugged and drives off.

[charlesandmartine]

Friday 8th November 2024

The night passed very peacefully, and our truckie place was really quite enjoyable in a truckie sort of way. We met some interesting people who are doing a very similar sort of route to us, and we swapped advice, which I'm sure has been forgotten already. With little choice, I suppose if you find yourself in this neck of the woods, then I could recommend it.

There are, however, two main places to stay in Daly Waters, and combined, they comprise Daly Waters. Sadly, through an administrative problem, we thought we had booked at the other place, which was altogether quirky whilst ours was altogether truckie. We thought we were staying at the Daly Waters Pub, Outback Servo. This place is run by a bloke who has what I might diagnose as compulsory junk collector syndrome. Which is good because I can persuade Martine that however bad she thinks I am in the collecting department, this chap is a severe case. He passed eclectic years ago. He has bits of De Havilland aircraft, bits of helicopter, rusty vintage cars, vans, and buses. In the bar area over years, he has persuaded women to leave their bras in quantity; and they are hanging up as proof! Well, I shall post photos as evidence and to form one's own opinion. We had a coffee there before we embarked on the next stage of our journey, which was to Tennant Creek 407kms away.

Now, to compare our journey at this point in any way to the Camino de Santiago could possibly be judged as sacrilegious. However, hear me out. Our journey, not a pilgrimage, along the Stuart Highway, is in this case very much following literally in the footsteps of one man, John McDouall Stuart. His courageous endeavour, putting his and others' safety to one side, with a single focus set out six times in all to find a route from Chambers Creek in the south to Darwin in the north in order to lay the first telegraph lines connecting Australia to London. Surely that accounts to a Camino? Today, we have discovered monuments to the successes and failures of these expeditions.

The first monument was in Daly Waters itself and was the Stuart Tree, which has carved into it a big letter S. The top half of the tree sadly is missing, however legend certainly agrees that Stuart himself found the time in a very busy and exacting schedule to emboss his initial thus, most likely with his Swiss Army Officer's knife. Perhaps there are doubts, but he was supposed to have stayed locally on his sixth expedition. We also viewed a monument just north of Tennant Creek at Attack Creek, where he was attacked by aboriginies and there were injuries apparently in the skirmish which caused the party to return for a bandage or two and more supplies. On a more positive note, the third monument was in honour of Sir Charles Todd, who, at 15.15 on August 22nd, 1872, officially witnessed the joining of the two sections from the north and south. Unfortunately, we are denied more detail, but we can perhaps imagine the course of events when Sir Charles tried to send a message, nothing happens and some wag says, have you tried turning it off and back on again? We can only imagine the sequence, but at 15.15 in Australia, it would have been 4.45am in London. I doubt anyone of any importance would have been interested in a chat with someone in the antipodeans. Who? says Queen Victoria. Sir Charles Todd, says Gladstone. Who, says QV again? Do I know him?

Of course, when Stuart had completed his route, which I trust he had recorded and marked meticulously, he then called for Cable and Wireless to do the grunting and actually lay the cable. The route could not be criticised, it ran as straight as a ruler. The greatest inventions of all times must include the wheel, sliced bread, Teflon frying pans and sticks. Stuart must have used 3 sticks to get a straight line north. Whilst the aboriginies were throwing sticks at him, he was employing them like a Roman to make a straight line. That's evolution for you I suppose. The aboriginies caused a lot of interruptions to the progress of the line. Even when it was complete, they made it their business to damage it. They broke the glass insulators on the poles and used the fragments of glass on the tips of their spears. The solution appears to be that they were given uniforms and jobs in the repeater stations, which also fixed the naked issues the missionaries were concerned about.

We are now ensconced in the Outback Caravan Site in Tennant Creek and are extremely comfortable sitting here once again watching the sun go down and consuming SB with some nibbles.

ps. Travelling along the Stuart we passed through huge areas that were in a controlled burn session. Quite unnerving having flames next to the highway.

[jackbatchelor3]

Shirley Carter's Unwelcome Return? EastEnders

[jabberamongthetrees]

I miss them sm 🥸

[psie-smutki]

The Great Stuart Highway Work Trip 2023 on caffeine

[callum-highway-mitchell]

I miss when Callum had character

[racefortheironthrone]

So the Irish and Scots supported the Jacobite cause in the hopes that the king was going to let them go their own way? Despite the Stuarts being pretty much "my way or the highway"? Was it a hope or did they have some kind of assurances from James? Or was home rule more in line with conventional monarchy but not the parliamentary one?

Look, political ideology isn't always rational and we're talking late 17th/early 18th century political ideology which had barely begun to be worked out, and we're talking about a movement that was generally pretty conservative for its time.

But....the idea was that, because James and his successors were the rightful kings anointed by God, they would not oppress their subjects because A. they had a sense of personal honor, and B. God wouldn't let them. Not joking about that last bit.