Today, I’m out and about. A dentist visit is cause for getting out of the house for a brief respite. The surgery is 60 km away from the farm. Having been cooped up at home due to Covid restrictions, it almost makes the trip sound enjoyable. except for the prospect of the dentist visit.
I’m actually returning to the place where I was born, Rochester, (Victoria, Austalia). I had the distinction of being the last baby born in “the old hospital”. My mother had nightmarish stories of her labour, when most of the hospital had shut down.No silver spoon or special gifts for me. I only lived there for the first two or three years of my life so I have no recollection of the town.

The town now boasts a population of just over 3000 people. Not many, given many of these would be living on farms. Still it’s large enough to support a dentist and a hospital. Its claim to fame at the moment are these grain silos. Silo art has become a ‘thing’ in regional Victoria

These silos was painted by Jimmy D’Vate. They feature an Azure Kingfisher and a Squirrel Glider. Both of these creatures are endangered. The Kingfisher is one of the smallest kingfishers in Australia and one that visits my farm every once in a while. Squirrel gliders don’t seem to come up this far north.
The town is dotted with murals on walls by various local artists. A kookabuura with strange breath and a historical view are among others.


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