Moree, Australia. Thursday 21st December 2006.

Today I begin my historical tour of Moree in the towns graveyard. The first thing I note about this cemetery is that it is divided into areas according to the religious affiliation of the deceased. I am here to see the grave of one Ed. Bulwer Lytton Dickens, one-time M.P. for Wilcannia and the youngest son of Charles Dickens who died here in Moree on 23rd January 1902...

Here marks the resting place of him whose lifes light can never dim.
Quaint glimpses through an English mist of his fathers creations - Oliver Twist, Mr Micawber, Barnaby Rudge and others of the famous list.

Over next to the War/Aboriginal memorial where I found a memorial to one Percy Adam Morris Suey of Moree, who as a POW had spent some 1370 days in Changi; I saw my first Kangaroes...indeed the group even included a Joey in its mothers pouch.

Heading down into the town information centre I learned about a brilliant programme called Drive, Revive, Survive; which operates across Australia. The idea is simple. To encourage people to stop roughly every two hours as they take long drives across the country, volunteers operate centres where you can stop make your ablusions and enjoy a free coffee, tea, water and a biscuit.

The centre in Moree is run by the local Rotary Club and I had to try it. Tom and I created a fictional journey and joined the other traveller's. I was so impressed. One older lady we met was travelling across the country in a small camper and I really liked the idea that she could stop, meet locals and enjoy a break in safety.

In the information centre I got to see the Moree Quilt showing all aspects of life here in Moree. The quilt was presented to the people of Moree by the Moree Quilters on March 2nd 2001 to commemorate the centenary of the Australian Federation.

On to the town library which was built as an active war memorial. The sentiments of this mission are encompassed in the following extract from the dedication of the building on April 18th 1963...

It is a good and noble thing for a community to build a war memorial. In it we express our thanks that we live in this country as a free and independent people. We express our realisation that we owe this freedom to those men and women who gave themselves, and all that they had, in order that the ideals of freedom, justice and truth might prevail in our country and in the life of the whole world.

By the erection of this war memorial educational centre, dedicated to the memory of those brave and noble souls, we give expression, in a tangible and practical fashion, to our sense of gratitude for this spirit of service and self sacrifice, and also towards Almighty God, who is the source and strength of all man's highest thoughts and aspirations.

Finally, it is very fitting and right that these high and noble ideals should be incorporated in, and woven into the very fibre and texture of our whole educational system, and that the boys and girls of to-day, and the children of generations yet to come, should remember those who paid the price in blood, and tears and sacrifice, in order that this heritage might be handed on to them, as a foundation, strong and sure, upon which they may build an enduring structure, based upon the splendid pillars of knowledge and wisdom of strength and beauty and of truth and justice.

Another highlight of the library is the indigenous unit where I learned about Dreamtime, the Aboriginal equivalent of the Big Bang.

The library also celebrates J.L.Lillyman Artesian Aerated Water and Cordial Manufacturer. Better known as Lillyman's soft drinks, this local company was started by Joseph Leonard Lillyman who was also responsible for the building of the towns Victoria Hotel.

Lunch was a Visions Cafe in downtown Moree chomping down on a steak sandwich accompanied by that Moree treat of a Lillyman's Creamy Soda.

On to the banks of the Mehi River you will find Mary Brand Park, site of Moree's second store and the Moree Inn which was opened on January 1st 1861 by Mary Brand the first European woman in Moree. The park is also the site of a typical four room 1870's settlers Meei Cottage.

Designed by P. E. Ranclaud and built in 1910 Moree Plains Gallery is a former town bank designed in the Federation Freestyle with an oppulence reflecting the prosperity of the town at the time. The current exhibition is of works by Angus Nivison entitled Learning a language: all about the weather.

As a farmer, Nivison's work is highly influenced by the way drought influences rural life. His other main influences are war and natural disaster and I found the colours of his paintings somewhat hallucinagenic...lost in thoughts of the human condition.

The most exciting area of the gallery though is the former main bank vault which houses Aboriginal art and history exhibits.

One of the most thought provoking exhibits are the King Plates, Collars of Colonialism. These serve as a reminder of the time when white settlers awarded eminent Aboriginal elders brass plates to wear around their necks as an indication of their "kingly" status. Inscribed with the wearers names the Aboriginals received these plates with mixed feelings.

Some were happy to accept the titles, however others interpreted them as awards for good behaviour and compliance with white laws believing that the plates were designed to undermine and divide the natural tribal system. The idea of a "king" for each language was abhorrent to many as it went against the essence of Aboriginal society, which was based on a multi-tiered structure.

The first of the king plates was bestowed by Governor Macquarie in 1815 on the Aborigine Boongaree as Chief of the Broken Bay tribe. Indeed, in 1816, Macquarie inaugurated annual feasts at which senior Aboriginals were rewarded with king plates as "proofs of industry and an inclination to be civilized". It was only in the 1930's that this practice ceased.

I also learned a lot about Dreamtime beliefs which gave meaning to the universe and provided a set of laws and guidelines to explore the past as well as giving guidance for the present and the future. Dreamtime covers all aspects of nature, flora and fauna and is representative of the drama of creation through myth and legend telling, for example, why Emu's lay eggs but don't fly.

Emanating from Totem ancestors (spirits), each language group has an unspoken affinity with its totem ancestors. Indeed, when white settlers first arrived there were some 300,000 Aboriginals in some 600 tribes with their own histories, territories, dialects...infact their own hunter-gatherer cultures.

After the museum Tom and I headed off for our first VB's in the Post Office Hotel before heading back to the towns Mineral Baths for a reviving soak in both pools which measure 16 x 8 metres and run from depths of 90cm to 1.6 metres featuring three above water massage spouts as well as under water spa jets. With naturally heated waters at 41 degrees celsius, one pool is cooled to 38 degrees.

After dinner Tom, Jack and I headed over to the Moree Services Club for a game of snooker before finishing the night off at the Post Office Hotel.