Dandenong Show

Not much to report on with our house. Everything has slowed down well before the Christmas break and the builders officially finish work on 16th December and start again on 18th January.  The exterior panelling on the upper floor has nearly been completed, and the hot water solar panels are on the roof.  The evaporative cooling and heating along with ducts have been installed.  The gas, water and electricals including telephone wiring have been completed.  Two bathtubs have gone in, and we even have a front door.  The builder has told us the house will be at lock-up stage by Christmas.  My understanding of lock-up is everything exterior will need to be finished.  This will mean the panelling on the upper floor and two small sections of roofing on the lower level will need to be completed by the 16th.  Lets see how far they get.


Jos and I went to the Dandenong show this year, which features all the usual livestock such as sheep, cattle, poultry and plenty of rides and sideshows.  The Dandenong Show was founded in 1871, this annual event was an important outlet for the predominantly rural community to make business contacts and showcase their stock. The Melbourne Show is much larger but we think the Dandenong Show offers better value for money and remains true to the tradition of a show.
 
Here is a magnificent bull being led into the grand parade.  I don't know what the breed is, but I sure wouldn't want to get in his way on a bad day:

The rear of a Belted Galloway :

Another fine looking bull:

A jersey with a few ribbons:

Part of the grand parade:

A cadillac:

Old fire truck:

The next two shots are a couple of utes.  Do any of our followers know where the Ute was invented?  Read on to find out.....

(Jos owns one and will pick up his Dutch family from Melbourne airport in one of these....)

The 'Ute' is a vehicle with the cabin of a sedan car (unlike the larger 'pickup truck' which was to develop in the USA) and the rear of a small truck was designed by Lewis Brandt at the Ford Motor Company in Geelong, Victoria.1934 and called a 'Utility Vehicle'. The 'ute' has long been a favourite vehicle for farmers and tradesmen and is part of the Australian landscape and in particular becomes the centre of attention at 'ute musters'.  Intelligent and informed readers should visit the White Hat website to read more about Australian inventions:  http://www.whitehat.com.au/Australia/Inventions/InventionsA.html