This was my first attempt at the blogging challenge. Because my blog is so new, and I am so new to blogging, it was an opportunity to get started. Having a theme kept me focussed. I was surprised by the amount of research that was required on a daily basis, ( I thought I knew all about Australian country towns!) so I learned a lot and writing the haiku for each was an exercise in writerly discipline. No time for close editing – describe the town, share a link for extra information, write the poem, get it posted, move on to the next one. But there is material there that I can go back to, at a more leisurely pace, to review, rewrite, collate. Yes, I’ll probably do it again next year. Maybe even with the same theme. There are lots more country towns, I’d like to highlight. 

The Challenge
This blogging challenge –
A to Z in just one month!
Harder than I thought.

Finalising the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter Z.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Zeehan
Located on the west coast of Tasmania, Zeehan suffered the boom and almost bust of the minerals industry. Here, though, miners came for silver. Today, Zeehan ranks as part of the must-do wilderness experiences in Tasmania.
http://www.westernwilderness.com.au/zeehan_tasmania.

Zilzie
Thinking of Zilzie always brings a smile to my face. My boyfriend (now long-time husband) and I would play hookey from our studies to spend the day together on the beach. It didn’t do our grades any harm and it was wonderful for our relationship – er… except when I nearly drowned when he was teaching me to fish.
http://beachsafe.org.au/beach/qld1380

Zeehan
Tassie holidays
wilderness adventuring.
Zeehan and west coast.

Zilzie
Zilzie wickedness
still prompts my heart to flutter.
Dreamy student trysts.

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, the penultimate post is for the letter Y. Today’s posts seem to have an internal, accidental theme of art and artists. I hope you enjoy this one.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Yinnar
Yinnar is pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable. It’s a small but growing community in Central Gippsland and home to a range of local artists. It’s located off the main road from Morwell to Leongatha but lures the traveller in to see what’s new.
http://yinnar.vic.au/

Yass
On our frequent trips to Canberra from the Riverina, Yass was a good stopping point. Today, the highway bypasses the town, but the food and wine still provide good reasons to break the journey or to stay overnight before the onslaught of a day in the Nation’s Capital.
http://www.yassvalley.com.au/

Yuendumu
A colony of Indigenous artists has gathered at Yuendumu to form possibly the most successful Aboriginal-owned art centre in Australia. Volunteers are welcome here and the art work can be purchased on line. The web site offers an interpretation for each art work to help the novice understand the cultural significance of the piece.
http://warlu.com/

Yinnar
Exploring Gippsland?
Artists’ exhibitions at
Yinnar collective.

Yass
Book-lined coffee house,
glass, art, Yass’ countryside:
bucolic life style.

Yuendumu
Aboriginal
artists work, live, teach and play
in Yuendumu.

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter X.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Xantippe
The only location in the Australian Post Code list beginning with X is Xantippe. It is said that when the workers building Australia’s Rabbit Proof Fence hit Xantippe, the ground was so hard they could barely make a dent on the surface. They named the place for Socrates’ wife who was reported to be a cold, hard woman.
http://www.dalwallinu.wa.gov.au/about-dalwallinu-places-of-interest-xantippe.aspx

Xantippe
Rabbit fence foundered
on Xantippe’s rock hard ground.
Back-breaking labour.

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter W.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Walla Walla
The only Lutheran high school in New South Wales is located in Walla Walla. The town lies on the Olympic Highway between Wagga Wagga and Albury. It was established by German families from South Australia.
http://wallawalla.nsw.au/AboutWallaWalla/tabid/256/Default.aspx

Wee Waa
My abiding memory of Wee Waa is the snowy white of escaped cotton littering the edges of the highways. Wee Waa is known as the cotton capital of Australia but also produces beef, wheat and sheep.
http://www.weewaa.com/

Walla Walla
German pioneers
found ‘home’ at Walla Walla.
Building a new life

Wee Waa
Labourers hasten
to Wee Waa’s cotton harvest.
‘Snowy’ April roads.

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter V.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Violet Town
Violet Town is an active community that draws on the talents of the community. It started life as a stop on the arduous journey between Melbourne and Sydney in the middle of the 19th century. It’s still a good spot to take a break even though the highways of today make travel so much easier.
http://www.violettown.org.au/

Venus Bay
Located on the bay of the same name, Venus Bay is an idyllic spot in southern Gippsland in Victoria. The usually small population is overtaken in holiday season as anglers, surfers and families escape from Melbourne for a break.
http://www.travelvictoria.com.au/venusbay/

Violet Town
Violet Town sign –
sample local genius
Michael Leunig style.

Venus Bay
Venus Bay choices:
fishing, swimming, or surfing.
Lotus eating time.

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter U.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Uranquinty
Uranquinty lies between The Rock and Wagga Wagga on the Olympic Highway. Following the second World War,  the Uranquinty Migrant Centre was established to meet the needs of the Displaced Persons Migration Scheme. ‘Quinty is a busy but unassuming hub for those doing the regular 120km commute between Wagga and Albury on the southern border of New South Wales.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranquinty

Ulverstone
We found a lovely fish restaurant in Ulverstone that overlooks the town’s river. From Launceston across to Smithton, the northern coastal highway of Tasmania offers loads of these little gems.
http://www.centralcoast.tas.gov.au/page.aspx?u=182

Uralla
Uralla’s early population explosion was as a result of gold being discovered nearby. In Uralla’s case, the gold discovery brought not only miners hopeful of a big reward but also one of Australia’s more infamous bushrangers, Fred Ward, known as ‘Captain Thunderbolt’. Allusions to Thunderbolt are still prominent in the town, reflecting Australia’s fascination with the rogue and the underdog.The town raised a statue in his honour more than a hundred years after his death.
http://www.uralla.com/

Uranquinty
Stop for sustenance
at ’Quinty’s pub or cafes –
journey’s welcome break.

Ulverstone
Riverside and beach;
shopping, eating, exploring –
Ulverstone’s secrets.

Uralla
Captain Thunderbolt
ranged across Uralla town.
Robber’s ways admired?

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter T.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Talbot
This ‘living ghost town’ is home to the regionally acclaimed Talbot Farmers Market which swells the town’s population from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousands every third Sunday of the month. From what began as a gold mining town, this centre has found its niche in the 21^st century.
http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Goldfields/Destinations/Talbot

Talbingo
The original town of Talbingo was flooded to make way for the construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric scheme. Undaunted, the townspeople simply moved the town to a safer location. It is now the stepping off point for water sports on the nearby Blowering and Talbingo Dams during summer and for snow-skiing in the winter.
http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/snowy-mountains/tumut-area/talbingo

Tenterfield
Tenterfield earned its place in Australia’s history as the birthplace of federation. It was here that discussions first began to consider amalgamating the disparate states into one commonwealth. More recently, the town is recognised for its association with the “Boy from Oz”, Peter Allen. More importantly, for me, my husband was born here.
http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/glen-innes-and-inverell-area/tenterfield

Talbingo
From gold to produce,
Talbot’s riches change with time.
Wealth through healthy lives.

Talbingo
Permanent flooding
could not hold their spirits down –
Up stakes, move the town.

Tenterfield
Dear Love of my life,
family ties take you back –
to Tenterfield folk.

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter S.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Scone
Scone is pronounced sk-oan rather than sk-on which is what we call the bakery item of the same name. Scone was named for its predecessor in Scotland. The NSW Scone is the self-styled horse capital of Australia and the thoroughbred racehorse breeding industry is indeed the largest in Australia.
http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/hunter/upper-hunter/scone

Sale
The population of Sale is approaching 15000 which puts it in the category of being a small city and thus not really a ‘town’. But since I’ve already included Ballarat and Ararat, I decided Sale could be included too. Sale is in the usually lush region of Gippsland and serves the agricultural industries. The Port of Sale is a handy setting off point for those who wish to travel down the artificial canal to join the Thomson River and then into the expansive Gippsland Lakes.
http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Gippsland/Destinations/Sale

Sarina
Sarina is located within a strong sugar-growing area, but also has a cattle industry. The town is located on the Bruce Highway which grants it easy access to Mackay to the north and southwards towards Rockhampton.
http://www.queensland.com/destination%20information/Sarina

Scone
Picturesque paddocks
are home to stunning horseflesh.
An idyllic scene.

Sale
Gateway to the Lakes –
Sale has welcomed travellers
since 1850.

Sarina
Sugar farming spawned
Sarina’s giant cane toad.
Welcome or warning?

Continuing the A-Z of Australian country towns with attendant haiku, today is the letter R.

I’d love to hear from you about these posts. Please use the “Leave a comment” link just below the title of the post.

Rutherglen
Like so many towns in the state of Victoria, Rutherglen was settled as miners searched for gold. Today, Rutherglen and its region are better known for their world-class wines particularly their muscats and topaques. I can tell you that the malbec wines produced here are also outstanding.
http://www.rutherglenvic.com/

Rosewood
Rosewood developed as a result of the timber and coal mining industries and the rail lines that serviced them. It was the latter of these that drew my family there for a number of years when I was a child. The town is now included as a suburb of the city of Ipswich.
http://www.discoveripswich.com.au/pages/rosewood/

Ross
The township of Ross began as a stopover point between Launceston and Hobart. The historic sites that are prominent in the tourist’s itinerary for the area include: the Ross Female Factory that operated between 1848 and 1854; and the beautiful, convict-built, sandstone bridge that remains as the third oldest bridge still in operation in Australia. We stopped in last month and availed ourselves of the offerings at the bakery and at the Wool Centre.
http://www.visitross.com.au/

Rutherglen
Rutherglen topaque
a liquid ambrosia –
true golden beauty.

Rosewood
Mining days are gone,
timber, too, has disappeared,
but Rosewood lives on.

Ross
Tasmania’s past,
convict built structures kept safe.
Old tales and trials.