6 September 1989 'Getting More luxurious as each day passes'

Our campsite is getting more luxurious as each day passes! Yesterday Brian set up a fluorescent light in the shack which runs off the ‘solar batter; so we were able to see all the spiders running around easily and I was able to cross stitch all evening.
I spoke to the lady who runs ‘Busy Fingers’ a craft gallery in town and I told her about my t-shirts and cross stitch and she was most interested. They sell work with a 30% mark-up. So I’m presently making Christmas theme designs in cross stitch so I can put them in Christmas cards.
I was bitten by a wasp yesterday (It was lurking on the broom handle) between my thumb and forefinger the area is still swollen and feels bruised to touch. I planted seeds for corn, carrots, zucchini and mint in all the containers I could find and I set up the mushroom kit.
We had our 1st visitors Frank and Bob who live on some of the newer blocks. They stayed for a few ‘shelf beers’ which were surprisingly cool as the day was beautiful with blue sunny skies.
We also had our best night’s sleep as I put a space mat under the lilo, another blanket on the lilo and then our doona on tops so we were very warm all night and so had trouble getting of bed this morning.
Vivian 6.9.89

3rd September 1989 (Entry by Brian setting up basic necessities)

Back to camp site (home) after 3 comfortable nights in motels, 2 in Sydney and 1 in Mudgee. Frustrating to be back as so much to do and can’t seem to get anything properly started let alone finished. Modified shacks fire place 2nd day here, but sitting here now can still see some simple improvement so that pots etc can be kept warm without boiling away.

Bought a new stainless steel double bowl sink in Sydney for $363 plus a vanity case. Arrived here this morning about noon after unpacking car and doing few other little jobs, started to make frame with bloodwood logs, but found that the few coach bolts I had weren’t all right size so that got put to the side.

Solarex lighting kit cost $729 complete (?) which consists of panel x1, regulator x1 and 2 x 18 watt fluoro lights. I have to buy material to mount panel, wire to connect system up and switches for the lights. Plan to have one light in shack and one for outside as pretty messy outside front door.

Also bought a lot of hardware (not enough) like shovels, etc so will be able to start to clean building site with a lot of hard work. Got a mushroom kit for $5.75 that Viv will get started soon but we are on water rations as have to get our drinking water from town (terrible quality water) and we have no set up as yet for dam water. (I must start a ‘things that have to be done list’) Will be putting in order for a rain water tank in town tomorrow. Hope it will be here by end of week.

B. Evans 3.9.1989

Temperatures when we arrived

We arrived in Coonabarabran, NSW after many years in the tropics of Northern Arnhem land to -3 degrees celsius night temperatures. Brrrr

29th August 1989

We've just finished our 1st meal out of our camp oven and we're rugged up sitting inside the shack Brian built in the winter of 1983. The fire’s roaring and the smokes going right up the chimney.
We arrived here yesterday morning at approx. 11am, driving from Armidale, where we had stayed overnight. After a walk to the dam (heaps of kangaroo and wild pig tracks) and along the shortest side of the property Brian began to clean out the shack (which still contained gear he had left here 4 years ago) and I put up the 3 man tent.
We found a huge red back spider with 3 large white eggs under the car seat which were immediately stomped on!!
We set off for Coonabarabran (15km from track turn off) where we had a huge steak and vegies at the Imperial Hotel at 2pm and then we rushed around for all the supplies we needed plus I had heaps of mail at the Post Office, much to my delight.
Back to Lot 9 Stannix Park Estate at 4pm we then rushed to organise our camp before dark which was not long after 6pm. It was freezing so we had a fire going outside the shack which we spent the evening sitting around watching the 12 volt B&W TV which runs on the car battery. To bed around 9pm we then spent the night partially freezing despite 3 blankets and huddling together.

Crawled out of the tent after sunrise and got Blue (our budgerigar) out of the car. He has just begun to say ‘G’day Mate’ quite frequently and it is recognisable. He seems to enjoy listening to all the birds.
There are lots of varieties of wildflowers which I hope to press when I get organised and have time to do it! Numerous bees are all around so I think I will organise a beehive in the future.
I spent the morning over breakfast and then organised the shack and all our belongings whilst Brian built a shelter next to the shack for our shower. I also chopped up the vegies etc for tonight’s dinner.
After lunch we set off for 'Coona' again to buy hot water bottles!!! fill our containers with water for drinking etc and buy things we had forgotten yesterday. We also went to the police station to find out about getting a gun licence – as we noticed large areas where wild pigs had been digging up roots etc. when we had walked around the property behind the dam.
Home again – the rush was on for wood and getting dinner organised. I hung out the clothes we had washed at the launderette whilst in town. Brian chopped wood for the evening’s fire which we made in the shack – much warmer!! Then we set up coals for the camp oven which provided us with a yummy meal! Vivian

Maymukwunga Diary

This is an attempt to preserve a diary that was started on the 29th August 1989 by Vivian Cobban and written in a black and red bound lined book.(You know the ones made in Shanghai)
The original is full of photos, newscuttings, pressed flowers and lichen, cards, tickets and more. I hope to scan these items and write what was written at the time by me. I hope it will be a fun journey revisiting my not so distant past of 17+ years ago (Now April 2007)

Vivian Evans (nee Cobban)