Railway Fair kicks off "Springtime in Robertson"

The Robertson Heritage Railway Station committee, headed by Steve Carey, is a very active community group, and they put together a Railway Fair, as their contribution to the Springtime in Robertson festival.We had a heavy rain squall in this morning, which put a dampener on festivities, but by lunchtime things had dried out.

The men of the Berrima and District Old Machinery Society were running a display of their old engines. Here Ian is admiring a pump which blows air, creating the impression that he is juggling balls, with "no hands" (or rather, with his hands in his pockets). Peter Vaughan, our local mechanic, loves his old machinery almost as much as his old hat. Here he appears to be blowing steam out of his hat - a fitting image - for Peter. In fact he is the mildest mannered of men - a lovely bloke.
Tas, whose mother Monica was helping to run one of the stalls in the main marquee, decided to take a bit of a rest on the retaining wall, appropriately built with railway sleepers.
One of the local ladies sat on a fence, and admired the massed plantings of Waratahs. The sign proclaims the "Robertson Common" - which is the basis of the land use for the Robertson Heritage Railway Station, and the surrounding parkland where public events such as this, (as well as vintage car displays, "Concourse d'elegance" events, etc) are held several times a year.It will come as no surprise that Dr David Tranter has been given responsibility for the layout of the gardens at the Railway precinct, and he and others have planted many different types of Waratahs. Here is a very large plant of the NSW Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) . David told me that this plant is about 5 years old.Across the railway line from the Railway Station, lines of Waratahs have been planted out on the railway land which is otherwise unable to be used.You can see that it is a difficult site, quite steep, but the red basalt soil is clearly visible. The large rounded Waratah bushes are hybrid varieties, probably Shady Lady. Immediately behind the flowering Waratahs are bright green plants which are the related Dorrigo Waratah (Alloxylon pinnata) which will flower at Christmas time. In Robertson they survive in full sun. In hotter climates, then would need protection from sun. They are a true rainforest plant from the Northern Tablelands of NSW.