I learned a lot about Australia today that you won’t find in your ordinary tourist books.
For instance, I learned that wool is a major export of Australia and that wool comes from sheep. Actually I already knew that wool came from sheep but I had never seen it taken from them before. I grew up in a city and never witnessed a sheep shearing so I had to come halfway around the world to see something I probably could have seen at the county fair.
My client took me to the Tobruk Sheep Station where I learned more about sheep than I really need to know. Let’s look at how they are bred. Only one ram is needed for an entire flock of sheep, and when the time is right, the ram is released and can copulate with as many as 60 sheep in a day. What a great gig. And they don’t even need Viagra. I also learned that 8% of the rams out there are gay and prefer the company of other rams. I am guessing that this is where virgin wool comes from.
The stockman also showed us how to throw a boomerang and I picked it up right away. I threw it and it came right back. It didn’t come of its own accord but the bloke that I hit brought it to me and called me some kind of Australian word that I have yet to look up. I bought a boomerang to bring home because there was no three day waiting period to get one and I figured it would be a good concealed weapon if I were ever attacked by sheep.
I also visited the oldest pub in Sydney. Actually, three pubs claim that distinction but Fortune of War looked the part. It opened its doors in 1828 and hasn’t been dusted since. But it was a very friendly pub with lovely beer and good company.
I also got a chance to visit the famous Sydney Oprah House. When Oprah brought her studio audience here in 2010, she built the Oprah House so she’d have a comfortable place to stay. When you look at the design of the structure you see that it looks like a big bowl of nacho chips, Oprah’s favorite snack.
Now I’m off for more adventure and will report back with the facts as I make them up.
Follow