The derision of a 'tidy town'

I guess it is the 'inner city elites' often known as 'latte sippers' who sniff their noses up when driving through a country town in Australia that is as neat as a pin. They are known as 'tidy towns' because of an annual competition run by the 'Keep Australia Beautiful Council'. To the best of my knowledge, neither of these towns has won the title of a 'Tidy Town'. However, to my inner-city jaded sensibility, both Jamieson in Victoria and Wauchope in New South Wales would seem to qualilfy.


According to Wiki, The Keep Australia Beautiful Council is a not-for-profit environmental conservation organisation founded in Victoria in 1969. It is established now in every state and territory, and is jointly funded by both State and Federal governments. The KAB Council runs the 'Tidy Town' competition.


The Tidy Town awards encourage, motivate and celebrate the achievements of rural and regional communities across Australia. Originally focussed on litter reduction and civic pride, they now address the environmental, social and economic sustainability of local rural communities. There is a state winner each year, and an overall national winner.


I suspect there is a quota system at work in the winners list - a bit like the Nobel Prize for Literature. Each state seems to be equally represented in the list of past winners:

1991 Mount Tyson, Queensland
1992 Mount Gambier, South Australia
1993 Forbes, New South Wales
1994 Lucindale, South Australia
1995 Naracoorte, South Australia
1996 Kiama, New South Wales
1997 Stanley, Tasmania
1998 Denmark, Western Australia
1999 Goolwa, South Australia
2000 Batchelor, Northern Territory
2001 Horsham, Victoria
2002 Soldiers Point / Salamander Bay, New South Wales
2003 Wyalkatchem, Western Australia
2004 Port Vincent, South Australia
2005 Mount Gambier, South Australia
2006 Collie, Western Australia
2007 Swansea, Tasmania
2008 Toowoomba, Queensland
2009 Tamworth, New South Wales
2010 Beechworth, Victoria
2011 Lithgow, New South Wales

I think there was some political fall-out from the selection of Lithgow as the national winner for 2011. Something to do with under-handed, skulduggery in the workings of local councils. Really!


The first six images here were taken in Jamieson, Victoria at the end of November this year. The second six images were taken in Wauchope, NSW at the beginning of December this year.

Wallaga Lake, Sapphire Coast, NSW

Although not the largest state in the federation of Australia, the state of New South Wales is quite large at 800,000 sq kilometres, larger than France at 536,000 sq. kilometres, and larger even than Texas at 696,000 sq. kilometres. One of the nicest areas of this state, is the South Coast, and within that, one of the nicest areas is referred to by marketeers as the 'Sapphire Coast'.

The small town of Bermagui hosts the biennial Four Winds Festival which is a treat for the ear and for the soul. As is the township as it straddles Horseshoe Bay, with its upgraded marina to house the fishing fleet.


A few kilometres to the north of Bermagui, nestles the hamlet of Wallaga Lake with its delightful timber bridge.

Travel by train - the countryside

Being a transport corridor, for cars, trucks and trains, this trip struggles to show off the diverse natural beauty of Australia.


The relative size of the two states is brought home by this journey, two-thirds of which is spent crossing half of NSW, and the other third crossing the entirety of Victoria, which is still considerably more parched than NSW.

Some of the strange light and colours in these photos are reflections from the inside of the carriage.