The annual Goldfest festival came to Grenfell last Saturday, 27th September, 2014, as part of the Gold Trails series of events through many towns in the Central West of N.S.W. Check it out here.
My camera and I made the arduous journey up to Main Street (a little joke there - it's about a 2 minute walk!) and here's what I saw. [These images are all thumbnails, so please click on any or all of them to see a much larger version.]
The first things that caught my eye were some pretty fancy-looking motor-bikes. This was by far the most fancy. Sorry, but I didn't see a brand.
The 'Bodger' was hard at work, showing his skill with tools from a bygone era. He's using a type of scraper or plane and there's an adze in the foreground.
This lace pram (or perambulator, as they were known back in the goldrush days) caught my eye, amongst a fine display of various types of lace.
These items were just a small part of a fine display of such artefacts. Ginger Beer and other soft drinks were sold in earthenware containers such as these in various towns near Grenfell, as well as in Grenfell itself.
This wee item was part of a wonderful display of fire-arms and other relics from the days of the Goldrush, i.e. mid-to-late 19th century. '2mm' refers to its bore but it is an incredibly tiny pistol, being no more than 25mms (1 inch) long, at the most!
All these artefacts were under glass, so it was difficult to obtain clear photos.
This incredible device really amazed me! It seems there was no limit to the ingenuity of firearm manufacturers back then.
There have been many changes in Australia's currency over the years. These coins were part of that 'passing parade'.
Another unusual weapon on display at the 2014 Goldfest at Grenfell.
A beautiful Prattware jar on display. Prattware came from the Pratt pottery works in Fenton, Staffordshire, England, which was in operation from 1775 to 1885. It appears that there are two types, hand-painted and transfer-printed. I'm not sure which this one is. Sorry about the lack of clarity but, as mentioned above, it was under glass.
A beautifully made gunpowder flask from around 1860. No plastic here.......
Another, less attractive gunpowder flask from the Goldrush days. At least the owner would have been able to find it in the dark!
The title says it all.
More weaponry on display at the 2014 Goldfest in Grenfell, N.S.W.
This angular sports car caught my eye. Sorry, I forgot to check out the brand.
One of a couple of ladies, who were spinning raw wool from the fleece in the foreground into balls or skeins of wool, ready for knitting. I didn't see them but, apparently, there were other ladies nearby finishing the process by knitting garments from this wool. Everything but the actual shearing of the sheep!
A saddler had a good display of his products (belts and other leather goods). He also demonstrated the art of saddle-making. I was taken by his sign.
These ladies were competitors in the Period Costume competition that was part of the Goldfest. I'm just guessing but it looks as though they were in their Sunday best outfits.
This large Harley-Davidson was part of a display of motor-bikes.
A Honda Goldwing was also on display. Looks pretty new to me! I'm not really sure where modern motor-bikes and cars fit in a Goldfest that helps us remember a bygone era but that's how it is out here.
You can read a nice story in our local paper here:
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