• Sunday 20 August 2006 - Comments from a city chick

Posted by AngelaJames
But really, no one would have like live in that place right? Permanent Link

• Sunday 20 August 2006 - Yes, but...

Posted by gryphonn
...once upon a time they did. Permanent Link

• Sunday 20 August 2006 - No, Gryph was gammin' you, AJ.

Posted by tinacee
They're just sheds... very OLD sheds. The top one would have been a stable or barn at some stage in it's life I guess, and the other two are storage/garage type efforts. There's no-one living in the houses that they're associated with anymore as they're very old and run-down.

I put these up as a joke, because of another post I did...
http://www.whitepage.com.au/manahmanah/28220/House_Fall_Down.html
Chica replied, saying that she loved the classic Aus feel of it, and mentioned the photo ops that these old sheds give us, so I decided that I'd go out of the way to find her some more to look at.

In this part of the country there are lots of old abandoned sheds and houses. When a family on the land decide that they need a new house they usually just go looking for another suitable site and build another house. In the city the old would be demolished to make way for the new, but I guess if you have plenty of room, that's just seen as too much hard work and unnecessary expense. So the old houses either sit and rot or become a place to store all of that other old crap that they don't particularly want any more.

But that doesn't mean that some people don't live in some pretty dodgy places. A lot of folk on the land are doing it really hard, and sometimes their families have been for generations, so building a new house or fixing up the old one just isn't a viable procedure. Lack of money does a really good job at lowering peoples standards and expectations. I can think of a few that I wouldn't feel comfortable visiting in, let alone living in... but some people just don't have the luxury of that choice. I might include a couple of 'run down but lived in' houses in this series one day.

Edited by tinacee on Sunday 20 August 2006 at 3:32 PM Permanent Link

• Monday 21 August 2006 - Them were the days

Posted by chica
We've lived in some pretty dodgy places - converted chook house, converted shearing shed in NZ.. And what happened to the good old days when you bought some acres, built a shed with the intention of building a house later, but just kept adding to the shed. In fact, some of our happiest days were spent in a 10ft bondwood caravan, with a toddler and a baby, in Perth in the 70's. On one memorable occasion we lived in the shack, built a new house behind it and then had a bonfire party and burnt the old shack down! Of course, we sold the dunny to some neighbours, it was in such good nick. It's all character building! Thanks Tina, for that little trip down memory lane. Permanent Link

• Monday 21 August 2006 - You're welcome, Chica

Posted by tinacee
Home is where the heart is, isn't that what they say? When I showed G those photos, he said that he'd live in one of those sheds. Hmmm, I had to diagree with him though. I think I'd like some doors... and a working toilet would be good... and something other than a dirt floor. I do like a little luxury :o) But I guess if I needed to I would. A caravan or a shack (preferably with doors and toilet) would be perfectly acceptable. We've considered living in a cave... that'd be so cool that I think I'd even forego a toilet... for a while at least. We used to live in an unlined silver metal 7x15m shed in the bush, and that was one of the best places that I have ever lived. As I said... home is where the heart is. Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by hjanderson
I think the former owner had a real dose of the "rumbling tummies" and blew the thing over... he Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Ewww... too visual

Posted by tinacee
I'm glad I wasn't there, then.
:oD Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by chica
Back in our hippie days we actually sold a thunderbox, slightly better nick than this one. A mate up the hill was building a humpy in the bush, needed a dunny and we had an old one up the back we were using as a poddy calf cabin. The guys somehow managed to load it onto a trailer and off it went to its new home. Aaaarrr, those were the days. Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Alice's Restaurant

Posted by gryphonn
I don't know why, but when I read your comment Chica, I immediately thought of 'Alice's Restaurant'! Must have been the guys loading up the thunderbox bit. Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by tinacee
Last year we went to a deceased estate auction. The old house was part of a property and the kids (who were now fairly elderly themselves) were selling everything. We bought a number of things, including an old fisk radiola for $10, a near new set of tubular bunk beds for $15 and a retro lounge suite in pretty good nick for $5 (which we now have in our lounge room... it replaced the lounge that my ex and I payed $1300 for, which now belongs to the dogs). Anyway, they sold the thunderbox too... for $20... and it was in good condition. I wanted it so badly... don't know why... but I didn't bid on it. At the time we were staying in our friend's garage, and somehow I don't think they would have appreciated us pulling up with a thunderbox in the trailer.
Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by tinacee
Last year we went to a deceased estate auction. The old house was part of a property and the kids (who were now fairly elderly themselves) were selling everything. We bought a number of things, including an old fisk radiola for $10, a near new set of tubular bunk beds for $15 and a retro lounge suite in pretty good nick for $5 (which we now have in our lounge room... it replaced the lounge that my ex and I payed $1300 for, which now belongs to the dogs). Anyway, they sold the thunderbox too... for $20... and it was in good condition. I wanted it so badly... don't know why... but I didn't bid on it. At the time we were staying in our friend's garage, and somehow I don't think they would have appreciated us pulling up with a thunderbox in the trailer.
Permanent Link

• Wednesday 16 August 2006 - And no walls to clean...

Posted by tinacee
It wouldn't be too good on the back though... having to stoop over all the time.
:o)
Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Classic

Posted by chica
What a classic Oz shot! I just love it - you can just hear the blurb "Well, you won't have to worry about the roof, it's in good nick". I love the photo ops for sheds and stuff in this country - I especially love the local Memorial Hall shots - middle of nowhere and up pops a classic old WoopWoop Memorial Hall. Probably because it stirs memories of many wild B&S nights in my youth. Are you old enough to know what a B&S Ball is?
Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - B&S?

Posted by gryphonn
We still have them out here in the boondocks. All the cowboys and cowgirls work too hard to go looking for partners... hence the B&S Ball.

I'll have to see what other old buildings and sheds and stuff I can find to show you. Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by hjanderson
My next home will be a tipi in the hills of Byron Bay. Hope you find a great home for you and your family hon. Will be sending all the good thoughts that you find a house that is perfect for you. Permanent Link

• Thursday 17 August 2006 - How cool would that be...

Posted by tinacee
... being able to pack up the house if you feel like a bit of a change... communing with nature... hunting buffalo for dinner... painting hand-prints on your horses... collecting eagle feathers... smoking the peace pipe...

Oh, now I'm just being silly.

Thanks darl. Permanent Link