Funny how habit stops us from seeing.
For the last ten years or so I’ve been driving between Melbourne and Adelaide and made mental notes of points of interest along the way. Top of the list is Old Tailem Town, just outside Tailem Bend as you hit the final stretch toward Adelaide. On a recent trip I decided it was time to check it out.
I pulled in, paid my $25 and was struck immediately by the scale of the place. And the detail. Almost every building was decked out with appropriate stuff from the era. I was moved by a pug and pine cabin that was furnished as it would have been back in the day. It conveyed a strong, wistful sense of daily life in such conditions.
This historical accuracy is balanced, of course, by the weird stuff I love, and Old Tailem Town has plenty to discomfit visitors. Enjoy.
Eric Yep It’s really something. And becoming increasingly ramshackle as Peter Squires, whose grand life project it all is, gets older. His story is quite something. His son was one of the spate of suicides in the Tailem region about 3 or 4 years ago. I can’t go past the place without feeling very sad about it all.
Mark
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Hi Mark, That is really sad to hear. It’s also sad to see the place starting to look rundown. Of course it is just my nature to seek out the weird stuff but I was really impressed by Old Tailem Town. The passion that has gone into creating it is very obvious. I’m looking forward to going back with Josie and spend more time there. Eric