Armidale stages an annual expo dedicated to the wool industry, one of the mainstays of the local economy, and we trotted along as usual to see the exhibits, buy a few things and meet up with old friends. Like very day just recently, the weather was surprisingly warm (about 20C) and brilliantly sunny - without a cloud in the sky. It's hard to believe we're on the verge of Winter, which begins on 1 June.
The Expo is held down on the creeklands - a green space corridor along Dumaresq Creek. There one can watch displays of sheep shearing, and this year there was a competition between teams of UNE students. There were displays of fine wool, including the champion exhibit from the recently completed Royal Easter Show in Sydney. Simultaneously we saw sheep dog trials and exhibits of leading animals providing wool - including Alpacas. These are all show in the attached photographs. Bands played popular music for the young and, this being an area of Scottish heritage, we heard an obligatory pipe band all wearing regulation kit. Despite this being called New England, it might be better named New Scotland given its array of Celtic names including Armidale itself. Dot went shopping for woollen garments around the various merchandise displays and we acquired a free native plant for the garden. All this was topped off with an excellent Moroccan lunch.
AS
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