Gypsy People

You know, some people are simply born gypsies. I believe I am one of them.

Not that I come from Romania or anything so terribly exciting as that, but simply because I have been on the move since I was 11 years old.

Gypsies roam around the country side but this little 'ole gypsy has roamed around the world. And all over Australia. To be a grey-haired nomad roaming Australia is a marvelous adventure.

I was born in the New England region of northern NSW where it snows most winters so I guess that's why they named the region New England. My family pioneered the Wandsworth area and I have the papers to prove it.

When they first took up the lease from the Government of NSW (which by the way was still a penal colony ~ this was in the early 1800's and because they were 'free settlers' they were assigned two convicts~ that is another story for another day)

Part of the conditions of this lease was that they had to clear "x" amount of acres before applying for freehold title. It took them a few years but they eventually accomplished it and were granted freehold title over "x" acres. Sorry, I can't remember offhand without going to the deeds and right now I'm trying to explain to you why I think I am a 21st century gypsy. Either that or just a plain old, grey haired Nomad.

Anyway, over the past 30 years I have lived all over Australia or visited everywhere and I have to tell you, it's a big country. The varying landscapes are phenomenal and the people of each region do differ silightly in their slang and customs.

It seems to me that Australia has been divided the wrong way. I think it should have been divided in thirds. That is, the Tropical North of Australia from above the tropic of Capricorn across to Shark Bay and the middle third from the tropic of Capricorn down to around Woollongong and across to Wanneroo in the West and then the southern states from Wanneroo /Woollongong down to McQuarie Island.

Tasmania is a very pretty state and it struck me as being the most conservative state of Australia. Followed very closely by the people of Adelaide and southern part of Sourth Australia so that is another reason why I think our forefathers divided Australia the wrong way.

The middle third of Australia seems to take in the largest population and also the largest desert sections. You see, so much of Australias population is based on the East coast of Australia between Woollongong and Rockhampton or on the west coast of Australia from just north of Perth and down to Albany in the south of Western Australia. That way, the country would have been divided more climatically.

Northern Australia ia tropical and has two seasons a year ~ the 'wet' and the 'dry'.

The middle part of Australia is more a temperate climate. It has the four seasons of summer, autumn, winter and spring.

The bottom third of Australia, well, it just depends on who you ask. Ask the wrong person in Melbourne and they will tell you that they get all 4 seasons in one day. Basically though they are also a temperate climate but a more severe temperate. I don't know the scientific terminology but the bottom half is considerably colder than the middle half.

So this grey-haired gypsy has divided the counrty up by climate because that is what affects me the most.

I like the warmth and the more tropical regions of this great country are where I have put down my roots and made my home.

If you are thinking of becoming a grey haired nomad too, you can't go too far wrong by spending your winters in the more northerly climes.

Happy travelling!