outdoors

Obsessed with flying since he was a little boy, Hinkler's record flight was completed in just over 15 days, smashing the previous England-Australia record of 28 days. His arrival in Darwin on 22 February caused a media sensation, with the Queenslander achieving celebrity status. The Brisbane Courier newspaper voiced the opinions of its readers when it proclaimed, "Well done, Mr Hinkler! Australia is proud of you". On 27 February, Hinkler made a triumphant return to his hometown of Bundaberg to an enthusiastic welcome by a large crowd. The Brisbane Courier reported in detail the excitement as Hinkler's plane came in view - "When seen first the machine was coming through a V-shaped break in the clouds, flying high and the crowd went mad with enthusiasm... The speck grew larger, and then the plane came through the clouds, making a great picture with the sun in the background. Then Hinkler stunted, soaring then spiral diving, while the thrilled crowd cheered themselves hoarse. He half circled the arena, then the wings dipped, and he coasted downward, with great glide, the wheels touching the earth well inside the area... The crowd immediately got out of hand and surged forward in mad enthusiasm. With difficulty, a space was made through the crowd for Mrs.. Hinkler and the members of the family to greet the aviator on the side of the machine. Bert leaned out of the cockpit and there was an affecting scene of reunion. Then the crowd took possession of the intrepid aviator, and carried him shoulder high to the high-decked lorry". (Brisbane Courier, 28 February 1928, p.13) Source: slq.qld.gov.au/blog/bert-hinklers-record-flight-1928-mont....

Keeping and breeding kangaroos is definitely not for everyone. Kangaroos need plenty of room to run and graze. Roos are not house pets, they don’t ride in cars, walk on leashes or do tricks. They are shy and easily stressed in strange situations. Bottle-reared joeys become very tame. Having tame animals is beneficial from a number of perspectives. They are more enjoyable as a hobby farm pet and if you need to handle them for any reason it’s a lot easier and less stressful for all concerned. Roo mums don’t get overly stressed when a joey is taken away. In the wild, they often “toss” their joey if they are being pursued by a predator. This allows the female to escape and live to breed another day. And due to their ability to replace a baby very quickly this only makes sense from a survival perspective. They are not inclined to grieve and search for their young like some animals. Most female roos go right back to grazing after a joey is taken. If they do look around, they don’t do it for very long. A newly “pulled” joey is taken into the house and placed in a warmed soft cloth pouch. For the next few hours someone sits quietly and holds the joey in their lap. Very quickly, the joey becomes curious about what’s going on and starts to peak out and look around. A joey in the house when it is little is delightful. This is only a temporary situation. While the joey is on a purely liquid diet, it will be very easy to keep in the house. Most of joeys will not soil their pouch. They prefer to wait until they are taken to the washroom. Obviously, this needs to be done every few hours during the day to avoid accidents and it should certainly be done before they are let to run around and exercise. To “potty” a roo, we hold it over the toilet and gently rub the cloacal area at the base of the tail. The roo will promptly do its business in the toilet. We then let the baby exercise for a while under close supervision. The joey might go on a “roo run” around the house for a while and then find the next best place to a pouch to take a nap. A roo in the house will get into everything. Once it starts eating solid food, potty training goes right down the tubes too. At this stage, we can’t wait to get it out of the house. NOT a house pet. Source: kangaroocreekfarm.com/keeping-and-breeding-kangaroos/

In the photo are James O'Hara Jr, Miss Minnie E. O'Hara, Frank O'Hara and Benjamin Lear (brother in law of James O'Hara Jr.
The house and grounds are located at the O'Hara Mill Homestead Conservation Area