Australian History

[shakergt]

Marble bar by Kathleen Mallett or it may been known as To the bar

 

[user 4386]

Marble bar by Kathleen Mallett or it may been known as To the bar

No. Clue: you might say a rock became a mineral

 

[Rockhunter62]

Sandstonefrom Gold to Wool and Back Again by Sally L Senior

Cheers

Doug

 

[user 4386]

Sandstonefrom Gold to Wool and Back Again by Sally L Senior

Cheers

Doug

Getting very close, but that is not the author

It won an award (the award being named after another well-known Australian author)

 

[shakergt]

Not sure in this goldsworthy author I don't know

 

[user 4386]

The author was born in Geraldton, he taught English at three universities, he worked on a mission in the Kimberleys (which he used as the basis for a different novel) and as a patrol officer in the Trobriand islands. His great grandfather was a Supreme Court judge.

Keep in mind that it is a novel (a fictional story), based on a real town that he gives a fictional mineral name (the real name of the town is not mentioned anywhere in the novel). I said he won an award named after an Australian writer, but he actually won two awards (named after two Australian writers).

Rockhunter62, surprising that I did not know that novel - given not only its relevance to this question but because I knew the Seniors in Sandstone. One of them approached me about optioning some claims during the nickel boom when I was based at Fred and Jean Murray's station (Bulga Downs) - because I was the only geologist "who wasn't a long-haired git" (I think it was Tom Senior). I think his station was Lake Way, which I think has gone back to the crown now.

 

[Manpa]

Randolph Stow and the book was Tourmaline?

 

[user 4386]

Over to you Manpa - well done. It was based on Sandstone. He got both the Miles Franklin award (for his better known book "To the Islands") and the Patrick White award.

 

[Manpa]

Shouldn't take too long to get this one. What is my name.

 

[user 4386]

Ballarat town hall

 

[Manpa]

Too easy, all yours Goldierocks.

 

[user 4386]

Thanks. I am an Australian goldfields town, whose name means "go dig" in another language.

Perhaps a further clue - a NSW town

 

[user 4386]

It is named after a gold-mining town in another country (which is why the name comes from another language)

 

[Manpa]

Ophir?

 

[user 4386]

No, not Ophir - although not such a bad guess. Ophir is an unknown biblical translation, whereas the location overseas of the place this NSW goldfield is named after is well known (in fact one of my family has been there).

 

[user 4386]

The place itself is a well-known NSW goldfield. The place it is named after is on a coast at that overseas goldfield (used to be a port).

 

[Manpa]

Sofala and Nova Sofala in Africa?

 

[user 4386]

Sofala and Nova Sofala in Africa?

You've got it, now a silted up inlet near Beira - Sofala meaning "go dig", a name given to it by Somali traders.

 

[Manpa]

Do you recognise this Main Street?

 

[Bush Chook]

Clunes? (Just a guess)