If you’re travelling along the Newell Highway after checking out what was once the world’s largest playable guitar, you will come across this sign once you leave Narrandera Shire:
Yes, most people would do a double take upon viewing this for the first time!
No, this is not a funny tourism slogan, but the Shire of Bland is named after Dr William Bland who had a diverse history – some of the occupations appearing on his CV included the following – a transported convict, medical practitioner, surgeon, politician, farmer and inventor. The Shire of Bland’s major centre is the town of West Wyalong.
However it’s not just the term “Bland Shire” that might make you think twice when you hear it – but the potential alliance between the Bland Shire and the towns of Dull in Scotland, and Boring in Oregon in the United States.
Like so!
Photo from telegraph.co.uk
The towns of Dull and Boring already have a formal alliance and residents of each place often interact with each other on social media. So they obviously want to add the Bland Shire to the list to make it a trinity of Dull, Boring and Bland!
Photo from dailymail.co.uk
Anyway, apart from the name jokes, the Shire of Bland is a base for gold mining which has occurred in the area via one form or another over 100 years. There are tours available of working gold mines in the area if you’re in town at the right time, so it’s worth asking around the visitor information centre if there’s something going while you are travelling along the Newell Highway.
Something unique about West Wyalong is its crooked Main Street which is a hangover from it’s early days as it follows the original bullock track that curved around trees and gold diggings.
Something else a bit different – the Exclusive Hot Glass Gallery, which is run by Elaine Marshall. What’s unusual about this gallery is the technique of making ‘fused glassware’ – which is making all sorts of creations like vases and necklaces from pieces of glass that have been melted to together to create all sorts of shapes and sizes. She has to import special glass from the United States to do this!
There you go! While the Shire of Bland may sound funny, there might be the odd thing there that will keep you occupied for a while!
I hope that that Dull, Boring and Bland alliance goes ahead! I reckon it’s marketing gold!
UPDATE!
As November 5 2013, the Bland (Australia), Dull (Scotland) and Boring (America) League of Extraordinary Communities is now official!
Nothing like a bit of clever marketing!
Pretty fun post, don’t think Ill ever give these Boring and Dull places a visit anytime soon.
But it might be good fun!
Love these signs and they are the type that often get me to exit the highway and at least drive through if not stop for a snack. Makes me wonder what the founding fathers of these towns were thinking when it was time to name their hamlet though.
Foresight to think of some catchy names!