I have put a map along with aspects of the history of Halton in the Family History section of this website but I have had a few comments from a relative that have made me think that it would be a good idea to write an explanatory blog post. James Lawrie, his wife Jean (nee Greig) and their five children came out to NSW as Assisted Immigrants from Scotland in 1849, on board the "Kate". They settled in the Hunter Valley, and gained employment on the "Caergule" estate. A few yea

We are very lucky in Australia to have a number of brightly coloured parrots, like the very common crimson rosella. It was the white tree-trunk behind the rosellas that inspired me to paint this picture. I wanted a bit of relief after the nocturnal blackness of my possum painting! This pair of rosellas was photographed at Junction Pools in Barrington Tops National Park (more photos from this trip here). They were preoccupied with searching for a nest hollow so I was able to a

Different possums seem to dominate the areas around different campsites, and at Junction Pools in Barrington Tops National Park ringtail possums were by far the most common. We were finding six or eight of them each night, while out spotlighting. This one presented an interesting picture for painting. As you can see, the original photo definitely needed cropping! So I cut off the edges to create a vertical picture that encompassed the whole of the possum and a little of the b