Abandoned

Acland was a small rural town filled with people who farmed, lived and loved their lifestyle in this little piece of Australia.  Then came the coal mining company, that bought out the town.  The only houses left now bar one or two, that still are inhabited look like this.  The property gates now instead of bearing the names of the family, or the property, are numbered.  Waiting to be demolished and mined.

In the background you can see the scarring of the open cut mining upon the coutryside.  These silos now empty, the sheds no longer housing cows for milking or sheep for shearing.  Instead they are abandoned.

I felt very melancholy driving through this little town.  My God parents lived here for many years and their house now is overgrown and just the tip of the roof showing above the tall grass and weeds.  Sheds like this are all that remain.

The church, small store, town halls all empty.  I understand we need resources, I know we need to find a way to sustain ourselves, but this is so sad to behold.  Now we have more mines wanting to tear up our prime fertile fields.  I ask myself do we need more coals, oil, or will we in the future need food for our ever growing population and that of the world.

But then all of a sudden amongst the eerie emptiness and loneliness of this town, beauty raised it's head.  Look for beauty wherever you go.  It is there, sometimes I just need to look a little harder.