Gorey Things is the personal website of Michael Gorey, a writer based in Ballarat in regional Victoria, Australia. Michael writes about Australian history, politics and opinion, travel, books, food, technology and life in regional Australia. Articles cover topics including colonial history, genealogy, sport, culture and current affairs. Whether you are interested in the gold rush era, Victorian-era figures, walks and hiking trails, or simply curious opinions on life, cuisine and the world, there is something here for you.
While visiting Malawi in 1990, I was detailed by police in Blantyre and questioned about my apparent interest in the country’s then President Hastings Banda. In 1963, Banda was formally appointed as Nyasaland’s Prime Minister, and led the country to independence as Malawi a year later. Two years later, he procla...
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The barque Middlesex, on which Michael Gorey was born in 1841. The first Michael Gorey in Australia was my great-grandfather Edward’s eldest brother. Michael was bor...
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I visited the Henbury meteorite craters in November 2015, about 140km southwest of Alice Springs. According to Wikipedia , Henbury is one of five meteorite impact sites in...
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In 2016, I visited the Alofaaga Blowholes, also known as the Taga Blowholes, on the island of Savai'i in Samoa. The entrance to the blowholes is in the village of Taga. ...
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Prosciutto and bacon-wrapped dates, stuffed with goat's cream cheese and walnut, and glazed with honey are an absolute flavour bomb! I was looking for a simple recipe to qu...
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I enjoyed my visit to Malawi in 1990. I booked a 10-day fly-drive holiday from Harare, flew into Lilongwe and picked up a battered old car. I stayed the first night at a goo...
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I miss many things about life in the 70s and the 80s, but the cartridge pen isn't one of them. Why they were still being given to children in 1975 is a mystery. When I was ...
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I brought out the winter bedding today and happily discovered that my new cotton sheet has phone pockets on both sides! I've never seen such a marvel before. I'm not an adv...
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My comprehensive car insurance premium recently rose by 17 per cent, pushing it to $1025 for a vehicle valued at $13,000. This increase came even after I used a broker and ...
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