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.
I live and work in Central Victoria and Maryborough stands out in Australian history, not least as the birthplace of Alec Chisholm in 1890. Chisholm became a notable journalist, ornithologist, and writer, leaving a significant mark on Australian natural science and publishing. In Australia, we're very good at recog...
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I drove from Ballarat to Adelaide today, 617km in about seven hours along the Western and Dukes Highways through Horsham and Murray Bridge. Departing at 7am in the wet, dar...
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I'm going to visit Mount Gambier in a couple of weeks, which reminds me of an article I wrote years ago about the possibility of a volcanic eruption there. Mount Gambier ...
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Today I made slow-cooker shredded beef tacos and nachos with home-made salsa, using a recipe that my daughter sent me. It's incredibly tasty and easy to make. I bought 1.1k...
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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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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, Ba...
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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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