The Arts in the Outback

My kids have been completely blessed in their road-schooling journey this past 2 months as we ventured into outback Queensland, We have definitely been in the right town at the right time to watch some incredible community theatre productions!

Jally Entertainment’s production of “Snowy and the Seven Cool Dudes” was so funny, the kids loved it. I am so grateful and glad that outback kids can get to see shows like this, despite being so remote.

I want to give full credit to travelling theatre companies who invest a lot of time and money into making the trek into outback Australia, so that rural kids don’t miss out.

In particular, Jally Entertainment who presented ‘Snowy and the Seven Cool Dudes’ which was an interactive comedy show that had the kids laughing and interacting the whole time.

And, Jens Altheimer who was the sole performer in the very entertaining and thought provoking theatre production ‘Whalebone’, which we saw in the little outback town of Hughenden..

Jens was the sole performer in ‘Whalebone’ (not an easy feat at all), and it was great that he gave extra time at the end so the kids could meet him and ask questions.

Both productions we got to watch with the local school children of the town and both were low cost or free which I am really grateful for.

Big thanks to the local councils in Julia Creek and Hughenden for this.

Each show got the kids and I talking about key themes from the performance, like healthy eating (Snowy performance) and, Artificial Intelligence (Whalebone)

Whalebone also sparked Hannah’s curiosity (and my own) a little further, into researching more about the Berlin Wall.

This was the book we listen to about the Berlin Wall. I got this photo from the website.

We stumbled across an audiobook through Libby Library called ‘The Wall Between Us’ by Dan Smith, which was a book that puts a human perspective on this sad time in history.

I personally would recommend it for the mature tween/teen age group though.

I am blown away by the opportunities that my kids have through road schooling. It is such a unique and beneficial way to learn,

There are so many opportunities each day to get amongst the locals, in the towns that we visit, and with a bit of research beforehand (by me), we can plan to be at a town to join in the visiting entertainment and events.

Hannah and Madelyn joining in the science activity during the April school holidays in Ipswich. It was a free event, and they got to meet and join in with the other local kids in town.

If you are a current or future travelling family, or a homeschooling family, you too might like to find interesting events in the towns you visit as it provides a bit of variety and a change from doing all the tourist attractions.

Joining in the science week activity in Cloncurry was fantastic. I know that an event like this, in the city, would pull the crowds in, and the time at each of the displays would be limited due to, “letting other kids have a turn” not to mention long wait times to get a look in the first place. Being in a small town for this event meant the kids could be lead by their own interests, take their time, and they were not rushed in their learning.

To be honest, I prefer the local community events to the touristy stuff, most of the time, as we like to meet and mingle with the locals as much as we can as a family.

I have found Facebook to be the best platform to find out what is going on in the town we will be visiting.

Quick Tip - I usually start by following the local council or Shire’s Facebook page to find out what might be happening in and around their town and district.

Mainly Music was another community event we joined in with. Both the Cloncurry Mainly Music and Mount Isa Mainly Music had a Rodeo themed session for the kids. Hannah was an unofficial leader/helper at the play dough table.

I also do website searches on the towns upcoming events (if I know them) and also find the local library pages are very community minded and regularly update the activities in the local area,

Actually,

Speaking of libraries, they are particularly good at school holiday time when they often put on a lot of free or low cost, good quality activities for kids.

As a proud Adelaidian, I can personally vouch for all the Adelaide libraries for entertainment and activities to keep kids occupied, however you do need to book in on line (most of the time), and usually through eventbrite as early as possible because the popular activities book out fast.

Here is (a younger) Hannah enjoying a free STEM program, which was available through the Unley Library in Adelaide. I booked her in online and she attended Monday, weekly during the school term. It is available to any kids, you just have to book beforehand.

Try looking about 5-6 weeks before the school holidays, and follow your favourite libraries and community groups on eventbrite so you are first to know when the events and tickets are available.

I hope this has helped inspire you to check out the local communities in the towns you visit, as well as supporting local community groups.

Especially the two travelling theatre companies mentioned above.