Blue remembered mountains

A rare burst of bedroom tidying threw up a hitherto-forgotten diary containing some remarkable travel memories. The tiny notebook chronicled a visit Sheila and I made to Australia in 2002; we were in search of Uncle Bill - once a penniless stowaway from Liverpool, later the travel king of Katoomba. Bill left the Pool in 1912 and slowly made his way to Sydney. From there he discovered the stunningly beautiful Blue Mountains and the little mining town of Katoomba. The little place sat on the edge of vast natural chasm - Australia's own Grand Canyon. Bill was, by family accounts, a young man to see an opportunity and so he bought a bus and started day trip tours from the big city. Bill's bus company helped Katoomba emerge from obscurity and become one of the leading tourist attractions in the country.
The diary reminded me what a journey of discovery that trip had been for us. We made contact with the local museum who for weeks after, sent us what they had on Uncle Bill who rose to become mayor of the town in the 1950s. We found a little street back in the back of beyond that had one special throat-lumping attribute: 'Freelander Street' was named after Uncle Bill Freelander. We also found the location of the one photo we had of old Bill. It was something that Sheila had had in the family for decades: a proud Bill in mayoral robes welcoming the Governor General of Australia, the Duke of Gloucester. They were standing on some staircase of a grand building. It is still there, the Carrington Hotel. The staff were fascinated to hear about our ties with Bill Freelander and that photo of the Duke. Feeling special in a very special place is a pretty special thing. And thanks to the diary, I can feel special all over again.