In the early 1800s a lot of Scottish migrants moved to South Australia, mostly industrialists and engineers who wanted a fresh start somewhere where there was less competition than in Scotland. Because of this a lot of places in South Australia have Scottish names, this morning I drove to Strath Albyn on the banks of the Angus River, you don't get much more Scottish than that. Even the church is called St Andrew's. 
It's a very pretty little country town with a lovely park and gardens in the town centre. My parents brought us here often when we were kids but not because they particularly liked the town. When I was a kid religion still dominated our society and businesses weren't allowed to operate on a Sunday. Nothing but churches were allowed to open, even police stations were closed, and I thank my lucky stars that that ended and will never be allowed to return.
Pubs weren't allowed to open on Sundays either, but there was a loophole in the law for Bona Fide Travellers. If you had travelled more than 100 miles you could stop in a hotel for a meal and you were allowed to have alcohol with your meal. Strath Albyn was just over 100 miles from where we lived so my parents could enjoy a few beers on a Sunday afternoon while us kids played in the park.
The Scotts built things to last and their buildings usually had solid stone walls about a metre thick, many small towns like to retain links to their heritage and it's quite common to see these buildings still in use more than 150 years later.
It's a very pretty little country town with a lovely park and gardens in the town centre. My parents brought us here often when we were kids but not because they particularly liked the town. When I was a kid religion still dominated our society and businesses weren't allowed to operate on a Sunday. Nothing but churches were allowed to open, even police stations were closed, and I thank my lucky stars that that ended and will never be allowed to return.
Pubs weren't allowed to open on Sundays either, but there was a loophole in the law for Bona Fide Travellers. If you had travelled more than 100 miles you could stop in a hotel for a meal and you were allowed to have alcohol with your meal. Strath Albyn was just over 100 miles from where we lived so my parents could enjoy a few beers on a Sunday afternoon while us kids played in the park.
The Scotts built things to last and their buildings usually had solid stone walls about a metre thick, many small towns like to retain links to their heritage and it's quite common to see these buildings still in use more than 150 years later.
