@Parsifal - thanks for that - went to search for Beechworth - historic old town in Victoria
I recently received (second-hand) a no-longer published book, written by the painter Norman Lindsay - (who knew he wrote a lot more than the 'Magic Pudding'?) - called 'Halfway to Anywhere' about a group of young boys growing up somewhere in an outback Australian country town - It is very funny. It is full of elaborate teenage plots and elaborate descriptive sentences and very strange colloquialisms people no longer use:
e.g. who knew that 'doing the bear' with a girl meant simple hugging?? I had to go on-line to find out. It is full of his own illustrations - who knew he was such a talented draftsman, capable of drawing males too and not only 'charming rotundities' as he called girls' bottoms
I guess Beechworth wouldn't qualify as a small town these days, but the anonymous town N.L. writes about is a mining town and most likely in outback Victoria . . ..
Have a great day - I need to go back to my 'picking-up sticks and honkey-nuts' in my garden, but glorious sunshine will lighten my chores.
