This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 40-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
Me and the TC are heading west, into the Australian Outback. On our first day, signs beside the road welcomed us to the Blue Mountains, the Inner West, and then the Great Outback. We took an interesting route, inadvertently stumbling across part of the Australian silo art trail. Along the way, we encountered our first road trains and found some cotton.
The book I’m in
The Book of Eve, by Meg Clothier. Ancient intrigue and engaging characters. This worm is about a third of the way through the book, and is thoroughly enjoying it.
Travel tips
Be off the roads before dark, if you can. There are no lights in the Outback, and the kangaroos like to cross the road in the dark.
The photos
Me at the water tower in Warren, New South Wales:
Warren is a small town in the middle of a thriving agricultural area: sheep and wool, wheat, and cotton.
In fact, the road to Warren is lined with cotton:
It’s white and fluffy, just as you’d expect cotton puffs to be:
We encountered our first road trains, the infamously long and fast semi-trucks that transport produce around Australia. Notice the warning boards on the front (and back) of the truck, announcing that it’s a road train. Notice also the length (this is all one truck) and the size in comparison to Janet the Jeep behind the truck:
In this case, the produce was, you guessed it, cotton:
At Warren, we found our first water tower art. The tower was erected in 1939, and the artwork was added in 2021. The concept design was by Sam Brooks. The work was painted by Bastian Allfrey.
Maggie posed in front of the tower for scale:
Nevertire is one of those Australian towns with an amazing name. The town’s water tower depicts the agricultural activities of the area. First, sheep shearing:
The artwork was completed in 2022 by Artist Bastian Allfrey. Another side of the tower shows wheat:
And, this worm’s favourite, cotton:
A posse of kangaroos kept an eye on the TC as she took the photos:
I’ll post more of our Outback adventures. In the meantime…
That’s all for today, folks.
Travelling Worm 
Talk to the Travelling Worm!