This year's theme for Ironfest was 'Time Travel', and arriving in Lithgow as I have for the past 12 years for this year's event can sometimes be a flashback to another era - where opshops flourished and prices remained below secondhand charges. Having began a lot of my collecting while living in the Blue Mountains during the mid 80's I always journey out to these parts with some expectation that things will be better than in the city on these fronts.. sometimes there are disappointments.. and sometimes the travelling can be worth it.
This time out (apart from an excellent time had at Ironfest over two days) Lithgow, Springwood and Blaxland all gave up some treasures to be sure, mainly in the vinyl department.
On the way up Kaspar and I alighted at Springwood on Fri afternoon to once again confirm that it still only has one opshop. Usually not that productive like it had been in the dim past, but two Scheherazade additions, a sweet Kaempfert coverpic and an oddball Scripture in Song with promises to tell us what God says about bad language, witchcraft, temptation amongst other important subjects.
While waiting two and a half hours for the next train to continue on to Lithgow we ambled around, settlling for pie and sausage rolls at the only cafe that wasn't supplying gourmet p&s with salad for $6.50 each. Plus the friendly chinaman supplied tomato sauce in a squeezy for free.. now that's country service. While still ambling around we also found a secondhand bookshop that had the best Michael Moorcock pile I've ever seen on display..
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| although I didn't buy any.. |
After a weekend filled with explosive Napoleonics, radiationed steam punks & earth shattering victorian steamrollers, I sent the family home on Sunday afternoon. With a free Monday to casually make my way back to the big burg I firstly hankered down Main Street to The Family Store which gave forth a 'black suit' Spiderman tshirt ($2.50).
Not being too disheartened, I continued down to Vinnies in what is now a 2 opshop town. This presented yet another two Scheherazade LPs ($1 each), and a magnificent foldout Top of The Pops '71($2), along with a handful of Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars and VHS' of Star Wars I & II for Kaspar.
A quick step next door to the Hearts For Animals found me hurriedly skimming thru a vast vinyl stack at the back (finding a sweet narrated Alice in Wonderland) and a couple of more Hot wheels - all for 50c - does it get any better??
from top - yellow car unknown
Ballistic - Hot Wheels -2001
'47 Chevy Fleetlore - Hot Wheels - date unknown
unknown - Hot Wheels - 1989
Jeep Grand Cherokee - Matchbox - 1999
Jet Threat - Hot Wheels - 2008
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| Love this Jet Car |
B35? - Hot Wheels - 1994
Well yeah, it did that day..
Along with some cheap (at 20c each the best I come across in many a year) discs, The Cancer opshop in Blaxland, my next port of call, served up a fine selection. This included an antiquated Pirates of Penzance, a sultry Songs and Moods for people Alone Together, a Classic Goon Show and a vibrant covered Peter & the Wolf. I also was willing to part $5 for a fantastic covered (and great sounding) BBC Radiophonic Workshop of Doctor Who The Music, as he was a central theme of this year's Ironfest. Also scored a knitted Egyptian queen wall hanging ($5) for Madame Beth to use in an upcoming Egyptian display at the library.
Under the impression that there were three opshops in Blaxland (alas only 2) I quickly made way down to the Vinnies, which held many a secret stash in it's basement of black gold at $1 each. These included two more Peter & the Wolfs (I see a post developing), The Moog Strikes Bach, Walt Disney's Stories of H. C. Anderson, Hymns by Tennessee Ernie Ford and a corker of a record - It's Cool In The Furnace II - just got to find the first volume to make life complete...
The train was incoming and I ran out of time to photograph the front of the stores, alas.
Here is the full details of platters obtained in this jaunt..
Scheherazade - The Paris Conservatoire Orchestra - World record Club - date unknown
Scheherazade - Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic
Music For Pleasure - date unknown
Scheherazade - Vienna State Opera Orchestra - Calendar - date unknown
Scheherazade - London Symphony Orchestra - Victrola - 1962?
The Best of Top of the Pops '71 - Not Original Artists - Hallmark - 1971
Songs and Moods For People Alone Together - Pietro Delmont Orchestra - Rainbow - date unknown
Alice In Wonderland - Joan Greenwood & Stanley Holloway etc - Caedmon - date unknown
Doctor Who The Music - The BBC Radiophonic Workshop - BBC Records - 1983
The Moog Strikes Bach - Hans Wurman/Sonart Productions - RCA - 1969
The Pirates of Penzance (2nd of 2set) - The D'oyly Carte Opera Company - Decca - date unknown
A New Sound Conquers the World - Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra - Polydor - post 1961
Tennessee Ernie Ford: Hymns - Capital - date unknown
It's Cool In The Furnace II - L. Mayfield & G. Hawthorne - Word Records - 1984
Sing a Song of Scripture - Various Artists - Scripture in Song - date unknown
(missing 9 feet long wall poster, alas)
Walt Disney presents The Stories of Hans Christian Anderson - Camarata - Disneyland - 1965
Peter And The Wolf - Sir Ralph Richardson/London Symphony Orchestra - Decca - date unknown
Peter And The Wolf - Paul Daneman/The Little Symphony of London - MFP - 1969
A Musical Story of Peter And The Wolf - Peter Pan Symphony Orchestra - ALF - date unknown
Goon Show Classics Vol 7 - P. Sellers, S. Milligan, H. Secombe - BBC Records - 1980
