Yesterday I’ve been to Ballina. EF
describes it as “a pretty  little town”.
He’s been there for about 2 weeks waiting for an opportunity to get out over
the ominous “bar” at the entrance to Richmond River and Ballina. Once you’re
through the narrow bar, you’re in the safe waters of Richmond River and it’s a
very short distance to town itself.

There were apparently a lot of
changes to Ballina, but the “bar” is still there. I think, it’s pretty scary
still. Errol and his mates have made the crossing at nighttime and with rough
seas. Not quite easy, I reckon’.

Ballina in 1930 was largely made of
today’s CBD. I’ve wondered quite a bit about where exactly  EF made his “impressive entrance into Banalla”
(remind he misspelled it in Beam Ends). He describes entering the township on
the corner of Main St.  Assuming he was
coming from the wharf, which should have been near the pilot’s station ( the
pilot seemed to have a “roomy bungalow near the river mouth”), he entered town
from the north. As I found out at the Ballina Maritime Museum the pilot’s
station was at Shaws Bay, which is at the northern entrance of town.

I’ve attached photos from the “bar”
today and now  & then photos from
Ballina.  What EF referred to as Main
Street is and was actually “River St. On the historic aerial photo from Ballina
you see a clocktower to the lower left side right on River St. This building is
still there and from this direction EF , I assume, should have entered Ballina .

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU

Volker

— Volker