Where The Hell’s Yumali?

The great thing about a road trip is you never know what to expect. It’s fantastic to be back on the road for another adventure!

To start, there’s this place called Yumali. It’s one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it small South Australian towns, tucked along the main highway between Adelaide and Melbourne. It boasts a community hall and a footy oval. And that’s about it.

The hall had been derelict and unused for the last thirty years, but the locals have spent the past six months restoring it, all in time for Saturday night’s country dance and a weekend-long music muster.

We only learnt about this event after we left home. But what a fabulous weekend it was. It wasn’t some glitzy show. With no other accommodation around, we camped with a bunch of others in the corner of a local farmer’s paddock. Even the op-shop attire we picked up for the dance felt a little too fancy!

With the support of a local dance instructor, the floor soon filled with enthusiastic locals, dusting off old dancing skills. From the old military two-step to the Queen’s Waltz, and of course, the Nutbush, everyone from the young to the old joined in.

But among this eclectic group of local farmers and past members of this seemingly ordinary quiet community, there was a rich tapestry of people with fascinating stories to tell.

The MC for the evening was Lindsay Warner who grew up in the area. I learned later, while sitting around the campfire the next night, that restoring the community hall was a dream his late mother had before she passed away. But that wasn’t Lindsay’s only achievement. He recently set a solo record, incredibly circumnavigating Australia’s 15,000 km coastline on a jet ski!

Of course no country dance is complete without a good ol’ country supper. A chat over a homemade cream puff and traditional date-and-nut roll with one couple revealed an inspiring story. If you’ve ever dreamed of a major lifestyle change, Rick’s story might just top it. Ten years ago, he left Sydney to buy a property in the middle of the Mallee, in a town even more remote than Yumali. “I knew my two neighbours in a city of 5 million,” he told me. “Now, I’m part of a far bigger social group in a lovely community of just forty to fifty people.” His partner, Kerry, also had her own inspiring story.

Remember Quentin Kenihan? He was born with a rare bone disease and became famous as a writer, actor, and disability advocate. Well, it was his mother I was chatting with, the very person who helped bring disability advocacy into the public eye through the media.

Then there were David and Pauline, who entered the hall to the Wedding March music. They were married here 55 years ago. As we chatted later, I learned that their rich history, much like this hall, continues to give back to the community. How David who lives with PTSD from his work in the country fire service,  now shares his life experience and exceptional woodworking skills with others, creating wooden models and providing templates to other Men’s Sheds.

Yumali was more than just a fun dance. It was more than a weekend of music, camping, and bonfires. It was a chance to peek beneath the surface of a seemingly ordinary community, but full of extraordinary people and their remarkable life stories.

Thank you, Yumali. What a great start to a Roadie!