churchill: head my warning

So Perry and I spent a few hours in Churchill on Friday, always a pleasure, a fascinating town in so many ways. If you don't know the story, it is that the State Electricity Commission and the Housing Commission joined forces in around 1963 to build a town to house workers at the new Hazelwood power station nearby. The original idea was for the town to grow to 40 000 but it stalled in the late 1960s because the state switched its focus to natural gas from coal power. 

This thing (below) is the 'Churchill's cigar' monument which obviously has no purpose other than landmark and is a weird focus for the town because to get close to it (as Perry is, above) you really have to go out of your way. There you will find not only the 'cigar' but a wall, unveiled 1990, with all the early residents' names scratched into bricks. 

The town was originally to be called Hazelwood - figures - but then Churchill died, and so the state government decided to call it that. Clever. There was resistance but a later (narrowly decided) referendum confirmed the name. 

'Who will we get to lease our home darling?'

'How about the Babets, they seem nice'

I'm guessing that the below is the first, what would you call it, terrace? housing in Churchill (rare form), only this end is in this kind of condition, the other end is well-looked after. 

Backyard of above, below. 

Lol! 

Anyway, don't despair because...