Kelly Cole, from Camel Trains, to Noodling for Opals . . . And other Grawin Freedom Folk

We first met Kelly on a remote highway while heading to Bourke. Trouble is, we forgot to get her number. Then we found out she lived in Lightning Ridge, so we headed back there to look for her.Reason?Kelly, and many of those who live in the Grawin area, covet and celebrate their freedom.But the liberty of this mining community is under threat.After a lifetime with little to no regulation, the government is coming in with over eight new regulations—and a lot of these are about closing them down.This country is so vast you could argue that it’s built for those of us who want to spread our wings. Trouble is, so many others are obsessed with building cages.Michael Gray Griffith17/12/25Near TenterfieldIf you like our work check out the first book of our travels, from the shooting at the Shrine to almost here.Goodbye Road, for a signed Copy use this link https://cafelockedout.com/product/goodbye-road-michael/On the fringes of society, there are people who just want to live their own lives—who just want to be free.Grawin is a mining community. People live in caravans or in buildings they have erected themselves.One we stayed at was a stone castle that a German national built himself in order to try to entice his wife, who was in Germany, to join him.Mick Davis has turned his hand to lots of things.When I met him, life’s journeys had just led him to Grawin. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cafelockeddown.substack.com/subscribe