The great new gardening show set in Karratha, Onslow’s flatpack fireys, why winter clothes are on display

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Banana babies

It’s been the most gripping show of the year, one person’s quest to conquer bland and realise a dream.

We are talking about Karratha legend Eliza Carbines’ thrilling Instagram story documenting her newfound gardening prowess, and the villainous doggo hell-bent on thwarting her dreams of perfectly green grass.

Gone Troppo has been glued to the wild ride since day one, watching a standard Pilbara yard — all gravel and sadness — turn into a green haven.

Now season one has reached its zenith as not one but two banana babies sprout up, no doubt thrilling Carbines and co.

One, however, is hanging over the back fence and faces an uncertain future, and as we await season two of Eliza’s Garden a new villain has been foreshadowed — a gully-lurking creature we know all too well.

Will it develop a taste for bananas or those seeking to harvest them? And when will Costa make his first appearance? We can’t wait to find out.

No place for winter gear

One of the greater curiosities of dry season in the North West is the questionable clothes choices displayed prominently in our local chain stores.

Walking among the fleecy jackets and jumpers at Kmart, Ed Harry, Jay Jays etcetera you could be forgiven for forgetting it is 32C outside this time of year.

Gone Troppo was told some years ago in Karratha the reason behind the winter woollies on sale in the north came down to corporate types in the big smoke.

You see, they make these decisions in nice heated offices in Melbourne or Sydney based on what people in the lesser half of the country — the south — will be buying.

Up here the world revolves around the North West but it appears we don’t quite have the buying power yet to sway the big-wigs’ marketing decisions.

Flat-pack fireys to rescue

Volunteers are always willing to lend a hand no matter the job; it’s why communities love them so much.

Recently Onslow’s volunteer firefighters took on a monumental task which had them working after hours on a Saturday night.

There was no fire in sight, nor any cats in trees to rescue.

Standing before them was some 600kg of flat-pack Ikea furniture in need of assembling for the town’s new daycare centre.

A huge task for anyone, but the plucky group of vollies handled the task with aplomb and the daycare centre is on track to move into its new space this Friday.

The centre has put a shout-out for anyone with a ute or trailer to give them a hand with the move on the day.

And of course anyone who can spare a hand to fight fires and assemble furniture should get in touch with their local volunteer group.