I have complied this short article about Girvan, Australia which I thought might compliment Maybole, Australia. I grew up in Girvan and attended Girvan Academy before graduating from Glasgow University. After a short spell in London I moved to Sydney Australia. I was intrigued to find that there was a Girvan in Australia, so I set out to discover if it held any resemblance to its namesake in my beloved Ayrshire. GIRVAN, New South Wales, Australia is located approx. 140 miles (225.20 kms) North of Sydney. This equates to a 3 hour drive along roads of decreasing width and construction through the dry Australian bush! Travel by 4X4 is recommended and petrol stations are few and far between so if you do see one fill up! I stopped at one such station in Booral, just down the road from Girvan where I told the attendant why I was going to Girvan.

She was amazed to learn that there was another Girvan and said, " You have come a long way, I hope you are not disappointed". I asked if it had any interesting places to visit. She remarked that there were no shops, 3 houses and one Youth Hostel, but the millionaire's 10 storey apartment on the hill was worth a look. Intrigued I ventured on!

When we got to Girvan we found what at best could be described as less than a clachan! 2 run down houses, one of which seemed to be a subsistence pig farm and another building which seemed to be the place where old ute's (Australian pickup trucks) go to die. The whole place had a feel similar to Deliverance, all that was lacking was the banjo playing cousins on the porches! It took a total of 15 seconds to drive through, no McKechnie Institute, no Chandlers Arcade, not even a Victoria Park... but there was one similarity if you were desperate to see it... a kind of Stumpy!

		Perched high on a hill was a 10 storey private residence belonging to local boy made good, Peter Gray the millionaire. I am told his fortune stems from property and petrol stations! I will leave you to judge his taste in architecture. But next time you hear anyone complain about Girvan's lack of facilities, spare a thought for the residents of Girvan, NSW!!
Girvan, New South Wales, Australia	Peter Gray's House. Girvan, Australia