There are rocky times afoot in Bowraville, but they are not the type you think ...
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Introducing 'rock dropping', the fun fad that has arrived in town, connecting residents to each other as well as far flung corners of NSW.
The idea is simple - find a pebble, paint it, put your postcode on the back, take a photo, hide it and then post the photo with a clue on Facebook (NSW Rocks keep or hide) ... others then seek and post a reply when they find it.
Bowraville's resident 'crazy rock lady', Stacey Montford, says she first discovered the game when walking her toddlers to preschool.
"My trip started with three little rocks we found on the way to school. I had not idea what they meant but when I asked at the preschool they told me about NSW Rocks," Stacey said.
"I didn't have a car for three weeks and we were walking everywhere, so I started painting rocks and hiding them, I flooded the market and the pebbles started disappearing.
"Thomas started looking and when he found them he was so thrilled - "Look Mummy, friends are painting for me".
Bowraville's Community Garden is a real focus point for the game - safe for the little ones to roam with plenty of nooks and crannies to tuck pebbles into.
"There are lots of people who are getting into it - and its not just the kids out looking. People hide them in clever places - it took me two weeks to find one rock!"
And whats more, the pebbles travel - rocks from Newcastle and the Central Coast have started turning up around Bowraville and one of Stacey's was discovered in Gunnedah. Stacey's parents-in-law even took one of her artworks and placed it on the tip of Australia at Cape Tribulation.
Adding to the fun is the creative outlet it offers ... in Stacey's case, it is something she does with the kids but also at night when her three little ones (Thomas (3), Eli (2) and Millie, four months) are asleep.
"It's 'me' time then and I get quite artsy with them," she said.
"There's a rhythm now - I have my art supplies, we gather the rocks from the garden, paint them and then set out to hide them.
"It's an adventure and its totally free - a great thing for this age group that we can do around town. There is also the pleasure of 'giving', the selfless act that brings smiles and inspires others."
She was recently told of a young girl with a prosthetic eye, who found one of her 'dragon eye' rocks - "apparently it really resonated with her and she kept it".
"I don't know who long I'll keep being the 'crazy rock lady' but for now I'll proudly wear the name, knowing there are those who appreciate our act of kindness."
So join the fun today - 46,049 other members of the Facebook group can't be wrong!