All those hours spent playing with welding rods in the workshop come into their own for people living in the bush when Christmas comes around.
Those pieces of scrap metal laying around suddenly become parts of Santa’s arm, or baubles on the Christmas tree, as people feel the urge to share the spirit from the remotest parts of the state.
Bushies may not be able to turn on a sensational lights display for their neighbours, but the tradition of decorating their mailbox, their signpost, or their front fence is alive and kicking.
One of the best known examples of this is the Surat Tinsel Trail, in which dozens of landholders in the Maranoa region get busy stringing tinsel across gateways, together with humorous signs, stuffed Santas and beautiful pieces of Christmas artwork.
Another group west of Longreach turned on their creative genius in 2015 as a way of combating the deep drought being experienced, and the resulting Silsoe Road mailbox competition turned out to be the talk of the state that year.
Submit your mailbox/signpost artwork
Once again, Christmas Day is only days away and people across the state are turning on their decorating genius.
In the lead up to Christmas, the Queensland Country Life will build an interactive map of mailbox/signpost art and bush light displays to share with readers.
Readers are encouraged to send in photos of their displays to be included in the map and featured in an online gallery of photos.
You can share your photos by completing the form below.
There’s one small catch – your address has to be able to be found in Google Maps, so if you live on a property, make sure you include the emergency services address, not just your property name.