Day 18 – Dubbo

After patching together a very tasty meal of “hamburger with the lot” (that’s what you call hamburgers that also have leftovers piled on to them including bacon, eggs, mushrooms, relish and onion), we gathered ourselves and set off for the Dubbo Observatory and an evening of stargazing.

Peter Starr, I kid you not – that is his real name, gave us a very comprehensive talk and look at the the heavens. I’d have to say much of it went over my head, (get it – haha?), but it was still an entertaining evening with quite a few oohs and ahhs as Peter guided us through the night skies. I did learn quite a bit, (some of which I even remember lass than 24 hours on), - we looked at Venus before it set, took a photo through the telescope of Orion nebula (OK, that bit I can’t guarantee to be accurate), was able to identify the saucepan, the southern cross and other bits. The truly amazing thing though was that we saw millions of stars through the telescope that the naked eye could not even discern at all. It’s quite humbling when you think of the sheer numbers of stars, galaxies etc in the universe and the age and size of them. We are a pretty small fish in a big sea.

It was after 9:30pm when we got back so we called it a night and planned our attack on activities for our last day. Gaz was up early to go and grab a coffee with his mate, David. Maz and I waited until Gaz returned as we needed our car to head off in because Gaz and Kev had golf planned for 11am. Let me take this moment to tell you that Gaz and Kev, (yes, I made sure BOTH were reminded), failed to return from golf with a photo. Oh, there were tales of awesome drives, lost golf balls, improved performance but a photo? Nuh, nix, nada. I am now convinced that no actual golf has taken place on this trip and they spray themselves with water to approximate sweat as they come near. What they actually do is, of course, anyone’s guess.

Maz and I, who have plenty of photo evidence of our adventures, took off in search of the Dubbo Regional Botanical Gardens. They were lovely. Mainly a Japanese garden but also some more traditional roses and other purple, red, white, and pink flowers (I generally identify flowers by colour, not species, OK). Maz was somewhat distracted as we wandered around as she was fielding calls and messages … drum roll … Maz and Kev became grandparents again overnight! Little Arlo David Priest was born in the wee hours of the morn, (well, 12:48 am to be exact), to Ryan and Bec, and weighed 3.2kg – everyone well and home already (who wants to hang out in hospitals at the moment). As well as spending a lovely hour or so in the gardens, I once again left some painted rocks for someone to find.

We then spent another hour or so checking out the main street of Dubbo. We considered going into the Dubbo Gaol but a) it seemed a bit pricey, b) my feet were hurting, c) I would have had to move the car, d) we were hungry. So, it was back to the cabin where we ate the last of our amassed bread rolls and salad, meeting up with Kev & Gaz when they returned from golf photoless.

Maz and I were keen to visit a local historic site, Dundallimal Homestead, out past the zoo. I suddenly realised that it closes at 3 pm and it was already a bit after 2, so we jumped in the car and set off immediately. In great anticipation we followed the signs and approached the property, just to be confronted with a closed gate and the inevitable sign that they were closed due to COVID-19. On our return journey, we mused over whether we would have been able to come on this trip at all if the pandemic had started even a couple of weeks earlier.

It seems most things will be closed soon so we certainly consider ourselves lucky to have had the experiences we’ve had. In these uncertain times, we have a lot of memories, OK and a LOT of photos, and we will cherish those memories, made all the more special by the friendship we have experienced along the way. For today, the enforced afternoon off afforded me the opportunity to do something I haven’t done in years … have an afternoon nap! It was great – this could be a sign of things to come!

We are off for a pub meal tonight and then it’s an early start to pack up and head home tomorrow. We have missed our family and look forward to getting home but it has been a blast. So tomorrow we’re back to see how Dusty has fared without us and, indeed if she remembers us at all after being totally spoilt in our absence – thanks Kim and David! Until next time …