Road Trip 2017 – Day 7 – Adelaide Fringe

How good was it not to have to get up and rush off somewhere this morning? We had all morning free and Gaz and I didn’t get up until 8, although I had been reading since 6:30. After breakfast we went for a walk along the beach and then pretty much lazed around reading our books until it was time to head into Adelaide CBD with Kevin and Marion at about 12.

After parking the car we ventured up Rundle Mall, taking in the sites and buskers, but started to flag quickly as it was pretty hot and sunny – about 34 degrees. We searched out some lunch, Marion took off to the Art Gallery, Kevin wandered off as well, and Gaz and I popped in to a pub for a beer/wine, but really we just wanted somewhere cool to sit! We ended up in a park in the shade and managed to find a nice breeze thrown in. 

We met up with the other guys for an early dinner – shared a wonderful sharing plate of yummy goodies – and then we were off to the ‘Fringe’ to see Judith Lucy and Denise Scott. It was a fantastic show – we laughed so much! It was quite interactive and at one point Denise was talking about her arthritis and asked if anyone else in the audience was a sufferer. I gave the slightest nod, and she honed in on me, asked my name, and for the rest of the show I was referred to as ‘Arthritic Penny’ – as in…”Well, Arthritic Penny would agree with me…” They were very funny ladies. We also popped in to a 15 min comedy show on the way out of the ‘Garden’ and enjoyed that too. 

We all agreed it had been a good night and we topped it off with some gelato on the way to the car and then back for a well earned rest, home by 10pm. It started to sprinkle on the way home – hope it clears up for tomorrow – golf planned.

Road Trip 2017 – Day 6 – Clare Valley to West Beach (Adelaide)

It was a fairly leisurely start to the day after a coolish night that allowed for a good night's sleep – Gaz slept for almost 10 hours – I don’t know how he does it! Anyway, after packing up, we drove through Auburn, another small nearby township, but kept going as nothing was open. Not being big wine drinkers, we had decided not to bother checking out any more wineries – we were happy to take the long way in to Adelaide via Balaclava and Port Wakefield. We stopped at a bakery for morning tea at Port Wakefield – I loved their mural on the outside brick wall.

We then pushed on into Adelaide along the freeway and made it to the caravan park about 12:30pm. This is the largest caravan park/resort thingy I’ve ever seen – it’s massive! After unpacking and shopping for groceries we had lunch and then pretty much hung around waiting for Kevin and Marion who had been exploring wineries and shops on their own. I did find the laundry and get a couple of loads of washing done which was very handy. Luckily the laundry is next to the pool so that works out well while you’re waiting. Gaz and I also went for a little walk (Gaz) and ride (me) to check out the walking/riding path at the beach, directly behind the caravan park. The beach looks awesome – that could be tomorrow’s activity!

Marion cooked a lovely smoked salmon pasta dish for dinner – it was really nice and a good change from BBQ and salad, as nice as that is. After dinner we (Kev, Maz & I) took off on our bikes to ride to Glenelg – it was about a 45 minute round trip. Got some great sunset shots.

We then spent a lovely hour or two chatting, sitting outside, planning our coming days. It is a very pleasant 24 degrees this evening but, I believe, heading for 34 degrees tomorrow – the beach is looking good!

Road Trip 2017 – Day 5 – Broken Hill to Leasingham (Clare Valley)

Big travel day today so we were up fairly early, packing up the Deluxe Suite ready for our departure. Gary took the car off to the car wash as it had got pretty dirty with the dust and showers combination yesterday. A lot of bugs were plastered at the front and bizarrely he discovered that baby wipes can get them off very well. 

We set off about 9:30am and waved goodbye to Broken Hill, a truly amazing place. We spent a little while dodging goats that seemed to line the highway for the first hour or so, and then we stopped after about 200km at Yunta, a very small spot with a pub and 2 service stations. Luckily we had packed our lunch as the pub was closed and, when Gaz wandered in to a service station to buy a treat or two for us he discovered a wagon wheel was $3.50. Needless to say, we only got one and shared it! (What is the go with the size of wagon wheels these days? They have definitely shrunk over the years…but that’s a discussion for another day.)

After our brief stop for lunch, we agreed to meet again at Burra, a small town about another 200km down the highway. Before we got there however, we were stopped and searched for fruit and plants. Who knew? Not Marion who had stocked up with fruit & veg yesterday. Certainly not us who lost our stash of oranges. Anyway, we surrendered it all. I was confused and asked the guy if this was the border with South Australia. He said, ‘Oh, no, that was about 300km back – they just can’t get anyone to work there!’

Burra was a lovely little town. We wandered around, predominately looking for fruit and veg to buy (lol) but found many stores closed. Adelaide Cup and therefore a public holiday. Once again, who knew? We did find a beautiful coffee shop and enjoyed an awesome afternoon tea – with real clotted cream. Mmmmm.

It was then off on the last leg of today’s trip to the Clare Valley. We stopped briefly at Clare to shop as we found a Woolies open, and then about 16 km on to Leasingham for our caravan park. We ran next door to a Cellar Door at a winery and tasted (and bought) some wine, prepared our dinner – another awesome effort, and then Marion & I took a ride along the Riesling Trail on our bikes. The bike ride was hard work but a good way to end the day.

PS - we finished our audio book as we drove into Burra and both agreed it was a great idea and helped pass the time very well. It was over 10 hours - The Traitor's Story by Kevin Wignall - and Gaz and I both enjoyed it immensely. 4/5 stars! We might start another one tomorrow!

Road Trip 2017 – Day 4 – Broken Hill & Silverton

We awoke to cloudy skies and a cool breeze this morning. Could this be the same town a s yesterday where it was still over 30 degrees in the evening? It certainly was and we were to encounter scattered showers throughout the day – not much though. We set off to the information place to set up our plans for the day and they were very helpful. Our first stop was a miner’s memorial, perched atop old mine remnants right next to the town. Every miner killed in the region was listed, right up to the present time. It certainly was a dangerous job and you can understand why the Trade Unions were so important here to improve safety for the workers. It was quite a sobering monument. There was also some old mining machinery on display as well as wonderful views looking over the town. 

We then took a drive to Sturt Park where, quite randomly, there is a memorial to the band that played while the Titanic sank. It was placed there in 1913 by the bands of Broken Hill – there were four – to honour their colleagues. Wow, they certainly shared something special being band members! We wandered through the (very nice) park and then drove through the streets, passing a few more notable buildings, churches and so on. 

We chanced upon a lookout which gave another view of the town and the Line of Lode – the ridge where the memorial is and where we started our day.

It was then off to the famous Bell Milk Bar, a fifties styled milk bar and museum, where we had a bit of morning tea and checked out the memorabilia. You know your old when you can point to every second thing on exhibit and say, ‘I had one of them!’

After some deliberation, we decided to drive the 30km or so out to Silverton. We first went to the Mundi Mundi Lookout where you look out over ground so flat you can almost see the curvature of the earth…well, maybe you can when it is a clear day. Regardless it was a good view and worth the trip. 

Back in Silverton we spent a pleasant half hour or so browsing a gallery and then stopped in to the iconic (or so the sign says) Silverton Hotel for lunch. Nice pub, good atmosphere and tucker, and a fun game of draughts/checkers. 

On our drive back into town I stopped to snap a photo of the Silverton Creek which is, of course, bone dry at the moment. This place must look so different when the waters come down.

At this point we decided we would split up so we dropped Kevin and Marion back at their car, grabbed a cup of tea, (and a snooze from Gaz), and headed back into town. We first stopped at the Silver Mint Museum and Shop which had A LOT of silver jewellery for sale – oh dear, what is a girl to do? A bracelet and earrings later, and a bit of a browse through the gallery and museum, and we were off to our next destination, the Pro Hart Gallery. I wasn't sure what to expect, but we were blown away. We spent quite a bit of time looking through the gallery and learning all about Pro, his life, and his art. Very fascinating! Gary got a great hat and I couldn't resist some beach towels, one with the famous dragonfly on carpet painting. I really loved his paintings. On the way out we were able to view Pro’s collection of Rolls Royce cars and sculptures – he was a very talented man.

It was time for a brief rest back at the ‘deluxe suite’ and I also managed to have a swim and a bit of time reading by the pool. It was still cloudy and fairly windy but the rain stayed away. We then met up again with Kev & Maz to head on out to the Desert Scupltures, timing our visit to coincide with sunset. Gaz dropped us at the bottom of a big hill and we walked up, meeting him at the top (with the car). It was a great walk but I’m really glad I didn’t have to do it in 40 degree heat! Once at the top of the hill, not only did we have some wonderful sculptures to view, we had a marvellous sunset to the west and a glorious full moon rising in the east. I almost got dizzy switching between the two. Regardless of the difficulty in choosing the most spectacular view, it was…well…spectacular.

Our last night here in Broken Hill. It’s off to South Australia tomorrow.

Road Trip 2017 – Day 3 – Cobar to Broken Hill

Early to rise, packed the lunches, got organised, and then I was off on our Cobar cycling adventure. Kevin, Marion & I set off – Gaz declined on this occasion…clearly not a morning person – to follow the famous Cobar walking trail, but of course, on two wheels. Kevin kept the commentary going (courtesy of the guidebook), as we pedalled our way around town. We saw buildings, an old railway station, parks, memorials, churches, and pretty much every point of interest you could imagine. It took a little under an hour and was a great way to start the day – not too many hills which pleased me no end!

After packing the car and departing the caravan park, Gaz and I called into a cute coffee shop/homewares shop and I spent some time browsing while Gaz had a coffee. It was an awesome shop – who knew Cobar could deliver this stuff? 

It was then time to hit the road. After researching the rest stop options, we agreed to meet Kevin and Marion at a particular rest stop about halfway to Broken Hill…and that’s what we did about 2 and a half hours later. It was very hot, and there were lots of flies, but we still managed to keep the feral goats at bay and enjoy our picnic before heading off again. (Did I mention the book is getting pretty interesting? How great to look forward to long road trips just so you can see what happens next!)

The drive was fascinating – so vast, red dirt, and scrub. Crossing the Darling Flood Plain it was hard to imagine the land covered in water. We crossed over one dry creek bed after another. As we passed through Wilcannia I had to stop and take a photo of the Darling River – long ago memories of primary school, drawing little wiggly blue lines on maps – and here I was, seeing the mighty Darling (though not so mighty at the moment), in the flesh.

Having gained half an hour as we crossed into Central Australian Time, we arrived mid afternoon, unpacked, and went off exploring the town. Unfortunately the tourist centre was closed by the time we got there, so we hoofed around for a while, booked a table for dinner, and then came back to get ready – we had a bit of dust to wash off! It was still 36 degrees – thank goodness our ‘deluxe suite’ has an air conditioner. Kevin is still in stitches every time he sees the lettering ‘deluxe suite’ on our door.

Dinner was very pleasant (though we all agreed not as good as our own endeavours) and we tried to decide on a plan of action for tomorrow so we could really discover all Broken Hill has to offer. In the end we decided we need advice, so it’s off to the tourist centre first thing in the morning. Hopefully we get a good night’s sleep – unfortunately that is not looking promising as the little air conditioner does not blow air around corners and so it doesn't make it to the bedroom from the kitchen/living area. Could be sleeping on the kitchen table…

Road Trip 2017 – Day 2 – Orange to Cobar

It was a chilly awakening this morning – 6 degrees in Orange – that gets the juices flowing! 

Interestingly, within an hour or so the temp had risen to 16 degrees and we set off to explore the main street of Orange. I was surprised how little I recalled of the town, but we did only live there for a year, and it was 32 years ago. Gary did catch up with an old customer that he hadn't seen since we left and I’m sure was chuffed to here “I remember you, you were the only bank manager I ever had who I didn’t hate!”

Having conferred with Kevin and Maz we decided we would meet in Narromine for lunch and headed off for our morning drive. We stopped for petrol at Molong and Gary asked the best way to Narromine. “Definitely go through Dubbo” was the reply. We had planned to go along Banjo Paterson Way, (which does not go through Dubbo), and as we approached that turn off we thought, ‘no guts, no glory’ and decided to be adventurous. When we were soon dodging potholes and then hit the ominous ‘Gravel Road’ sign, we doubted ourselves…but it was short lived. The dirt road was only for a km or so, and the road improved enormously. It was a great trip and we arrived well before our travel partners who left ages before us and went through Dubbo. We felt like driving back to Molong to tell the petrol station lady that she needs to revise her advice.

We had a lovely picnic lunch in Narromine Park, visited the famous (?) Glenn McGrath statue, and then it was back on the road to head for Cobar, via Nyngan. It was a great road too. Straight, flat, 110 km/hr speed limit, virtually no traffic. Luckily we had downloaded an audio book or two and we were kept entertained by our first foray into what I think will be a great way to pass the time – listening to a book.

Arriving in Cobar at about 4pm, we unpacked our stuff and then went exploring to visit a couple of the local sites – the famous Cobar sign and Heritage Museum, a lookout to see a very large open cut mine, and the Newy Reservoir. It was 33 degrees and quite warm, though the locals laughed at us when we said it was hot. By 7pm we were sitting down to another brilliantly put together BBQ and salad, with a glass of wine, or in my case, bottle of Pimms, in hand. (Who has been keeping this stuff a secret? Thanks to my cricket team who introduced me to it!) 

By 8pm, Marion and I had donned the bicycle helmets and were cycling around the caravan park, with a date booked for 8am tomorrow to cycle a little further afield. Big drive tomorrow, so hoping for a good night’s sleep – it’s still 28 degrees at 9pm.

Road Trip 2017 – Day 1 – Newcastle to Orange

This is the story of our road trip with our friends, Kevin and Marion. The four of us are travelling to Adelaide, via Broken Hill, and then back up the Great Ocean Road. All stops are booked with us staying in cabins, and Kev & Maz in their caravan. It should take us a little less than 3 weeks.

I finally got to bed at 1am after finishing off some work and writing the weekly cricket newsletter…still hadn't packed. Woke at 6am and after some dilly dallying around and last minute organising we finally had finished packing and headed down to the basement to try to fit it all in the car. We might want to play golf – put the clubs in. We might go to the beach – umbrella and beach chairs. Let's take our bikes – bike rack on. We really should take some food – add in food tubs, thermos, esky, lunch box thingies. Oh, and some clothes…take some clothes.

Hitting the road a little after 10:30am, we were only about an hour behind schedule, but that’s OK – we promised ourselves we would be relaxed and not stress about time. A short stop for lunch at Maccas Pennant Hills reminded us why we should have packed our lunch and then it was off to Lithgow, our first stop down memory lane. It has been a while, a long while since we had been there…the mid 80s to be exact. We lived there for 2 years – Carly was born there, Alison did her HSC, and James mastered the terrible twos. We walked up and down the main street which is imaginatively called Main Street and found that there were lots of shops and offices that seemed the same. We then drove around in circles looking for our old house, using our defective collective memories, rather than the GPS – big mistake. We did eventually find it and I’d have to say it looked a lot less imposing than I recalled. The roads were covered in pot holes – get your act together Lithgow Council!

It was now mid afternoon and we headed off toward Orange. The temperature in Lithgow was a predictable 17 degrees, it had been about 23 degrees at home, so we were a little concerned that we would freeze, but as we left Lithgow behind the sun came out and the temperature rose, with the mercury once again rising to 24 degrees and a lovely autumn afternoon in Orange where we arrived about 5pm. After catching up with our travelling companions, we drove into town to search for the two houses we had lived in when we lived in Orange in 1985. I could write a novel about that year and our generally sub-standard accommodation. Over 30 years on, I felt it was time to re-visit my demons. A quick drive-by both houses confirmed what I found with the Lithgow house, either I had grown, or they had shrunk!

After a shopping expedition to grab the makings for dinner, we put together a great BBQ meal, that we enjoyed with our friends, and planned our movements for tomorrow. Everyone decided an early night was called for and, besides, it was getting very chilly. Ah yes, we do remember how cold it can be here! Great start to what will hopefully be a fun trip.