Day 11 – Hay

We had a really pleasant evening last night at Kev & Maz’s campsite. We were blown away with delicious lamb curry with lots of accompaniments and some yummy ice cream for dessert. They have set the bar high! As well as the lovely food we also partook of some more 80’s Trivia, this time with Wayne included and Vicky (sorry folks, I just discovered I should have been spelling Vicky with a y) reading out the questions. I won’t bore you with the details … suffice it to say, I won again, this time making a flying run from behind. Thank you, Mount St Helens, ET, Charles and Di’s wedding year (1981, same as ours).

After a good night’s sleep, we were off a bit after 9am to head to Hay, about 1 hour 40 minutes from Griffith. It’s always interesting seeing new and varied landscapes – well this landscape was new to me but not so much varied – flat, flat, plains. Arriving in Hay for our obligatory coffee stop a bit before 11am, we then headed over to Shear Outback – Australian Shearers’ Hall of Fame where we started a couple of hours exploration. Unfortunately, the scheduled shearing exhibition was cancelled as the shearer was sick (hmm, not sure how hardy these shearers really are!) but there was plenty of other things to look at.

We wandered through an exhibition area and then headed out to the woolshed to see firsthand how it all worked. Buddy did very well as an honorary sheep. The actual sheep that we saw in the shed stood so still at first we thought they were fake! There was lots of interesting info about the shearers and we watched some DVDs, smelt tar, (I passed on the urine), and had a go at clicking shears, among other things.

After we had our fill of all things shearing, we set off for Sandy Point, a lovely picnic spot by the banks of the Murrumbidgee right on the edge of Hay township. Once again, the picnic was a raging success – great food and location. There is a sandy beach there where you can swim but we didn’t have swimmers or time, so it was back in the cars.

This time us three girls headed off to The Dunera Museum via the old Hay Courthouse while the fellas went to have another coffee – they love their coffee, those guys … or is it that they just don’t really like museums? Hmm? Anyway, the museum is a self-guided tour at the old Hay Railway Station, in an old railway carriage, and tells the story of the Hay Internment and POW Camps during WWII. More stuff on Italians and Japanese prisoners but also on some poor unfortunate Jewish people who fled to Britain from the Nazis and then were interned here because they were German & Austrian. Something I hadn’t come across before.

After meeting up again with the guys we rearranged seats again and Kev, Maz, Gaz and I travelled back together, playing silly alphabet games to pass the time. I can’t imagine why they questioned that I saw a quarry (for Q) as we travelled across the plain or indeed said I could see yonder (for Y). OK, I’m competitive, what can I say? We arrived back with an hour or so to spare to get all glammed up for our outing to an Italian restaurant – Zecca – tonight. Mama Mia!

Day 10 – Griffith Pioneer Park Museum

Couldn’t quite believe it but we slept in til 7:30 this morning – must be the lovely cool nights they have here. Gaz was sent off on a shopping trip to procure supplies for the picnic we planned later on in the day, and I put together our picnic stuff. Meeting at around 10am, our little group of 6 set off again in convoy to the Griffith Pioneer Park.

What a fabulous spot! Set up on a hill not far from the centre of Griffith, it is a set of buildings and museums that pay homage to the history of the region. Most of the buildings are original but have been relocated from elsewhere, often by a community group such as Rotary. They tell the story of the pioneers – there’s a schoolhouse, hospital, homestead, log cabin, general store, blacksmiths, post office and so on. I think it’s mainly run by volunteers.

There is also an amazing museum outlining the history of the Italian migrants who came here to this area, predominately between the wars. We watched an interesting DVD that was playing on a loop outlining the experiences of four families – gee, they did it tough, but apparently things were even worse back home in Italy and they were grateful to make a new start.

Another fascinating exhibit is the Knitted Garden – an amazing room/cabin chock-a-block full of knitted objects – flowers, toys, just about anything you can think of – it was amazing! Every time you looked again you saw something new. There were depictions of nursery rhymes, vegetables, aeroplanes, just so many varied and creative things.

We spent a lovely couple of hours wandering around the grounds and had planned to picnic there but in the end the lure of coffee (which was not available on site) and some alleged mozzies (so the boys said), sent us packing back down to the town where we stopped briefly at a café for coffees. Next stop was a park near a water channel where we enjoyed our usual picnic fare and especially welcomed the apple walnut log procured by Gaz that morning – champion work Gaz!

The others were keen to shop on the way home so we offered to take Buddy so they could take their time. We set off and were discussing what a big and somewhat vibrant town Griffith was, certainly very busy and bustling today, when BANG! Someone ran right up the back of us while we were stopped in a line of traffic. Although it was a shock, we were OK, Buddy was OK, the other driver was OK. Her car was not in good shape. Thankfully, our tow bar took the brunt of the impact and so our car is still drivable. Needless to say, Gaz was really angry, but we called the police, exchanged details etc and managed to drive without further incident!

Unfortunately the damage is such that we can no longer open or close the rear door to access the boot and we can’t lock the car, BUT we can fold the rear seats down and access the boot from the back seat doors so we should be able to manage. Gaz spent the afternoon at NRMA and a panel beater – so much for a quiet afternoon lol. Regrettably, the panel beater said nothing can be done until the whole thing gets fixed which will have to happen when we get home. I did the laundry and had a swim, so the time was not totally wasted.

It is Maz & Kev’s turn to cook tonight – lamb curry – looking forward to that! I think the plan for tomorrow is to drive to Hay.

Day 9 – Narrandera & Leeton

It’s always great to catch up with friends, and last night was no exception. We had a fabulous evening with Carol & Michael reminiscing about our Ulverston Way days and catching up on all their news – great food too – you really get to appreciate the home cooked meals when you’re travelling!

This morning saw us once again packing up and leaving slightly before 9 am to head for the NSW Fisheries Centre at Narrandera. We foolishly decided to rely on the GPS – Maz had given us the name of the road – and were sent all over the countryside for what should have been a very straight forward trip. The first turn off we were instructed to take resulted in a dirt road only a km or so in with the suggestion there may be another 28km of it. Gaz did not like the idea of that so we turned back to the highway and travelled along for another 20km or so then followed instructions again to turn, once again, a few km in the road turned to dirt but this time we ploughed on kicking up the dust behind us. Strangely, no one else seemed to be on this road… We then approached a T intersection where the GPS advised us to turn away from Narrandera – this was the point where I proposed a mutiny and overturned the GPS’ instructions. We then proceeded another 15 or so km and almost missed the place because there were no signs … of course there weren’t any signs, they were all facing the other way … it was never expected anyone would come from the other direction!

All the others were there waiting for us, wondering where we could have got to. When I asked later if they would have been worried if we didn’t turn up, Kev declared he would not have cared in the slightest lol. We were then treated to an amazing tour of the Fisheries facility which is for breeding and research purposes. Our guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. We watched an informative DVD, looked at the various species of fish in the aquarium, in particular, Agro, the large Murray Cod, and also got to see some of the breeding pools out the back. Would thoroughly recommend a visit if you are out that way, but you do need to book.

Our tour went past midday, so we were all starving by the time we arrived in the park at Narrandera for a picnic lunch. We spent a very pleasant time in the park, and I left a few painted rocks there in the playground as well – the park is called Marie Bashir Park – I’m guessing she’s from the area? (I saw a post on Facebook later that showed a young child who was very excited to have found them.) My mum and dad lived in Narrandera for 18 months when they were first married, and I would say the town hasn’t changed too much – the main street still has a lot of old-world charm. We went for a little walk after sharing coffee and cake at a bakery after lunch.

We then proceeded in convoy to Lake Talbot, a water park near the town, which is amazing. Big pools, water slides and freshwater lake for other water sports. A lovely lifeguard showed us around and told is a bit about the place. He said it has been a very busy summer as the bushfires have pushed tourists inland. For example, on Australia Day they had 1,000 visitors to the water park!

Our next stop was Leeton, where we briefly enjoyed the amazing Tourist Information Centre and grounds – beautiful gardens, helpful staff and a fabulous old homestead that was the Water Resource Manager’s home as part of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) Scheme which I remember learning about at school. Once again, I left a couple of painted rocks and then we were off for the short drive to Griffith – all these towns are reasonably close to each other. We also went through Yanco and Gaz remembered that Yanco Ag College beat Bass High in rugby league in 1967 and his friend Neil King dropped a perfect pass on the wing and bombed what would have been the winning try. Poor Neil was forever after known as “Bomber”. Could be time to let that one go, Gaz…

Arriving at Griffith about 4pm, we unpacked, Gaz went to do a bit of shopping, I went for a swim with Wayne & Vicki – so refreshing! – and then minded Buddy while Kev and Maz went to get wine. It was then to Wayne & Vicki’s cabin where we congregated outside and played the new Reminiscing game before a yummy dinner of steak, salad and potatoes cooked by Vicki. More wine, clinkers for dessert (good pick up Gaz), and some discussion over our itinerary for the week, and then it was back to our cabin for an early night.

Day 8 – Wagga

Our meal last night was pretty good … and just as well … because it took an hour and a half to come out after we ordered it! Thankfully, we were sitting in a beer garden where Buddy was allowed, and the Women’s T20 World Cup Final was on the TV. So, after they profusely apologised for the kitchen stuff up, we forgave them, well mostly anyway. We were home by 9ish and after a bit of TV it was in bed for an early night.

This morning there was no great rush as we were meeting Wayne and Vicki at their place at 10am to see the sights of Wagga. We ended up with the boys in one car and the girls in another and drove around Lake Albert and some other scenic sort of areas. We ended up in town where we walked a while looking for a café as, being Monday, a few were closed. In the end we scored well with a very pleasant waitress that Gaz chatted up for an extra serve of cake – beautiful carrot cake that Gaz said we all needed to keep up our vegetable intake. Well that’s one food group sorted for the day!

We headed back to the cultural centre but were disappointed to find that various museums (apparently there’s a good sports museum they thought I would have liked) weren’t open on Mondays, so we decided to check out the shops. The boys lasted a while in this endeavour and then set off for a round of golf. Those of us left managed to spend a few hours browsing the shops in the main street and then grabbed some lunch, all the while taking it in turns to mind Buddy.

I was certainly up for a quiet afternoon and that’s what we got. Gaz and I arrived back at the cabin at the same time, about 3pm, and we both had the same plan – pool time! The weather has been a consistent 26 or 27 degrees the whole time we’ve been here – very pleasant coolish nights and warm days. So, Gaz did his exercise routine in the pool and I had a quick dip and then read my book (on my phone – people probably think I’m addicted to games or something lol). I also left some painted rocks in the children's playground at the caravan park and was quite amused when I saw someone find it and puzzle over what it was. They were speaking another language (Scandinavian or German?) so, who knows, could be another travelling rock.

All too soon it was time to get ready for dinner – Gaz and I are catching up with old Newcastle friends, Michael & Carol Wynne, tonight and then it’s back on the road tomorrow for Griffith via Narrandera and Leeton.

PS - I forgot to say, there are no photos of golf because Gaz didn't take any - one job... lol

Day 7 – Coolamon & Junee

I managed a quick walk down to the back of the Caravan Park this morning where I came upon a river ... the mighty Murrumbidgee River! Well, given the drought, it’s as mighty as it can be, and very pretty too.

Leaving at 10am, we headed off in convoy for Coolamon. Wayne, Vicki, Kev, Maz & Buddy leading the way, with Gaz and I acting as the rear guard. It was a very pleasant 30 minute or so drive before we got to Coolamon, a really great little town. Coffee was the first order of business which we enjoyed at the Cheese Factory in the main street.

The next hour or so saw us slowly moving up the main street from shop to shop. We nicked into a jewellery store which had stunning silver pieces. I was particularly taken with a pendant styled with a real penny and silver – you could order any year you liked but I was torn whether to get the old fashioned one or a 1961 one with a kangaroo on it. Also, they cost $199 so I was hesitating. Saying I’d think about it, I sauntered into the next shop. The Arts & Crafts shop was a Mecca to the CWA ladies of the bush. Every type of knitted, embroidered, crocheted curio could be found there as well as much much more. That’s when we spotted the pennies (old style and new) for $6 each. OK, so no fancy silver frame around them, but hey, it meant I didn’t have to choose … I got both for $12!

Other shops had second-hand books, curios, antiques and the like and were great to browse in. I found a great game for us to play on the trip that will at least take us slightly away from the 80s. I also dropped a few more painted rocks.

It was then on to the Fire Station Museum – wow – lots of memorabilia including the old phone exchange from Newcastle. Apparently when the 1989 earthquake happened it was the main means of communication as everything else failed. Another nearby museum of all things “olden days” was also fascinating. These places were so well designed and maintained and are a credit to their community. They seem to be run by volunteers and funded by donations. Great stuff!

We stopped for a yummy lunch at the Rustic Café and then it was back to the cars and on to Junee, about another 30 minutes or so in the car. We headed straight for the Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory and it did not disappoint. The chocolate covered strawberries were to die for and the rocky road looks good, though is yet to be sampled. The homewares shop is particularly impressive and Gaz could not go past a new potato peeler – what a find!

We also called into the Junee Railway Station for a look around but unfortunately the historic café there was closed so we didn’t get to see inside. A quick drive by a beautiful Monte Cristo historic homestead and then we headed back for Wagga, some quick grocery shopping, and back to the cabin to get ready to go out to dinner. It’s all go, go, go!