First posted on 20 February, 2014
To think I was concerned I might have to cancel this road trip and fly to Adelaide because of heat and fires (real or threatened)! One third of the way to Kaniva the rain started and it kept up, off and on, all the way. And by the time I left the pub after tea, and went for a walk up and down the main street of Kaniva, I was like an ice block!
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| Rain at St Arnaud |
Left home later than planned, traffic bad but not horrendous if I’m really honest, and I still got to Ballarat a few minutes before 10.00am for a great catch-up with library friend and colleague, Gemma. Plus, thanks to Gemma, coffee and a giant savoury scone. An excellent – and sustaining – start to my mini holiday.
First stop after Ballarat was St Arnaud, a prosperous looking town. It was “revive and survive” time so I had a good walk up and down the main street. The library is small, as country town libraries are. But it was a lovely, welcoming space with some unusual books as decorator items, thanks to a local crafty lady. Leaving the library I got rain-drenched!!
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| Folded pages - St Arnaud Library |
On the road again, the rain eased and the clouds lifted a bit. The countryside looked quite stunning.
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| On the road to Warracknabeal |
A couple of people correctly warned me that Donald wasn’t much of a town. It improved a bit but not enough after a series of dilapidated public housing homes welcomed you to this town. I so wanted to like Donald because there’s some get-up-and-go there in the form of a bit of industry, most notably, from my point of view, Kookas Country Cookies. So I didn’t stop.
I was getting hungry but pressed on to Warracknabeal, hoping for a late lunch at Café Pharmaccino, a café at the back of a pharmacy, recommended by my Canberra-based friend Alison. Well, Warracknabeal. What can I say?! It’s not a bad looking town but ….. it’s in a time warp. First, I thought it was past time that the town Christmas tree was removed. Next, food was well and truly not to be had at 3.30 in the afternoon. And this was not siesta time! Finally, as I was texting Alison that I bombed out at Café Pharmaccino, the sound of Christmas carols came wafting through the air. I thought I was imagining things so, in spite of rain, wound down the car window. Yes, there it was, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, May all your Christmases be White (or is that Bright?). Really,
really weird!
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| Christmas in February!! |
I headed south to Dimboola and the main route to Adelaide. I went to Dimboola to a party in my late teens – amazing that my parents let me go! I stayed in a hotel but can’t remember if it was this one ….
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| Change and decay in Dimboola |
Tummy starting to rumble now, I didn’t stop at Nhill which looks like the life centre of the area with it’s large (for a town that size) hospital and medical centre and well kept main street. Travelling with many more B-doubles on the main road wasn’t quite so pleasant. The truckies were “well-mannered” but their size on narrow roads is intimidating and on wet roads, the spry they throw up can be almost binding.
At last, Kaniva! A clean and dry unremarkable motel with friendly proprietor. Then …. food! A meal at the local pub – the usual (OK in this case) pub food in the company of a large family group for a child’s birthday party, the uproar subsiding while they were busy eating. I ate quickly but failed to get out before the bingo began! Clickety-click, legs eleven and two fat ladies made an appearance but most of the calls were pretty ordinary.
