Condobolin

First posted on December 31, 2012

Well, it had to happen. On the other hand, I hadn’t got far on the road to Gundagai before realising I was on the wrong, even if legendary, road. So a quick(ish!) U-turn and I was back on track for Temora. That was the second decision of the day. The first, not to go to Condobolin via Lake Cargelligo ….. perhaps another time, if I ever get to go to Cobar and Bourke maybe. But today it was predicted to be 39 (tomorrow 40) and I thought discretion would be the order of the day, I would be better off not doing that extra 100km. The car air-con is doing fine but it’s still a warm cool, if that makes sense, and a bit airless. Good decision confirmed as I rolled into Condo yawning.

But first, Temora for brunch. I got a bit sidetracked and went into a patchwork shop hoping to get a small bag, suitable for books for book group. But gasp! They had the necklace I’d been wanting – the longer string but not so fat beads of the necklace I’ve already got that whenever I wear it someone comments. Had to get some matching earrings, of course! Then I asked if there was a bakery where I could eat-in with a coffee. Yes, directions duly given. A woman followed me out of the shop and suggested, because she’d overheard me, a craft shop with extras – cakes, jams, etc – run by local ‘old ladies’ (the helpful stranger’s term ). So I headed in that direction. It wasn’t an eat-in place and I didn’t buy any of the baked goodies, not through any great dietary resolve but there was too much in even the smallest package to be carrying in a very hot car. So I bought a pretty watercolour instead!! Oh I was good for the economy of Temora!!

Mind you, yesterday’s chocolate covered licorice didn’t fare too badly in the heat of the car! And I got a sandwich and a piece of caramel hedgehog at a bakery in a different direction to which I’d been pointed.

Temora’s self-proclaimed claim to fame is as the birthplace of Don Bradman. I didn’t even do a drive-by, so uninterested am I in cricket. They’ve given up advertising themselves as the birthplace of Paleface Adios because you’d have to be of a certain vintage (mine!) to remember that horse (trotter) winning a lot of races …. but hardly world famous even then. Not like the Don! But there is a Paleface statue in the main street still – with a mobile blood collection unit parked by it today. Three cheers for blood donors. (I was one once, well forty times, but that was a while ago too.)

Mobile blood bank at Temora

Memories of past glories

The other main attraction in Temora is the Aviation Museum. It puzzled me why such a thing would be here and would have given it a miss but for Jenny telling me over dinner the night before I left about a man in her parish who had flown Spitfires during WWII. In the advertising the museum says it has two of those planes. I’m glad I went … although sorry that they were all war planes, I never feel good about that. It turns out, Temora had been home to a rather large RAAF training base during WWII. Live and learn! Having been to the aviation museum in Darwin in September it was interesting to compare. With a B52, Darwin couldn’t be beaten for size. But Temora shone. It seemed to be really loved, and much better cared for, by those who care for the collection.

Thus, Temora was today’s Henty, different in that I’d planned to stop to eat. But the same in that I expected nothing of interest and was soundly proved wrong.

So on to West Wyalong. Some more lovely old buildings but this really was just a drive-through  re-fueling stop, both for me and the car. Brunch is such a good word for that cross between breakfast and morning tea. But is there an equivalent word for a cross between lunch and afternoon tea? I haven’t heard of one. So another sandwich, hunting out the bakeries so I don’t have to smell the cooking oil.

West Wyalong

It was really pretty hot by now so I had no doubt that the next leg was straight through to Condobolin. I’m not sure what and where the boundaries of “the outback” are and I wouldn’t have called anywhere that I’m travelling “the outback”. If farming is one criterion, then this is very much a wheat area, although all golden stubble at this time of year. Yet the vegetation started to include some that I’ve only ever seen in what is unquestionably the outback, so maybe I’m on the edge here. It’s still beautiful country, sheep too. And I saw a bunny hippity hopping away as I got out of the car to take photos en route.

On the road from West Wyalong to Condo

My first sighting of wildlife came when I was still very close to Melbourne – a fox, looking very well-nourished with it’s tail almost as big again. Not long after I saw one as road-kill. There’s been a bit of that about, sadly most of it our precious, dwindling native variety.

And finally, yawning in to Condo. The motel was only built in 2010 so very new still. Minimalist in its provisions although that one vital thing, air-con, works brilliantly, and quietly. Walls and ceiling are stark white … all the better to see the mozzies by! I hot-footed it back to reception to get a can of Mortein, sprayed the room furiously then shut the door and went to explore the town. The approach to the town was much more fertile than I’d imagined and now the town was much bigger than expected. I was thinking a main street more the size of Culcairn, which was about a dozen or so shops and one pub. Can’t count the number of shops or pubs in Condobolin!! After dinner at one of those pubs it was back to the motel for an early night, New Year’s Eve not withstanding. I’m not braving the masquerade ball (ball??) at the RSL and you can see why there’s no fireworks – the whole district would go up in flames. There’s water in the dams but still everything is tinder dry.

Condobolin

On returning to the motel there were five dead mozzies on the bathroom sink alone! More elsewhere. I haven’t taken the can of Mortein back to reception!! It seems OK but I’ll be waiting for that high-pitched whine when I get into bed and turn the lights out!

And yes, someone commented. I wore those beads out of the shop and for the rest of the day … I love the way they make people smile.

Cootamundra

First posted on December 31, 2012

Yesterday was pretty much about getting to where I wanted to be. Today the tourist thing began in earnest … and from the beginning it has been turning up surprises. I got away on time. First surprise!
I was going to drive straight past Henty but because I had time to spare – brunch at Wagga where the one thing I wanted to see, the National Art Glass Collection, didn’t open until noon – I thought “What the heck” and turned off the highway (here a one lane in each direction affair) into the main street. I stopped because a newsagent was open – I’ve brought everything with me but the kitchen sink – and stamps!
That need satisfied, I opened my eyes to some lovely old buildings – and an art deco office block. Not what I’d have ever guessed was in this part of the world. And so it’s proved, a smattering of art deco in all the towns I’ve visited. It’s a delight to see all the old buildings, of whatever style, and sad to think that so little of Melbourne’s built heritage remains, so much history being bulldozed so “developers” can make a fast buck. And we give our politicians the green light to let this happen. We’re so stupid.

Henty

Wagga Wagga, Junee and Cootamundra are names familiar to me from Sydney-Melbourne train journeys, the first when I was eight and went to the Sisters of Charity Centenary combined school sports! The most recent probably 20+ years ago. I’ve been to Wagga once that wasn’t passing through on the train: coffee after David’s Marching Out Parade after he’d completed his Army basic training just down the road at Kapooka. I passed the entrance to the base on my approach to town.

Crows on the city coat of arms?! It must be Wagga! In contrast, I’m enjoying the lack of political correctness that is eliminating Christ from Christmas (whatever that means to anyone) in big cities …. cribs are all over the place in both public buildings and shops. This one at the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre, outside the library and just across the corridor from the art gallery so would be seen by a lot of people …

No photos allowed inside the National Art Glass Collection. There’s no conservation reason for that to be so, so they quote copyright. Bah!

National Glass Collection

Wagga Court House

Wagga Court Offices

The size of Junee was a revelation … and what its importance must have been in the past, judging by the grandeur of the buildings.

Junee

The big drawcard now though is the licorice and chocolate factory, housed in a former flour mill. It was fascinating to hear how licorice is made – it’s mostly flour!! I didn’t know that. Unfortunately though, nothing, licorice or chocolate, was being made when I was there. The coffee purists would hate it but I rather enjoyed a caramel latte for afternoon tea! They’re generous with handing out samples. If you ever get the chance to try/buy chocolate coated freeze-dried strawberries – do not on any account pass it up! I’ve never had anything so delicious and decadent.

Junee licorice factory

Melt and mix - a bit like making concrete!

A bit too much chocolate for me - but look at all those 100s and 1000s!

Purchases for the day … as if I didn’t have enough leftover wool to make dozens of beanies, at Henty I bought one for Rufus (coming up to his first birthday) because I loved the colours. At the Gallery in Wagga, a little bird made of blue glass. And at Junee, licorice of course. Not much because most of the offerings were chocolate coated and wouldn’t travel well at all in the heat.

Brunch at Wagga, as planned. Not exciting. As I found in Benalla and smelled at Junee too, going past or into some food shops is awful – the unappetizing smell of hot tar from the road outside mixed with the off odour of oil from the fryer that hasn’t been changed often enough. Yuk!

Tonight I ate at the local leagues club, a NSW speciality. Cheap food, subsidised by the losers who play the pokies in the gaming room and the gamblers who buy raffle tickets – yes, they really do raffle trays of meat, and a seasonal speciality (the now leftover!) Christmas puddings. A whole stream of winning numbers was called out as I ate. Afterwards, a walk up and down the main streets of Cootamundra before driving back to the motel for a cooling dip in the pool, then a shower and blogging, wondering if I’ll get to sleep tonight. The air-con is working – which I only realised when I got up close to it … yes, it’s warm inside!

Cootamundra

My closing thought for the day will be of country kindness. Out of Wagga I stopped to take a photo of the gently rolling countryside. I’d barely got my camera out let alone got out of the car before a ute pulled up in front of me. Was I OK? asked the lovely young man in his wide-brimmed bushie’s hat, navy singlet, shorts and Blundstones. I was both pleased and embarrassed to say Thank You, I was fine. But the kindness has floated me through the rest of the day.

On the road from Wagga

Culcairn

First posted on December 29, 2012

by margcal

Here we go again, all the better for it being quite unexpected and much less planning than usual. Mind you, luckily there was some planning and booking – I arrived at the only motel in Culcairn to see a ‘No Vacancy’ sign out the front. But prior to that …..

The night before departure friends Jenny & John fed me a nutritious and delicious dinner, setting me up well for my little road trip. Significantly marred by our taking leave of each other as John headed for an emergency doctor’s appointment. Unfortunately his self-diagnosis proved correct: shingles. Poor thing.

I aimed to leave by 9.00am with the hope of being away by 10. Finally hit the road at 10.30 and drove 310km for the day. Being the Saturday between Christmas and New Year there was plenty of traffic about until turning off the Hume Freeway to the Olympic Highway, not far short of my destination. But it all moved along smoothly.

I was planning on lunch at Wangaratta but my tummy was telling me otherwise so I turned off the Hume at Benalla. Salad sandwich (no onion), mince tart and coffee did the trick. Then the search for a loo. Found at the tourist info centre. The centre is at the edge of a lake looking across to an art gallery that looks well worth a visit, as do the botanical gardens behind the gallery that I’d passed on the way into this rural city. But that’s for another time. However, the tourist info centre was much more than a loo stop. It’s also home to the museum of the local historical society. There’s a Ned Kelly exhibition with some significant memorabilia. But what delighted me were two clothing exhibitions: wedding gowns from about 1850 to 1980 and race-wear (Melbourne Cup and the like) covering a similar period. An unexpected pleasure, the wedding gowns being every bit as good a display as that which I saw at Bendigo gallery a couple of years ago. Outside the TIC was a sculpture affair that looked quite faux Gaudi, not that I’ve been to Barcelona.

Benalla Art Gallery

Gaudi-esque

I rejoined the Hume and went straight through to Culcairn, by-passing Albury-Wodonga.

En route to Culcairn

Small country town pretty much sums it up. A quick drive through (even at 50km/hr) and you’ve seen it. Not much more than I’ve seen from the train 20-30 years ago! I stopped by the info board to work out where the motel was. 500m away. And would you believe it, I got breathalyzed! Welcome to town!!!  I got settled into the better than average motel then went for a walk around town.

Trains still operate through Culcairn

I called into the pub to check what time they did dinner. Enough to make me hope there was somewhere else but there was one admirable feature – fabulous windows. I’m a sucker for beautiful glass.

The town has a lovely looking swimming pool complex but nothing that I could find by way of a park to relax in. So it was back to the motel to read (the creepy Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn) for a while before Mass at the ‘modern’ (built very shortly after Vatican II at a guess) St Patrick’s church, followed by pizza for tea.

And so ended Day One. It’s the longest time I’ll have driving in one day so the rest should be pretty relaxed really. Perhaps no bad thing that I won’t be racing around like a headless chook. Especially as it’s warm and will get warmer!

I wonder if I’ll hear trains during the night? …. Yessss

Something unexpected for the new year

First posted on December 01, 2012

Lo and behold …..!!! My ‘young’ friend Joseph turns 50 on 6th January. When I told him that unfortunately I couldn’t go to his ‘party’ party in Brisbane on 19th January he replied, “Why not come to the family party on 5th January in Canberra then?” Yay – it works for me!! I can drive up.

But then I got to thinking …. and it might not be the most sensible thought but then again, the weather might be kind – I’m taking the long route to get there. Hoping for the mid-30s average all along the way, not the mid-40s possibilities. My plan is to drive relatively short distances each day, carry plenty of water (and a bit of food!), not go off main/sealed roads – it should be do-able. Most places I’ve booked to stay have a pool so cooling down will be mostly easy. Only a couple say they have internet/wi-fi so we’ll have to see how blogging goes.

Roughly the area I’ll be travelling in before cutting across to Canberra – but not going as far east as Bathurst