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Tuesday 4 June 2013

Cavorting in Candelo

Hello,
It has been a while since I have written a blog post. I have been very busy at my day job, and with life in general.


Tonight Dad reminded me that I had promised to blog about Candelo, so I thought I had better get onto it.

Last holidays, my husband, daughter and I went on our annual trip to the coastal town of Tathra. There is not all that much to do in Tathra, so one sunny day we set off on a day trip to Candelo. 
Here it is in Google Maps: Map of Candelo
Before I went there, all I knew about Candelo was:

a. there is a signpost pointing to Candelo along the road from Bemboka to Bega. I had driven past many times and thought it sounded like a nice place to visit. The road is called Mogilla Road, by the way.

b. in recent weeks, a music festival had been held in Candelo which looked really interesting - I was sorry I had missed it. A folk singer named Melanie Horsnall was one of the artists, and I checked out her website and I really like her style. A lovely painting of the hills around Candelo features on the cover of her album "the Cloud Appreciation Society". You can have a listen - tell me what you think if you do! 

c. I thought Candelo was a very romantic sounding name for a town, and evoked images of candles, but I wasn't sure if was pronounced quickly with equal emphasis on the syllables, or with the emphasis on the first syllable, as in Can-dello.

d. I had a feeling Candelo was involved in the timber industry many years ago. But I wasn't sure why.

* * * * * * * * *

It took an hour to get there from Tathra, but we did go the long way around. The landscape was beautiful, with rolling green hills and peacefully grazing dairy cows. 

Here are some things I noticed while I was in this tranquil sleepy village, and some other things I have learned since.

* A river flows through the middle of town. There is a road along the west side of the river, and a road along the east, and a bridge connects the two to make an enormous letter H. Have a close look at the google Map and you'll see what I mean. This was quite a nice change from the "drive straight through town and over the river" arrangement that you usually find in country Australia.
 
looking east towards the town hall.


* This river has a park on the eastern side, with the most enormous plane tree I have ever seen. Photos don't do it justice! All the trees and the river flowing through the town give it a peaceful, sleepy feel.



* Most of the buildings are wooden, with charming verandahs and Federation architecture. 

A bridge in someone's backyard.A house in the main street, love the roses. Someone else's backyard






Old fashioned service station - love the signage!

I had a coffee in this cafe. It wasn't all that crash hot.




Looking along the street, the Post Office is on the left.




Looking back across the bridge to the other side of town.




very cute house. the back fence could use some work though!




* Despite its tiny size, Candelo boasts a Blacket church. Edmund Blacket is a prominent architect from the colonial days of Sydney. He was appointed colonial architect in 1849 and designed more than 100 churches across New South Wales. I found a recording of Heath Cullen and the Yearlings playing "Fullerton's Bridge" in the church - great bluesy sound.


* The town hall (with the white front) looks like a lovely place for the residents to get together, both for social occasions and the business of running the town. 











* There is another Candelo in Italy. Don't get them mixed up. They are not the same. (photo from  Flickr


* Candelo is a bit like Tilba but a gazillion times better because there were no tourists in Candelo. Well, apart from us.

* Apart from a bunch of timber houses and a few logging trucks trundling along the road I couldn't find much evidence of the timber industry in Candelo.

* Candelo is about six hours drive from both Melbourne and Sydney, so ideally situated for those who like to visit the big smoke now and then.







This blue B&B is for sale.













* If you are planning a visit to this historic town, I would recommend that you go on the first Sunday of the month because then you can visit the markets.

* I found some much better photographs on Flickr for your perusal

the church
The Valley
the pub

Hope you have enjoyed my blogpost. I will try to write again soon.
I will leave you with some gumblossoms I found at the coast.
 

11 comments:

  1. Great pics Hannah. Candelo looks like a cute little town.
    >Jessi<

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  2. I love traveling with you Hannah. Thanks for sharing your pics- love the roses too. How much was the B&B?

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    1. http://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Sale/House/NSW/Candelo/?adid=2009449053
      it is $450,000 which is currently 431,312.87 USD - seems like a bargain to me!

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  3. Love all your instagram pics. Condelo looks like a lovely place to visit. It certainly is picturesque. The Flickr pics are a nice addition.

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  4. I love your title! Looks like a nice trip. I have never seen or heard of gumblossoms but I LOVE them!

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    1. Thanks! The gumtree is what we call a Eucalypt. They are everywhere in Australia but not all are as showy as these ones - that is a Western Australian variety called corymbia ficifolia and they don't grow where I live (too cold).
      A lot of the Western Australian plants are very vibrant, whereas our local plants try to not to stand out I think.

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  5. Love it Hannah. We went through Candelo in Jan. 2010. I wanted to recall my experience of camping there in 1990 while campaigning against the logging of the Tantawangalo State Forest. I couldn't remember anything about the town except that it rained so much our tents were floating. I guess there is not much sign of logging because the campaign was a failure and they cut down the beautiful old-growth forests. We found one old tree stump in the 20 year old regrown forest that was about 20 metres tall. It had a little fence around it like some sort of memorial. The forest is still beautiful and tranquil in its regrown state. http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/files/images/galleries/henry-gold/web-33-tantawangalo.jpg
    Sorry for hijacking your blog...

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    1. That is so sad about the old growth forests, and what a beautiful picture of the river and stones.
      Feel free to hijack any time.

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  6. Just found your blog and am loving it! I spent a year in Canberra and worked in Bega for a few months - they were the BEST months ever! I still miss Tathra and surrounds, so reading your little tour of Candelo was very nostalgic. I've always wondered what it looked like but never had the chance to go, so thank you for sharing your trip! :)

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  7. Thanks for the kind comments MissyMessy. Candelo is definitely worth a visit. We go to Tathra a few times a year. Next time I plan to visit Kameruka and will report back!

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