Batty for Bathurst

Hello Folks.
Having rambled on for ages in my last post, I will try not to blather on so much this time.

Last weekend my husband and I and our two dogs (who have been renamed Beauty and the Beast) set off on a jaunt to Bathurst.
Bathurst is a town I know and love since my paternal grandparents were both born and raised there and it plays a big part in the family history. My husband was also born in Bathurst and he returned there as a young adult to attend Charles Sturt University.

To get to Bathurst from Canberra, we took the road through Gunning, Grabben Gullen, Crookwell, Binda and Tuena. It was approximately a four hour drive.

Binda, by the way, was where we lived for a few years when I was a kid.

Here is a little stone church at Tuena, where we stopped to let our doggies out for a run around.

(R)The view looking back towards Binda. That's Maggie (the Beauty) in the foreground looking for a stick to chase.

Tuena is in a hilly little valley with the Abercrombie River running through it. The town was the site of a gold rush back in the 1850s, but it is hard to imagine the hustle and bustle of a mining settlement on a peaceful Friday evening.

                                                                     Here's the Beast. 

The Beast doesn't like to look at the camera. This is not because he is shy (far from it). He has been blinded by the flash a few times and so decided to never smile for the camera again. Even when the flash is off!

Bathurst is also a gold mining town, but much larger and more prosperous than little Tuena. It is the oldest inland town in Australia, having been founded once the convict settlement in Sydney ran out of land for agricultural purposes. Explorers crossed the Blue Mountains to find rich grazing land and Bathurst was doing very well from sheep and cattle grazing before gold was discovered there in 1851. The gold rush brought prosperity to the town and also bushrangers who would rob the stagecoaches transporting the metal to Sydney. 

Here is the view from the house we borrowed for the weekend. It was on the road out of Bathurst towards Orange. 

Here are the iceberg roses lining the front verandah. Icebergs are not my favourite rose, but you can't beat them for a dramatic display of white blooms.

We had breakfast on Saturday at a cafe in an old hotel called the Royal Hotel. During the goldrush days many fine buildings were constructed in the town. I wish I'd taken a photo of the outside. But a photo of some of the timberwork inside will have to do. Back in those days beautiful Australian cedar was in plentiful supply. It has sadly all been logged out and is now very precious and rare.

 

Here is the beautiful park in town.

A rotunda frames the cast iron fountain underneath shady trees.

Geraniums used as bedding plants

We went to Morrisset Street where the residents were having a monster garage sale. I wanted to buy this house. I looked but I can't find any information about it on the web. One of my dreams is to wait until I win the lotto and have unlimited funds, and then buy an old house to do up. Of course all of the restoration will be historically accurate and when it is finished I will sit on the verandah and knit while waving at passers by. Sounds like a nice dream, right?

Lovely old plane trees have been butchered to fit round the power lines. I guess the trees were planted first?

In the afternoon we ventured out for a drive through the countryside. We went to historic Millthorpe. If you want to see some lovely photos, have a look at their website. The red marker on the map at the top of this post shows the location of Millthorpe.

Here's an old pub. The Grand Western Lodge. Note the stone gutter running down the street.

enormous silk tree.  

 Millthorpe is in a cold climate grape growing region. Here is a vineyard across from the railway station.

roses + picket fence = ♥

(L) A room at Millthorpe station. Was this the lost property department? 

This cute little building is the Millthorpe CWA. The Country Women's Association is an Australian Institution. Most country towns have a little building like this where women can meet for tea and companionship as well as participate in charitable activities.

Autumn crocuses growing in a front garden in the town. Swoon! Someone remind me to plant some of these later on in the year. 

Well thanks for reading my blog post. If you have any questions about Bathurst, please feel free to leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.

April holiday fun

We've just returned from a holiday at the coast, staying in the far south of New South Wales in the little town of Tathra. I would like to share some highlights and some holiday snaps with you. If you know anything about how to get the photos nice and neat on the page, please let me know. I have given up trying to get them all in a row, they just keep spreading out no matter where I put them!

 First off, we stayed in a town called Mollymook. Hubby was keen to try the pies at this pie shop, and they must have been good since he went and bought three more to takeaway. Just   in time on the day before we left I received a package of frames in the mail from my supplier in, no joke, Framingham USA. So I was able to get my first cross stitched pendant ready for my shop, a lovely red and pink rose.

Note address: the Princes PIEway LOL

We arrived in Tathra and set off to find our holiday house, which we borrowed for the week. It  was absolutely beautiful, having just been renovated. Hubby loved the bifold doors which opened up onto a deck with a sea view. I told him I would rather be enclosed and live a little like a wombat. Oh well. 

Sadly, the weather was not ideal. We had to find other activities as the clouds opened up and the seas were rough and stormy. 

We had several day trips, and pretty much everywhere we went we had coffee and cake, or in the case of the Pickle, caramel slice and a milkshake. I managed to find some interesting items at the local op shops. We went to Merimbula a few times. In the St Vinnies op shop I bought some patterns. We went out for dinner at the sports club and then to the movies. We saw the Lorax in 3D, which we all liked a lot. The Pickle is really fond of his moustache, and here she is giving him a friendly cuddle. I said to hubby as we went in that I felt like I'd already seen this movie since I'd seen the preview, but it turned out there was enough surprises to keep me interested.

 I cross stitched this little brooch and put it up for sale in my shop. It was really nice to have some handwork to do while I was away from my sewing machine. you can see the coloured grid which I graphed out beforehand.

Cheese making machine

There's something not quite right about this cow

We went to Bega to visit the cheese factory. My daughter showed me how to eat a "Stringer" which is a lunch box snack that was not invented when I was a kid. At the Salvos in Bega I bought an 80s cardigan which I wore nearly every day for the rest of the trip.

New pair of flower earrings, $3 from big W. I am a big spender!

I resisted buying any plants since hubby said they wouldn't fit in the car.

A close up of my 80s cardigan - it's acrylic! 

$3 earrings I bought at the Bega BigW. 

Gratuitous food shot: this was roast mushrooms with beetroot and feta. It gave me garlic breath but I didn't mind. MMMMM

The barber shop in Bega is also a shoe store - I wanted to try on a pair of shoes while having my hair done but Hubby said no.

A cool old car

These are my all time favourite earrings, I wear these most days and even to bed. I have decided if I ever lose one that I will commission a jeweler to make another pair straight away. They have outlasted many a pair of $3 earrings! I bought them in Armidale in 1998.

We visited an amusement park in Merimbula named "Magic Mountain". Sadly a tree had fallen on the toboggin run and it was out of action. It was smaller than I thought it would be, and it started to rain, but that did not stop the Pickle from having fun. My favourite ride was the go-karts, but hers was the waterslide. Oddly enough, it went underground through a tunnel. Hubby and I were too chicken to go on it. Well, to tell you the truth, we just did not want to get wet. We stood under an umbrella and cheered her on. 

Hubby and I agreed that this must be where old council playground equipment comes to die - they also had a roundabout that did not go round, and a Huckleberry Hound see-saw. 

Pickle and I got hopelessly addicted to watching The Voice each night. She is on Team Delta, and I am on Team Keith. Luckily I had something useful to do while I watched - I made this little pendant which the Pickle has named "The Gumball Tree". It is made with French knots in all colours of the rainbow.

We had an outing to Bermagui, which is a lovely little harbour town. In an antique store called "Belongings" I found the perfect dressing table for our bedroom, but sadly we could not think of any way to get it back home. We had to leave it there.
I found an amazing, fantastic, awesome antique store called "Strangers in Paradise". I wanted to move in there right away. Well worth a look in if you are ever in the district.
 I bought a pattern from 1955 to make my sister a swing dancing dress. it is this one here if you want to check it out or make your ownvintage pattern for sale I am sure she'll love it!

The harbour at Bermagui

I got a bit bored one evening waiting for The Voice to come on, and commissioned an artwork from my friend Niki - it is my first commission if you don't count my custom etsy banner which is at the top of my blog. It will be kinda like this one, but it is a drawing of one of my puppies, and it is a birthday surprise for the Pickle. Sssh, don't tell her!

I am so excited to be able to see what Niki comes up with. You can look at her beautiful artwork here http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageNiki

This little guy is Wilbur the guinea pig. Isn't he sweet?

On ANZAC day we went for a bike ride, and The Pickle and her daddy made these sculptural "houses" by the Mogareeka Inlet at Tathra.

Since it was our last day, I thought we'd better take the Pickle for a swim at the beach. The water was too cold for hubby, but the kid was mad keen so I took her in. I was really really cold until I went totally numb, and then I could not feel anything anymore so I was quite happy. My fingers and toes went white. There were a few hardy surfers with full body wetsuits on, but apart from them no-one else was brave enough to enter the surf. Even though it was a public holiday.

We visited the historic Tathra wharf. It is a lovely shade of orangey pink that matches the cliffs nearby.

A strange rainbow that looked kinda like an exclamation mark.

Hubby and I both agreed we'd like to live in this cliff top house.

Looking back at Tathra beach from the headland above the wharf.

Here's my handsome hubby trying to take a photo of me. He is saying "just take a  step back, now  another step..."of course, I am standing on the edge of a cliff. Har-di-har-har. The Pickle is coming to my defence.

For something different on the way home we travelled through the historic town of Bombala. 1500 people who don't mind the cold live in this little town at the top of the mountain. The road to Bombala is windy and very steep. We opened the car windows and looked out at the tree ferns in the rainforest on the way. Did you know that Bombala was almost chosen as the site for our Nation's capital? Bombala is known as "platypus country" and the main reason I wanted to visit was to catch a glimpse of one of these amazing creatures. The platypus and the echidna are the only two animals in the monotreme species. These are mammals that lay eggs. How extraordinary!

I had a snoop around looking for platypuses, but no luck. I would like to walk along beside the river one day.

Some interesting characters at the Bombala swimming pool

the river that runs through the town

A beautiful golden elm tree. I hope to plant one of these at my place.

Hubby warned the Pickle that dancing on the clifftop may result in falling poop.

Perfectly located halfway between Sydney and Melbourne (well almost)

The local cinema

the Bombala post office

The main street is named "Maybe Street" and here's the intersection with "Caveat Street" A horse chestnut stands on the corner, and the Pickle and I have collected some conkers.

An Aussie flag garden outside the RSL. Sorry, it is upside down, but you get the idea.

 At Bombala I visited the local Anglicare Op Shop which has a great selection. I bought some awesome vintage linen to be revamped and recycled into new clothes for the BananaOrangeApple store. I also bought some navy and white striped stretch knit which I hope to turn into a maxi-skirt.

There was a lovely little shop in Maybe Street called LouLous, right up my alley. Kids and ladies clothes, handmade jewellery, beautiful homewares - it had it all.

I resisted the urge to buy any goodies having splurged at the opshop, and here's a link in case you feel like window shopping too. I would have bought the Pickle a skirt, but they didn't quite come in her size. I am happy to see they do mail order.. http://www.loulousbombala.com.au/ or her FB page LouLous

Just to make the trip home even more interesting, I persuaded hubby to stop by the highway at the beautiful McLaughlin river to have another hunt for a platypus. Sadly none were forthcoming, I think they were burrowed away to get out of the wind, but here are some nice photos anyway.

A feral blackberry, these are noxious weeds in Australia

We noticed a camel in this paddock

The river with a farm in the background.

The McLaughlin river

An  apple tree gone feral and bearing plenty of lovely red apples. 

We had a break at Cooma for lunch, and I ran into Vinnies to see what they had on offer. I bought two more sheets - one with Paddington and the other Humphrey B Bear. How cool! The Pickle bought a yellow Woodstock stuffed bird, from Snoopy. 

We wandered around, enjoying the chilly sunshiny air and the busyness of this town.

I have decided that I am more of a mountain person than a beach person, but that won't surprise anyone who knows my background. I was, after all, born in Batlow, and was known when I was a baby as "the Mountain Maid".