Forbes

Forbes was the first stop on our road trip south to see the snow & visit Canberra. Hubby remembered going through Forbes to go to Canberr

a once with his dad, so we decided to go the same way.

We had taken our time to get to Forbes - my sister was in Dubbo with my neice - so we spent the morning with them. So it was mid afternoon by the time we got there.

Where we stayed

Usually we do pretty good with our accommodation choices - not this time. We stayed at the Aaron Motel. I should have taken more notice where it was situated when I looked it up. A motel across the road from a railway crossing & on a highway isn't exactly quiet. My train driver husband didn't mind the trains roaring past...

I would look at other motels before staying here again. While we were checking in, the manager took a phone call from an obviously dissatisfied customer. It certainly didn't make us feel that great about what we were about to walk into. The room was 2 adjoining rooms to make a family room. It was basic & looked mostly clean. Whoever cleaned the room last didn't check the fridge too well though - there was some leftover Tim Tams & a bottle of water in the fridge. The fridges were set so cold that the jug of water was frozen solid. 

Where we ate

We went to the Services Club for dinner. Roast night was good value - $13 got us a roast meal + dessert. The rest of the menu looked pretty good, but roast was what we all felt like on the night.

We relied on McDonalds for breakfast the next morning. One good thing about the motel, it was just near McDonalds. It was too early for coffee shops to be open & we hadn't seen any that jumped out at us in our drive around town the night before. I later saw one cafe that might have warranted a visit, but there didn't seem to be many cafes.

What we did

I wanted to check out the Vinnies in Forbes. It was a good move. Found a few good items for Miss12 & got a recommendation for a place to visit the next time we decide to go to Forbes!! 

The old railway station is now the Tourist Information Centre. Miss12 was fascinated by the story & pictures of Ben Hall. There was a room that had information, pictures etc about the bushranger. There was some nice crafts there too. I bought some apricot jam which was quite yummy. 

Forbes Railway Station - now the Tourist Information Centre

There's a lot of beautiful old buildings around the town centre of Forbes like the one below. 

Forbes Post Office

One of the big attractions is the huge cattle sale yards - a sight we passed on as we really weren't interested, but someone might be. We thought it might be interesting to go back one day, maybe to go further west from there.  

Scone

Scone is called the 'Horse Capital" and by the number of horse floats I see every time I'm there I can believe it. Usually it's just a pit stop for us on our journeys to Sydney, but sometimes we spend a bit longer. Mostly this is when picking up kids after stays with their grandparents in Sydney - it's approximately the halfway point.

I don't have a  detailed account of Scones attractions - due to the reason above, but we have eaten & stayed there in the past, so I thought it was worth mentioning at least.

On this visit we had a bit of a wait. The saddlery has an extensive range of western style shirts, hats, boots etc. We were after a new cap for Miss 12 which was quickly found. 

Unfortunately some of the older buildings are vacant & have been left decrepit - like the old cinema below.

I would love to hear the history of the place one day. Some of the shops we went in had pressed tin ceilings, which I love. Another building had a gorgeous tiled front, again a part of old buildings I love. It just seems to make the building a bit more classy somehow. 

Around the town are black metal outlines - all including horses of course!

There is a good park near the railway station - that's where we usually stop when passing through. It has some play equipment & the toilets are usually pretty clean. There's more amenities across the road at the Tourist Information Centre. 

We've previously stayed at Airlie House - it was comfortable & adequate for the night. The pool was appreciated by the kids (it was a 45 degree day). We ate at the motels restaurant that night and had a fantastic meal. The staff were pleasant & helpful, both in the restaurant & with the accommodation. 

Other than the motels restaurant, we have eaten at a couple of different places. One looks to have changed names & focus so I can't say how good it is - it looks nice though (One22). We usually go to Crowded House Cafe - mostly because it's close to the park. The food is nice too. My favourite is the corn fritters with tomato chilli chutney - I choose the gluten free version. The potato skins are also really yummy. They have gluten free bread which for Miss 12 is essential for the toasted ham & cheese sandwiches she likes. I've never had coffee there so can't recommend it. 

I'd like a bit more time to explore. There are some national parks etc close by which would be fun to explore too. I need to start a list of all the towns I want to go back to one day!!