The Wagonga Princess

The Wagonga Princess is an iconic sight in Narooma. This small 100 year old electric ferry has been taking tourists around the waters of the Wagonga Inlet for over 30 years.

 I first went for a tour with my family in January 1984. We had towed a caravan to Adelaide to spend Christmas with relatives, then spent a couple of weeks visiting places like the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne etc. Narooma was a place where my mum's family regularly spent their holidays, so we pulled up in the caravan park for a few days.

I'd love to be able to say I remember every minute of the cruise & had many photos of it - but alas my memory of it is actually limited to the section where you get billy tea & scones! I can remember the camp fire & the billy tea as well as a bit of the walk to get there. There's a bit of a vague memory that we'd gotten there by boat but that's it.

Thirty years on and I finally got to go again. The kids weren't sure about it to start with - after all we spend quite a bit our time in Narooma on a boat. But they ended up loving it so much they asked to go again next year the minute we stepped off!

The captain now is Charlie. His dad was the original captain when the tours started in the early 80's. When I asked Charlie about it, he said his dad was the only one with the license to captain the ferry so the owners got him to run the tours.

Charlie has a wealth of stories about Narooma & the Wagonga Inlet. As the ferry glides gracefully through the water, he regales you with all sorts of tales - most would be considered tall tales except he has the photos to prove it! There's a few bad dad jokes thrown in for good measure. The kids loved having a go at steering the ferry, all the kids have a chance to have a go with Charlie giving the directions and giving a hand when necessary.

The day we went was overcast so the photos aren't as stunning as they could be (all the more reason to go again next year) - the waters of the inlet are incredibly blue in sunlight. A number of landmarks are pointed out, and so too are any birds that Charlie sights. He hands around folders with a number of interesting photos as well as information about Narooma.

The spot where you go ashore for billy tea, scones & a brief walk is idyllic. This was a different spot to the one I remembered from the first time I went (I asked Charlie about it). It is private land so the only way to go there is on one of Charlies tours. The walk takes you through a remnant of rain forest, with Charlie pointing out the plants & features of this unique environment. There is a steep hill to start with, but other than that the walk is pretty easy going.

Once back near the wharf, you are treated to scones with jam & cream & billy tea (cordial for the kids). Unfortunately there wasn't any gluten free option - we had asked when booking just to make sure in case we needed to take something with us. So I had to take the others word for it that the scones were delicious - my non gluten free kids loved the fact they got my serve as well!

While we were consuming our devonshire tea, Charlie disappeared for a while to collect some oysters. Now I'm not a fan so didn't try any, but all those that liked them seemed to enjoy them. All three kids tried them - only one considered them 'delicious'. The other two wished they had the scones after trying the oysters!

Back onboard & it's time to head home. The tour takes 3 hours, most of it spent meandering around the inlet, so the trip back is relatively short.

During peak times, the cruise runs every day, the rest of the year its Sunday, Wednesday & Friday. Best to check online http://wagongainletcruises.com.au/ or go and visit the Tourist Information Centre in Narooma - they have all the details. The Wagonga Princess departs from Forsters Bay, just next to The Inlet. 

Narooma

Narooma is one of my favourite places. Just love coming across the bridge on the first day of holidays - seems to make me feel relaxed almost immediately! My mums family came here regularly for holidays and for the past few years we have spent a few weeks here every year.

Narooma is on the South Coast of New South Wales, about 4-5 hours drive south of Sydney and is situated on the Wagonga Inlet. A breakwall at the bar crossing has created a deep passage into the inlet, but also an extensive shallow area which is ideal for kids.

Where we stay

My parents have an onsite van at Easts Caravan park. It's a large caravan park just as you come over the bridge heading south on the highway. There are a range of different accommodation options here, from basic campsites to fully furnished cabins. The kids have the pool to play in, a jumping pillow, & push carts. The caravan park is on both sides of the highway, with one side overlooking the shallow area formed by the breakwall

There are other places to stay - 2 caravan parks, a number of motels and holiday rentals. We've only ever stayed at Easts so can't recommend any other places.

Where we eat

There are 3 shopping areas in Narooma - on the flat near Easts, the main part of town & Narooma Plaza (where Woolworths is situated).

There are some great places to eat in Narooma. Opposite the Easts Caravan Park is the Narooma Ice Creamery Cafe. It has a great range of ice cream & home made gelato. In addition there is a full cafe menu for breakfast, lunch & light dinners during summer. The fish & chip shop nearby does great fish & chips & has a small range of fresh fish & seafood. Montague Coffee is the best place to get coffee in Narooma - they roast their own coffee on site. They have a small range of food items. 

In the main part of town our favourite is Caseys Cafe - they have had some good gluten free options when we've been there in the past. We haven't eaten at the pubs in this area but they have been recommended to us.

At Narooma Plaza there is Roxy's Cafe & Takeaway & Sugar Pie Patisserie. We haven't eaten there recently, but both were good from memory.

We've eaten at both the Golf Club (fantastic views of the ocean & Montague Island) & the Bowling Club (close to Easts & fairly recently renovated). Both have bistro type menus & we like both places but usually chose to go to the Golf Club for a special treat.  

View of Montague Island from the Golf Club

At Forsters Bay, there are 2 places to eat, both in old boat sheds jutting out over the water. Taylor's (now apparently called The Inlet) does takeaway fish & chips as well as eat in options. We haven't been to Quarterdeck just next door for a number of years, but the last time we were there the food was pretty good. Might be a good idea to check its opening hours though. 

What we do

Well mainly we chill out & do as little as possible! We have a boat that we haul down there & spend a bit of time on the inlet fishing. Our kids are still happy playing in the tidal flats in front of the caravan park - or at Bar Beach just inside the breakwall - the beach does run on the other side of the breakwall but is unpatrolled. 

There is a rock formation called Australia Rock on the other side of the breakwall. The shape was formed by a large chain that was holding a ship in rough seas.

Australia Rock is a hole in the rock shaped like Australia (minus Tasmania) The island that can be seen is Montague Island.

Along the breakwall we've seen seals sunning themselves & whales can be seen from a nearby lookout at the right time of year. 

Forsters Bay is on the inlet & is another shallow tidal area. This is where we usually launch the boat. You can hire kayaks etc near the main part as well as tinnies from The Inlet. If you want something a bit bigger, there are a couple of places that will hire you a BBQ boat - one is Narooma Marina. If you are interested in the history of the area, then the 'Wagonga Princess' does tours throughout the week (see the information centre for information & times)

Not far off the coast is Montague Island. A number of companies run tours out to the island depending on weather conditions (Narooma Bar Crossing is particularly dangerous in certain types of weather). There are also deep sea fishing tours - again check at the information centre or one of the fishing shops for details.

There is a 6 km cycle path that goes around to the next town north of Narooma - Dalmeny. This runs in front of Easts caravan park then across the bridge (if you cross the highway just before the bridge, you can walk around to Forsters Bay). The next part is across the Mill Bay Boardwalk where a range of marine life can be seen in the shallows. There are usually a number of sting rays hanging out quite close to shore.

View from the Mill Bay Boardwalk looking towards the bridge

We sometimes go for drives to nearby towns such as Central Tilba, Bermagui, Mogo or Moruya, but I'll leave those for other blog posts! We're quite happy just hanging out enjoying the views & the cooler weather we usually get when we are there.

Manly

We have spent some time in Manly over the last few years. Living in the country means a lack of services we needed to assist Miss 13 who has Down Syndrome. So we were referred to Royal Far West - a fantastic service that assists country kids access services such as Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Paediatricians etc. About every 6 months over about 6 years we stayed onsite for a week to attend a multitude of appointments.

In the times between appointments, while the kids attended the onsite school, I got to wander around, discovering a lot of things about Manly that I didn't know before! Growing up on the North West outskirts of Sydney we often went to Manly to escape the sumer heat. It usually involved a walk down the Corso, an ice cream and sometimes fish and chips. Of course things have changed since my childhood days!

The Corso runs from the Harbour side of Manly, where the ferries from Circular Quay arrive, to the Ocean. On the wharf there are a range of restaurants & food outlets

Lining the Corso are a range of shops, from supermarkets & surf shops to touristy shops and the best newsagent around. But the main attraction for most people at Manly is the beach. Where the ferries come in there is stretch of beach perfect for kids to play. Manly Sea Life Sanctuary is a short walk away - I haven't been for a long time, but my kids said the penguin exhibit was really good. At the opposite end of the Corso is the ocean beach. It can get quite busy here in summer & is well patrolled by life savers.

Although the Corso is the main centre of activity for visitors, I've found a few gems in the streets surrounding the Corso. Infinity Sourdough Bakery is in a laneway behind the Corso (go through the arcade next to Smiggle & turn left). Their gluten free chocolate brownie is one of our favourites. They have a few gluten free choices, and all the rest looks very yummy! They do light breakfasts and the coffee is really good.

Fika Swedish Kitchen has great coffee, & an interesting range of food. I've had breakfast here and appreciated being offered avocado when I asked for no bread. We've been to In Situ a number of times and the food is always good. They do a fresh mint & honey tea which I love. Bean Rush does great coffee, but the last time I went there didn't have any gluten free food options.

There are plenty of restaurants as well as cafes in this part of Manly. Our favourite fish and chip shop is Mongers in Rialto Square (go down the alleyway between a pharmacy & Hungry Jacks). It's not a cheap choice for fish & chips but nowhere really is these days. Mex & Co is on the ocean front and according to my 12 year old son does the best Mexican food. We've had great steaks & ribs at Manly Grill which is also on the ocean front. Next door is bluewater cafe where I've enjoyed lunch on a few occasions.

And if you need dessert there are a range of different ice cream shops. Ben & Jerry's is on the ocean front (right across from Royal Far West). My favourite is Movenpick, while the kids prefer Royal Copenhagen - both in the Corso. The last time we were there a Yoghurtland had opened up much to Miss 8's delight!

I'm not much into clothes shopping - well other than op shops - so many of the shops in this part of Manly don't interest me at all. There are a range of surf shops, clothing outlets and a number of 'cheap' shops along the Corso.

Desire Books would have to be my favourite shop - not suprising when you know how much I love books & reading. It has an eclectic collection of second hand books. There is usually a typewriter of some description also on display towards the back of the shop.

There is another secondhand bookshop - Andy's Book Echange - where I have purchased a few books. It's a tiny store & I feel like I'm going to knock piles of books over whenever I go in there but it has a good range of newer books. Humphreys Newsagent is a fantastic newsagency with a huge range of stationery, toys, magazines, & books.

I've found 3 ops shops in walking distance from the Corso in Manly. The Salvos shop is next to the Post Office, Lifeline is close by while the Vinnies shop is a bit further away. I found my current favourite winter brown suede jacket at the Vinnies a few years ago.

Miss 13 has been discharged so we will no longer be regularly visiting Manly. I will miss having the time to just wander around seeing what I can find but we will definitely be going back to visit when we can.

Muswellbrook

Muswellbrook is in the Upper Hunter, in an area where coal mines & power stations are predominant. It's another town we drive through regularly on our way to Sydney. Just recently my DH spent some time in Muswellbrook for work so we got to spend a bit more time than usual looking around. 

This statue shows a Blue Heeler dog - the first ones were bred near Aberdeen in the 1840's

Where we stayed

I've stayed at the John Hunter Motel (91 Maitland St, Muswellbrook Ph 02 6543 4477) a couple of times with Miss 13 a few years ago. It was ok, but nothing special. The decor was old and worn then, but the bed was comfortable enough. We ate at the restaurant on the first occasion. The food was nice, but it was expensive and the second time my daughter preferred to go to McDonalds next door. I felt that it was quite expensive for the night - but we had not prebooked, it may be cheaper through Wotif etc. 

This year we have stayed at Noahs Mid City Motor Inn twice - both times in the same room! If all the rooms are like this one then anyone staying here should be happy. The room looks to have been renovated recently and are lovely. The bed was comfy and although the room was smallish, overall it was quite comfortable. We had breakfast at the motel on the first occasion. It was a buffet type arrangement with all the usual breakfast items. Breakfast is only available Mon - Fri. Although the motel is on the highway (all the motels in Muswellbrook are), I didn't find it too noisy at night.

Where we ate

Carmens "A Little Taste of Italy" 91 Bridge St, Muswellbrook Ph 02 6542 5166

We really enjoyed the meal we had here. It's a lovely little restaurant attached to Noah's Mid City Motor Inn. I had a really yummy seafood risotto while DH enjoyed his steak. It's advertised as family friendly & certainly seemed that way from the few family groups that were there.

Artiste Expresso Bar 1-3 Bridge St Muswellbrook Ph 02 6541 2277

Artiste is a small cafe adjacent to the Art Gallery with a number of tables outside. We've had breakfast here twice. The menu is listed on the wall and has a simple variety of foods. The gluten free cake range is larger than most cafes. The breakfasts we had were simple but quite tasty. We were told all the sausages, ham etc used were gluten free and gluten free bread is available on request.

Lucky Star Bistro 113 Bridge Street, Muswellbrook Ph 02 6543 1700
The Lucky Star is a part of the Muswellbrook RSL Club. We ate here on two separate occasions, once with just DH & I, the other with our kids & other family members. I had steak & vegies both times as it's usually what I have when there's nothing else that is gluten free and it was what I felt like at the time. It came with a vegie dish that had been cooked in I think oyster sauce which I put to the side. While there with our daughter, the waitress said to let them know & they would leave that off. The chinese meals others tried looked good, my son found the sate a bit hot, but loved it anyway!

Hunter Belle Cheese Cafe 75 Aberdeen Street (New England Highway) Muswellbrook  
Ph 02 6541 5066

Hunter Belle Cheese is a small cheese factory that has cafe & gift shop on the premises. There are viewing windows where you can watch the cheese being made, a tasting area and a pretend cow that the kids can try their hand at 'milking'. We ate here with our 3 kids and everyone enjoyed their chosen meal. There were a couple of gluten free choices. I chose the pumpkin soup (without the included bread after checking that the soup was gluten free) for Miss 13, while I had the Nundle trout with potato pancakes & poached eggs. My serving was larger than expected but yummy nonetheless. The menu looks to have changed since we were there. 

My Nundle trout with potato pancakes was delicious

The cheese made here is really good. There are a number of different ones to chose from as well as butter & yoghurt. Our favourite is the washed rind, Mr 12's was a Italian herb & garlic cheddar. There is also a range of fudge (which we sampled on a later visit) and gelato made on the premises. Throughout the cafe, which is quite large with rustic timber tables and chairs, there are various gift items to purchase most with a cow or cheese theme. We found it to be a relaxed place where the kids enjoyed checking out the cheese making process.

Where we went

Muswellbrook has a newly redeveloped park which the kids loved. Highbrook Park now has a huge enclosed slide + other cool playground equipment. Turn into the road next to the showground, follow it to the T intersection & turn left, the park is on the right. There are toilet facilities, a number of picnic tables and a bike track. 

The weekend we stayed, the St Heilers Heavy Horse Field Day was on which I was very excited about. I love heavy horses and had seen signs advertising it on many of our previous trips to Sydney but it was never the right weekend. We went on the Sunday. There weren't a lot of classes running (apparently the Saturday is busier), but we enjoyed wandering around checking out the stalls and of course the many heavy horses. The kids and I enjoyed a ride in the wagon which had the added advantage of giving us a different view of what was going on. Lots of photos were taken!

This four in hand won their class pulling a slide with a large log on it.

We did visit Denman, but it was on Sunday and basically the only things we found open were the cafes. Another day we drove down to Singleton, then came back via Jerry's Pains. We had a map we'd picked up at the Information Centre, which had a lookout marked on it that looked out over the Coal operations. We went to have a look, it was freezing cold so we didn't stay out of the car long. It was also really noisy, basically it looked out over the centre of the mine operations, complete with giant dump trucks etc. 

There are a range of shops in a couple of different places. An Aldi, Coles and Harvey Norman are close to the Showground, while the rest of the shops are in the main street and a complex just behind the main street. DH & the kids loved the hobby shop, while I enjoyed the 2nd hand bookstore - unfortunately didn't find anything interesting enough to buy. Three op shops are spread along the main street. We found some good bed linen & towels at the Vinnies and a cheap rice cooker, mugs and some hardcover books at the Lifeline.

Hickeys Falls

Hickeys Falls is on the road between Gilgandra and Coonabarabran. It's a rest stop about 39km SW of Coonabarabran with the waterfall situated at the back of the rest stop. DH had been introduced to it by a work mate and when he visited the first time there was a lot of water coming over it. 

Hickeys Falls April 2013

It is accessed through a sign posted rest stop, with the waterfall being visible from the back of the carpark. There is a track (not sign posted but very easy to work out where to go) along the right hand side but after a short distance you basically find your own way to the pool at the base of the waterfall by scrambling across rocks. How far you get depends on the amount of water there is. Our kids especially love the scrambling across rocks bit! There is a place to cross to the other side - it involves well placed steps across some rocks. DS ended up with a wet foot on one occasion after misjudging the step!

April 2014 - showing more of the rocks in front of the waterfall

There are a few picnic tables in the rest area & usually a caravan or two - but there are no toilets. The lack of toilets makes it not the most ideal place for a picnic (especially when you have kids who like to check out all available toilet blocks...), but it is a great spot to stop & let the kids burn off some excess energy. 

Snowy River Cabins

Since we didn't stay in a town as such on our trip to the snow, I thought a post about our accommodation was warranted. I had come across mention of Snowy River Cabins on Facebook a while ago & liked the page thinking it would be a nice place to stay some time. Since it was very reasonable for the 5 of us + not too far away from the snow, we decided to try it out on this road trip.

We spent 4 nights there arriving in mid afternoon. Due to there being no mobile coverage, I had printed the instructions so we could find it. We found the instructions mostly straightforward. As we pulled up to check the last turn, Brendan pulled up beside us & we followed him the last part.

Our kids love animals & were very excited to see the dogs that greeted us. They were even more excited to meet the orphaned joeys that were inside - Miss 12 even got a cuddle of one. Brendan, Haley & the boys brought an echidna they had found to show the kids later that night. And we had several visits from Trigger the cat. In fact Trigger made herself very comfortable on the kids beds on several occasions! 

Brendan booked us in & pointed us in the direction of Cabin Number 2. Inside we found a cozy cabin. The kids slept in the main room while we had a smallish but quite adequate second room. The kitchen was well equipped & included a small fridge, stove top & microwave. Being made from cedar, the cabin proved to be very warm - we found we only needed to use the column oil heater. There were some other fan heaters but we found we didn't need them.

Cabin 2

We had a lovely view through the bush of the surrounding countryside & the start of the Snowy River. The kids enjoyed exploring some of the bush around us. It was lovely sitting on the verandah listening to not much more than the birds & a few distant cows.

On our last night we decided to have a campfire in the rock fire pit outside the cabin. There is also a wood BBQ, but we used the butane BBQ we carry with us to cook on. It was lovely to relax outside watching the flames & toasting marshmallows. 

View from Cabin 2 with wood BBQ & fire pit

We could have easily spent several more days there enjoying the peace & quiet - no TV or mobile phone to contend with! There were a range of games in the cabin that the kids excitedly made us play through at least once. 

We're already planning our next stay at Snowy River Cabins, hopefully in summer this time so we can have a go at catching some trout! And a chance to just hang out around the cabin, enjoying more peace & quiet.

Boorowa

We didn't stay at Boorowa but spent a while looking around. We'd been through a few times before on our way home from Narooma. It was the first taste for the kids of how cold it was going to be in Canberra & at the snow!!

Where we ate

We looked around a bit & decided on the Old Clock Tower Cafe. It was a good choice. We were able to get gluten free toasted sandwiches for Miss 12 & I which were yummy. The other 2 kids also had toasted sandwiches while hubby had a steak sandwich. The gluten free bread was made at the cafe & was in the oven when we were there so Miss 12 & I shared the last of the previous loaf. It was enough for us. There was a variety of art & craft for sale as well. We found the service very friendly.

What we did

Basically we walked around town, looking in a few shops. I found one shop with a tiled front - most of the shops were old ones. 

The old Newsagent had tiled panels - looks like it's moved
across the road into a new building.

One antique shop was situated in an old bank - complete with the banks safe still intact.

The information centre here is housed in the old courthouse. There's a tea room there & a large collection of art & craft as well as tourist information.

Boorowa Courthouse - now the Information Centre

It's obvious that it was a large town at some stage from things like the courthouse. There are shamrocks stenciled on the ground in various places. They mark sites along historical trails (info about it can be found at the information centre). I couldn't work out why there would be shamrocks - until I found out there was a large population of Irish immigrants there. Each year there is a wool fest, complete with running of the sheep, to celebrate this Irish heritage.  http://www.irishwoolfest.com.au

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!!

Gilgandra

Our last stop on this trip was Gilgandra. We got there late afternoon so had a quick look around some of the shops before heading to find some accomodation.

Where we stayed

The Alfa Motel on the road towards Dubbo. It was really cheap for a family room. We were all in together, something that doesn't really worry us after doing it a number of times over the years. It was a smallish room, but fine for one night. We were at the back of the property, still not far from the road but it was quiet at night. There was a swing set right next door which kept the kids occupied for a little while. 

What we did

We had a walk along the 'Windmill Walk' in the evening. It was quite pleasant as the sun was setting. It's a tarred walkway along the edge of the river which has a number of windmills along it & was right across the road from the motel. The most interesting was an art piece. The other windmills really didn't look much different to us (well other than some having 3 legs & some having 4!)

'Ghost of Christmas Past'
Made by Year 7 students at Gilgandra High in 2005

Photo taken by DD6 on my phone!!

The next day we visited the Rural Museum & the Cooee Heritage Centre. The Rural Museum had some old buildings set up with old furniture & decorations. There was a hospital room, a school, church etc. The big shed is full of old machinery, farm equipment, telephone exchanges & lots of other random old items that are interesting to look at. Our kids had a ball running around taking photos of literally everything!

The Cooee Heritage Centre is attached to the Information Centre. The Cooee's were a group of 35 men who left Gilgandra in 1915 to walk to Sydney to join the war effort. Along the way they gathered 263 men through recruiting drives in the towns they walked through. There is a gallery in the centre outlining the walk & showing some items from the march. There are other galleries in the centre as well. One had a great display of photography. The other has a collection of items collected from around Australia. 

The rest of our time we spent having a look at some of the shops. There was an antique shop that was interesting to look at as well as the usual variety of other shops. Around town there are metal cut out figures, here mostly swaggie type figures or men in uniform.

A mural depicting the Cooee March. The figure in the photo
above is at the left of the mural.

Where we ate

We weren't sure where the best place for dinner was. After looking at the room service menu in the motel room & seeing butter chicken on it, both DS10 & I voted for room service. We weren't sure what we could get DD12 that would be gluten free, but hubby was talked into getting her butter chicken. For a kid that doesn't much like spicy food, she ate every bit of the chicken & rice - she wouldn't eat the sauce. The butter chicken was absolutely delicious! DD6 had a huge chicken snitzel, while DH had a steak. All the food looked great.

Brunch the next morning we went to Rock Cake Bakery, sort of styled like an old diner. The kids were impressed with the couch that was like the back of a car. DH & I had bacon & eggs while the kids enjoyed cakes - including a gluten free jaffa cake for DD12. The bacon & eggs weren't huge, especially when I didn't get toast with it, but it was enough. The coffee was again country coffee, but not too bad.

Lunch we had at a takeaway shop in the main street - either called Cafe 41 or Gilgandra Fish Shop (google maps shows both names, but when searching for it Cafe 41 doesn't come up) Nice food there too. DD12 & I had grilled fish & chips, once we checked the chips were gluten free. The other meals looked good too. They made sweet potato scallops which I would have had if I hadn't decided I need to not eat wheat!! There was a nice shaded area outside where we ate - including a nice mural around the wall.

We left after lunch to head home. Had one more stop along the way - a waterfall DH had been shown by a work mate called Hickeys Falls. 

Gulargambone

One of those 'how on earth do you pronounce it' towns that Australia seems to have plenty of! As the word means 'plenty of galahs', think of the first part of the word as Galah & the rest as it's written & you'll have it. On the sign it says 500 people, but I'm guessing as with most country towns it's probably less.

The first thing that greets you as you drive into Gulargambone (from any direction apparently) are large corrugated iron galahs. These are all through town as well & look really cool. There's even one hanging upside down on a TV aerial (though I didn't manage to get a photo of it).

One of the corrugated iron galahs - this one was in the park

Where we ate

2828 Gulargambone

We'd heard about 2828 as being the place to eat so that's where we went. The menu is basic, there was the choice of 3 things the day we were there. Two kids tried the bolognese bake, which they loved. DD12 & I shared a steak sandwich with caramelised onion & salad (but without the bread), while hubby had the same with the Turkish bread. We all enjoyed our meals. 

There's also a burger place at the other end of town & a Hotel.

What we did

2828 is also a gift shop & information centre. While we were eating lunch, they played the DVD showing how 2828 came about which was very interesting. The community came together to renovate the building & it is run by volunteers. They hold various functions during the year including the yearly 'Dinner under the Stars'. A variety of Tourism awards have also been won. They also helped with building the corrugated iron galahs. We bought a few souvenirs - DD6 was in love with a galah finger puppet + I got a few postcards. There was also a variety of tin wall hangings - I bought a Christmas tree that looks like it has been made from a pressed tin ceiling. 

As well as shopping in 2828, we went for a walk around town. There is a walk along the river which was quite pleasant & didn't take too long. It was signposted as an Aboriginal walk, showing some of the Aboriginal heritage of the town. Kids were very excited to see fish in the river!

River walk

One other shop we went into was a craft type shop. It had a random variety of stuff & DD6 was really happy to get a mug with elephants on it! The shop had obviously been a takeaway shop in a previous life - the counter was still there along with the mirror behind it. The sign out the front said coffee & milkshakes so I guess they made those as well.

Main St of Gulargambone

We didn't stay here as we were driving through. Looks like there is a hotel/motel & a caravan park. Pretty good for such a small town. We enjoyed our short time there & have already had requests from the kids to go back!!

Coonamble

Coonamble was our first stop on our latest road trip. Chosen because we were having a look at some of the towns my husband goes to for work (he works as a train driver). He doesn't get to look around when he's there & wanted to spend a bit more time looking. It's only about 90 minutes from home so we could leave in the afternoon and get there not too late.

Coonamble is on the Castlereagh River, a small country town in the middle of farming areas. Population is larger than our town with 3000 or so people. We didn't go too far from the main drag, not that there was a great deal there. As with most country towns, there are many boarded up shopfronts. I love looking at the old buildings & attempting to photograph them. Not always easy with traffic going past! The kids were suprised there was a theatre - we explained that the town would have been much bigger in the past.

Plaza Theatre - built after a fire destroyed the original theatre in 1929

Where we stayed

Cypress Motel (Castlereagh Highway Coonamble 68221400)

We were going to stay in a cabin in the caravan park but they were booked out. When hubby had asked, they had suggested the Cypress. It looks like it has been recently renovated. Typical basic motel but just right for what we needed. The family room had 3 single beds in a separate room though the wall didn't actually go to the ceiling! Looks like it was put in later & has been built so the ceiling fan can still operate! The main bed was comfy and the bathroom adequate with soaps & shampoos. It was reasonable for the 5 of us & nice and quiet at night! 

View from the back of the motel - looking sort of east!

Where we ate

For dinner we decided to go to the Bowling Club. Service was quick & prices reasonable. My steak was well done rather than medium, but that could have just been a mix up with mine & my husbands plates (he prefers well done). $13 got us a good sized sirloin steak, mashed potato, beans & zuchini & squash with tomato. Two kids had kids meals - chicken nuggets & chips. Our oldest has Coeliacs Disease so we ordered her a grilled chicken breast with vegetables - we had asked about the chips & they were battered. The kids meals included a slushie & a jelly cup. All 3 proclaimed the slushie to taste weird, but downed the red jelly cups quickly. Hubby had sticky date pudding & ordered extra ice cream for the kids to have with their jelly.

Next morning we needed coffee so headed for the main street. Went to a coffee lounge that hubby had been to before. Kids loved that we were sitting on lounge chairs. We basically had morning tea - coffee, cake + pies for the boys. Coffee was what I term country coffee - milky & weak. After 19 years in the country I'm used to it but should remember to ask for a 2nd shot! Fortunately we were able to get DD12 some gluten free passionfruit cheesecake which was quite nice. The boys proclaimed the pies good, though DS10 couldn't find much cheese in his cheese & bacon pie. 

What we did

Cool mural in an alley

Not a lot of touristy stuff. We wandered up the main street & looked in a few shops. We had driven around town when hubby took us out to where the trains are loaded with wheat. There is a museum, but it wasn't open while we were there. There are large panels on some of the buildings which are a 'Nickname Hall of Fame' - showing some locals with their nickname & caricature. We found a information book later that outlines a historical walk that shows off all the important historical places. Vinnies was the other place we went to - I like to visit Op Shops. Didn't find anything in my size unfortunately!

Yes a photo of a coin laundry is kinda random. But it comes with a funny story. When we drove past DS10 asked why there was a laundry to wash coins!!!