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It was a very bumpy drive from Cessnock to Mudgee because all the roads have been badly damaged by the extreme wet weather this year, when I came in to set up the inside of the van things had been tossed around quite a bit. Once again we have chosen to stay at the Showgrounds, we enjoy the extra space you get on either side but we were lucky to find a spot here because most of the camping grounds are still quite soggy and were roped off which limited the space available. Apart from the bad roads it was a very enjoyable drive, the sun was shining, we haven't seen a lot of that lately, and the scenery was stunning. Most of the towns on our return home have been chosen because we haven't visited them before and Mudgee is no different, and what a very pleasant surprise the town was to us on our first drive through. There are some beautiful old, well maintained, buildings in the main street, we will definitely have to do the town walk to investigate further. Mudgee is surrounded by wineries, breweries, distilleries and fresh produce outlets so even though we said we had seen our fair share of wineries and such in Cessnock I think we will have to investigate these a bit further. We have already called in at the Visitor Centre and picked up local information, I will have a good look at this and sort out our next few days. We were going to stay here for three nights but have decided to stay for four now because there seems to be so much to see.
Sunday we thought we would drive to Ryleston and onto Dunns Swamp before returning to Ryleston for our morning coffee. It turned out to be a bit more complicated than we first thought, when driving through Ryleston and following the directions to the swamp the signs stopped and the road suddenly deteriorated and we weren't sure if we were still on the right road. We kept driving on and came to a sign for the Wollemi National Park and then finally a sign to the swamp so we continued on for another couple of kilometres before arriving at the camping ground for the swamp and parking for day visitors to this very scenic area. On arriving we found quite a few vans and tents camped here, who would have thought. The swamp itself is very pretty and peaceful, there was a kayaking company here who hire out kayaks to people wanting to take a float around the swamp and they also run group tours, we spoke to the owner of the business for awhile and he was very knowledgeable about not only the swamp but the surrounding area. We had noticed driving in the beautiful rock formations along the road and our kayaking friend said that as you drive around the corner of the swamp from where we were standing you drive through a what appears to be a gorge and he commented if it was in the Northern Territory everybody would be talking about it, I tended to agree. We drove back to Ryleston from here and we were both desperate for a coffee, as always the trip back was much quicker than the trip out there. We parked in Ryleston in front of the Saffron Kitchen so thought this looked good enough for us and we walked in and ordered our coffees. We bought take away cups but sat there for a little while drinking before moving on to our next stop, the Ryleston Train Station. The train station is in bad repair and is fenced off which is a bit disappointing but we moved onto our next port of call Kandos which is 8kms down the road. Kandos wasn't as good as we were hoping, there were lots of old buildings but they were in bad repair. I was happy with the photo opportunities I had so we headed back to camp from here.
Our first stop today was at one of the optometrists in town, Robb had lost the screw out of his glasses and his lens had dropped out. We chose one of the optometrists off the list and called in there and a very pleasant girl greeted us and took Robb's glasses out the back to fix, she was soon back and we offered to pay but she said not to worry about it, what a good start for our day and finally Robb could see. We had planned to drive to Gulgong a 19th century gold rush town that hasn't changed much over the years although we did notice a huge new estate being built on the entry to town. We were following our GPS and she took us down the Main Street that is very narrow and was a bit of a shock to us, there were cars parked on both sides and it was a two way street but if something was coming the other way one of you had to pull over and let the other one through. I must admit though I was very impressed that they had left these streets as they were originally including the step up from the road to the pathway, it would be a shame to lose these beautiful old buildings. We took a quick drive around and then came back to the Main Street to park and take a walk up and down. Quite a few of the shops were closed, probably because it is Monday, but we called into the few that were open including The Fiddlers Hame that both Robb and I found very interesting, there was a very different range of items than in most antique shops with a great display of guitars, violins, records and knives, Robb found the knives particularly interesting so I walked around a bit while he was having a better look at the various knives on offer. From here we walked on and then turned around and walked up the other side of the street before returning to our car. It was still quite early so we thought we would call into Baker Williams Distillery on the way back to Mudgee, they had advertised a whiskey and all the distilleries we have visited so far have only had their whisky in the keg and we have been unable to sample, the same happened here which was very disappointing but we did do a tasting and came away with 3 liqueurs, one Lemon Myrtle, one coffee and the last one was butterscotch, the prices were good and we enjoyed the tasting. Our next stop was to be Mudgee Sourdough by Olive A. Twist but unfortunately they are not open on Monday and because the weather had deteriorated so badly we drove straight home from here.
Well today didn't really go to plan, I had the whole morning marked out in the information book starting with a visit to High Valley Cheese Co which worked out well as it is open 7 days a week, our next three stops were to be at Mudgee breweries but unfortunately two of them are not open on Tuesdays and the other one does not have a retail outlet. We tried an Organic Orchard in the area but alas that was not open Tuesdays either so we moved onto Mudgee Honey Haven which thankfully was open and is quite a large complex that offers a range of honey, olive oils, jams and a huge range of souvenir items. Honey is not necessarily something we eat but we did a bit of a tasting because there wasn't any rush to move on. There were many flavours of honey and we particularly liked the banana honey and chilli honey, we walked away with a large tub of Mudgee Honey and a small jar of chilli honey, I thought this would be excellent in cooking. Back in the car driving back to town looking for somewhere to eat because our first choice had outside seating and it was a bit cool today and I thought it might be a bit uncomfortable our there, then we came across Cade kitchen and bar and it looked interesting and it was open so it looked good to us. We walked in and it was fairly early so it was easy to find a table and we sat and ordered drinks while looking at the menu. Our choice was three sharing plates, one was bruschetta, one pig fat potatoes and the last one lemon pepper squid, there was plenty for the two of us and we would both recommend the squid and bruschetta. Arriving back at the van just before the rain started we packed up a few items that would not be needed ready to move on tomorrow. Robb and I have both loved Mudgee, another excellent stop that would be worth returning to.
Driving from Mudgee to Cowra today we had a couple of issues with our car, it seemed to sort itself out as we went along but we will be happy to get home and put the car in for a service. Our intention was to stay at the Cowra Showgrounds but on arrival we found the Showgrounds were completely flooded out. So far we have been really lucky in our travels considering the amount of rain we have had along the east coast. We tried the caravan park closest to town and they were also flooded out so we drove to the park outside town which was ok. We managed to get a drive through site in a good position and the owners were very friendly and the pricing good, we couldn't ask for more. After setting up and having lunch we drove into the Visitor Centre to pick up information and while there we sat and watched the hologram display on the Cowra breakout. There is a beautiful rose garden in front of the visitor centre and we also have a little rose garden beside our site at the park.
What an amazing day today was, it started with a visit to Australia's World Peace Bell at the shire offices in Cowra, This bell would normally be displayed in the Capital Territory but is in Cowra because of the towns contribution to world peace and international understanding. I thought this was quite fitting when we consider the part Cowra played in the Second World War. Robb rang the bell, a beautiful sound that signified our hope for world peace that seems decades away from happening. Our next visit was to the Cowra POW Campsite a short distance out of town. There is a lovely walk you can take that covers this whole area, we only took part of the walk and read the many information boards on the way. Being in a prisoner of war camp would not be pleasant I am sure but they certainly did have a beautiful outlook. Our last stop for the day was the Japanese Gardens and I don't really think I can adequately describe how beautiful these gardens are. We have visited many gardens all over the world and these would have to be amongst the most beautiful if not well on top. We came across some of the gardeners on our walk around the area and congratulated them on their amazing work. I would normally say if you are in the area make a point of visiting here but I am going to suggest making a special trip to visit the gardens at some time. There is a cafe on the grounds where the Devonshire Tea had been recommended so after visiting the cultural centre we finished with a visit to the cafe, and that is indeed another story.
Our mission today was to drive to Wyangala Dam but unfortunately the road was closed as we got closer. Then we headed off to Reflections Caravan park on Wyangala Waters but once again our efforts were thwarted. I was happy to take a few photos as we drove back but I would have loved to see the dam in all it's glory, like every other dam on the east coast it is filled to capacity. It was still quite early so we thought we would visit Canowindra but our GPS told us it was 100+kms away, that didn't sound right to me as it was just 30+kms outside of Cowra. Setting our GPS to Cowra we arrived within a few kilometres and entered Canowindra into our GPS which turned out to be 31kms away, it was still fairly early so we decided to take the trip and look around this historic village. The buildings on the Main Street are still unchanged from way back then but unfortunately they are not in very good repair with a few of the buildings having steel poles erected to hold up the second floor balconies, there were only a small handful of buildings that were still in good condition, such a shame but it would be very expensive to do what is needed to bring these buildings up to their earlier grandeur. From here we drove back to the old railway station to have a look around, it doesn't seems like it is still used as the tracks are all overgrown and the buildings are used by local community groups.
Moving on today to Wagga Wagga and aiming to stay at Horseshoe Caravan Park where we had stayed a few years ago and enjoyed our time. So far we have done well avoiding the floods but when turning into the road leading to the park the road had been closed off. While sitting in the car trying to call the park a gentleman pulled up beside us and told us just to drive down the road, it is not flooded but the damage to the road needs to be navigated. The road down to the park was fine because it looked like the road people had been by to top up the pot holes. We arrived and checked in, the owner Richard remembered we had been there before and directed us to a site. It didn't take us long to set up and then we had lunch before driving into town to the Visitor Centre to pick up local tourism information and then driving on to Coles for some essential shopping. Wagga Wagga has been impacted badly from the floods with huge areas of land flooded but it doesn't look like any houses have suffered, we drove into town and went to the boardwalk along the river where there were a lot of people standing around watching the river coming through, this is the Murrumbidgee River and it seems with all the other river systems feeding into the Murrumbidgee it has just gone wild.
I was interested to see that the Wagga Wagga model railway was running this Sunday, we missed it last time we were here and didn't want to miss it again. On the way we stopped off at the Wagga Steam and Vintage Engine Museum, there wasn't much opened this weekend in Wagga because of the floods so our choices were limited. Our friend is interested in all things motors and old engines so he may appreciate a few photos from this museum. After visiting here we drove onto the Botanic Gardens where we could not believe the number of people visiting, the people at the Museum had told us it would be really busy but we still had no idea how busy it was going to be. When we eventually found a parking spot we were quite a distance away and had quite a walk uphill to get to the railway. Arriving at the attraction there was a notice up to say you needed closed toe shoes to partake and I had thongs on, not only that but when you purchased the tickets they asked to see your shoes, before that I thought I could bluff my way through. Our next thought was to drive onto the brewery in town we wanted to visit but my very considerate husband knew I would be disappointed missing out on this model train attraction and suggested we drove home to change my shoes and then return to the railway, so that is what we did. I think both of us were pleased we made this decision, it was lots of fun sitting in these tiny trains and taking a trip around the gardens. It was interesting because it was one thing to sit down in these carriages but quite another thing trying to climb out at the end, we managed but not without helping each other. Our next stop was to be the Thirsty Crow Brewery and once again it was difficult to find a carpark with the number of people here. We eventually found a spot and walked inside and ordered our drinks and found a table to sit at. Robb loved their pale ale and I had a Sauvignon Blanc, we shared a plate of fries for lunch. We had a bit of a look around Wagga Wagga this morning which we hadn't done last time, there are some gorgeous old buildings in town and around the 'suburbs' of Wagga.
You can't stay in Wagga Wagga without taking a trip to the Junee Chocolate and Liquorice Factory, it is only 35mins away and quite an easy drive. The highway into Wagga was banked right back for about 3kms when we arrived at the top of the road but the road heading North was ok so it was fairly easy to turn out the way we needed, it looked like there might have been an accident but we couldn't find any information on what was going on. After arriving at the factory and parking we walked into the cafe to order our morning coffee, we found a table and sat and waited for the coffee to be delivered. After coffee we took a tour of the factory even though this was not our first visit here, however, having said that I did find one whole level that I hadn't seen the other couple of times we visited. The top level is a gift shop and they have everything there from gifts, souvenirs, kitchen items, clothing, Crocs (can you believe it) and there was a lovely display of Christmas items, I can't believe I haven't seen this before. There is also a good display of fresh local produce downstairs and of course the offerings of chocolate and liquorice, I do like a bit of chocolate covered red liquorice but in respect for my chocoholic husband who is on a diet I resisted buying anything. I had a look around the relishes and jams but we make all these ourselves so I didn't bother buying anything. This must be our first stop on this holiday that we haven't purchased anything. Leaving here we took a drive around Junee, they have an amazing Railway Station that we visit each time in Junee. Driving back we drove to Wagga Wagga Railway Station which is also quite stunning, both stations are still in operation. Weather wise it is quite beautiful today so we spent the early afternoon sitting outside taking advantage of the better conditions.
Our intention today was to drive to Mansfield and spend two nights there but on the way we decided to proceed onto Yea where we have visited many times. The caravan park had been flooded out at one time so I called ahead to see if they were open and they were. I think we are happy that we drove the extra kms because it reduces the kms we have to do on the day we drive home. Setting up was easy as we didn't worry about the awning or the weber, so it wasn't long until we were both sitting for lunch. Because we are nearly home and Yea is somewhere Robb and I have visited many time there aren't any great plans for the following day.
Today we have had one of our very rare home lazy days while on holiday. Coffee at home and lunch at the Royal Mail Hotel where we have eaten before. We will have an easy dinner tonight of cheese and biscuits and a relaxing afternoon. We don't have a long drive tomorrow, we probably won't unpack but leave it until Friday. We have ordered a new caravan and we hope that is finished before we go away next time and if so we will need to give the van a good clean out ready to sell privately so we won't worry too much with it at the moment. It has been another good holiday but it is getting closer to Christmas and we need to do a bit before that. We had a really good drive home and the time passed quickly. We have seen this part of Victoria many times but it is still beautiful.
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