We set out on our third today, after a cold, windy blustery Tuesday in the mountains. We had contemplated leaving yesterday, but now, we're happy we delayed our trip.
It snowed yesterday, and the Great Western Highway, which in parts winds itself along the spine of the Great Dividing Range was affected. I hate to think what the driving conditions could have been, even though I'd love to see and spend some time in the snow.
So we set off on a leisurely pace, stopping at Lithgow McDonalds for a morning-tea-cum-lunch-break. As a rule we try not to frequent Maccas, but sometimes it's the devil you know...and we try to make our meal choice as healthy as possible by sticking to their salad wraps. Sometimes,(sometimes being the operative word) they make good espresso if there's a McCafe available and the cafes also do gluten free cakes.
It was cold...as you can see, even these sparrows were having trouble coping! Poor things weren't allowed indoors and as all the customers were sitting out of the cold, the little birds not only had the cold to put up with but were missing out on the usual crumbs left behind by diners. They crowded at the windows waiting in vain with their feathers puffed up so that they
looked like pom poms.
Our next stop would be Gulgong. Or, some of you would know it as the Ten Dollar Town. When Australia converted from pounds to dollars, in 1966, a ten dollar note was issued to replace the five pound note and Gulgong was featured on the reverse of the note.
It's been quite some years since either of us have been to Gulgong and to tell you the truth, my memories of my last visit didn't jog any signs of familiarity when we arrived this afternoon, to a cold and grey, almost deserted but very well ordered little town.
We had afternoon tea in at The Butcher Shop Cafe where I had a delicious slice of almond and orange cake nothing like I've had before. This wasn't your usual mass produced cake...it had body, was full of flavour and believe it or not, I had it served with a bottle of ginger beer, because, for some strange reason, I sometimes crave cold, fizzy drinks on cold, wintry days. Unfortunately the cafe didn't serve a home made lemonade but the ginger beer is an Australian made brand so I didn't feel too guilty.
Andrew had his usual espresso before we dashed outdoors again and back to the car.
I found this historical collection of pharmaceutical paraphernalia interesting since I worked in a pharmacy in the sixties and seventies. It's a bit scary when you find items from your past making an appearance in museums...and I could identify quite a few items in this display, I'm afraid to say!
We would have liked to stay in the town longer, but the cold, the lateness of the afternoon, ensured our swift departure...Dubbo, our next stop.
Above: Gulgong Ten Dollar Hotel, on Medley Street.
Gulgong is an old gold mining town which had been swept into the gold rush era during the 1870s and many of the buildings remain thanks to the dedication of volunteers. Most Australian gold rush towns of the past are no longer but Gulgong survived. It is a destination in itself and it is close enough for us to make this a day trip...so we will return.
Gulgong Mayne Street.
We arrived in Dubbo just before five and staying at the Dubbo City
Caravan Park
This caravan park we would very much recommend. The sites are generous, and the camp kitchen
is very well equipped, weather proof, clean, and conducive to socialising with
other guests as it is not an overly large kitchen.
Noise wise, there is the usual traffic noise but it is
mostly in the distance.
Right now, we're off to further investigate cooking arrangements etcetera...
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