Waiting for the sunshine in Nelson Bay

So let’s be honest here, it wasn’t hard at all to pack up and leave Orange, especially when it got to -1 overnight!  I had wanted to do a school session with Hamish before we left but the reality was we were all just itching to get out of there.  So we packed up as quickly as we could.  Jason of course kindly did outside for us whilst we all stayed inside and finished it off.  It is a shame as it is a pretty town, but just too cold for us at this time of year.  We hit the road and did not look back.  Our aim as Hamish said was to head North towards the North Pole (but not quite that far)!

We are booked into a caravan park in Nelson Bay for a few nights from Thursday so we have two days to get there.  The apparent fastest way is through the outskirts of Sydney… yeah we didn’t take that route.  Instead we decided to take roads we hadn’t yet travelled on so went up through Wellington which is only 100km away from Orange yet had already reached Orange’s maximum temperature by the time we passed through around 9:30am.  It did look really pretty but we didn’t want to pull over just yet.  Then it was a back road through to Gulgong and then cut through another back road to the main highway from Dubbo to Newcastle. 

Another set of random traffic lights.

Still loving the yellow.

In some random little place (about 10 buildings all up) we did pull over and have some morning tea.  It was definitely warmer then Orange but still had a chill to the air.  Of course Kayla really was over being couped up in the caravan and insisted on keeping the door open!  So needless to say we didn’t have a very long stop there.  We did however find a caravan park in Denman that looked nice so after a quick call to them to see if we could fit in we set off with that as our destination.  The rest of the drive was again stunning with more hills and green rolling paddocks.

Just outside of Denman Jason and Hamish needed to use the rest room so we pulled in.  I however noticed straight away that we had a problem… not with us or the caravan but up ahead blocking the way back out to the highway was a truck blocking the road.  Well it was really just its trailer as they were loading another truck onto the back.  There wasn’t really room to reverse and turn around without having to take all the Hayman Reece bars off so Jason went to see how long they would be.  Thankfully they just moved the prime mover parked to the side and we could easily fit around them to get out. 

We didn’t know what to expect in Denman but we didn’t really mind as already the temperature gauge was saying it was way warmer than Orange (okay only 6 degrees warmer but it counts).  Driving down to the caravan park though we were impressed with what we saw with the little pubs on the corners so on check in we decided we will have to unhitch and go in to check them out.  So after some school we headed out for a drive and found a winery.  Of course they shut in ten minutes and had the longest driveway ever, but we made it in time and Jason picked up some nice bottles of red wine. 

Pretty little winery.

I think he felt guilty since I won’t be drinking them but I told him if I wasn’t pregnant we would definitely be getting a red to enjoy in this weather so he might as well get some.  Hamish of course then pipes up from that back saying if I wasn’t pregnant we wouldn’t have four kids!  Thankfully he did realise what he said wrong and corrected himself back to three!  Sometimes I forget that they are back there listening to every word that we say.  So after that we took the wine back to the caravan, finished another school session and then headed straight out to the pub.

Let’s be honest, the sight of the jumping castle was the icing on the cake as it was just what the kids needed to burn off some of their energy.  It was however starting to cool down by now but the kids didn’t seem to mind at all.  They just wanted to be outside running around or on the jumping castle.  I however wanted to be snuggled up in front of the fireplace.  So it was a bit of a balancing act with mainly us taking it in turns to go outside and supervise them. 

Great pub to spend the afternoon.

Hamish has the best seat in the house.

Kayla is preparing us for future years.

Eventually the kitchen was open for dinner orders so Jason ordered whilst I got Hamish to write in his diary.  Then as another big bunch of kids had arrived, Hamish went in and played in the pool room with them before the owner put on a movie (outside mind you) for the kids.  Thankfully there was still a spare table on the outside verandah that could fit us (it was enclosed with those plastic sheets and had heaters so wasn’t cold really).  So we ate our delicious meals and decided we were knackered so headed back to the van to have showers and put the kids to bed.

The next morning was just beautiful.  The sun was out and it was already starting to warm up when we stepped outside and really it was looking like it was going to be a beautiful day… in Denman.  We of course had booked into a caravan park in Nelson Bay, worried we might not get in being school holidays and well the weather prediction for there was very windy and lots of rain.  It was definitely hard leaving a place that was experiencing great weather knowing what we were heading into.  At least we didn’t hit the wind until we got closer to the coast and the rain really didn’t start until we got really close. 

We just prayed that when the pulled up that the rain would at least hold off whilst we parked the caravan, unhitched and setup.  Honestly someone must have been listening to us as it did hold off until we had unhitched and fully set up.  Parking the van was interesting as right next to our site is a massive big tree, and I mean massive.  I even took a photo to prove it.  We did however nail it with just a few little manoeuvres to straighten up and push back a bit more on the site so we didn’t have to jack up the front of the van too much.

Not much room between us and the three.

The first night when the wind was blowing it was a bit scary being under such a big tree.

We even got a bit over confident and put out the awning as really it was just a little bit of wind and not really any rain when we were setting up.  That didn’t last long and before we knew it the wind picked up again and down came the awning.  Which meant there went the good weather.  After all the cold weather it was a bit hard to take and Kayla just wanted to be outside, even in the rain.  We just had to keep reminding ourselves that it would be better the next day.

Heaps of rabbits around this park.

So we did a school lesson and then headed straight out to pick up a parcel I was expecting at the local Australian Post outlet.  Surprise, surprise they didn’t have it.  So I went back to the car and looked up the tracking number and apparently it was still in transit, but on Monday (it was now Thursday) it was less than 10km away at a mail sorting centre!!!  By now we were half way to Bunnings as it was a suggested wet weather activity given to us by the caravan park.  So we took the kids in there for a play whilst we sat down in the coffee shop.  It wasn’t very warm in there due to everyone constantly using the electric door in the coffee shop and letting in all the cold air.

The kids then of course didn’t seem too interested in the playground until a bunch of other kids arrived.  Finally I thought, some relaxation, but two of the other kids were squealers so yes my kids were now playing on the playground but it wasn’t exactly a peaceful setting anymore, and worse still, the parents just put them in and left them there whilst they shopped!  After a while though I pulled Hamish out as whilst he and the other boy were just mucking around it was getting a bit too silly for my liking and being the only parent supervising I decided to control what I could.

Before long it was time to go back to the Post Office to ask them to explain to me where on earth my parcel was.  I would have called them but they don’t seem to be listing their phone numbers anymore.  I wonder if that has a lot to do with their poor customer service!!!  Funnily enough when I queried it she agreed it was strange and went back out the back and came out with my parcel!  Seriously guys what’s the use having the parcel tracking if you don’t scan it when it arrives at the post office nor put it in a sensible area where you can find it.  No wonder a lot of people are using more of the private companies for parcel delivery.

Back in the caravan we all just seemed over the consistent bad weather and being stuck in the van.  Jason did some school with Hamish whilst I took Kayla out for a scooter.  We didn’t even last 5 minutes and had to make a mad dash under a bbq picnic area as the next heavy downpour passed over.  I was cold and the wet wind was not helping.  Kayla complained she was cold but then didn’t want to go back inside the caravan!  Eventually the day ended and we went to sleep listening to the heavy rain every now and then and the wind blowing a gale.  I hate being parked beside massive big trees when it is so windy.  Please, oh please let the next day be a better one.

Well we got another day in paradise, it was just a pity the weather did not come to the party and so whilst we were in paradise we couldn’t enjoy it due to the terrible weather conditions.  Yep still really strong winds and rain.  We did try and make the most of our time going for drives and knocking over the food shopping but really there wasn’t a lot else we could do.   When there was a break in the rain we went out for a walk whilst the kids rode their scooters but that really was about it. 

I feel for the families who only have these two weeks for their holidays and are experiencing this bad weather.  One other Mum we spoke to had been here for five days and it had been like this the entire time.  Even worse was that they have discovered that their Jayco Pop Top van has a leak and now they have water damage!  So whilst the day wasn’t exactly ideal we did manage to end the night on a high with the Bronco’s winning and now in the grand finals.  Jason was very keen to go to the finals so we bought some tickets whilst we could and then went to bed and will sort out the rest of our trip to Sydney the next day.  Nothing like driving back down the coast again.  Hey it isn’t like we haven’t done it before to go to an awesome event (i.e. Territory fireworks in Darwin!).  Love having that freedom.

Finally on our last morning in Nelson Bay we actually woke up to sunshine and no wind.  Straight away all our moods were so much happier and we were ready to go out and enjoy this sunshine as we knew it wasn’t going to last all day.  So after the washing had been hung out and breakfast eaten we headed to the beach to the left of the caravan park.  The kids took their scooters along the path and played at the playground at the end of the path whilst Jason and I sat back with coffees and read the local paper. 

Freedom and we are off.

I think the smile says it all.

Not a bad way to spend a morning.

Then when the kids were over the playground we headed back to the caravan and traded in the scooters for their buckets and spades and then went to the other beach which you can access from the back of the caravan park.  The weather was beautiful, not warm enough to swim in for my liking but it was just great to get out and enjoy the outside life again.  So we let the kids play there until they got a little too wet from the waves and it was time for lunch so back to the van we headed.   There we had a little rest and chilled out for a bit.  We decided that we would go fishing that afternoon on the high tide. 

Building sandcastles is so much more fun then being stuck inside.

Of course we have lost a sand bucket somewhere so Kayla used our big one.

Burning some of that energy she has.

As the weather had cleared up we moved the toy box back outside for the kids.  However this seemed to attract all the nearby kids, even when ours were not sitting outside playing with them.  Still it was great for the kids to make some new friends and socialise with them for quite a while.  Their parents were away for the day so we chatted heaps to their Grandmother who just happens to be a Cowboys supporter, so another Queenslander hoping for an all QLD final.  So it was great to let the kids play for a bit until some other kids arrived and then it just all started to get out of control.  It was time however for us to go fishing so we packed up the toys and got the rods ready. 

This is what Nelson Bay is all about.

Enjoying the sunshine whilst we could.

Fetching some water for the sand castle.

 Just as we were about to head off it started to rain!  We couldn’t believe it so just thought we would sit out the shower but then it got heavier so we went back inside.  Eventually we thought it stopped so headed out.  We only got about 200m and then we could see the next lot of showers coming so we retreated pretty fast and that was the end of our attempt at fishing for the day.  Kayla then was of course not happy about being inside the van and when it did stop again she wanted to go straight outside and scooter.  The only problem was her scooter had been put away as she didn’t help pick up all the toys earlier.

So after a while she got the message and picked up the few toys left outside and she was able to have her scooter back.  All of the boys were asking after Hamish and I just had to tell them that he would be out as soon as he had written a sentence in his diary for the day.  I think that was the shortest and fastest sentence ever written but he did it enthusiastically and was outside scootering with the other kids.  I am sure they had a blast but gee they were making me get my exercise walking around and around and making sure they were behaving themselves!  I kind of felt like what people call the ‘helicopter’ parent but to me if the park asks that you supervise your child then that is what I do.  Also I don’t fully believe that my kids will respect everyone else in the park so I keep an eye on them. 

Really I shouldn’t have worried as they would always get off the road when a car came past but I was shocked by two kids (brother and sister) who ran right in front of so many cars.  Sometimes even just standing there and watching them until they got closer and then running out deliberately in front!  It is none of my business but I can see why some people get so frustrated by parents not supervising their kids.  Yes let them go out and have fun but ensure they know safety and respect for other people’s property and sites!  They even threw a ball at a car.  Honestly I was happy when I could pull Hamish back inside as I didn’t want him to think it was appropriate behaviour and I kept pulling him aside reiterating what those kids were doing was wrong.  I had to be careful though not to punish him for their actions as he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Just leaving you with more photos of this beautiful beach.

Too cold for me.

Running to avoid the waves.

So I was glad when we came inside and settled in for the night.  I was even happier when the Cowboys won their game and it is now and all Queenslander grand final.  That is going to make it one awesome game and let’s be honest if the Broncos are going to lose (which I hope they don’t) I would rather it be to the Cowboys than the Storm!

Freaking freezing in Orange

It was a slow start to our day as we only had the fifty or so odd kilometres to travel to Orange and as we were booked into a caravan park I didn’t want to arrive before 10am and risk our site not being available.  So instead we just hung around the caravan for a while and slowly packed up.  I even managed to post another blog as our internet had finally clicked over into the next month.  I think we were all very happy to have it back again for our searches and I could finally log in and even check the internet banking with speed.  I don’t know if that was a good thing though, who really wants to see the bank balance.

We did eventually hitch on and hit the road.  It was another very scenic drive with more lush green grass with lots of fat animals happily grazing, but it was also cold.  We were watching the temperature gauge in the car which tells you the outside temperature and it was not going up!  We found the caravan park quite easily as it is in the corner of the showgrounds and that is probably where our good luck in regards to our “booking” ended.  I use that term lightly as when I went to check in they had no booking for us, then instead of the $27 a night Jason was quoted we had to pay $44 a night.  Apparently it is $8.50 a night for each of the kids.  This is fair to me if there are decent facilities and a nice park but it is so run down and their supposed playground is a set of two swings.  I can see why a lot of people are disappointed in the Orange caravan parks.  There are only two and if this is the better of the two then the other one must be shocking!

The picture does not show how cold this place is.

Our site was again really too short for our van, even though I said it was big and pointed to it on check in.  Luckily though they allowed us to take up two sites so we could park on relatively flat ground (still needed the levellers out) which I am not a bit fan of in caravan parks.  I kind of expect the ground to be level.  Oh and of course we only have a defined amount of time before the kids want out of the car, so that well and truly expired and we had to let them out.  Then we had to get them to hop back in whilst we reversed and then unhitched.  We just find it easier to have them in the car so we don’t have to worry about them and where they are whilst concentrating on reversing.

Finally we were all set up and we could have a late morning tea and pray that Orange has something that makes this pain of coming here worthwhile!  We did a bit of reading revision with Hamish and then headed out to the adventure playground that we had seen in a brochure.  Of course it is a free playground right next to the botanical gardens and it is an awesome spot for the kids to burn off the energy.  Jason and I just stood around discussing how cold it was before we decided I should go and get some takeaway lunch from the café.  When I came back Hamish said it was going to rain so we should sit undercover.  I said it wasn’t but Jason agreed with Hamish so we all went and sat undercover.  I of course was wrong and about five minutes later it was raining!

Once upon a time he was too scared to go on these.

Kayla couldn't decide where to start!

It was time to call it quits so we headed back to the car.  Jason and Hamish ran ahead and then once Hamish was in Jason came back to help me with Kayla’s scooter and to speed up the process of Kayla who was just walking ever so slow through the rain.  Back in the warmth of the car we decided to drive around and check out Orange for a bit.  The streets are just filled with beautiful old colonial homes and stunning winter gardens that go with it.  I don’t know if I could call them spring as to me this is really winter weather!  Back in the caravan we chilled for a bit and then Hamish went outside and played with some kids from the caravan park until I deemed it too cold to be outside (and the crazy kid wasn’t wearing a jumper).  Kayla would go out for a bit but felt a bit left out as they were older kids. 

Tomorrow we are going to the Information Centre to see what there is to do here exactly as all the flyers I have pretty much say food (but of course it is off season for most of the fruit) and wine (and I can’t drink).  Still I do think we should go and check out a few wineries to stockpile for when I can indulge again; with three kids I think I will need a rather large stockpile.  Or then again maybe we won’t, who knows.  At least when we woke up the next day it was a nice sunny day so we put on the washing and got going quite early as we had the car booked in to the service centre at 8am. 

This wasn’t for a service but Jason felt he could smell fumes in the cabin of the car when we had the rear air conditioner on and having done some research online he believed that one of the back flaps may be too open.  I had no idea but was happy to go along and make sure there wasn’t anything wrong with the car.  I had smelt the dust after some of the bad roads and smelt the fumes for the first time when we were driving to Orange.  Being a Monday we had put down to do two school sessions for the day so packed one up and took it with us. 

We tried to do it in the service centre waiting lounge while we waited for the bus to take us into town.  It was a bit of a disaster at the start but we still got there in the end, finishing it off when we got into town whilst sitting down to enjoy morning tea at the Coffee Club.  Then we just went shopping for a few things we needed and to walk around and see what sort of main centre Orange has.  We must admit they have Myers which I did not expect at all and I even found a school shop but of course they were out of the level readers that I wanted.  Though it was good chatting to the lady whose son is in grade 1 and how he is going with his reading.

By now we were all getting a bit over walking around so Jason called to see if the car was ready and they said it was nearly done so he arranged to have the courtesy bus come and pick us up.  By the time we got back the car was out front and waiting for us and then the service manager showed us the pictures which totally explained why he could smell the fumes and dust.  I am certainly glad that he has a way more sensitive nose then I do.  Pretty much the two back vent covers had bounced off a bit, letting in more air and no filter for the back air-conditioner vents.  I would put my money on a road like the one into the Bungle Bungles or Cape Leveque would have done this.  Anyway it is all fixed up now for free (under warranty).

It was then back to the van where we finished off the other school lesson and just tried to chill out.  Kayla was having one of those days where she didn’t know what she wanted but it wasn’t what was being offered.  In the end they were happy to ride their scooters around and we just sat back and watched some fellow people who had arrived try and set up their new looking Jayco pop top (like the one we use to have).  We so wanted to go over and help them and let them know that with practise it gets easier and faster but we also didn’t want to interfere and be those people that offer unwanted advice on how to do things.

Eventually we did head out to the Information Centre but unless you are here during fruit season or you love wine and fine dining there really isn’t a huge amount to do.  So we took the kids to the adventure playground with their scooters and all was going well until Jason bought Kayla back all upset but he had no idea why.  One minute she was feeding the horse in the paddock next door some grass and the next minute she was crying.  Of course she didn’t want to tell us what was wrong so I asked if she wanted to go to the car and she said yes.  So Jason took Kayla out whilst I got Hamish and we followed, but once at the car Kayla didn’t want to hop in!  So we decided to scooter in the nearby botanic gardens and then head home.  Once home Kayla then didn’t want to get out of the car, eventually she did and that was the last tantrum for the day.  Got to love three year olds and their logic.

Kayla really zips around fast.

Hamish is building his confidence on the two wheel scooter.

We are certainly looking forward to nice sunny, warmers days.  The clouds keep rolling over here and whilst it didn’t rain all day, it did eventually just as we were all inside and the kids were watching TV whilst I cooked dinner.  I just feel the warmer weather leads to a more active and outside lifestyle rather than huddled up and trying to keep warm inside.   So yes, as you can imagine we really didn’t do much at all on our last day here.  Just when I didn’t think it could get any colder it did and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed with a book all day.  Of course Hamish and Kayla, especially Kayla were not keen at all with this idea and she wanted to play outside.  So there I was lying on the cement in the cubby house we had to make in the freezing cold whilst Jason did school with Hamish inside.   The things we do for our kids.

After they had finished doing school we decided that we can’t just stay in the caravan all day, we would move to the warmth of the car and go for a drive.  Seeing Orange from the comfort of a well heated car was a good idea seeing as it is such a pretty place.  Though we are trying to work out how anyone can live here when it is so cold.  I know I for one would put on so much weight as I would just stay indoors for the majority of the year.  Still we saw what we assumed were locals out walking on this rather cool spring morning!  After a while we decided we were all hungry but instead of finding a nice warm coffee shop we went straight to the local ten pin bowling centre.

We paid to play two games each which in hindsight wasn’t a good idea as Kayla got over it half way through the first and was more interested in the game consoles over on the far wall.  Jason was on fire though and flogged the rest of us in the first game.  We asked if we could get our money back and just play one but that was a no go so it was just Jason and I playing the second game.  Thankfully I found some sort of form.  It wasn’t good but it was enough for me to claim victory in the second game. 

Hamish's bowling technique.

So that filled in a bit of time, but it wasn’t exactly the warm place I was expecting.  I thought it would be heated and we could take off our jumpers, but no it wasn’t.  So it was back to the caravan for lunch and to seek somewhere warm to hang out.  We didn’t leave the caravan for the rest of the day and that was probably again not a wise decision.  Kayla really did get cabin fever and was so sick of being stuck inside the van.  She relished in the little drive that her and Jason had to fuel up and get some eggs needed for dinner.  Yep we are looking forward to better weather, the only problem is that after looking at the weather forecast we might be waiting a while longer.  We are heading to Nelson Bay next and whilst it isn’t meant to be as cold, it is meant to be very windy and rainy.  Shame really as we saw this place once before from a boat tour and it looked stunning.

 

Racing around Bathurst

It was sad leaving Mudgee as there seems to be so much to see, do and explore in the area but without me being able to be Jason’s drinking buddy to sample the local wines and breweries it seemed like a waste.  That being said it is definitely marked down as another place we must return to and check out in more detail.  We got on the road nice and easily.  I think the cold mornings certainly make packing up outside and hitching on very fast as who really wants to be outside in it.  Mind you Jason did all the packing up of outside while I packed up inside and did some of Hamish’s revision with him.

Whilst there is apparently a shorter way to Bathurst from Mudgee that only takes 1 ½ hours (car time) we were advised that it was probably best to take the longer way which added just over half an hour (car time) to the trip.  The drive was quite hilly and we were glad we had followed the advice of fellow travellers as the other way had only looked worse.  Even though the road was quite hilly, the views were certainly worth it and the driving time went very fast as we were constantly in awe of how green everything was and the beautiful blue mountain range in the background.

Driving past a rather large dam.

More rolling green hills.

Bit of unnatural thrown in.  Guessing this helps power Sydney.

We arrived in Bathurst just after ten and had organised to stay at the showgrounds which was thankfully easy to find.  After we had set up and were ready to relax, the kids decided that they didn’t want to play together and just seemed to be fighting with each other the whole time.  So in all our wisdom we thought it would be a great idea to go out for lunch.  No we didn’t go to a child friendly place.  That would have been smart!  Instead we went to a local café where Kayla continued her lovely three year old dramas.  It was however a very nice lunch and we left there feeling very full and satisfied.

What do you think our chances are like?

The view from the top isn't too bad either.

I can only imagine what speeds they do this at.

Our next stop was to check out the Mount Panorama race track.  Jason pulled up in poll position and hopped out to take some photos before he hopped back in and continued along the track.  I have seen the race before on TV but driving it yourself is another thing.  It is so steep and windy in places and the most we could ever get up to was 60 km/hr which was too fast for my liking in parts.  However most of it was only 40 km/hr due to all the work going on the side of the road getting it ready for the big race next month.  Hamish thought it was awesome so of course we did a second lap (pretty sure Jason didn’t need too much encouragement).

It is even on the navigator.

One very sharp bend on a steep incline.

Coming up to the racetrack.

From there it was to the post office who informed me that my parcel hadn’t arrived.  After a quick call to LSODE I had a tracking number and proof that it had arrived and funnily it was located easily the next time!  By now Kayla had fallen asleep in the car so we went home to savour the peace and quiet and finish off the school work for the term with Hamish.  It is so much colder here than we have experienced for a long time, even on a beautiful sunny day it only got to sixteen degrees.  In the afternoon we went over to check out all these tractors we had seen rolling in.  They are all going to do a two day drive between towns to raise money for Camp Quality.  Some of the setups were awesome and it is so great to see.  Tomorrow morning they will all roll out so we will have to be up and ready to capture that.

Next, we then took the kids to the local playground to burn off some energy.  Unfortunately there were some other kids there who were being a bit mean to other kids but we were so proud of Hamish as he stood up for the boy who was upset and went to comfort him and said he could now have a go on the flying fox.  Just one of those moments when you realise you are doing some things right.  We soon left there though as the kids were not being nice and it was getting way too cold for our liking.  So it was back to the van for the usual nightly routine and to keep ourselves all nice and warm.  The next morning it didn’t feel any warmer and we had run the heater all night.  Yes you can definitely tell we are Queenslanders.  Still we wanted to get up and see off the tractors partaking in the camp quality fundraising drive so we were all up, dressed, fed and out the door by 8am.  Funnily it didn’t seem as cold as I expected it was going to be.

Pretty cool little set up.

This one chose to camp more in style.

So we waved off all the tractors and then retreated back to the van to do a little bit of school and the washing.  It seemed though that whilst we were in the van it was getting colder.  I know it really wasn’t but it just felt like it so we rugged up and headed off to the park with the kids scooters.  Out in the sun it was a really nice day and the kids had fun playing in the park.  All was going well until Kayla got a little scared in the maze and couldn’t find her way out, so I went in to fetch her as she was so upset.  That was our cue to take them home for some lunch.

Seeing off all the tractors.

Kayla waving them off.

Scootering around the park.

We then did our usual relaxation before heading out again to check out the Fossil and Mineral museum.  This was actually Hamish’s request as he wanted to see some more dinosaur fossils.  The lady asked him what he was most excited to see and of course he said T-Rex, but she didn’t seem too interested in his answer but I told him not to expect one.  The mineral part was really fascinating and all the colours were so cool.  At first I thought that these were all found in the area but that isn’t the case, they are from all over the world.  Then in the fossil part Hamish found his T-Rex so he was happy and they had some really good displays, but I must admit I was a bit disappointed as I expected it to be more local dinosaur fossils but again they were from all around.  Don’t get me wrong it was still great. 

Out the front of the museum.

Check out T-Rex.

Just a sample of the colourful minerals in the museum.

Kayla checking out some bugs in rocks.

 

From there we headed to Annie’s Old Fashioned Ice-Cream Parlour which was very popular.  That could be because it was the last day of school from the term so a lot of parents were coming in with their kids for a treat.  So I didn’t get any photos inside but it is done up exactly how you would imagine it would have been back in the days.  Then it was time to go home and get the roast on for dinner.  Everyone but Kayla was fine with this plan.  As soon as we drove into the showground gate she cracked it and wanted to go back out.  Trying to stand our ground we thought she would hop out of the car when she was over her little hissy fit.  Long story short we didn’t win this battle and about 15 minutes later Jason did what any good father would do and took her for a lap of Mount Panorama to calm her down.  I was hoping she was just tired and would come back fast asleep (equals peace) but no she just wasn’t ready to stop sightseeing and came back happy and ready to hop out!  This is the same kid that screamed for like 2 hours straight when she was young (pre-trip) as she didn’t want to be in the car!

Watching the horses train.

End of another day.

Kayla loved the flowers on this tree.

At least I managed to get on the roast whilst they were gone and have a little lie down and read a magazine.  Then it was time to finish the last lesson of school for the day.  We are really missing being able to sit outside and enjoy the afternoons, so really we are missing the warmer weather as it gives you more space and the outside fresh air is good for everyone, rather than being couped up in the caravan trying to keep warm.  I think if we hadn’t booked the Orange caravan park we would be heading straight to the coast when we left here just to try and find the warmer weather.  Mind you then I would probably complain about the school holiday crowds!

I was so excited on our last morning in Bathurst as there was apparently going to be farmers markets here at the showgrounds.  Though when I looked out the window I saw no sign of any markets or all the cars that one would expect to be there.  So I went for a quick walk but all I saw was the dog show that was going on.  So in the end I did a quick google, well actually it was quite slow as we had reached our quota for the month, and found out they were actually on the next weekend.  Oh well, there went my nice thoughts of beautiful fruit and veg straight from the farmer.

Driving into Solfa.

Very tempting.

The view between Sofala and Hill End.

Not to worry, we just decided to head out and go for a drive through the countryside instead.  We first headed to Sofala which was a cool little small town that looked like it would have a hundred years ago with the exception of the caravan coming down the narrow street.  The lady that ran the local museum then convinced us to go and check out Hill End which was another historical old village only about 34km away.  So off we headed there.  The road was quite windy and up and down but it was still a good drive.  There we stopped at the local café for morning tea.  It was a nice meal but we just didn’t get a welcome vibe from the place.  Odd considering that they would have to rely a lot on the tourists one would think.

In case you were even thinking about it.

Stop for morning tea.

We didn’t hang around for long as it was really a lot of old buildings that I am sure they were steeped in history, but I could see the kids getting over it very fast and we wanted to do another tour of an old house back in Bathurst later that day so we weren’t going to push our luck.  So back we headed, through the lush green countryside surrounding Bathurst and all the fat sheep and cows.  We had a quick bite to eat for lunch back at the van and a little rest before heading out to Abercrombie House.  You can’t really see the house as you drive up to it for all the trees.  It is a real shame as the house is so impressive and in the ole days it would have stood out on top of the hill.  It is slowly and lovingly being restored by a family who bought it two generations ago. 

Beautiful old home.

So well kept.

Not a bad outlook either.

Full credit to them for living and slowly getting the house back in order, but also for keeping it exactly the way it was.  It is like the owners from years back just walked out and left everything as it was.  I couldn’t imagine having to clean this place, but I guess back then they had servants that would help with all of that.  It is definitely worth the visit if you are in the area and like the old architecture or just even to check out the grand houses of the day.  Of course the kids found it rather boring, probably because parents were saying don’t touch this, quiet, walk slowly!  Oh dear the things we put them through, but they did have fun once outside and they could find all different feathers as we checked out all the old buildings surrounding the house.

Oh look Kayla found some chooks.

Some of the many buildings around the old home.

We then had to head back into town to do the food shopping and quickly dropped that back to the van and put the cold items away before heading off to the park to let the kid’s burn some energy.  They really loved the little mini town/road setup where they could ride their scooters around.  Mind you it is embarrassing when Hamish then tells other adults they should only cross the roads on the zebra crossings as they might be otherwise hit!  Being a weekend the park was a lot more packed and there were a few scary moments with Kayla zipping around but not watching where she was going.  In the end she did fall off but just because she took the corner too soon!  Still nothing a quick dust off couldn’t fix.

Total speed demon.

Hamish is really getting use to his scooter now.

Jason and I both agreed though that as beautiful as the place is, there is no way we could live somewhere so cold.  It would be okay if you just needed to put on a jumper for the mornings and evenings but to need it on all day and to still get so cold you need to retreat inside around 4pm in September just doesn’t seem right.  We returned to the van and Jason packed everything up outside whilst I tried to organise everything inside and make room for things to fit back in.  It was lucky Jason did as it then rained during the night.

Getting bigger by the day it feels.  Nothing at all to do with the bad diet!