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.