Road Trip 2011: Day Nine

After a wonderful evening chatting with past ABA and current Facebook friend Aine and her husband, it was up and out the next morning for my very first time seeing the sights of Katoomba - or not! It was the most hysterical experience as Aine, who works with tourism in the Blue Mountains, proudly took me to the lookout onto the famous Three Sisters and pointed them out to me:

Oh well, at least I hadn't come from japan, like the poor confused tourists I asked to take our photo!!

This is what we should have been able to see:

Not to mention that only the day before, my online friends had been frantically warning about the bush fire in Katoomba, deliberately lit, just at the foot of this very lookout. So recent, the staff hadn't yet removed the warning signs (probably the rain was too heavy to do so!)

In case the mist/fog/rain is too thick for you to read it, the words warn "Bush Fire. Trails Closed" LOL.
The entire area stank of wet fire. I think it was out.

There was nothing left for it - Aine went to work and I went - shopping :) nearby Leura was just the thing and I spent the rest of the morning browsing and had a wonderful lunch at a cafe before hitting the road toward the city.

On the way, I stopped in to see Debbie - after a bookshop and hippy shop detour! Lovely to have tea and goodies surrounded by her purple walls!

I arrived in Parramatta in good time and dry conditions and headed tot he home of my cousin Bruce and his wife Sharon. The rest of the day was spent in conversation, then their son Darren, his wife Amy, their 2yo old Chloe and 2wo baby Keiran arrived for dinner and some breastfeeding talk!! And then to bed.

Road Trip 2011: Day Eight

I woke up from a wonderful night's sleep to a breakfast of cereal, omelettes, tea and conversation with my hostess and the other guests at Winter Rose Cottage in Bathurst. I then took some time in the beautiful garden:

Not long after, my friend Samantha came to collect me and give me the tour of Bathurst. First, a lap of the Mount Panorama racetrack, at 60km hour, a little slower than the pros a couple of weeks ago!

However, not being a petrol-head and being exposed to the racing side of the location far more than I could ever wish due to my father and then my husband being fans, I focused on the the panorama instead, which you will agree is pretty stunning.

We then headed off for tea and pastries, book shopping, the local art gallery, fossil museum and a honey farm shop/cafe and before we knew it, it was school pick up and time for me to hit the road.

Next stop: The Blue Mountains! My luck ran out just as I passed the border of Bathurst and the threatening rain finally hit. I drove up the mountains in a downpour, making the whole adventure just that little more challenging, but finally my GPS found the home of Aine and I was safe for the night in Katoomba.

Road Trip: Day Seven

It was about this time I renamed my trip to "Tea and Toilet Tour" - you'll soon workout why!

Waving farewell to the B&;B, I headed to the Wagga cemetary and saw, for the first time, the graves of my maternal grandparents.

Then it was on the road to my destination for the night, Bathurst, with a couple of stops along the way.
First was the tiny village of Bethungra, where my great grandparents had settled and my mother, aunts and uncle lived as children. I headed straight to the cemetery to see my great grandparents graves:

My Uncle Alan had suggested the nearby Irises to pick and place on the grave, which he had meant to do on a recent visit.

Then it was on to Temora, via Junee, where my mother was born. I bypassed Cootamundra this time, where my parents were married, as I had visited another time and had an addition to my planned itinerary: I was headed out to West Wyalong to visit my friend Jamie. But first, Temora and my dear friend Janet and her family.

Then - off to West Wyalong, a minor detour of 100kms or so! But look at the smiling face I got to see!

(photos by Issac)

Then I drove directly to Bathurst, with my companion Stephen Fry telling me all about the first 20 years of his life on CD! We made our destination by 6pm, as planned. I checked in to the Winter Rose Cottage B&B, then popped out to the local Italian restaurant for some pasta then back for an early night.

Road Trip: Day six

Wagga Wagga
I arrived at the B&B about 6pm and was very happy to see my room!

At this stage, I was a little over food, so popped in to takeaway a small pizza and a take-home pack of gelati, which I ate in my room trying to watch my ABC shows on a fuzzy TV!

Next morning, I decided to stretch my legs and walked the two blocks to house my grnmother had owned when I was a child. The house has been fully renovated since she died in the 70s and I would love to own it if you know of a money tree somewhere. It would make a devine B&B itself!

The it was time for brunch at Mates Gully cafe and a small purchase at The Gallery - a tea towel with the placenames of many of the stops on my trip laid-out typographically.

Back at the B&B and Megan phoned, so we met up for a quick cuppa at Cache - well, the cuppa lasted about 2 hours!!

After all that, I had a nana-nap on the four poster, then it was off to pick up my Aunty Becky and out to dinner at the RSL.

Then, home to bed!!!

Road Trip: Day Five

After catching a cab to the airport, I collected my hire car (Kia Sportage, which I love!) and hit the road to Wagga. Drove past crowd gathering for Queen outside Duntroon but decided not to change my iterary just for a couple of visiting pensioners from the UK!

Drove to Yass, then to Gundagai, where the dog still sits on the tuckerbox, only now he is 8kms from Gundagai, which doesn't scan as well as five miles. Stopped for the obligatoy homage, toilet stop and hamburger which featured in every childhood trip.

Next it was on to Tumut, where I popped in to see some relations. While they didn't get up or say hello, I am sure they were pleased to see me again.

Then it was on to Batlow, to see relatives who were up and about! I hadn't seen my Uncle Alan since if was in primary school and had never met his wife Marie, so it was with great excitement on both sides when I arrived. Marie prepared the most wonderful country afternoon tea of scones and fruitcake and we brought each other up to date with family matters. Then he showed me some pieces of his fathers old car, wrecked in a collision with a moving train in the early 50s (Harrie and his brother George both survived) which Alan had found just recently in the grass at the site! He even gave me a broken piece to bring home for my collection.

 Then there was just time for some family photos before I was on the road to Wagga.