On Tuesday morning, October 1 2024, I collected Maria at 930am at Strathfield Station ,Sydney .
We drove to Mittagong to see if we could see some tulips in the parks in the area. Whilst we found a few, we were told that we had to go to Bowral to see a much better display.
Time was moving along, so we drove on to Goulburn to have lunch in a café called Rosas, which is located directly opposite the Catholic Church . I had lasagne and coleslaw; which more than amply filled my plate. Maria had her cappuccinos. Rosas had belonged to the Church, and was most likely used by the nuns. Their accommodation would have been at the side of the building.
Rosas is a wonderful use of a heritage building. It has so much character .The café was full, so this is an indicator of how good the food is at Rosas.
Maria and I, drove on to Yass and arrived late afternoon .The countryside, was as always, beautiful to look at with its different shades of green .I enjoy driving when i am looking at the undulating landscape, and the sheep and cattle in the fields.
All the coffee shops were closed, so we called in to the Tourist Information Centre to pick up a few maps and then went off to find our Airbnb self- contained granny flat .We had dinner at Yass Soldiers Club, which is currently expanding with building works.
Wednesday morning, October 2 2024 , we left at 10am for Gundagai . We called by the Information Centre to check if the upgrade had been completed – not until January 2025. A coffee and early lunch followed at the wonderful Café Niagara.
We then left for Junee, and drove on the Canola Way to Coolaman . Before Junee, we literally ran into a flock of sheep .It was quite exciting being up close to these animals; we wound our windows down and took photos.
At Coolaman, we visited the Cheese factory to buy some blue vein cheese ; the factory however was not operational when we were there.
On the way back to Gundagai from Junee, we managed to get some great photos of the canola growing in the fields. The countryside looked lovely with the yellow fields.
Fortunately, I saw a sign Eggs For Sale, and we made a detour . We purchased one dozen 700 g eggs for $5. Maria and I then split them to half a dozen each.
We arrived back in Gundagai at 5pm, checked in to the Caravan Park ,and had dinner in the Family Hotel in the main street at 7pm . As always, a wonderful meal –I had my usual lamb cutlets and vegetables , and Maria had salmon rissoles and vegetables . I could not have managed the rhubarb pie for desert.
There were two couples sitting at the table behind us. I needed to check something re the Barton Highway and Murrumbateman with a local .
I asked the gentleman if he was a local. “Well yes, I have lived here 30 years, what do you want to know? “ I said that we were going to visit a winery, and the chocolate factory in Murrumbateman on Thursday morning .I need to check the turnoff re the Barton Highway to Murrumbateman etc.
A lady sitting on the table, who was with her husband asked if “we were visiting Robyn Rowe Chocolates .” ‘Yes, but it is now called Murrumbateman Chocolates. “She then said to me that “her husband does not come into town very often, as he misses his sheep.“
Cheekily, I asked the sheep farmer “if he had names for his sheep.” Oh the other gentleman chimed in “he has 1800 sheep”. We had a laugh…..
He farmed at Coolac, and said that he was finding it harder as a sheep farmer to exist these days. I asked him about farm stays as I would like to do a farm stay the next time. He said “Hillview at 3241Hume Highway Mount Adrah is the place to stay at; don’t use a certain place as you will get luxury isolated cabins and no farm experience .”
Maria and I thanked him for his valuable information, and we returned to our cabin for the night. The caravanners left early Thursday morning.
Thursday morning, October 3 2024, we called into Yass for petrol and a coffee. Then we headed off for Murrumbateman to Mt Eden Wines, and Murrumbateman Chocolates, where we had a delightful hot chocolate.
We purchased wine and chocolates, so considered that we had done well with our purchases. Goulburn was to be our overnight stop in another Airbnb in the CBD. This was a unique building, as it has been built in the 1870s , and had had a number of uses.
Before we found our accommodation, we had afternoon tea at the Paragon Café. Then we found our delightful accommodation. Oh the ghosts of the past in this unique building, which would have been able to tell so many stories.
Dinner was at Goulburn Soldiers Club where Maria had salmon, and I had a chicken dish.
Friday morning, October 4 2024, we visited Goulburn Art Gallery, a Craft Centre and the Goulburn War Museum. A new museum has been built near the War Museum, and it houses an exhibition on the Vietnam War. We left after 2pm for the return drive to Sydney.
It was the beginning of the long weekend so traffic was heavy on the M5 , We made Sydenham Station at 6pm, so Maria could catch the Metro to Chatswood .
An end to another successful road trip.
October 10 2024.
