Forbes NSW 15 July 2019

Forbes NSW

Finally at last, escape from the Canberra winter which seems to have been colder than I remember. But away at last in the bright sunshine and looking good for a nice run out through Yass, Boorowa, Cowra and on to Forbes. The sunshine lasted as far as Yass and then the clouds came over and the wind picked up. We stopped at Boorowa, as has become our habit when travelling this way, for a coffee. My resolve to avoid sticky buns and muffins melted at the sight of my all-time favourite: a rock cake.

We went for a bit up and down the Main Street, and were surprised at just how many more shops and businesses were closed and gone. It seems such a perfect place for a rural-change from city life I can't see why it seems to be dying. I have to say however that the  frigid freezing wind and sleet that drove us back to our car was less than pleasant - about as pleasant as finding yourself almost parked in by two other traveller people. The goose in front, with his big rig and super off-road camper tent-on-wheels had backed up to within a foot of our car. What were they thinking? There is miles of space all over the town and they have to go and park you in, and block someone's driveway for good measure. Fortunately the van that was edging up behind us stopped long enough for us to back up and get out.

Anyhow we were back on the road and had a pleasant run along the Lachlan Valley Way all the way to Forbes, it's almost my ideal road. We cruised into the Big4 and set up before going for a cruise up into town to look for ghosts of Morgans past. Morgan was my mother's name and she was born in Forbes in 1921. We checked at the Info place, which is in the old railway station. Her grandfather had moved the family to Forbes from Sydney in 1890 to work on the railway which was heading west at the time. They sent us to the Museum, which happily was open, and I had a chat to the fellow camped over the 4 bar heater trying to stay warm. He was able to tell me that the Albion Hotel, behind which were stables that my grandfather had operated, had burnt down many years ago and  he couldn't remember any thing about stables. He could however suggest that the Brave Heart Wine Saloon, which grandfather had also operated, and where my mother was born, had been on the corner of Flint Street and Bathurst Street when he was a child, but had since been demolished.

We had a lively chat about the difference between a Wine Saloon and a Wine Shanty, the former the more refined by dint of it having accomodation, the latter known as not much more than sly-grog shops.

Taking a break from the family stuff, we went searching for bird-snapping opportunities at the delightfully named Gum Swamp. Plenty of ducks and galahs but miles away from the shore. We contented ourself with taking snaps of the drowned gums and playing with the light.

On the way back I grabbed a couple of snaps of the derelict remains of ones man's folly in the 1970s, what was meant to be a living Historic Village and gold mining town, a la Sovereign Hill. Alas it failed over time, but not before they had imported the old homestead from Nelungaloo Station, south of Parkes, which is where my grandmother was once a domestic.

We went back to the van park after a slow cruise up and down William Street, where the family lived before they moved to the Wine Saloon, and Wombat (yes W A M B A T) street, which is where Mrs E A Turner lived, the house in which my grandparents were married, and the family which adopted great-aunt Grace after great-grandfather died.

So many 'old friends' floating around, yet nothing of any solid nature to add to my knowledge of the family history.

Railway Station, 1893. Forbes NSW

Gum Swamp. Forbes NSW

Gum Swamp. Forbes NSW

Lachlan Vintage Village (closed 2004). Forbes NSW

De Havilland Vampire Single Seat Fighter-Bomber
in Forbes Park, right at the end of William and Wombat Streets.
Forbes NSW

Gellibrand VIC, railway

Sometime after leaving Naracoorte, travelling through the most lush looking rolling hillsides, we passed into Victoria. Yeah, that’s six states and territories, not the complete set but a good effort nonetheless. We have been travelling on the backroads through the smallest towns and it’s been delightful, well except for the lumpy roads, which became a bit tiresome before we reached our destination. We stopped for coffee at Hamilton, where our clocks was saying 11 but it was really 1130. We drove on from Hamilton through more lovely looking countryside, the vines of the Coonawarra area having given way to the cattle and sheep, which look a picture against the verdant green grass.

We stopped momentarily at Colac to buy some stock at Woolies and then turned south up into the Ottway mountains before getting to Gellibrand. Now this is a tiny town. We chose t because the pictures of the van park looked decidedly better than this os the ones at Colac, and because its 27km further on toward the Ottway Fly, which is where we will go tomorrow.

When we rang up to book the park last night, they lady initially said they had no ensuites or powered sites because the ground was too wet, but then she relented and said we could park on one of the two concrete slabbed sites. We thought this would be OK, until we got here. The toilets they thought we should use must be at least 150 metres away. We ummed and arhed and expressed concern about the loos. We asked again about the ensuites. She conferred with hubby, still down at the 150 metre distant loos ready to throw the power on, and he said that the ensuites would be ok after all! We all trooped up to inspect the sites and they suggested to just park alongside the ensuites block as no one else would be in tonight, so we did just that. We are certainly the only van travellers in. They may have 2 people in cabins, one of whom they know, and there may be one or two permanents in permanent vans out the back. 

We walked uptown, inspected the shop, decided not to go the extra 300metres to the closed pub, crossed back over the road and inspected the old railway station and returned to the park. Hmm. That’s 10 minutes spoken for. We decided to go crazy and walk around the park itself. To our surprise we found another toilet block right next to the original slabs they had suggested, now that is odd, maybe these ones are kept for best! Then it started to rain so we returned to the van, to watch the TV that reputedly only work from time to time, but t’s pulling in the F1 so all is good, and to not use the internet which doesn't work at all where we are but might do if you walked round a bit. They reckon they spent $750 on a ‘booster’ for the house, but that doesn't work either. Actually, the nice lady had graciously given us her password for their wifi, so, i’m siting on their veranda freezing my chops of just so I can post this blog for YOU!!!

Ex-reailway station. Gellibrand VIC

Shop.  Gellibrand VIC

Rick Shaw.  Gellibrand VIC

Our rig, sinking slowly into the sodden ground.  Gellibrand VIC

Murwillumbah, NSW

Rain set in mid-morning, so we wandered back to Murwillumbah again to check out the pool, our intent was to have a swim. We had also taken our internet thingy with us as it had stopped working and thought maybe it was some local problem. Needless to say it wasn't and we went and found Telstra who took two seconds to determine that we had used our entire 12 month allowance in 3 months. Rats. Threw money at the problem and it went away.

Had a really nice lunch at a cafe on the main road before having a wander about the shops, replacing the carving knife I seem to have thrown out with the pizza box last night. Drove around the back streets checking out the lovely old houses.

Gave up on swimming, went over to the railway station hoping to take a photo similar to one taken by Merv in 1951. Alas, those lovely old station signs have been replaced by 'modern' signs and have zero character. The North Coast line stopped here and folk had to take a bus the 25miles to the start of the Gold Coast. Before they built the line the two state governments involved started talking about going right through to Coolangatta, that was in 1889, and although the line closed in 2004, they are still talking about it!

We headed due east through the Caldera and admired the lush looking farms growing all kinds of stuff apart from sugar cane. I even correctly identified the stunted and strictly groomed small shrubs as camellias use for tea-leaves by the Madura company. Judy decided that we had better take a short cut and get back to our bread dough before it became over-blown, so we headed back, raining all the way.

Andrew and Kathryn and Ben are turning up tonight so we are off in a few minutes to pick them up from the airport.

Here's a snap, only Mervyn will know where it is and what it was used for.