Mudgee

Arrived Mudgee, Monday 30th May, and stayed the week. The Mudgee Tourist & Van Park was very quiet, so we got pick of the sites. It seems all the sane people are where it is warmer! Though looking at the map, not sure where warmer is!

Picnic at Windemere Dam

As usual, Lynne & Paul had our week mapped out for us, complete with written itinerary, in case we seniors get forgetful. Bayleigh and Harley were also very happy to see us and April, and despite the cold, and sometimes wet and windy weather, we were set for a great week.

Time to BBQ.

First outing was a picnic at Windemere Dam, about 30 kms out of town on the Sydney Road. No problems finding a spot, and the dogs get to have a great day out as well. Lynne and Paul did a great BBQ, and John even got another birthday cake!
Most evenings we were at L & P's house, for some home cooking and domestic catch up, though we did also head for town to the Brewery Bistro, for live music on Thursday night, and the Butcher Shop cafe on Saturday night, where it becomes a Thai Kitchen on Friday and Saturday Nights.

Of course there were plenty of stops for cake and coffee, with Cafe 89 being the favourite this visit. We caught up with Lynne's brother John, who is making a great recovery after having a brain tumor removed a few weeks back. All is looking good, and John was looking forward to getting back to week and behind the wheel in the next week.

Thursday John had a round of golf in the Mudgee Member's comp, whilst Carol went to Leura/Katoomba with L & P. Paul had a visit to the eye specialist, post cataract surgery, whilst the girls shopped Leura. Notice how our life now includes  lot of medical references. Ah! the joys of aging! Golf was average. The Mudgee greens get me every time! Still it was an enjoyable day played with three local characters, with plenty of yarns to tell.

The Ben Chifley Railway Exhibit

Friday, while Paul worked doing his driver work for DOCS, Lynne, Carol, John and April, went to Bathurst for the day. It is about an hour and a half away. A lovely lunch at Vanilla Bean Cafe, then a little sightseeing.  We went to the new Ben Chifley railway exhibit at the railway station. Our famous WW2 Labour Prime Minister, was brought up at Bathurst and was a train driver, and tireless worker for the railway workers and Union movement. We also visited his family home a few streets away. We drove around the city, having a good look around the sitghts. Bathurst is now quite large, with excellent facilities. 

Pit Strait at Mt. Panorama

Of course, no trip to Bathurst is complete without a lap around the famous racing circuit. We set a new lap record for a Landcruiser with a Kayak on the roof! Though we were almost upstaged by a Nissan Patrol with a Tinnie on the roof, until he stopped to take pictures at the top of the circuit, and killed his lap time! The developments at the circuit since our last visit here are amazing. It is a world class facility, and it is no wonder the drivers love the place.

Lunch at the Denman Pub

Saturday was lazy day with John starting to pack up. The weather was reasonable, and every thing was dry. Sunday we took a fantastic drive along the Bylong Valley Way, a recently improved and sealed route from Mudgee to the Hunter Valley. With stops it was couple of hours before we reached Denman and had a hearty lunch at the Denman Pub. Drive home was via Ulan, where we  saw all the new (and old) coal mine works. This is fast becoming Mudgee's major industry with more mines on the way. Mudgee will face its challenges as the face of the town changes from rural (wine and sheep), to coal mining. Still, I am sure the community is up to the challenge.

All too soon it was Monday morning, and we were on the road to Sydney for catch up with family and friends over the coming 2 weeks. Thanks to Lynne and Paul, and Bayleigh and Harley, for a wonderful week.