Hill End, Sofala Bathurst Day 3

We had an early start with a very frosty morning, the Ute tarp was stiff with the frost.

The pub was comfortable enough but bloody cold in the hallway on the way to the bathroom and I almost got frost bite out on the verandah taking photos this morning.

We spent the morning strolling around Hill End then headed to Sofala for a wander. We watched the Kangaroos grazing in the early morning light and went up to the lookout to see the mountains blanketed in fog.

Sofala is such a dinky little mining town with very narrow streets and really cute buildings.I wanted to put the stocks in the back of the ute - I could see they could come in very handy.

 We had some difficulty getting a motel room so headed to the Kelso where we had stayed last time and managed to get the last room. We went for a drive to Dunkeld to check it out and see if we were really lost and in the Grampians instead of the Blue Mountains, it's nothing like our Dunkeld there was nothing there but the signs.

Bucket list take 2 well better make that 3 .......

Had an awesome morning exploring Cowra - gorgeous old town with loads of history. If you ever get the chance the hologram display about the Cowra breakout is really awesome. First stop was the Garrison gates which mark the original entrance to the compound. We wandered around the old prisoner of war site and visited the Australian and Japanese War cemeteries which were very moving, had a cuppa at the Japanese Gardens Cafe  then headed to Hill End after a fuel stop at Bathurst.

We arrived at Hill End around 4.30pm after a slight detour when we got bamboozled at Sofala and ended up on the wrong road...... whoops .... starting to think I am NOT meant to come to Hill End! We parked at the pub and headed in - had a drink- they had meals -check - they had accommodation - check. I checked out the room it was a small pub room and the bathroom was shared but we were the only guests so that was ok.
I went for a walk and took some pics of the town and we will explore more in the morning then head back to explore Sofala and then on to Bathurst.

Day 1 heading North

Up and at it very early this morning- we got up at 5am and left home just before 7. The roads were appalling and the weather was wet and drizzly all the way but lovely countryside and we were just enjoying the journey. There are some very beautiful old buildings in Central NSW. First stop was Corowa for a quick look at the gorgeous art deco buildings and railway station.

Next we headed to Wagga to check out a scrapbook shop which has either closed down or moved as it was now a hair dressers.
We arrived in Cowra around 4 - decided on a motel and headed to the RSL for dinner. Fantastic food at genuine 1972 prices. After dinner we visited the World Peace Bell and rang it. Tomorrow it's off to the Australian and Japanese War Cemeteries and the old POW site.

holidays are for relaxing ......... right!

Had an awesome day - Kaz and I went to Jenny's for a play date. Not much achieved - we did manage to upgrade Jen's Pazzle, create a sling back shoe from cardstock and sort of manage to create a 3D birdcage from paper and acetate. Had a fabulous curry lunch prepared by Jen - restaurant quality and so beautifully presented.
Tomorrow -hair day - tidy up before holidays
Thursday -clean the house, finish the washing, start to officially pack day
Friday - change the beds, prepare for a BBQ with half a dozen mates and catching up with Miss Jane for the night - just might manage some lunch while the sheets dry at the laundromat (my little secret treat - can I help the laundromat is across the road from the pub)
Saturday  -Jane and I are off to see Sam in Anything Goes at the state theater - yay can't wait to see him again
Sunday - it's farewell to Miss Jane and packing day - making sure we have everything we need and packing the ute ready to head north first thing Monday morning.
In amongst that everyday there will be list writing and checking off, frantic searching for things not used since last years holiday trip, piles of clothes washed, folded and culled a couple of times, agonizing over which shoes to take, where the gloves and beanie are, which cord do I need to operate which electronic gadget, organizing animal sitting and feeding, ohhh and did I mention the half a dozen people coming to dinner Friday night that I need to feed (gotta love men)

it's that time of year again .....

Chas and I are planning to go for  another drive .....
We are packing the ute again in a couple of weeks and heading out on another unplanned adventure - well sort of. Remember my bucket list disaster a couple of years ago when I got the name of a town mixed up and booked into the wrong pub in deliverance territory - well I will finally get to see Hill End - it's back to central  NSW, we will visit Cowra to do the WW2 Japanese and Australian cemeteries, the peace bell and the POW camp site memorial, then head toward Bathurst where I'm sure the Blue Ute will be taken through it's paces again on Mount Panorama - and now he knows I can video we are sure to post a "lap" of the mountain. Then we will head to Sofala and Hill End a couple of old mining towns with tons of heritage buildings and mining history, Then we will wind our way home via Goulburn and Albury. It should be a low stress good fun few days packed with interesting experiences and photo ops.