In essence, who does not love a pretty place…
During our travels, we have often left the highways to find them, and this trip, we know there will be many places, each offering a different version of pretty. As with beauty, it will be in the eye of the beholder and the mindset on the day.
Late: this is how we roll. The alarm goes off, and we both choose to ignore it.
You were snoring, he says
I heard the alarm, but I was waiting for the second one, I retorted indignantly.
“I didn’t set it”
It’s 8.00. We were leaving at 6.00am. The cars are not packed; we’re not ready…Que sera sera
By 10.00, we are on the road. Day one of retirement.
Traversing NSW and parts of Queensland in search of festivals, new sights and adventures, we will revisit some places we have seen before and hopefully spend more time enjoying the ride rather than just getting to a destination. Having said that, I have not left us much time for relaxation, as we only have 5 days to get from the Gold Coast to the Mundi Mundi Bash, and we are already late.
For those of you who love statistics as I do, that is a total of 1577km and a quick drive of 17.5 hours. I have broken it down into places we haven’t been to and a few we have to visit, because we don’t want to drive more than 6 hours a day. The original plan was to go to Goondiwindi, a 5-hour drive, by 2pm, explore the area, have a lovely tea and be on the road again. Knocking off 414k’s.
We will be encapsulated in the car, Sherman. I christened this because when we got him, I felt he resembled a ‘Sherman Tank’ as he was so big. He will take us to many distant places as we set out, knowing that this time we do not need to return home for work. Heading west, we ascend the foothills of the Great Dividing Range around the Scenic Rim.
Here, the journey has all the romance of a road trip with rustic farm sheds, coffee houses and picnic places off the beaten track. Our first stop Guinea Farms Grocer, at Nathan. There are crates full of tomatoes, apples, and assorted vegetables. The avocados on sale are all gone. I comment to the girl behind the counter that we are disappointed there are none left, and she calls to her offsider, who refills the crate and gives us two avocados. That is what makes travelling in the county so beautiful. The openness of people and their giving nature. They are not all about the cash and are not concerned that everyone will want free produce if they give away one or two. What makes this so special is that this rarely happens these days and that gives a warmth to travel and a renewed belief that the good days are still here.
It’s not long before I am restless, wanting a pretty place to stop, to smell the roses and enjoy the brilliant sunshine breaking through the windscreen, trying to tell my freezing feet that there is warmth outside. I have put aside the need to be somewhere and wonder about a pretty place.
A memory comes to mind, and together we search the archives to try to recall where the water was and why we had been there before. Eventually, it came back, we were heading west again, to Broken Hill and found Lake Moogerah.
The deep blue of the water is ringed by small but majestic hills. It is, as most bodies of water are west of ‘The Divide’, a dam. The skeletal trees stand on the water’s edge. Ghosts of their former leafy bowers hosting birds with kangaroos resting below. The concrete dam wall provides a walk to view the machinations of man and his need for control of nature. Still, a beautiful place has been created.
There is a serenity around the water’s edge. A stillness that urges calm, encourages breathing in warm air filled with what seems like grassy moisture being carried to the clouds for rain. For those who are uncomfortable with the silence, there will always be a speedboat or jet ski to let you know you are not far from the madding crowd. Old rotundas and picnic tables are under the canopy of the remaining trees. There are lots of grassy knolls waiting for picnic blankets, families and lovers to laze and graze the days away.
Our picnic is simple, made up from the fresh produce, including avocado and an array of cheeses from our roadside stall. Our mascots love sitting on the edge of the rotunda. Suddenly, one dives for the ground as if to say it’s time to go.
Back in the car, we head off, wondering what sort of pretty the next place will be.
The musical link is to Paul Kelly – The Pretty Place. Released in 2001 on the Nothing but a Dream Album
Festival Fiesta Carnivale 