Travelling West and South

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We left home yesterday morning and drove over the Blue Mountains. It was lovely up there, the air clear and crisp, the day sunny, the trees in their autumn colours of russet and golds. We drove around Cliff Drive where there were wonderful views over the 'spectacular blue-hazed beauty, dramatic cliffs and deep canyons' of the mountains.

We drove on to Bathurst and then through lovely countryside to Orange. Thought it doesn't grow oranges, Orange does grow a lot of stone fruit as well as apples and pears. We spent the night at a park nr. the Showground. Bathurst has their agricultural show this weekend and Orange the weekend after, but, as is our way, we are missing them both!

Today was another lovely sunny day driving through beautiful countryside, mostly large grey-green gums edging paddocks containing sheep and lambs. They looked healthy amongst long grass and near full dams .. a change from all those years of drought. After some time looking around Orange this morning, we drove on - next stop, Canowindra (pronounced Canow'ndra). This is an old town with a narrow winding main street, but with some nice shops, which I made time to explore. Canowindra is known for its annual balloon festival when many fancy balloons fill the sky and for the fossils found there.

We had lunch near the Japanese Gardens further on, on the hill overlooking the nice farmland of Cowra. Cowra was the scene of the Japanese POW breakout in the second World War and that site is a memorial, as are the gardens, to those who were killed in that breakout. We have previously been to both, as well as the excellent information centre so we just drove around the area before hitting the road again. While driving through Young, cherry capital of Australia, we stopped at a roadside stall and bought a cherry pie which we'll finish dinner with tonight. Spring is the time for the fresh cherries there.

And now we're at Junee. It was once a major railway hub and is a nice old town, with grand Victorian buildings, as have many towns we've visited this trip. The old railway station is big and impressive, as are the big hotels nearby - no doubt once full of sheep farmers having an overnight stay before boarding the train or maybe loading wool for the trip to Melbourne or Sydney.

We are in a very nice caravan park, and at wine o'clock the last rays of the sun are shining across the lake and in the park nearby footballers are training. It is chilly but we are cosy in the well insulated motor home.

Tomorrow it may be Temora, or maybe not .. decisions are made at the time!

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Photos

A glimpse of the Three Sisters
Those three columns of sandstone at the Blue Mountains. Click on the photo for a larger view

A nice lunch stop
At the Blue Mountains - overlooking the Megalong Valley

Our lunch stop at Cowra
such pretty farmland in the valley - once where Edgell grew asparagus.

Hotel, Junee
One of a few of these big hotels here