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Published: March 29th 2014
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This morning we saw a little yellow plane doing more “touch and goes”. Barry identified it as a Foxbat plane. We enjoyed watching it for a while and then went to the Information Centre at the library, which was well timed as it started to rain and we avoided it while we were there. I managed to convince Barry that we should go back to Bodalla so we headed back the way we’d come yesterday.
While we were working out where to park Barry noticed a sign outside the Bodalla Arms Hotel on the edge of town that said $8 lunch. We were both starving as it was almost 2pm. Luckily, they were still serving three of the four choices that had been on offer. I had a Fried Tortilla and sour cream, which included green chillies – hoping they weren’t too hot; Barry had chicken fillets in parmegiana crumbs; they were both served with chips and salad. When they arrived we were amazed at the size of the meals. They were piled up on the plates! They were really tasty, too. I found the green chillies weren’t too hot if I ate only a small piece along with other
Bodalla Arms Hotel
My delicious Fried Tortilla - and I ate the chillies! stuff. The salad wasn’t drowned in dressing, either and the chips were crisp. Don’t know how they do it for the price. They certainly didn’t make their money from our drinks as we washed it all down with Lemon, Lime and Bitters.
The owner came out for a while to talk to us as we sat under a large umbrella enjoying the view of the mountains. He was originally from Sydney and moved into the area 8 years ago. He bought the pub 1 ½ years ago and is very happy there.
Now replete, we went across the road to the Bodalla Cheese Factory. Unfortunately, due to Australian Health Regulations, you cannot go into the factory but just watch a video about how the cheese is made and hear a narrator tell about some of the old equipment they used to use and the history of the farm and family. We then went into the cheese tasting at the cafe. I asked what had happened to the big factory that used to make the cheddar and was told it had been sold to a New Zealand firm in the 1990s. The new firm had decided the cheese business
Bodalla Cheese Factory
They put cows in the strangest places in Bodalla should be revived in the area as it had such a history there. They still use the name Bodalla, but the lettering on the name is in script instead of bold block letters. They now specialise in flavoured Cheddars and Bries. We tasted them all and bought the Sage and Saltbush Cheddar, Heatwave Cheddar (which isn’t as hot as it sounds but is tasty), and a Double Brie with black truffles, very unusual.
We left the cheeses there to stay cool while we went for a walk up the main street. There wasn’t a lot to see except the funny murals painted on the Petrol Station which showed cows using petrol pumps and repairing their car; a mural on the Fire Station, showing a large cup of coffee – we walked up there thinking it was a cafe; a nice Lavender Shop, where I bought some delicious lavender boiled lollies; and an Anglican Church built in 1881 – which was, unfortunately, locked.
By then, we needed a drink so we went back to the Cheese Factory Cafe and had an iced coffee each. The decor was very 1950s, with vinyl padded chairs, melamine tables and a juke box
– which didn’t work. They must have raided all the old markets and antique places when setting it up and it was a lovely trip down memory lane. We then collected our cheese and headed back to the van for dinner.
Then, about 11.30pm, it started raining and we could hear water running down something but couldn’t work out what. Turned out to be a seal in the pop-out that had become faulty was letting the VERY heavy rain in and was soaking into the carpet. We have a wooden frame, so this was a problem. Barry went outside to see what we could do and decided that we should bring the pop-out in a bit to take the pressure off the seal. It improved but didn’t stop altogether so I spent most of the night resting in the chair alongside it while putting cloths and towels down to soak up the water and changing them regularly.
I finally got to bed when the rain stopped about 3pm.
It turned out that we’d had two inches of water overnight, with a strong wind. Not the time to develop a leak!
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