I've just returned from a short holiday with friends in the small central western NSW town of Blayney. I had planned to fly direct from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney where they had kindly agreed to pick me up for the three hour (plus) drive back to their home in Blayney. I began to be a little worried when a cyclone (later named Hamish) started to form off the coast of northern Queensland and head south, about a week before I was scheduled to leave. As it turned out my worries were justified. Not for any damage we might sustain from the cyclone (it had all but abated and headed back up north again by the time departure day arrived), but the airline decided to err on the side of caution and cancelled all flights for the day! This necessitated my having to arrive at the airport a whole three hours earlier so we could be bused to Brisbane and fly from there. Even this was not without hiccups however, as when I arrived at the duly appointed time (6.15am), it was to find several other passengers (some of whom had been there from as early as 5.30am) milling around the airport entrance – we were locked out! Some hurried phone calls were made and we were assured the bus was on it's way and we were to check in, in Brisbane, not in Maroochy as we had been told. The bus did indeed arrive on time and delivered us to Brisbane with plenty of time to spare so all was well in the end – the journey just took a few hours more than I was expecting. I always seem to manage an “adventure” when I'm travelling, but it all adds to the fun!
The journey was to become even longer! My friends met me as arranged and after grabbing a quick bite of lunch at the airport, we set off for Blayney. We were all so busy chatting and catching up with news that we missed the motorway exit (for the west) and were well on our way south by the time we realised! Oh well, we just decided to continue on and take the “scenic route” via Goulburn, which added another good hour to the trip but it was very enjoyable and let me see some more countryside that I hadn't seen for a while!
Even though I grew up in Sydney, I still had fun playing tourist, visiting some places I hadn't been to in years. One day we went to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, which is home to the famous rock formation, The Three Sisters, and some very spectacular scenery. After having lunch in a quaint little Tea Room which doubled as a teapot museum and was so filled with bric-a-brac that there wasn't a vacant square inch, we viewed the Three Sisters and photographed some of the great scenery before descending to the valley floor on the Scenic Railway. This is the steepest railway in the world and drops over the rim at an angle of 52 degrees – quite scary! It utilises the line originally used to bring coal up from the mines at the valley floor. There is a lovely rainforest walk at the bottom, to the lower terminus of the Cableway, a short distance away. We were able to ride the Cableway back up to the top, taking in more amazing views on the way. ( www.scenicworld.com.au/ )
Another day was spent at Jenolan Caves. I stayed at the historic Caves House twice as a child, the first time probably around 50 years ago, and ever since the place has held a real fascination for me. I worked out it's around 30 years since I was last there, but it still worked its magic on me! Caves House still looks very impressive from the outside but I was sad to see its somewhat “faded grandeur” on closer inspection. The setting though is still quite spectacular with the large Elizabethan style hotel building nestled down in the narrow ravine, surrounded by thickly-wooded, steep-sided hills. We did a formal tour of the Imperial Cave (the easiest graded one available!) and also a self-guided tour of the Nettle Cave and Devil's Coach House. We went down to the underground river level in the Imperial Cave and it's the clearest water I've ever seen – it was just like looking through glass. ( www.jenolancaves.org.au/ ). My calf muscles were well aware of the extra exercise they had received!
I was also lucky enough to be in town for the weekend of the local show (county fair?). A delightful day was spent checking out the cooking, flowers, and craft exhibits, visiting the poultry and cattle pavilions and animal nursery, and watching a local high school circus show, as well as some of the wood chopping events (I always love those!). Around lunch time there was a grand parade as the “boys from the bush were back in town" with their utes and they put on quite a spectacle with “wheelies” and flames shooting from the exhausts! A little country show is so much more fun than the big capital city “agricultural exhibition” equivalent.
There were also trips to the neighbouring regional centres of Orange and Bathurst and the lovely little historic village of Millthorpe ( www.millthorpe.com.au/ ), but before I knew it, it was time for the long trip back into Sydney for my flight home. Once again I had a little “adventure” by nearly missing my plane! As I ran into the terminal, the “last call” for my flight greeted my ears and I had a tense moment when the bag-drop person announced I was too late to get my baggage onboard (I had already checked-in online). However she made a quick phone call and assured me she could get it on after all, so off I raced. I was so lucky my flight was leaving from the first boarding gate, not right at the far end of the terminal, and I literally ran on to the end of the cue already boarding! It was a quick, uneventful flight home but I felt I'd earned the cheese and crackers and bubbly I decided to treat myself to!
