I had an email from Dianne this morning reminding me that I’ve been a bit slack and haven’t posted anything since June 14th! Shock, horror! Is my life so dull that I have nothing to say, or is it so private, I can’t share it with anyone? Or I am just a bit slack? Perhaps Dianne is right.
Let’s go back to Rafferty’s for a moment just to report on our last night there. We had decided we wanted to try the Catho Pub in the small town of Catherine Hill Bay. It’s a mining town with tiny wooden houses, close to the sea. The day we drove around to have a look, the houses were covered with banners: “Save our Town’, ‘No Development in Catho’, ‘Leave Us in Peace’, etc. However, the barmaid at the pub told us it was all too late, the development of several townhouses had been passed and building would start soon.
The pub itself is just a one-storey affair, with a verandah at the front and a feeling of lazy neglect in the way it is run. Nothing was tidy, the fittings were shabby and there were beer kegs, boxes of wine and general junk everywhere. We wandered through to the bistro, looking lost until the barmaid appeared and took our order. She explained that it wasn’t her job but the girl; who was supposed to do it was nowhere to be seen. It was a leap of faith in a way because we saw nothing to suggest we might get a reasonable meal. ‘Where should we sit?’ we asked. Ánywhere you like,’ she said. ‘We had a big night last night, with the State of Origin,’ she said, ánd we’re still a bit disorganised.
Too true! The only upright table seemed to be in the bar and was still covered with last night’s spills and empty chip packets. Marilyn found a Spray ‘n’ Wipe on the bar and cleaned it up and we took a seat in anticipation of what we might receive. The two or three other patrons in the bar seemed bemused by the appearance of us city-slickers and wandered off to leave us in peace.
The meals were extraordinary. Jenny and I had lamb shanks: 2 each with mounds of garlic mash and veges, and Marilyn and Sandy had Flathead fillets and chips. I think they had in mind coal miners after a hard shift when they worked out the portions; certainly our plates were groaning with what they served. And it tasted great! So, full marks to the Catho Pub. Ignore the first impressions, enjoy the unusual ambience and have a great feed.
The next day we drove to Wollongong for a couple of nights before heading for Melbourne and the Tasmanian ferry. We arranged to meet friends, Mary and David, in Bungendore where they have just renovated a cottage and shed. Bungendore is a lovely town and the home of the Wood Works Gallery. David McLaren, Director of the Gallery, came to the Craft Fair in 2008 as a judge and I was looking forward to seeing him again. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there on the day we visited but we certainly enjoyed seeing the gallery and having lunch in their café. Being close to Canberra and being a weekend, it was very busy. David and Mary were well, and their renovations were great so it was a good visit.
On to Gundagai for an overnight stop and to Melbourne the following day. We arrived there early enough to take the tram into town to check out the sales. We’ve checked out the sales in six cities now and still find things to buy. This time, we found Cuisinart Coffee Machines in David Jones for $30. Can’t resist, buy two!
The weather forecast had gale force winds over Bass Strait so all the talk on the boat was that we would have a bumpy night. Not so, and we slept like babies before being woken at an ungodly hour so we could get off the boat not long after 6.30am. Breakfast at Etc café at Elizabeth Town and into Deloraine to collect what we could from the shed before the rain came, and then off to Dilston to our new home. It’s still pretty empty but over the next few days I’ll bring up what we need to make the place homely.
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