Daytrip to Nundle

 

I tried a fruit called the Custard Apple with breakfast. It looks like a green mango with extreme acne. The flesh inside is pale ivory and very soft. The sweet pudding-like fruit can be scooped directly from the bumpy shell around its shiny black seeds. Yum!  The four of us set out for a delightful country drive seeing quaint homes and farm buildings set in grassy pastures, beautiful rolling hills dotted with cattle and horses, small towns and churches. The gum trees, grasses and the odd billabong were typical of the gorgeous scenery that I have seen in Australian films and travel shows. Everything is different when you travel and even spotting unique road signs can be fun.

         

          

            

Our destination town of  Nundle was a real treat. It’s church, town hall, theatre and Inn were all restored to preserve a century’s magical past. We had a wonderful lunch on the patio of the Peel Inn. The scarlet grape vines wound around the beams and trellises  above our heads. The crimson leaf silhouettes cut sharply against the crazy blue sky.  The magical setting was only made better by the great company and delectable flattened chicken breast served on Turkish Toast. Too bad Al has is missing out.

               

  

                        

         

We spent a couple of hours touring the shop and working-factory of  the Nundle Woolen Mill. Sheep farming and wool production have a long history in Australia. An enthusiastic couple lovingly restored The Mill and they wash, card, spin, dye and produce wool and woollen artifacts using the original machinery and techniques. The passionate owner toured us past the one hundred year old machines whose only repairs over the century was a bit of lubrication and the replacement of the odd nut or bolt. Ironically,the single modern apparatus, a computerized balling machine, gives them constant grief. The antique machines are gorgeous to look at, a marvel of engineering and a tribute to the high level of skill and standards of “the olden days!”

               

        

                                

             

           A group of talented knitters created this sweater for the Sydney Easter Show a few years ago.

 

Our perfect day was complimented with a traditional “Baked Dinner”. Dot cooked an amazing leg of lamb with potatoes and vegetables followed by a lovely lemon pudding-cake for dessert! Al joined us for dinner and the beginning of his holiday. What a grand ending to a fabulous day! See you in dreamland.