Just Back From ...
Blayney, NSW
... "Where??" ... Yeah, I know, that's what I thought too. The next question on your lips, I predict, is "Why??" Another goodie. In fact, a bunch of us were visiting a friend of ours who has been working out in the 'Wild West' for some time and has been encouraging us to experience it's unique delights.
Blayney is a small country town on the Mid Western highway not far from Bathurst and Orange and Cowra. The heart of old Gold Mining country. It also has the dubious accolade of being the second coldest place in Australia. So, choosing to spend a weekend here in early August you might assume was a foolhardy bit of bravado on our part. Not so! One thing that Sydney does NOT do well is accept the fact that in Winter it gets a bit chilly. Blayney, however, knows that in August its likely to be minus 1 and so every cafe/restaurant has an open fire or wood burning stove and every pub (of which there are many) has the heating cranked up, with the result that I felt warmer in Blayney in sub zero conditions than I've ever felt in Sydney when it's 12 degrees.
On to the 'attractions' of the region. Well, Bathurst of course is home to Mount Panorama race track ... try a couple of circuits after dark for a rather 'thrilling' experience. Incidentally, it's VERY dark out here, something to do with the lack of light polution from big city neon lights, meaning the stars are awesome! There are simply not enough superlatives to describe the night sky on a moonless, chill, Blayney night. Back to the attractions. On Blayney's outskirts you can pay a visit to the local Wind Farm, watch the graceful swishing windmills and revel in the silence. Carcoar is a wee village not far away that doesn't seem to have changed since the 1940's, even the quaint old shops seem to stock the same goods they did during the war! You can imagine the place being used as a film set.
Then there's Mount Canobolas, the highest point after the Blue mountains until you reach Africa ... we tried to spot Africa in the distance but I think it was a little too far ... To my great excitement though, there were patches of SNOW at the top! Pop into the Ugg Boot store at Lucknow on the way to get properly attired for the climate!
What else? Ah yes, wineries! The Cowra region especially is home to some great little boutique wineries where you can while away an afternoon with some unhurried tastings. Cowra is around 40 mins from Blayney and well worth a visit to see the Japanese Gardens, built to commemorate the 'Cowra Breakout' when Japanese POWs escaped from their prison camp only to be defeated by the Australian bush. Many lives were lost but the gardens are a tranquil and peaceful place of remembrance and reconciliation. Oh and you must pay a visit to see 'Clare' the enchanting wee hologram at the Visitor Centre as she tells the story of the breakout, 12 inches tall!
One sobering 'sight' was Wyangalla dam ... we drove over the top of the dam wall trying to spot the water, which was a sad little 'puddle' nowhere near the tree line where it used to reach. Apparently people used to water ski here. It's a sad reminder of how much the farmers must be suffering out West.
You might assume being the 'Country' it's not very sophisticated. You'd be wrong! We had some great dining experiences. Zieglers in Bathurst does some fabulous warming winter dinners and is BYO. The only thing you have to watch out for though is that the bottle-o closes at around 8pm (this is the Country after all), 'Attitude on Adelaide' in Blayney comes highly recommended for a filling lunch and fabulous homemade salad dressing, and 'Tonic' in Millthorpe does a very trendy brunch with BIG plates and white table cloths.
It's NICE in the country: quiet, friendly, peaceful, pretty, relaxing ... empty. There's only one taxi in Blayney, and one taxi driver/pizza delivery man/'chinese' delivery man, but Brian will get out of Bed to come and pick you up from Orange after a night out at the packed pubs, just like your dad would way back when ... bless! And people TALK to you in the country ... over breakfast one of the 'locals' decided to share with us the fact he's been driving the same car for 40 years! I think the car may have ben in better shape than he was, but it was a nice story.
If you need a place to get away and smell the fresh clean air then dare to be different and head for the 'Wild West'. It's really not so very ‘wild’ and seriously relaxing!
