Exploring Tamworth

Today we explored more parts of Tamworth including West Tamworth and ended up with a great family gathering at the Dungowan Brewery.

But before we tell more about that, let's go back to the beginning of the day. 

Morning

I woke this morning at 4.00am after a nice peaceful sleep. I still have some photos from yesterday to name and upload, we took so many. I've had to do them in three batches as the web upload speed here isn't as fast as it has been in previous hotels. I did one upload before dinner last night, one after dinner and another this morning. The slower than usual connection at the hotel doesn't make much of a difference to anything else, but is very noticeable in photo uploads. 

Drew wakes at 5am and I make coffee for us both. I then respond to Flickr comments form my sister and my former colleague, Robin who are being very responsive to the photos, which makes it all the more satisfying to get them done in time. Drew gets up at 6am and does his ablutions as a hurry up for me to do mine. 

I do so and then we sort out clothes for washing ready for the Launderette after breakfast. 

Breakfast

We leave the hotel at 6.50am and get to Gusto, which my brother has recommended, for breakfast by 6.55am. They were already open though they are advertised for 7am opening. We went in and ordered. 

Drew had bacon and egg roll with a side of hash brown and I had the Big Breakfast, which David had mentioned, I agree wholeheartedly with his recommendation. 

Drew's Bacon and Egg Roll

Haydn's Big Breakfast

It is clear that people in these parts don't understand the concept of 'Over Hard'. In the USA egg options are 'Sunny Side up' 'over easy' and 'over hard'. But twice now I've seen puzzled faces when I've asked for fried eggs over hard (i.e. with no runniness in the yolk) and had to explain further! I wonder what it is called here? Or does no one else like eggs this way?

I remember being in the USA with my sister, brother in law and brother when over hard was explained to me as a title there - I wonder if any of us can remember where we were. A small homely kind of cafe as I remember! Any comments welcome.  At home I just ask for fried eggs with the yolk cooked. Perhaps I should adopt this approach here. 

We leave Gusto at 7.30am 

Laundry

Following a quick visit back to the hotel, to pick up the clothes, we head to the Executive Launderette one block up and six stores down. 

We arrive at 7.40am and put our washing, almost all our clothes apart from the ones we are wearing, into a 4xload machine, it was just to much for the 3x one and I find space in the washing machine helps the clothes clean with the agitation. It is $14.30 (£7.15) for the machine for 25 minutes and payment is by card. I like the fact that a place with a big sign saying Coin Wash doesn’t accept coins any longer - irony is alive and well!  The card machines here talk to you - "please present your card or your mobile phone"; "card accepted" "thank you" - has been the dialogue so far.

On to the dryer and the same process with the talking card machine $5.30 for 25 minutes and they are all dry. At 8.50am we walk back to the hotel and hang our clothes up in the wardrobe.

Walking up hill

We leave the hotel again at 9.45am and walk up the length of Brisbane Street. Our route for the day is outlined here:

As the road progressed uphill, so the hill got steeper and steeper. Also from Raglan Street up the pavement disappeared, so we had to walk on the road, though the road wasn't busy, so this caused no problems.

The route got steeper still as we climbed Endeavour Drive. 

Marsupial Park

At 10.40am we arrived at Marsupial Park and began to explore.

Sadly most of the animals are behind cages - there are normally more of them roaming free, but due to infection control some of the wild runs are closed (this was true of both the Wallabies and the Kangaroos).

Two very impressive Peacocks were walking around the park and a large Red Kangaroo had it in for Drew, laying down and appearing to be asleep every time Drew approached to take a photos, and standing up and bouncing around once Drew's back was turned. As you'll see above it was the Kangaroo who won that particular test of wills!

Drew did learn to tell a Galah from a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and a Rainbow Lorikeet.

Kamilaroi Walking Track

Leaving the park we walked up a steep section of the Kamilaroi Walking Track which leads from the park to Oxley Scenic Lookout.

It was worth the steep climb to get the amazing views of the city.

Oxley Scenic Lookout

Oxley Scenic Lookout as its name implies looks out over Tamworth and beyond along the Peel River Valley and on to the mountains of the Great Dividing Range to the south. The area the surveyor Oxley travelled through on his journey.

As well as the amazing views the site provides a history of the area

Picnic tables, barbeque area and high quality well-maintained toilets.

The Road Down

We left the outlook at 12.10pm and walked down the winding road which is the way that most people travel to the top of the hill. It was nice to be greeted by a variety of messages on the road, though I suspect they were originally written from bottom to top, rather than in the direction in which we encountered them.

We'd reached the bottom of the hill by 12.45pm.

Across the River to West Tamworth

Our walk continued as we walked through Bicentennial Park and crossed the Peel River for the first time.

Arriving on the other side of the river in the appropriately named Cross Park

We continued to walk up from the river until we arrived at Calala Cottage

the home of the Tamworth Historical Society. Given they are only open from 1pm to 4pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday I think we have done well to find ourselves here. 

The historical societies website is well worth spending some time reviewing. They outline the range of sights at the site of Calala Cottage which was built by the Gidley-King family as a way of overseeing Tamworth, which can be viewed from the balcony of the cottage, when they were travelling away from their base at Goonoo-Goonoo Station, where their company was based. The cottage was extended in the 1870s with the addition of a large ballroom as the Governor of New South Wales had determined he would stay in West Tamworth on his visit to Tamworth of the arrival of the railway in the town.  

The Historical Society doesn't allow photos in the cottage, but our guide Len, an active and senior member of the society, gave us a great description. External shots, which were allowed, can be seen of Flickr here and forward. 

Back across the river

We left Calala Cottage at 3pm and walked back down to the river and crossed over at a different point from our earlier crossing. 

This brought us to another celebration of Australian Country Music - the Country Music Hands of Fame Park. Hollywood has the Walk of Fame made up of stars names and a star, Tamworth has the Handprints of all the country singer who have ever visited the town, no matter how famous or not, there are quite a few. [Co-pilot's note: I'm sure, dear readers, you'd be glad to know Keith Urban's handprint is here. 😈]

We got back to the hotel at 4pm, had a cup of tea and both washed and changed ready for our evening out.

Family Meal at Dungowan Brewery

We left the hotel at 4.45pm to head to my brother and sister-in-law's place and pick them up and take them to tonight's restaurant.

On arrival we had a little ritual where I handed over my Dad's signet ring to Dylan, my eldest newphew and Dad's eldest grandchild, to whom he had left the ring. Instead of trying to find ways of sending the ring to Australia after Dad's death, I had become to courier and I wasn't sure my sister would believe I'd achieved the task if there wasn't photographic evidence.

We travelled to Dungowan Brewery which is set in a large area of farmland, with cows in the fields around.

The five of us travelled together and the other four making up the party were driven by Alice. Here we all are before dinner - minus Drew who is taking the photo.

In addition to the immediate family (apart from Cian away in university in Newcastle) we were joined by Grace's boyfriend Joel - I hope you spot the heart bag and keyring between them

and Alice's boyfriend Tom

My brother's choice of venue couldn't have worked better, we were sat on a large table in the middle of the high ceilinged former brewery and while there was some background noise from other tables we were all able to chat happily to each other. Plus the food was of the highest quality.

Starters

[Co-Pilot's Note: Hold on tight, dear readers, because you are going to get them all!!]

Sourdough Garlic Bread 

Sautéed Mushrooms

Pan-fried Halloumi

Pumpkin and Mozzarella Arancini

Heirloom Beetroot with Chorizo, Pear and Quince Dressing

Sticky Braised Pork Belly

Smoked Trout with Potato, Yoghurt Cream, and Herb Oil

Mains

Dungowan Beef Sausages 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger and Fries 

Garlic and Thyme Chicken Supreme

BBQ Pork Ribs - Haydn

BBQ Pork Ribs - Tom

 Double house-burger with American Cheese, Pickle, Burger Sauce and Chips/Fries

Jack's Creek Porterhouse Steak

Celeriac Steak with Spinach Mash and Fried Mushroom Gravy

Desserts

Chocolate Brownie Pudding

Vanilla Panna Cotta

Banoffee Tartlet

Espresso

Most of the photos of food above are courtesy of my niece Alice Blackey, she is much better at taking food photos in dark light than I am. I reckon it's because Drew bans me from using a flash, not to draw attention to ourselves. [Co-pilot's note: Some people, dear readers, might say we already stand out enough without the use of flash - being somewhat conspicuous - why add to it!!]

After a lovely, convivial family get together we left Dungowan at 9pm and having dropped Dylan, David and Elaine back home arrived back at the hotel by 9.45pm, no parking problems tonight, the hotel car park is quite quiet. We were in bed by 10.10pm.