Here we go a-wandering - Junee.

I'm sat here at the dining table with Elton John blaring through my headphones to drown out the squeals of a tickle-fest emanating from the other end of the house. The first five minutes were funny, the last twenty...not so serene in this tiny little cottage. I think tickling is torturous but my kids seem to love it and go back for more. Weirdos!

On Thursday the boys and I dropped the Husband off to work a little earlier than usual and continued west for our day trip to Junee. Our first port of call was Jugiong for a coffee at the Long Track Pantry. It was buzzing with tourists and locals, all finding caffeinated sanctuary from the icy winds blustering about outside. I snavelled myself a lovely Rare Rabbit necklace from Long Track's home wares store and we popped across the road to the playground where the boys hit up the swings and flying fox with a rambunctious rabble of kidlets. Then, it was onward south to Gundagai where we took a turn off the highway and wound our way along the back roads through a landscape of green rolling hills dotted with sheep and cattle. We arrived in Junee just before lunch and headed straight for the Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory housed in the town's old Flour Mill. It was bubbling with the sound of humans happy and high from chocolate induced endorphins. We decided to sit in the courtyard of the cafe and have lunch before diving into the cacao laced fray. Not a good idea to peak too soon when it comes to chocolate! 

After a belly warming feast of chicken pot pie and fish & chips, we made our way inside to have a go at making Rocky Road. With hair nets and gloves donned and my camera at the ready, we were welcomed by a lovely staff member and shown into the chocolate room. At one of the cool metal benches decked with tubs of delectable toppings, we portioned out marshmallows onto our plates, added a couple of scoops of nuts and fruit, covered it all with melted chocolate, mixed it up with our hands then gave a last flourishing sprinkle before they were transferred to another bench to set. Willy Wonka eat your heart out!

With about twenty minutes to kill before our confectionery masterpieces were ready for collection, we wandered within the building, peeking through windows to watch conveyor belts lined with long strips of raspberry licorice being sliced into bullets and large copper kettles filled with shades of light and dark chocolate. Jack had a tinkle on the old piano, we stocked up on an array of chocolate supplies from the shop and then, before we knew it, our rocky road was ready to pick up and it was time to start heading home. We popped into the train station for a few minutes on our way through the town so that Harry could get his loco fix. To his delight there was a team doing track work just near the platform. The old railway cafe was open so we ducked in to have a look. With it's immensely high ceilings, giant mirrors and a roaring fire in the fireplace, it was easy to imagine what it had been like back in it's hey day. We grabbed a coffee then jumped into the car homeward bound.

The drive home was filled with more of Stephen Fry's audio tales of greek mythology as we wound our way past paddocks and villages. The sun dipped below the hills and we arrived back in Canberra just in time to pick the husband up from work.

Til next time...xx Em.

Here we go a-wandering...Gunning and Yass.

We've reached mid-winter and the second week of school hols and I'm loving the slow comfort of this time of year.

Last week was spent hiding out in the warmth of our home watching movies, playing board games and nursing headcolds with homecooking. By the weekend we were all itching to go exploring.Yesterday we wrapped ourselves in layers to fend off the icy winds and took to the back roads in search of train tracks, old houses and chocolate cake. All equally important and worthy of a drive through the countryside.

There's such a sense of freedom that comes with exploring an area without a solid plan, just a vague approximation of where we're headed with the hope that winding roads will unveil something beautiful and interesting. 

I've yet to be disappointed.

Gunning provided the spoils when it came to cake, railway stations and heritage houses. A sweet feast at the Merino cafe, a wander up the main street to peek over rusted garden gates and into antique store windows and a stroll along the station platform before the buffeting wind sent us scurrying back to the car.

Where to next? Boorowa in one direction, Crookwell in another...or back towards Yass before heading home? Consensus (i.e. Harry) concured that we should head to Yass to explore the old railway bridge. 

Riverbank Park, nestled in between beautiful stone houses and the slow moving Yass River, was a delightful place to stop and stay awhile. Jack immediately bounded to the playground and burnt off some energy while Harry and I looked at the bridge from the riverbank. When Jack had sufficiently exhausted himself we strolled along the river and scrambled up the hill to take a closer look at the rusted bridge and warped, discarded railway tracks.

 What delighted me the most about our little adventure was the discovery of artist Al Phemister's amazing home and workshop tucked away right next to the bridge. I love his rustic garden sculptures and hope to one day commission him to make something special for us when we eventually settle in the countryside with a garden big enough to do his incredible work justice. His place has a Grimm's Fairytale feel to it...quirky constructs overtaken by a tangle of rambling vines and farm machinery sculptures partially obscured by gnarled branches.

Style and decay...it's a phrase that has really resonated with me lately. 

Old things, simple things, made beautiful with time and exposure.

Such a lovely discovery.

We're off on another adventure tomorrow involving a chocolate factory and steam locos. Trains and chocolate seem to be a re-occuring theme this winter school hols.

Til then...xx Em.

Winter Long Weekend - Booroowa & Carcoar.

Are you the kind of person who hears about an event that you know you'd love to go to but you find yourself missing it each time it comes around? It happens to me quite regularly. I make a mental bucket list of places or events I'd love to see but the list seems to grow longer with very few getting crossed off!

Well...this weekend I broke that habit by organising a little family roadtrip through the Hilltops Region. Hurrah to me! 

Iandra Castle had one of their open days on Sunday so I figured it would be great stay in nearby Young Saturday night so that we could make the most of the weekend, tripping about the countryside exploring the region. Every foodie spot, every point of interest, every little town was selected based on Instagram accounts that I follow and the weekend turned out to be a truly lovely little adventure.

We set off early Saturday morning and made our first stop in Booroowa for coffee at the Pantry on Pudman and a wander around the town.

Then it was onwards north through Cowra to my favourite little village of Carcoar in the shire of Blayney. First things first...a wander up the street to stretch our legs and have a sticky beak at all the gorgeous heritage homes. It was here that we found ourselves a friend...or rather, Jack found himself a friend by the river whom we dubbed "Carcoar Cat".
Carcoar Cat followed us from the bridge all the way up the street and back again. It was adorable! 

 A pub lunch at the Royal Hotel was in order after our stroll.

 

Then I popped across the street for an entirely delightful catch up with the wonderful Belinda in her homewares store Tomolly. One of my instagram muses and a beautiful soul, it was so lovely to give her a hug hello and have a good chat in person. 

 

I could have whiled away the whole afternoon in conversation but the boys were keen to do more exploring, so, with a bag of Tomolly goodies in my hand we bid farewell and headed up the hill to the old train station to walk the disused line up to the abandoned tunnel. Thanks for the tip Belinda...it was brilliant fun! The boys were in heaven! The 281m tunnel built in the late 1880s was thrilling to walk through without a torch.We were able to see quite well until we hit the halfway mark. At that point we could see the faint light coming from each end of the tunnel but when we looked down we couldn't see a thing. We just kept our stride to the same spacing as the sleepers and hoped we wouldn't run into anything. It was peaceful and still and cool in the tunnel...until Harry got going with some very realistic train sounds that bounced off the curved walls and reverberated in my ears. Happiest kid on the planet! I hope the boys end up with fond memories of these little adventures. They'll be locked away in my memory as some of the loveliest times in my life.

I adore the view of the village from up on the hill, made extra special with winter woodsmoke wisping its way up into the air from chimneys.

When a biting chill hit the air we hopped back into the car and headed south to Young as the sun dipped down behind the hills, arriving at our motel just in time for dinner. 

More adventures in my next post.

xx Em