Sept 2015, Portland, Vic In Portland, we have lunch at Mac’s Bentinck Hotel (1856) overlooking the harbour. It is a grand three storey hotel with loads of seafaring history in the bar a boat suspended above our heads and a … Continue reading Mac’s Bentinck Hotel
Who needs a minimalist pub? Any good country pub worth its salt really should have local history displayed on its walls. Like the curiosity pubs of old there should be plenty to entertain the ‘out of towners’ and help them understand a little about the locals and their way of life. Sepia photos of wool drays up to their axles in mud. Beaming young blokes draped in dead rabbits or staggering under the weight of a fish. Dead livestock nailed to the walls. Heads of deer, snarling wild pigs and crocodiles that didn’t get away. At the Commercial Hotel in … Continue reading The Stuff of Pub Walls
Nov 2018, Cavendish, Vic The Cavendish Recreational Camping Ground is beside the Wannon River. We visited with our Caravan Club on a cold Friday morning. Yet another place for the bucket list when in this area as there are toilets … Continue reading Target Practice
The Port Campbell Pub is only a block away from the NRMA Port Campbell Holiday Park. There’s a tang of salt in the air as we walk up the hill to the charming and welcoming old weatherboard. Inside it is warm and cosy and packed with tourists and locals. The meal is a little dearer than your average country pub, but the menu and quality is a cut above too. My braised beef cheeks on mash just fall apart by the forkful and they’re surrounded by fresh and tasty vegetables. A perfect meal to end a day of walking windswept … Continue reading Port Campbell Hotel
I have a soft spot for architecture of all types. I’m fascinated with the way housing developed differently in each state and territory of Australia to adapt to the climate and needs in each area. The soft beauty of the … Continue reading You’ve just gotta love Queensland pubs
Goondiwindi (pronounced Gun da windy), southern Queensland, almost August 2017 Just over the NSW Qld border, Goondiwindi is a bustling hub for interstate trucks and farmers. Cotton, grain and wool are the industries of choice. We choose the quietest caravan … Continue reading Goondiwindi
Mar 2018, Smythesdale, Vic Returning from a month touring South Australia in gloriously warm summer weather… The Glenelg Highway in Victoria is in an appalling state and there are many sections of roadworks. We are detoured off the highway at Lake Bolac and when we eventually return to it at Gabbi Garmin’s insistence we are stopped by a policeman dressed in a pink T shirt who apologises for the lack of detour signs and sends us into the sticks once more. The sky is forbidding and the forecast is for a bout of seriously bad weather. We decide to give … Continue reading Court House Hotel, Smythesdale
Aug 2018, Maryborough, Qld While we stay at Maryborough Showgrounds our mates R & T are comfortably setup at Maryborough Airport awaiting a caravan site at Hervey Bay. The Airport is a nice alternative for fully self-contained RV’s as it … Continue reading Options aplenty at Maryborough
May 2018, Winton, Qld After having been thwarted in our attempt to free camp unpowered behind the North Gregory Hotel because of our failing fridge, we set up camp (powered) at the Pelican Caravan Park and I head off to … Continue reading Waltzing Matilda round and around
March 2018, Robe, SA Late in the afternoon I pop into the Caledonian Inn (1858) to pick up a crisp white for dinner. We’ve eaten at this pub many times over the years. We’ve even stayed in what I call their ‘Rooms in the dunes’ cottages that back onto the beach overlooking Guichen Bay. “Lovely day” I say to the young assistant. “It’s a real pearler isn’t it?” She says. You’ve just gotta love The Cally. Continue reading Caledonian Inn
