There would be plenty of kilometres to cover on this trip and the early 6.15 a.m. start from the University helped us make good speed down the M5 heading for a morning tea stop at the Big Merino in Goulburn. Travellers were still somewhat sleepy at this point but the day was bringing some bright sunshine to clear the eyes.
A quick stop at the twin towns of Murrumbah and Harden showed just how much the temperature had risen. It was a short journey on to Young and then out to the little village of Murringo, 24 km east of Young. We lunched in the garden of the Anvil Creative Workshop at Murringo. This was a delightful lunch of home cooked food served by dedicated country ladies of the village. Murringo is a charming spot with very few houses, a glass blower, two large churches and a community hall (there's a community?). One wonders how the churches ever mustered a congregation in such a small village. With all the hype in Sydney about the millennium celebrations it is easy to think that Sydney is the centre of the universe yet I shall be wondering what they are doing in Murringo on New Year's Eve.
The afternoon's activities included visits to the private gardens of Blair Athol and The Price of Peace on the outskirts of Young. These gardens were a sharp contrast in their origins with the former being established around 1894 and the latter not built until 1989. Both gardens displayed some magnificent roses and our cameras were very active during this visit. Afternoon tea was taken at The Price of Peace after which time was pressing for us to head for The Cherry Blossom Motel at Young.
There was little time to explore Young but I was able to venture out for a pre-dinner constitutional. The town has a busy main street but it does not take long to find oneself in the quiet back streets which are typically wide in true country style with added borders of dirt on either side before reaching the grass "pavements". The railway station has a particular charm about it - they don't build them like that these days.
An excellent evening meal was enjoyed at the local services club in Young. With the prospect of another early start on Sunday not many were game to make it a late night.
The light rain falling on Sunday morning presented a complete contrast to the previous day. Our programme scheduled some early morning cherry picking but the deteriorating weather made this an indoor event rather than an outdoor one. There are several roadside cherry sales points around Young. A stopover at two of these, in particular Annas, which has an adjacent gift shop, enabled us to pick boxes of selected cherries without getting our fingers dyed purple (although Nadia had thoughtfully provided us with a plastic glove to protect valuable UNSW keyboard fingers).
We pressed on to JD's Jam Factory a former roadside selling site which is developing a nationally available product under the trade name Young Maid. If you have ever wondered how cherries are de-stoned and de-stalked this is the place to see it done. Their product range consists of 118 different varieties of jams and condiments and is based on proprietors Jan and Lester Donges' traditional family recipes and 25 years of quality fruit growing experience. The wet and chilly weather was condusive to thoughts of food, jam and sauces etc. and brisk trade was apparent.
Loaded with cherries and jams the coach headed to Cowra and a visit to the magnificent Japanese Garden. This garden was opened in 1979 and gives the visitor a true feeling of being in a little piece of Japan. The garden is set high overlooking Cowra and it was unfortunate that the weather could not show it at its best.
A word must be said about the excellent lunch served at the Breakout Brasserie in Cowra. As the rain fell at its heaviest of the day it was comforting to have such excellent service and satisfying food.
Having gone to Young by the southern route we returned to Sydney via the Blue Mountains and thereby completed a full circular route. The Staff Social club are to be congratulated on arranging another interesting itinerary. Thanks also to coach captain "Ted" who delivered us safely back to UNSW on a day which produced some bad road accidents.