Day 1 at Barrington

Ohhhh holidays…. After nearly 3 years. This is the week of Paul’s birthday celebrations. We have been to many places down south and only once up north till the Hunter Valley. So we thought maybe it was time to move a little further up.  Saw this place called Barrington Riverside Cottages situated at the edge of the Barrington Tops National Park, with the nearest small town called Barrington. It looked picturesque and so we booked it.

We were leaving on Sunday morning and as usual I was packing half hour before we were due to leave. By the time I had collected a few clothes, all my medicines and chargers for phone, camera and tooth brushes as well as a cool bag with water and some bread butter cheeses I felt as if I was carrying more than half my house with me.

Filled the car with petrol and then decided might as well take some cash as we have no idea if the pay wave would work in some of the smaller places. There is definitely an issue with phone and internet connections in the countryside. Right it was 10 30 am when we finally turned off the road from our burb and thought blimey this is Sunday and where are all these people going? However the traffic was moving and we reached the freeway to find a traffic jam as there was a car broken down just 2 exits away. The left hand lane was closed further up but do you think that people would right away move into the other lane? Oh no! we have to bomb up the closed lane right up to the point of closure and then barge into the middle lane getting one up on people who were obeying the traffic rules.

Once past the breakdown the road opened up and off we went. We drove up the M1 right the motorway ends and then becomes Pacific Highway. Amazing seeing names of places from around the world as Toronto exit was just before Swansea; Newcastle and Wallsend and Cardiff. Since we were taking it easy and also like to see as much of the countryside as we can we went off the highway to take the Tourist Trail 2 called the Bucketts Way. By now it was coming up to 12 30 pm and I said we need to stop and have a break; maybe find something to eat? So next rest stop we came to we stopped and of course it was only toilets and a few seats. So off we went again after stretching the legs. The road was single lane each way and just trees and grass around. I think it was all part of people’s farms as often there were cattle chewing the cud or sitting about. There were signs along the way that were amusing, like Pony Poo $2; Piglet for sale; dog coats and so on. We also skirted the edge of Karuah National Park, past Booral to the historic town of Stroud.

Stroud is a one main road town and we were hoping there was some place to eat as Booral had all placed closed. There was a sign at the start of town that there were tea rooms and we thought at least there will be some tea. I wondered if there was Devon Cream Tea like we had once before in Victoria on the way to Ballarat. It was all the way to the other end of town and as we parked I said this does not look very open. Indeed there was no one about and the door was shut but the board outside said it was open 7 days a week. Then round the side I saw some people sitting around tables.

This was a lovely place tea rooms / café with store selling locally produced knickknacks as well as jams, cakes and biscuits made by Crepe Myrtle themselves. The menu was fairly extensive with teas, cakes, sandwiches, soups, pizzas, quiches and so on. However this was 2 pm and quiches were over. We could have nice cheesy garlicky pizza and cream tea. The scones were good and warm, the clotted cream light and homemade raspberry jam. It felt good to fill up.

Of we went happily up the Bucketts Way and the rain started. It soon became heavy and the water started flooding the sides of the road and the slightly lower areas. Soon the dips in the roads were awash with water. The wipers were going at double speed and it was still hard to see. We stopped for a few minutes by the side but then thought it might be wiser to try and get away fast. Paul was looking to the left and over to where the clouds were low on the hills and said what he thought was a small whirlwind hitting the ground. But as I turned around to look it had started dissipating.  As we went further we came across large branches across the rood, further up a couple of trees across the road. I think some 4 x 4 had driven through the branches and cleared one side. Maybe this is where that small whirlwind hit the ground. The rain had now slowed and we were trying to find small turn offs. The signs are not very big and on poles right at the edge of the road where they tend to get covered by the trees and bushes. So we were delighted that we found the Barrington W road as we thought at the end wold be the cottages we were going to. As the house numbers started going down we thought yes! we are on the right road. But then we seemed to go past the number we wanted but there was nothing in between so where did the whole place go? Should we call the place and ask? Oh yes did we have coverage on our mobile? Just then we saw the first and only man walking down the road. He said we needed to go to the end of the road turn right towards Barrington and then again first right on to the Barrington East Road!

North Tableland

Finally found the place and it is really in the middle of nowhere. The cottage is on stilts like so many places. The veranda faces west and overlooks the Barrington River.  There is a barbie, a lawn chair, a wooden bench, and wooden table and 4 chairs on the veranda. The sitting room had one 3 seater and 2 one seater sofas another wooden dining table and 4 chairs. The kitchen runs across the wall with a small hotplate and kettle and toaster. The cabinet has the heavy duty microwave and strangely the upper shelves are holding the DVD player, the satellite box and the TV on the topmost shelf. There is a fridge freezer in the other cubby hole.

River Cottage

You turn left by the fridge and it has the sink and shelves for your bits and bobs. Move forward into the toilet and shower cabinet. The bedroom lies to the right – nice comfy bed and built in cupboard, the full length glass French windows. All in all fairly comfortable but I guess it had been kept shut for a while so the inside was pretty hot. Opened all the doors and windows, made a cuppa and sat listening to the murmur of the river and wind in the trees. And then the heavens opened here as well. Sat and had some sushi (sadly found that sushi kept overnight in the fridge and then in the cool box does not fare well as the rice had become hard and chewy and it all felt a bit dry) and chocolate for dessert. Oh yea Paul managed to get the internet going and the TV so we settled in for the night.