Orange August 2020

 Orange was a stop as part of our COVID NSW road trip.  There is just something about Orange.  Like the Hunter they make wine, like Mudgee, they make wine, but also there is more history associated with it.  Thanks to its cool climate, it revels in producing delicious Sav blanc's, chardonnays, shiraz and cab savs.

But it is just not just about the wines, beautiful heritage homes and buildings line the streets and then not long out of town you are surrounded by amazing landscapes.  Lots of small villages and towns with a unique character of their own are only a stone's throw away.

To say it is cold in August is an understatement and unfortunately with had rain to go with it... Although the deciduous trees still lay bare, the daffodils were in bloom adding a splash a colour to an otherwise dreary day.

All small towns have a memorial.

Court house

The information centre brings Orange into the 21st Century

The arts and culture

It was a whirlwind drive around the city to capture just a few photo's to prove that we were there, but it was a lucky find when we were running early for a winery visit that we decided to call into Cook Park, only cause it had a sign saying there was a craft shop. 

The gorgeous little stone cottage is nestled in this lovely garden that you expect to find in a country town. Within the cottage, you will find arts and crafts of all types made by the local community.  Knitwear, wooden items, jams, chutneys line the shelves, but it was hard to pass up the cookies, melting moments, slices and fruit cakes there were all on offer.  

The gardens were also a credit to the community, and you could see that once spring has sprung, so will the colours, making it a stunning place to visit.

During this trip, we stayed at the Town Square Motel.  It adjoins the Metropolitan Hotel.  Our room was comfortable and really we had nothing to fault. The room had recently been renovated and as long as it was quiet, warm and have hot showers, I am happy.

The downstairs of the pub had a lot of character and it had also been renovated.  We ate a meal at its Balcony Bistro and it was exactly what you would expect good pub food to be like.

Lithgow August 2020

With the car packed to the rafters, we were off on our adventure to escape Sydney and the Coronavirus.  Curtailing our road trip to within the boundaries of NSW, we were looking forward to discovering our own backyard.

Natural disasters seem to be Australia's middle name, 2020 has seen floods, fire and now a pandemic.

Our first stop was Lithgow, normally only seen as a blur through the windows as we speed through whilst heading somewhere else.

Travelling along the Bells Line of Road you could see the devastation from the bushfires earlier this year.  Burnt trees tickling the gutters of homes that luckily were saved from the damaging flames, a credit to our volunteers. 

Hassan's Wall Lookout was the first destination entered into our GPS, driving time 1 hour and 38 minutes. It is a steep descent as you drive down into the township of Lithgow, but just before you hit the city centre you make a left to head back up the next mountain which takes you this breathtaking lookout. Apparently the highest scenic lookout in the greater Blue Mountains area..  Ribbons of colour decorate the impressive rock formations framing the beautiful valleys below.  The only thing that broke the serenity was the sound of Garry's drone buzzing around capturing some amazing footage for his videos. 

Lithgow is the centre of a coal-mining district.  It was home to the first Australian (viable) steel mill, which is now just a skeleton of its former self

Lithgow's Blast Furnace park is where you will find the remains of the steel mill and the adjoining Lake Pillan Wetlands provided the water to help cool down the furnace.  This is now a great recreation area and we did enjoy our morning tea at one of its picnic tables.

It is also home to a first for us..... a fully automated talking toilet!

Hunter Valley

 Being approx 2.5 hours north of Sydney in New South Wales, the Hunter Valley is one of Australia's major wine regions.  It's growing history dates back to the early 1800s.

It has always been a popular place for weekend escapes, especially since the introduction of online websites like Groupon, Scoopon and Luxury Escapes touting some great discount deals.

Each of the wine regions around Australia specializes in certain varieties and in the Hunter, they are renown for Semillon and Shiraz.

With over 150 wineries dotting the countryside there should be something to please every palette.  There are the famous and not so famous. I would have to say that these little family-run boutique operations are our favourite to visit.

And if wine is not your thing, haha ...... there are a plethora of gourmet cheeses olives, jams and other condiments available.

As you make your way down Wine Country Drive you will pass the Visitors Information Centre on the left-hand side.  It is a great place to stop and grab some information for your stay in the Hunter. 

I will create separate posts for places that we have stayed, wineries we have visited, restaurants and other places we have explored here.  

To find all these posts just search or click on the label for Hunter Valley.