The roadtrip continues….

Aug 21, 2023: Sydney to Mudgee

Remember this! Sydney was locked down on June 26, 2021 – three days before we were due to embark on our tour of regional NSW, led by Jim

James of course wanted to try and drive out of the red zone before the lockdown began because very few restrictions applied in the blue zone, but then we told him he may stuck in regional NSW for months. He changed his tune!

Finally, 2 years and 1 month later, we get to visit Donna the astronomer (who, Jim assures us, is the best person to tell us about the night sky) and use up our credits at the Dubbo Zoo (which were about to expire, but Robyn skillfully negotiated an extension without any price increase!).

In the intervening period, we had a short sojourn to Orange – again to use up our credits. You can see what we did there by visiting https://simtrak.au/travel-blog/orange-2022/

However, today we are on the way to Mudgee. I had brought a list of fun games to play in the car so we whiled the hours away guessing names of animals and cities. I tried aimlessly to get the rest of them to indulge in some “name that tune” games but they were all highly resistant!

Here’s what ChatGPT told me about Mudgee………….

Mudgee is a charming town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is known for its rich history, beautiful scenery, and thriving food and wine industry. Here are some facts about Mudgee that you might find interesting:

Mudgee is derived from the Wiradjuri word “moothi”, meaning “nest in the hills”. It was founded in 1821 by Lieutenant William Lawson who was one of the first Europeans to cross the Blue Mountains. Mudgee is home to more than 40 wineries ……

The drive ( apart from the excellent games entertainment) was uneventful so Les thought he would fix that and as soon as we arrived and unpacked the car, he hit his head on the open boot. The hotelier came to the rescue immediately as did nurse sally and betsy ( note to self: buy a first aid kit to leave in the car)

With all the wineries about to close, we quickly drove to Jim’s recommended winery, Huntingdon….we just made it in time for the last tasting. Enough time to purchase a number of bottles of wine and a couple of stickies (for me), and pat the gorgeous dog.

And here’s me in front of some glorious cherry blossoms ( is that right, Sally?)

After canvassing various local opinion on where to eat, we finally settled on the Oriental Hotel, which was within walking distance of our hotel. A lovely spot in the beer garden, under the heaters.