Off to Scrub Stitchin' - Day 3 - Leeton to Trangie - Part 2

Next scheduled destinations were Weethalle and Tottenham (the NSW one) for a spot of painted silo and water tower hunting.

 

First up...Weethalle...sheep and wheat...

It was a longer leg to Totteham and as I was thinking I needed to stop and put together a roll for lunch I arrived in Tullibigeal...and the perfect spot to pull in safely, a lovely little park.  An unscheduled stop, and as it turns out another one much longer than anticipated, the initial idea being grab stuff out of the back of the car, assemble roll and move straight along but no. The entrance to the park is a war memorial...that deserved a better look...

...as I walked from the car to check the park entrance I spied a shed across the road with something in it...a vintage fire truck!  Of course I couldn't not go to see what that was about...

a lovely restored old Bedford appliance...the Tullibigeal LADIES! Fire Truck!!! We have to share with the blokes!😂  A credit to the lady who instigated the restoration and display of the appliance.

 

Back on the road for the next leg and more painted water towers...

Happy Stitching... 

Off to Scrub Stitchin' - Day 1 to Leeton

The time had finally arrived...the day to set off and head north to the ultimate destination...Scrub Stitchin' 2026...but that was the final destination.  Day 1's destination was Leeton...with a spot of painted silo/water tower hunting along the way.  The original route I'd been planning, before the orange toddler threw his latest tantrum, had to be modified slightly thanks to the fuel situation we had been put in.  I'd been keeping an eye on where supplies were affected and didn't expect to have issues with being able to keep the tank full, but the cost of diesel had doubled so side trips were a wee bit curtailed to cut down the kilometres as the original plan had a bit of zigzagging.

 

First stop...a whole, mmm let's see, hour and a bit up the road *LOL*...Tatura Water Tower...

Remembrance poppies for local Anzacs and Sir John Monash who designed the tower, the earliest surviving example of its type.  Anzac Day being only a couple of weeks away it was even more poignant to have the poppies come into view as I drove in to town.

 

After a stop in town to do a quick job at the Post Office and grab a sanga at the bakery (recommend!), as by now it was lunchtime, it was on to the next silo...Katatamite.

So many local details...indigenous life and plants, wedge tail eagle, agriculture and transport.

Then it was over the river to Tocumwal and onwards to Narrandera...for a stop at Sew Fab, a lovely patchwork shop, to look for "something" to add to my Scrub Stitchin' swap gift...a fat quarter and some ribbon to use as "wrapping paper" but nothing else jumped out at me for the gift add...and resisted the urge to just shop for me! A few things from Coles, diesel in the tank (it was cheaper in Narrandera than Leeton) and the last 1/2 hour to Leeton and check-in at the motel.

 

Happy Stitching... 

On the Road...Return from Scrub Stitching...the Final Instalment...

The time had come to conclude the 2023 catch up tour and return back to reality from Scrub Stitching 2024...it was going to be a long day to fit in detours I wanted to make along the way, so the car was packed up reasonably early, with room for E to fit to travel back to Victoria so I could pop her on V/Line (the regional train) Saturday morning to take her into Melbourne to visit with her daughter...it was only 40 minutes to the first stop...across the border from the ACT into NSW to Murrumbateman...the painted water tank is located next to the cemetery but not in the cemetery so I was OK with that...

We were not disappointed with the first stop...the mural is gorgeous...onwards to the next on the list...Murrumburrah and the mill mural...

I think we may have missed some of it and not gone all the way around but it was a bit tricky to figure out as this part is on the side on the boundary with a private residence, not facing the main road. Might have to put it back on the list to visit again.

 

The next stop on the list was Tarcutta but I forgot to back track to Harden to turn down to the Hume Hwy so we ended up going to Cootamundra - not a problem, it was the other option I'd tossed up the night before when mapping what to do. Lunch time was approaching and where better than the Junee liquorice factory.  Every time I go there it has grown, the first time all those years ago it was just a production area with a small area for the shop! It just gets bigger and better.  Lunch was delicious and of course we had to visit the shop - a lot more products now...it's not optional! ha ha ha...

Back on the road as we approached Yerong Creek we spied...another painted water tower! Because the original plan was the Hume Highway and not the Olympic Highway I hadn't thought about this one...bonus!

The colours, the details, all the aspects of community life...great little reserve...very happy we stopped off for a view...we had to keep moving, I had a deadline to meet...

 

Next stop on the list was the painted silo at Walla Walla...a lovely little town and silo...

The deadline was to make it to Howlong in time to visit the patchwork shop Whatever Where-ever Craft...it took a bit to find as it isn't in the wee town shop area but in a residential area...but we made it before 5:00 pm and were greeted very enthusiastically by poodles (the lovely ladies were very friendly and welcoming too!). Where to look first!  A fabric just inside the door caught my eye...such a pretty colour...no you don't need it...move away from the fabric! Into the rest of the shop and I spied the prettiest variegated sashiko thread...a rummage through the sashiko cloths hanging next to the threads and one with water lillies...it was meant to be!  I couldn't leave the fabric behind, it was just screaming take me take me...so I did...being a bolt end it was 10% off if taking the lot so for a bit less than the price per metre I came home with 1.3 metres - bargain! I've realised since that the fabric and the thread are a match made in heaven! Very happy with my finds and would happily put this shop back on the visit list.

No more sightseeing stops, over the River back into Victoria as it was starting to move to dark, just a quick stop in Shepparton to pick up something to eat as it was just going to be that hour too far to worry about tea when we got home and back to reality...Scrub Stitching 2024 and the 2023 make up tour had come to an end....time to start planning for 2025! ha ha ha...

 

Happy Stitching...

Off to Scrub Stitchin' - Tuesday...

Tuesday morning I took a look at Hillston, doesn't take long it's pretty small, and found a silo in progress...

It was interesting to watch the artist for a few minutes and Hillston is on the list to view the finished silo next time through that way...

 

There is a small reserve/park from which to access a gated swing bridge over the Lachlan River.  Painted emus - Emu Antics - in the reserve.  The gate can be seen behind.

So much detail on each emu!...

 

I started over the bridge - it felt solid, I don't do heights or swing-y things...a little way across and oh not so solid but I managed to get over and back - slowly! (it isn't very long which helped!).  It leads to a circular walking track around the island/along the river but I didn't have time to do that...

There were also 100's of corellas - quite literally hundreds!...repeatedly every few minutes they all took off, very very noisily, swirled around and re-settled back into the tree tops...they were very very noisy!...

The morning was marching on so I set off to keep heading north...I'd made up a couple of rolls for lunch in the car fridge and I reached Condobolin around lunchtime, so I stopped at the Utes in the Paddock park for a bit of a leg stretch and lunch...a few of the creative ideas in the paddock for old classic Aussie utes...

This fellow was sitting on a log by the path from the car park to the Visitor Information/Cafe building...I didn't go in or walk down to the Jockey's Memorial...maybe next time...the sculptor had put so much detail into the carving...

There were only practical stops planned for the day...the utes were a diversion from the plan...a Coles stop in Narromine, fuel in Gilgandra and I arrived "home" late afternoon to Cabin 3 in Tooraweenah Caravan Park to rest up for the night...because tomorrow...Scrub Stitching!!!! Yay!!!!!!!

 

Happy Stitching...