We got back from Bourke on Wednesday evening and hit the ground running so fast that I haven't had time to even blog about Bourke. This morning (Friday) we are still running and this morning did Teresa's film course. The film this time was the 1930 All's Quiet on the Western Front. Throughout it, I kept thinking of the young Russian conscripts in Ukraine. It is an excellent film and probably one that would not be made now because of its anti-nationalist sentiments. We are now waiting for the locksmith to come to fix our front door which alternately jams or won't shut. But back to Bourke.
We left home on Thursday 9 April in the arvo and hit Sydney in our Virgin plane in time to go to Keren L.'s place where we had dinner and comfortably stayed the night. She kindly drove us back to the airport where we caught our little Pelican plane to Cobar with no trouble at all and no queueing while those going with larger airlines (eat your heart out Leprechaun) had to queue for hours. Though it was raining as we left Sydney it was a smooth flight and it was clear in Cobar. The man was waiting with our car which was not the Corolla we ordered but a larger Camry which was good for our luggage and long road trips. We had brunch at the excellent Gumnut Cafe in Cobar then ate up the 160km to Bourke through fairly featureless country and made for our first accommodation, Kidman's Camp, in North Bourke, which Allie had suggested to keep us safe from crime-ridden Bourke proper. We went via the Exhibition Centre cafe for a quick bite. She joined us in our cabin and we went for guess-what Chinese dinner at the RSL with a teacher friend. As we found in Brewarrina and Cobar as well, the country clubs seem to sub-contract their eateries to Asian families. It's like the old days when the only eatery in country towns was The Chows! After a good night at Kidman's Camp with its view of the bush, horses and glimpse of the lagoon, we went to the Oxford Hotel for Allie's Saturday breakfast club where we met a good cross-section of Bourke society from ambos, social workers to teachers. We then went to the Back o' Bourke exhibition which was way better than the usual rubbish tip of local museums with an excellent display of the history of Bourke both white and Indigenous. We had lunch at their excellent cafe where we had had arvo tea the day before. Allie then took us on a tour of Bourke's historic highlights before we went back to Kidman's for a nap. We had dinner with one of her school colleagues and his visitors to Bourke (parents, uncle and aunt) again at the Oxford Hotel. The food was FAQ pub food. On Sunday, we dropped into Allie's flat and picked her up then did a quick tour of Bourke High School with her friend Barbara, then drove the 98 kms to Brewarrina where we had a very ordinary lunch at the snack bar at the nearly-closed hotel, then toured the town. We checked into the Riverside Inn and had dinner with the Asians at the Bre RSL. On the way home we had the funniest incident of our trip where a small group of young Aboriginal kids sitting in the park with their parents called out, 'Here come the gay boys.'It wasn't hostile and their parents shushed them up. Next morning, Monday, we did the tour of the local Aboriginal centre which focussed on the local fish traps which we couldn't see as they were under water in the high river. We could see the model and the photos though. The guide, Bradley, was affablee and informative. We then had brunch at the Ngemba Aboriginal Cafe though it was a cut above yesterday's pub it wasn't very Indigenous. I had a lamb gravy roll. We then drove back to Bourke. With few choices available on a Monday night, we had a very below par meal at the Port of Bourke Hotel then retired to the Bridge Inn in North Bourke with its commodious accommodation, good view and gardens and busted sink plug. Kit, who stayed there last year, said that Grub (his nickname) the owner/manager thought he was running a motel one day and not the next. He fixed the plug on the second day, only to have it fail again. On Tuesday, Allie took us to Dunlop Station near Louth in her car in a brave drive over mainly dirt roads where we saw the nineteenth-century homestead in nearly original condition. There was also the old station store and the shearing shed, the first in Australia to use mechanised shearing. The current owner, who has undertaken a valiant restoration after the previous owners of over 30 years left it a junkyard, gives morning tea to tours which attract a surprising number to the remote spot near the Darling River. We had a spare lunch at the Louth Hotel and for dinner we had takeaway fish'n'chips from the grumpy Cassie's takeaway near the Bridge Inn. Next day, Wednesday, we went to Allie's where P. did some much-needed washing and Allie took us on a tour of the Art Gallery (not-bad Indigenous art) and the cemetery which contains a tiny 'Afghan' mosque which honours my (mythical) camel-driver forebears. We got McCains frozen for dinner (possibly the best meal we had in Bourke apart from the Back o' Bourke). On Thursday, Allie and I drove separately to Cobar where we had a good lunch at the Gumnut Cafe, then went to the Sound Chapel, a strange Murcutt-designed place in a water tower which has a recording of a quartet playing a soundscape. It is supposed to be meditative but it feels very strange in a rubbish-strewn patch of red dirt and scrub. We visited the very good Heritage Centre and stayed at the capacious Oasis Motel as Allie drove back to Bourke. Thanks, Allie, for a lovely stay in spite of the indifferent cuisine which we had some more of at the Cobar Golf and Bowling Club. As well as Chinese and Australian they had Thai so I had a mountain of Pad Thai which was like the magic pudding. However much I ate there was still more. On Friday, we returned the car to the Cobar Airport where security was non-existent. The pilot who checked us in while his co-pilot took the luggage to the plane shoved our carkeys in an unlocked drawer then left the terminal unlocked when we left. We had a smooth flight back to Sydney then Kit met us at Nick's Woollomooloo flat to give us the keys and we had a good lunch at the nearby Tilbury Hotel run by skeleton staff on Good Friday. We had a pasta dinner at Kings Cross after a nap and were lucky to get it. On Saturday, we went to the Art Gallery of NSW, had a look around in part at the Biennale then had a good lunch at their restaurant (Matt Moran inspired, they said). We had dinner with Kit at the Opera House cafe then found our projected performance of Blithe Spirit was cancelled due to two cast members having Covid so we retired defeated to Woolloomoloo. On Sunday, we went to the excellent MCA, viewed the exhibitions then had lunch (not as good as the Art Gallery) but with location, location, location on the verandah overlooking Circular Quay and the Opera House with Inez B. the author of the Sasha biography. We had a very good mag and it was great to catch up with her in person at last. For tradition's sake, we dined at Harry's Cafe de Wheels near Nick's flat. Never again. On Monday we had an excellent brunch with Kit at Kentaro's Cafe in Surry Hills, then Kit dropped us at Central for a train to Moss Vale. We had a barbie dinner at Nick and Sara's with grandson Mark, then retired to bed. On Tuesday, Nick took us on a waterfall tour to Fitzroy Falls and Carrington Falls and a couple of lookouts. We had lunch at a good Robertson Cafe. In the evening, we had a fine birthday dinner for Nick (postponed) and Maggie (21) at Leila's Lebanese in nearby Bowral. Next day, Wednesday, we caught the XPT to Melbourne, a gentle trip, and got home to a chili con carne dinner and a dodgy lock. On Thursday I picked up Rupert and I did the shopping for us and Noel while P. went to the quacks for a successful check-up. In the evening, we went to a very good concert of Rameau harpsichord 'concertos' with Jacqueline Ogeil, Elizabeth Welsh (violin) and Laura Vaughan (viola da gamba). We then had a good meal at Superhiro. After all this activity we were pleased to have Saturday and Sunday 'off' except for the film course and locksmith on Friday to fix the errant front door. We had fish and pea curry for dinner on Friday and Rakott Krumpli on Saturday. I have finally caught up with all my internet that accumulated while I was away.
