Supporting Cancer Research

Just to realise that the term had finished, and the break from the busiest term of all had arrived was amazing. I am so far behind in my real and virtual worlds – it’s a joke!

However, a little time to to relax is not a bad thing – and for me that means an escape out of town if I can do it!

So my friend June and myself hit the road – headed off in the general direction of Mudgee, and really followed where the scenery took us. We wandered the roads – no map in hand – and discovered some wonderful delights.

We visited lots of places, but really laughed a lot when we finally arrived at Rylestone – because there we were, two girls on the road, greeted by a country town with NO mobile phone reception and the powerlines and trees all decked out in bras! That’s right…ladies attire in all shades of the spectrum.  This is a whole town’s statement of support for research into breast cancer – but what a statement!  Even the country roads between Rylestone and our next stop in the Capertee Valley had pink streamers hanging from the gum trees.

June waits for Yum-Cha

Rylestone was a very interesting stop..better than the wineries (which we also visited in the surrounding areas) because it’s just a bit alternative, modern, old and comfortable – all rolled into one. Yes, there was a hillbilly-like ‘guns and ammo’ shop, but there was also a marvelous art gallery, and the best yum-cha in the whole of NSW in the tiniest chinese artifact shop.

Interestingly, back at school and chatting over lunch, it turned out that I was lunching with a colleague who had grown up in Rylestone, and who knew the place that we were headed for for our overnight stay.

In fact the quick getaway lead to a little synergy for me – we ended up at the Glen Davis Hotel in the Capertee Valley.

Glen Davis hotel at dusk

This amazing little place in the middle of nowhere has a history associated somewhat with the school I work at.  St Joseph’s is a Marist College, and therefore part of a global Marist network. It turns out that our hotel was at one time a retreat for Marist brothers, and that just a few days earlier a couple of them visited for the first time, and were able to spot some of the Marists they knew in the photo pinned to the history board!

There is not much at Glen Davis these days – though in its heyday it was a very important place. The story that applies to many of the towns in the region. There is the hotel, it’s wonderful owners who are working to restore the art deco grandeur of the place, a camping ground up the hill, and a few local and holiday homes. No place to buy milk or bread if you run out!

The attraction is the surrounding countryside – abutting as it does to the natural beauty of the great dividing range. The Wollemi national park is also nearby, as are many other amazing attractions.   We saw kangaroos grazing on the grass in the hilly fields, and listened to the abundant Australian wildlife. We enjoyed the quiet and the beauty of the countryside and wondered what was going on in the world – no paper, no mobile phone, no wireless access. First thing we did when we got back into range was check our messages, and begin to remember the huge amount of work ahead of us this coming term.

Thanks to the Australian countryside on our backdoor (just a few hours drive away from home) for the serene country interlude in our busy online lives!

Road from Glen Davis