Bathurst

 Bathurst

On Sunday we joined the Travel Club for a much anticipated coach tour to Bathurst.  The weather was disappointing and rained for most of the day.  This was our first long trip since the intervention of Covid and the first trip for the Travel Club in two years, since the pandemic began.  It was therefore a big disappointment that the windows in the bus were fogged up for most of the trip and the journey up the Blue Mountains was in heavy fog and little better when we drove down the Victoria Pass to the Western plains beyond.  However, it was nice to be out and about again and exploring a bit more of New South Wales.

It is a few years since we were last in Bathurst, but it was nice to be back again and see that everything looked much the same.  Not much has changed in the main street, but probably a little more development has taken place around the railway area and around the Rail Museum where we were headed.  The Museum is housed in an extension of the Railway Institute building which also holds a scale model of the Main West railway from Tarana to Bathurst during the 1950's and 1960's and is complete with operating model trains.   

Bathurst is a railway town and the completion of the railway between Sydney and Bathurst over mountainous country in 1876, was hailed as a marvel of engineering and opened up trade in the developing colony of New South Wales.  

The Bathurst Railway Station is a heritage listed High Victorian Gothic building built in 1876.  It has Dutch gables topped with finials, bay windows and a cast iron verandah.   There is still a regular daily train service to Bathurst.

Locomotive 5112 is on display outside the Railway Station.  It was driven by Ben Chifley, when he was an engine driver, before becoming Prime Minister from 1945 to 1949.  Ben Chifley was born in Bathurst and did courses at the Bathurst Railway Institute.  

The Station Master's Residence is a grand two-storey brick house built around 1876 in the Gothic Revival style.  

The slate roof has been restored which will help it to survive for many more years.

Cambria Terrace.  This lovely old row of Terrace houses is in Havannah Street.  It was built prior to 1882, after the Gold Rush days.  

I like the wrought iron balustrades on the upstairs balconies.

War Memorial Carillon with memorial to Surveyor Evans in foreground.  I took this photo under cover from the rain across the road looking into King's Parade.  

The Carillon has 35 bells and was built in 1933 as a memorial to the men of Bathurst and surrounding District who served in the First World War.   I think there are plaques honouring other wars.  The doors around the base lead to an interior featuring an eternal flame.  However, I am not sure whether this flame is still in existence.

St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church.  This Gothic red brick church was built in 1872.  It was designed by Sydney architect Thomas Rowe and built by James Douglas.  

It was too wet to get any closer to this church so I took the photo standing under an awning on the other side of the street.

We had lunch at Jack Duggans Irish Pub in George Street where I had a traditional Irish Stew which was simply delicious.  Ken had Fried Liver and Bacon with onion gravy, which he couldn't resist, as it was a favourite meal when he lived in Liverpool in the UK many years' ago. 

After lunch, we had a short time to wander around taking photographs of historical buildings.  I would have liked to visit All Saints Anglican Cathedral, but there was no time as we had to leave on the bus for the journey home. 

We had a great day, despite the terrible weather. 

Acknowledgements

1.  Wikipedia (information about Ben Chifley)

2.  NSW War Memorial Register (information about Carillon)

3.  The Experience Heritage Bathurst brochures series produced by National Trust Bathurst.

Emu Plains

 Emu Hall, Emu Plains

After the deluge of rain in recent weeks, the sun finally made an appearance last Thursday.  It was too good an opportunity to miss, so we decided to go and check out our local Nepean River to see if its level had subsided.   There has been widespread flooding of areas around Penrith caused by the Warragamba Dam overflowing into the swollen Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers,  flooding the low lying land along the river banks.  

We drove in our car to Memorial Avenue and parked near the beginning of the walk to the Yandhai Crossing which is the footbridge over the river.  There is a lot of building work going on around this area due to the new Log Cabin Hotel being rebuilt on the banks of the River.  We safely negotiated the construction site and reached the entrance to the bridge where we noted that the level of the river was pretty much back to normal.  There was evidence of damage to the banks of the river with a lot of vegetation debris hanging around and piles of dirt and mud.  The river itself looked very muddy.

It was a nice, sunny afternoon and very hot as we walked over the bridge.  We noticed that Emu Hall, which is now a Restaurant on the Emu Plains side of the bridge, seemed to have new car parks surrounding it, so we decided to investigate further.   When we reached the other side of the river we left the bridge and walked down a path that led to the grand entrance gates to Emu Hall.  We walked through the entrance and and took a stroll around the gardens and grounds of the building.  Emu Hall is now much more accessible with plenty of parking for visitors.  There is also a cafe, bar, beer garden as well as the Restaurant.

We decided to pop in for a cool drink and were shown to a table on the verandah.  It was lovely sitting there in the shade, enjoying our drink.

Billionaire, Arthur Laundy is spending $35 millon redeveloping the Log Cabin Hotel.  The old Log Cabin Hotel was destroyed by fire several years' ago.  

There will be indoor and outdoor bars and dining areas overlooking the Nepean River.  It will be a feature of the Great River Walk.

The Yandhai Crossing, a footbridge over the Nepean River.  This is a popular bridge and there are many alcoves and lookouts along the way to gaze out over the river.

I love the modern architecture of the bridge and how it is a complete contrast to the old Victoria Bridge alongside it.

The Nepean River is very muddy after the recent flooding of the river.  We could see lots of damage to the river banks and uprooted trees and loose branches strewn in the water.  However, the water level now seems back to normal.

Historic Emu Hall, gaily festooned with fairy lights for night dining.  

This historic homestead has been refurbished into a modern 21st century setting while maintaining its remarkable features, including cast-iron lacework and large French windows and doors that open onto a beautiful garden.

We sat out on this side verandah sipping our cool  Iced Chocolates.  The verandah was the ideal shady place to sit on a hot afternoon.  It was very pleasant.

We looked in at some of the beautiful original indoor rooms which are now dining areas, furnished with modern decor. 

Here is the Victoria Bridge built in 1862-1867 which carries two lanes of the Great Western Highway and alongside it is a later bridge built in 1907 to carry the western railway line up and over the Blue Mountains.  

The M4 Motorway bridge further down the River is now the main arterial road up the Mountains.

Acknowledgments

1.  realcommercial.com.au article by Lisa Allen (information about Log Cabin Hotel).

2.  emuhall.com.au (information about Emu Hall)

3.  Wikipedia (information about Victoria Bridge).

Glenbrook

 Art Exhibition in the Community Hall

On Sunday we drove up to Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains to visit The Nepean Art Society's Summer Exhibition in the local Community Hall.  This Exhibition is popular with the local community and also collectors, as there are many gift items as well as paintings for sale.  The Nepean Art Society was formed in 1967 by a small group of local artists and continues to be a vibrant Society today with over 150 members.

Glenbrook is located 63 kilometres west of Sydney at an elevation of 163 metres and has a population of over 5,000 people. Glenbrook is over the Nepean River and at the top of Lapstone Hill.  It is a lovely little township, conveniently located just off the Great Western Highway, with many trendy cafes and boutiques along its main street.  There is also an entrance road, through the township, into the Blue Mountains National Park.

 

Along the Highway, before entering the town, there is a great Visitor Information Centre. 🠊 

It also stocks maps, books and a good range of gift ideas.  The staff are very helpful and they were able to give me information regarding the closure of the road in the Blue Mountains National Park due to floooding of the causeway during recent rain.  We are hoping to explore this region soon.

🠈 The Community Hall, where the art exhibition took place, is behind this stone wall.  The Glenbrook Cinema is also here, alongside the Community Hall.  

The wall announces that Glenbrook is the gateway to the Blue Mountains.

This oil painting is titled "Silverton". 🠊

Silverton is a small town in the far west of New South Wales and 26 kilometres north-west of Broken Hill.  

Silverton has attracted artists, photographers and cinematographers for many years due to its stunning landscape and superb light.  

Silverton thrived back in the late 1800's during the Gold rush days.

🠈"On the Murray (Barham NSW)".  Barham is a small town on the banks of the Murray River.  It  is a pretty town surrounded by rich river flats.

From the early 1870's timber cutters began to set up camps and log the River Red Gums that grow in the surrounding forests.  Koondrook, on the Victorian side, developed more quickly than Barham and soon became the centre of a large forest industry with the timber being used to build boats and paddle steamers.

 

One of my favourite birds is the Pelican and I think this is a lovely painting of a Pelican.🠊

I have seen Pelicans in the Nepean and Hawkesbury regions.  They are large water birds characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing.  Their plumage is mostly white.

 

🠈"A view from Streeton Lookout" at Freeman's Reach, New South Wales overlooking the Hawkesbury River with views from the edge of the escarpmnt over the Richmond Lowlands and looking towards the Blue Mountains.

This is a popular spot where local artists gather to paint or sketch the landscape from this historic location.

The lookout is named after Sir Arthur Streeton (1867 - 1943).  Sir Arthur visited the Hawkesbury in 1896 and it was here that he painted some of Australia's most famous paintings.

We have an oil painting called Hawkesbury River which we purchased in recent years and it looks very much like this painting.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was painted from this same lookout. 

These are just a small selection of the many outstanding paintings at the Exhibition that took my fancy.  Despite the rain over the 3 days of the Exhibition I believe it was their most successful Exhibition ever with sales of  oils, water colours, pastels, acryllics, pen and ink, paper toille, sculptures and gift cards.

Acknowledgments

1.  Silverton destination brokenhill.com.au

2.  Wikipedia (information about Barham)

3.  Australian Bird Life (information about Pelicans)

4.  Hawkesbury People and Places (information about Streeton Lookout)

5.  Nepean Art Society Facebook page.