It’s Australia Day. That’s its official name. Also called Invasion Day. Either way, it commemorates the First Fleet’s landing in Sydney Cove. Or, on a personal note, our return into Sydney back from our holiday in the south.
Basically the only nod we made to the date was sharing a lamington for breakfast. A pink one bought from the Beechworth Bakery in Bendigo yesterday. You could say we spent the rest of the journey back from Gundagai celebrating the Australian countryside, but we didn’t really. It’s a route so familiar that it was basically let’s just get home with some remarks about sheep the colour of the dry Patterson’s curse in the fields and the elegance of the spinning wind turbines past Yass.
We hunted cheap fuel and were surprised to find the Caltex at Marulan even less expensive than Sydney. It is another town that mainly seems to exist as a service centre for those passing through.
I don’t know why I find such places so attractive. Maybe it’s the dream that I’ll have nothing else to do and just be able to stay in the motel and relax.
That doesn’t happen. I always seem to end up watching some sport on television and typing this blog.
Maybe I need to stay more than one night. Consider being stuck in Gundagai, Hay, Marulan or Meningie for a few days. Nothing to do but try the local eateries or make do with the small supermarkets and a microwave and take walks around the town. Yeah, I could cope.
We return home to find the very big thought-to-be-pregnant guppy has died in its own tank and a couple of others are missing from the other. Other than that it’s just bloody humid. Already I miss the dry heat of the interior and the south.
I enjoyed this trip. Though short, we saw, ate and experienced a lot. What’s more it was a chance to gaze upon vast vistas and appreciate the colours of the countryside. There’s plenty of space to isolate out there.