Heavenly Beverley : Here Is The News

Sunday, 7 July 2019

Here Is The News - From Nullagine

We have had an excellent first day in Nullagine, so much so, we are planning on staying for a second day and the third night! Another extraordinary place that has sucked us in. Nullagine is not big or ballsy or brimming with energetic activities. What Nullagine has is a beautiful little tree-lined town, nestling into some astonishing hills, with a chance to draw breath and appreciate that less is more.

And because I am a nosey Parker, I have gathered rather a lot of the gossip. Tracey, the caravan park manager was asked to fill in as temporary caretaker in 2001, after the council tossed out the last manager. That's why she is still running the caravan park in 2019. The caravan park, currently located on the edge of town is going to be moved in the next month or so. Tracey is keen to discover the nuts and bolts of this decision. She also wants to run for council.

From Jindabyne, she is finding the summers a tad wearisome. So, she escapes for a month during the hot weather. In the last summer, Nullagine endured three weeks when the daytime shade temperature didn't fall below forty-seven degrees ( about one hundred and sixteen degrees Fahrenheit). That is soul-sapping weather for anybody.

The local Conglomerate Hotel is for sale. The owner, who lives in the Perth Hills, wants an exorbitant price. Hence, the pub hasn't sold and is dire need of some tender loving care. I would suggest the location is perfect for either two couples with very young children or two enthusiastic older couples with a "can do" attitude. I think the pub in Nullagine is ripe for the picking.

We are delighted to be here with the temperature around thirty degrees. Today, we launched forward for a cruise around town. As only the pub was open, this did not take very long. Then we ventured up to the Lynas lookout named after a World War I veteran. The views were utterly breathtaking. We spent rather a lengthy period on the top taking spectacular photos of the surrounds. Then we resolved to undertake a preliminary reconnaissance of Skull Springs Road, prior to our expedition eastwards on Tuesday.

Skull Springs Road has recently been graded, so we were impressed. We jolted along at a reasonable pace, happy to be experiencing the ride prior to hitching up Digger for the Next Episode of our Northern Jaunt. Nineteen miles from Nullagine, we stopped at Twenty Mile Sandy, a significant mining area that had boasted a stamp head battery and numerous other pieces of infrastructure.

Combined with the astounding scenery, we were thrilled to stop at this site. We spent a very happy two hours or so exploring the remains. I had a chat with Mister Dugite, asking him very nicely to leave us alone. Just as well that snakes were not judgmental as apparently, I should have been addressing Mister Gwarder.

We returned to Nullagine just before five o'clock. We noticed the caravan park had swelled with temporary residents; in fact almost full. After a delicious dinner and chatting with Vanessa, currently in Bali, we began to wind down for the night.