At St Arnaud

Saturday, May 31

 

While I spent the day at the RHSV seminar Wal spent his time fixing the things that had gone wrong with the caravan.

Last night he went to cook our pork cutlets on the Webber only to find it wouldn’t light as a piece had dropped out of the pipe. I cooked inside while he fumed. He found the bit under the van the next morning in the daylight.

He had also discovered the hot water service switch to the power wasn’t working so we had to use our gas.  He hadn’t turned it off until we got home from Port and he decided to switch it off while we were home and didn’t turn it back on to check it again. He was livid and very cross.

He blamed it on the trip to Bourke as the whole place was full of dust. He tried to find a place selling compressed air in town but to no avail.

He was also given the job of going around and taking photos as this is a very historic town with lots of great buildings.

The seminar was a great success with 50 people turning up and judging by their questions and discussions, they had all thought about the issues raised and wanted to talk about them.

Wal would have picked me up but I decided to walk home even though the road to the park was a little steep. It was good exercise for me.

During the night the rain set in – I bet the farmers loved it.

 The Town Hall in Main St St Arnaud.

Mrs Love's Cottage - Oldest in Town - Miners cottage.

 

 

Sunday June 1

Drizzling.

We were heading for the Visitor Information Centre in the main street when we noticed the market was on in the town hall.

Naturally, we stopped and went in. the Sellers have to make or grow it to have a stall. There was everything from wooden seats and budgies to bread, olives and handcrafts. Not large but fascinating.

While wandering I stopped to chat with one stall holder who turned out to be a legend in the town Sister Ursula and her sister, Sister Angela, both retired nuns. We chatted for about half an hour and I bought their cookbook based on their own simple family recipes and was then conned into a bottle of their homemade plum and ginger sauce, All the proceeds go to their charity in town  - Right choices Program for youth in schools. The cookbook also carries the story of their family – Caine and a bit of history of St Arnaud.

She was such a delight and had just hurt her shoulder failing down the wash-house step.

We went to the Visitor Information Centre for some brochures and met a terrific lady who gave us all the brochures and was full of information. I also found a Melba image in one of their history books so I had to buy it. Now I have to find out when she performed at St Arnaud as it is an early image. 

We drove around the walking tour of town rather than walk because of the rain. Our last stop was Mrs Love’s House – the town’s oldest remaining miner’s cottage which was built in1868 by John Tyson using layers of flat stones gathered from a mine site. Originally 2 rooms Tyson and his wife raised their family of 11 children in the house. The exterior was rendered in the 1940s.

Back in the caravan park, Wal decided to tackle the heater even though the gentle rain persisted. He pulled the electric panel out, re-wired it, managed to put it back and now we are working well.

At least he has no reason now to be grumpy.

Main Street, St Arnaud showing its historic buildings.