Friday 23rd October, 2020

Back on the road

We left our riverside camping spot and headed towards Griffith. We would have liked to have stayed longer but the weather forecast was rain and plenty of it. After an easy drive we reached Griffith midmorning.

Griffith

Parking in the main street we went walking, stopping for a coffee at Little Italy. Griffith has a strong connection to Italy and it is said that 50 percent of the population have Italian ancestry. When we went to the tourist information office the friendly girl said that all the staff there had Italian connections. There were two things we decide to do in Griffith, visit the scenic lookout where a hermit had lived and look at the street art on Banna Lane.

The Hermit

Up on the hill is a scenic lookout amounst a rocky outcrop  that overlooks Griffith. Back in 1920 to about 1950 an Italian recluse Valeri Ricette lived there making a home, chapel and garden. Some of which still remain and can be seen via a walking path amounst the rocks. There are photo’s of what the place looked like when Valeri lived there and the view of open land surrounding Griffiths, the town has expanded and the view now is of housing estates. We had lunch at the lookout and drove back into town for some street art.

Banna Lane Street Art

Underwhelmed, that was the word Jenny used to describe the artwork that was displayed on the walls of Banna Lane. The lane itself was busy with delivery vans and tradesmen, very narrow and a bit grotty. The artwork was very spaced out and not very inspiring. Not even worthy of a photo. Disappointing.

Hay

Leaving Griffiths the rain did come and very heavy. Our destination for a stopover was Hay. As we drove in large signs saying free camping at the servicemans club. We had already decided to stay there as the reviews were all positive. After setting up on the lawn area, having a shower, we headed to the club for a meal. It was a Chinese restaurant and the food was excellent at a fair price. An early night after a busy day, tomorrow we would explore the town.

It was a short walk into town and the rain had turned into a drizzle. We walked the length of the main street until we reached the bridge that crossed the Murrumbidge River. On the way back we stopped at a cafe, the lady serving seemed a bit put out when I asked if they made iced coffee, apparently they had not received their ice delivery that morning. We moved on as I don’t have to put up with grumpy people. The next cafe had a  totally different vibe, busy and friendly staff. We enjoyed an iced coffee and shared a carrot cake. The reason for the enthusiastic atmosphere was that it had only opened three days  earlier. Back to Scamp and on the road again. The rain had come back.

Moulamein

We drove to the town of Moulamein spotting some kangaroos along the way. The weather was not very kind as apart from the rain it was also windy and cold. We cooked tea on a table and chairs at a park and spent the night next to the river. It was grand final night for the AFL and Ewout watched Geelong loose (sad) while Jenny watched some episodes of Schitt’s Creek.

The photos below are of our spot for the night, taken in the morning with blue skies and the rain gone but only for the day.