Leaving Bill in the boatyard with a long list of jobs to complete, I, (perhaps a little inconsiderately jumping ship), took the opportunity to spend a few days in Mudgee.
I love visiting Mudgee for two reasons. Firstly, it is a charming Australian country town in the Central West nestled in Cudgegong river valley surrounded by scenic hills, but much more importantly, it is the home of my very good friend Patricia, whom I met at work shortly after emigrating to Australia almost 40 years ago. I have been visiting Mudgee since the late 80s & have witnessed its transformation from a fairly low key agricultural & mining centre to a much busier, more populated town with a flourishing tourist industry centred around a sophisticated wine & foodie culture.
Patricia lives on a property in Grattai, about 20 minutes from the centre and recently has designed & constructed her own purpose-built house with the most magnificent views over the surrounding countryside. What an admirable feat!
She is always to be found in the company of one or two dachshunds.
There have been a number of generations of them – many on the older side having been adopted from Dachshund Rescue. The lucky canines have the opportunity of spending their twilight years in a loving, caring home. I have literally witnessed them blossom into healthy energetic doggies who seem to regain their youth for a few more years – heartwarming! The present incumbent is Otto – blind, deaf but very sweet with an impeccable sense of smell enabling him to locate a) dinner, b) Patricia and c) anything deceased & in a state of fulminant decomposition.
For the first time I caught a train from Sydney over the Blue Mountains to Lithgow, a really enjoyable journey with wonderful views over the impressive sheer escarpments and deep valleys.
I was met in Lithgow by Patricia and the aforementioned Otto and we drove back to Mudgee catching up on all the gossip. I hadn’t seen Patricia since we left for our Pacific sailing adventures so there was much to talk about, let alone hear about the trials & tribulations of her house build. The end result of this was fabulous however – light & spacious with a massive kitchen as well as glorious views to the north meaning plenty of sunshine even during winter.
I woke up at dawn the following day to find a large inquisitive kangaroo staring at me through the bedroom window! Despite the chill outside, that prompted me to emerge from the comfort of the warm bed, wrap up and head outside to watch the sunrise. It was a magnificent sight – a light morning frost blanketed the ground and as the sun’s rays penetrated the mist resting over the open fields, it illuminated the eucalyptus trees and the kangaroos grazing by the dam. And the silence…. at least until the first woof of the day!
We spent the morning in town having a bit of a rummage around as well as a very fine cup of coffee. Mudgee centre has some lovely old colonial buildings and a very fine park alongside the Cudgegong river. The shops have changed over the years with several more higher end boutiques and fine dining outlets than even a few years ago. There is certainly the sense of more money in the area – to a large degree related to mining but probably also the tourism that the town & surrounding area attracts.
That evening Patricia’s brother & wife joined us for dinner. I always enjoy catching up with James & Angela, they are such engaging, well informed people with lots of interesting stories to tell.
Patricia’s neighbours grow both grapes and olives, the latter having become a burgeoning business in Mudgee for some years, alongside the better known viticulture industry. We enjoyed a lovely olive oil & wine tasting experience in a shed on their property and I was pleased to come away with a bottle of really delicious ‘liquid gold’ to enjoy. I also (with permission!) raided Patricia’s passionfruit vine at her old property, (now vacated), so lucky me had a load of passionfruit pulp to take back to the boat.
The next day, Patricia kindly armed me with a cup of coffee & dropped me off at the bus stop in town before dawn – the upside of the very early start being that it was a cloudless day and I was able to watch a glorious sunrise over the Rylstone/Kandos area which sits on the western edge of the Blue Mountains as I headed back to Lithgow.
The visit was short but sweet. Always lovely to visit Mudgee but in particular, to spend precious time with a dear friend.