Day 5: Our stay in Clare

After last night's rain, everything is shining, including me. Today is a rest day. Yippee.

With a luxurious chauffeured (thanks Mick) drive into Clare for coffee and provisions accomplished, we spent the afternoon picnickIng at 'Shut the Gate' winery and touring stately houses from the outside, as we were too miserly to pay $60 to enter.

We managed to track down the owner of the cottage at his art gallery in Blyth. He was ready for a chat and a tour of his nursery next door, where he propagates lots of Australian plants to use on the cottage property. Apparently he plants about 2000 per year. When he is not busy digging holes, he paints birds extremely well. We even bought a print.

Rather than eat out, we decided to have a barbecue, so that we could watch the sunset over the valley. We were accompanied by lots of kangaroos. Obviously, we had muscled in on their sunset viewing patch, but they didn't have champagne and were jealously eyeing us off.

As the sunset over the valley, we contemplated our short ride (only 50 kms) on the morrow.

P_20191102_143711

Enjoying the Shut The Gate surroundings including the novel toilets seen in the background which are actually small water tanks or possibly septic tanks.

P_20191102_145356

Very funny. Brenda can't even make a decent knotted hankercheif beret. On the other hand I am something of a past master as Dad would often have one on when working in the sun, and he taught me, from a very early age, how to create a masterpeice.

P_20191102_152312

Now that's a HAT.

P_20191102_153221

No one was home so we didn't go in. Or maybe they wouldn't answer the door because  we wouldn't shell out the $60 to get in.

IMG_20191102_194218

The windmill of Windmill Cottage at sunset.

P_20191102_194557

Plenty of  Kangaroos were there to share the sunset with us.

IMG_20191102_194644

The sun has gone to bed.

© 2024 Strachan Terms and Conditions of Use Privacy Policy A Smartspace Website by Website WizLog In