Day 64 - Parkes (Post Grand Final)

It was quite still and a little overcast this morning and a bit of over night precipitation seems to have eradicated the air borne allergens slightly, however my Eustachian Tubes are still on fire.

Some banter and review of the many social media memes and comments about the GF. It doesn’t take long for such childish behaviour to commence.

We showered early to get away early in the hope of removing ourselves once again from the allergens waiting to destroy us (Gail and I that is). I am honoured to report all our fellow travellers were offering a variety of suggestions to assist us, even to the extent of relocating parks.

To town for brekkie where once again country culinary delights were on full display. Fantastic brekkie burgers and croissants, however Gail’s almond milk latte left a little to be desired. The wrong type of almond milk can make or break the coffee.

A three stop journey today with the first being the famous Parkes dish, designed and built by the CSIRO. Made famous by the movie of the same name. Australia’s CSIRO are definitely a world regarded organisation. Not only all the space exploration and input into world events such as the Apollo 11 mission but also the invention of Wifi and Aerogard amongst others.

With a diameter of 64 metres the dish is monstrous structure and has been attributed to many great cosmic discoveries.

From there we retraced our steps from Fridays journey to Parkes, back to a place called Yeoval. As we drove through the other day Gail noticed there were ties to the literary genius, Banjo Patterson. The internet suggested there were some Tommy Tourist attractions worth visiting.

We forgot, a lot of small country towns fail to present their offerings after 2pm weekdays or on weekends. Yeoval was a SMALL town. Yeoval was a ghost town. The internet was wrong.

We did however stumble across a couple who were once locals, still owned real estate in the main street but had packed up and moved to the big smoke to get away from locals not willing to think outside the box. The lack of cranial diversity by the locals still residing there, has in fact resulted in the demise of this town.

After a wander up the Main Street we did observe a few items portraying the great man Patterson. One thing the majority of us were unaware of, was his military achievement.

Next, onto a town called Molong. This was however a little more alive. It was definitely bigger than Yeoval. The main pub seemed to be at capacity for Sunday lunch, so we ventured to a smaller, quieter one.

A bit of googling prior to arrival suggested there was an offering Peter, Graham and I may find interesting. And that we did. A shop for discerning gentlemen. Great gifts, clothes and a hat sizing service which Peter and I required for our Akubra style hats. My attempt at a stint of male to male improvisation nearly backfired though. All three discerning gentlemen walked out with the same style shirt. Trendsetters we are!

Back to downtown Parkes to Discount Dave’s for some absolutely brilliant buys before heading home.

Sweet and sour pork tonight, sensationally prepared by Julie, then an early bedtime again to seek relief from the return of the allergens, which unfortunately have stoked that Eustacian Tube fire.Read more