Penola

We spent our first night at Penola-a town approximately 390 kms south of Adelaide and 424 kms west of Melbourne.
Penola is best known for its association with Mary MacKillop, Australia's first Catholic saint, who lived and worked in the area.
Duncan and his family spent several years in the area living and farming at a property they named " Angus Downs ", where they farmed beef and sheep. Wal and Lorna had purchased a large area of natural bush to develop into a functioning farm, initially living near the town and later Wal building a farm house for the family.
We stopped off at Duncan's primary school at Penola- established in1855 and today is a well maintained school, he rememberd playing in the school yard with friends.
We took some time to drive around the town giving Duncan the joy of remembering buildings and stories of his youth. He remembers well attending the local St Mary's Anglican church so he took young Mawson along to learn about being a good boy.
Visitors to the town will find a lively range of cafes, galleries, art and crafts. Nearby is the famous Coonawarra wine region and for those wanting something different you can hire a bike from Penola and ride to the wineries.Read more