My latest Grey Nomad adventure has begun, though I much prefer the term Age averse Nomad. 

I am currently looking out my caravan window towards a scene of texture and colour. The sky is a wash of pale blue, dotted with wistful little cotton wool clouds. It’s early morning, surprisingly mild for this time of year, and the day ahead, like the last four, promises adventure.

The grass is dewy, shining, mist rises languidly from the distant paddocks, enveloping the cows, trees are dropping multitudes of their yellowy brown leaves. 

The nearby river water drifts, murky and lapping against half submerged tree roots. And further away, the old timber bridge clatters occasionally, as the odd car or bus passes over it. This is Gundagai river caravan park, on the banks of the Murrimbidgee, my home for the next five days.

There’s a newspaper lying open next to me, on my table strewn with the detritus of travel. Living in a little metal box for a few days, let alone months, results in a paucity of space. And so the table has become the resting place of way too much. There are books and pens and magazines, tissues, a pair of sunglasses kept handy, and a plastic bag full of hubbie’s clutter. But it’s the newspaper headline I’m drawn to. 

A quote from an author unknown to me,”You don’t have to understand Life.You just have to live it” is emblazoned, in capital letters , across one whole page of the paper. 

Yes, that’s just about right, I think to myself. That’s  exactly what I’m doing, fitting as much as I can into a day, every day.

It’s hard though. To get away I mean.

I am blessed with a very close knit family: my kids, their partners, my grandkids. I’m also part of the so called sandwich generation. Sandwiched between my younger family, and my elderly parent. 

Yes, at my ripe old age I still have a living parent, my Mum. Though she resides at  Bluehaven Bonaira, and is  cared for magnificently by aged care professionals, these days it has become more tricky to do what I want to do, to lock up and spontaneously take off travelling. After all, I’m needed for both Nanna, and for daughter duties.

But I must travel. Life is a gift and not to be wasted. Hubby and I can, and will, while we both have the health,  and the desire for adventure.

There’s still so much to see, and do, and experience. This trip will be about not only seeing the sites and learning about them, but actively mixing with locals wherever we land, boosting their local economies by way of coffee, entrance fees, shopping and the sipping of the odd bevy. 

First stop was Crookwell, about a week ago now but feeling more like a month. Walking the Main Street with its heritage feel, myriad country stores, four pubs but only two operating, an overflowing Vinnies, the famous Linder sock shop, and the butcher shop featured in the NRMA lighthouse ad, I’m feeling mellow. Being sustained by a flat white and a warmed berry muffin & cream in the gorgeous, fern filled environs of Ensemble & Co( think our Collective Beat with a cafe upfront), I’m looking forward to this evenings Art Show at the Memorial Hall.A tribute to two local artists, the opening night offers paintings, sculpture, wine, nibbles and the prospect of experiencing Crookwell conviviality.

I’m in.

Country hospitality, I can assure you is alive and well. We two nonlocals were welcomed, chatted with, befriended, and plied with a few cheeky reds and assorted delicious canapés, whilst viewing the art and hearing the artist’s stories. Two memorable hours, and a fitting finale to our brief sojourn in this pretty town.

Next stop on our agenda is Gundagai, of “dog on the tucker box ” fame. And that’s just about my breadth of knowledge of this fine town. However, I believe you can learn a lot about a place if you do a little research, stay a few days, walk a lot, and talk to locals. 

The Visitor centre is always my first stop, and here I found one of Gundagai’s advertised treasures, Rusconi’s Marble Masterpiece, on display behind glass, with an accompanying short video and original photographs. It is the most amazing structure, Art in local Australian marble; Lego enthusiasts would tremble with delight just viewing it. 

Frank Rusconi, Gundagai local , took 28 years , from 1910 to 1938, to hand cut, turn and polish nearly 21000 pieces of marble, and assemble them into a magnificent structure standing just under 1.2m high. No plans or drawings were used, he made sections, stored them , and then, in 1938, put them all together. Incredible. You have to see it with your own eyes,the photographs don’t do it justice. 

Two monuments in the town centre are outstanding. 

The first commemorates the Great Flood of 1852 when the Murrumbidgee burst its banks, and two Wiradjuri men, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, rescued many townsfolk, using a tiny bark canoe. The story is beautifully brought to life in Anita Heiss’s novel, River of Dreams, set in and around Gundagai and Wagga.

In the park near the Visitor centre there is a very moving monument to our Fallen in the Battle of Coral Balmoral ,Vietnam war 1968, including a quite stunning memorial to the recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, Private Richard Nordern, from Gundagai. His story was enigmatic, his bravery the stuff of legend. 

Just walking the streetscape of Gundagai gives you a sense of history, how the olden days were lived in a town dominated by its closeness to a mighty river. Many of the buildings are heritage , displaying their aged beauty with pride. Back in 1890, the town doctor of the time , Dr Gabriel started photographing the town, its people, the social gatherings, the river. To this day there is an outstanding display of his work, to be seen if you can climb your way up a set of very rickety stairs  from the most eclectic antique/junk store I’ve ever frequented. Called Junque and Disorderly, this place was hypnotic. I found it hard to leave, and yes, of course I bought something.

There’s a bit of Art Deco in the town too, with the Niagara cafe shining like a beacon in the centre of town since 1902.

Oh,the joy to be had when you enter the Niagara Cafe, steeped in history. Owned by Greek families since the outset, it has continued to provide country service and hospitality in a nostalgic setting (think Happy Days ). Berry’s Donut Van has stiff competition from the warm jam donuts made to order. Definitely a fine accompaniment to the deliciousness of the coffee , and worth the wait!!

If it’s views you crave, get out of town, walk or drive up to the lookout on Mt Parnassus, and take in the 360 degree  vista. If you’re very lucky you’ll meet some horses up there who definitely love a pat or a nose scratch. The old wooden bridge of Gundagai with its distinctive latticework of wooden trusses spanning the floodplains & the river can be seen so well from up here, or better still , take the river walk like I did, and see the bridge up close. 

All too soon, our stay in Gundagai has come to an end, but I know we’ll be back. 

Today we are moving on to an equally pretty river camp just a half hours drive away. Tumut, and a campsite on the Snowy River is our destination. 

The only assurance is that it will be cold. 

Can’t wait to find out what happens next in our wandering but whatever it is, I’ll keep you informed.