Synchronised alarm clocks started ringing around the village bright and early on Tuesday morning. It was the day for the Tenterfield trip – the bus was leaving at 8.00am – and fifteen of us planned to be on it.
Weeks of planning and anticipation were about to come crashing in on each one of us. With last minute almost-forgotten items shoved into our packing, we hauled our bags out to the street to wait for the bus. By 8.30 we were all aboard and on our way.
Murwillumbah cows… 
Not sure what this is, but it was impressive 
That’s a lot of wood 
A new bridge is under construction
By the time we arrived at Kyogle, it was time for a cuppa and brunch. And The Sugar Bowl was the perfect place.
And guess where this sign was? 
Catching up on the news…
Oh, and maybe just a little bit of shopping. There’s nothing like supporting a local business.
Thanks for the hospitality Alan, but we’ll pass…
I’m sure glad there was room on the bus to accommodate all our bargain shopping.
If you are in Kyogle, don’t forget to call in to ‘No Bull Vintage and Collectables’. If you are really lucky, Alan will put the big authentic Chinese Kettle on. I reckon that would quench anyone’s thirst.
On the road again, and on to Tenterfield!
Are We There Yet?
Each traveller had a handout that included the itinerary, historical facts about Tenterfield, Sudokus, a Crossword and a WordSearch. But that didn’t stem the steady flow of conversation. We managed to solve a lot of the problems of the nation as well as slipping in the odd joke or two. We shared reviews of favourite movies, books and authors. But above all we found out a little more about each other. And that was the real bonus of the trip – getting to know the people who make Mountain View a great place to live. And I only heard ‘Are we there yet?’ once.
Anticipation started to build when we saw the sign that welcomed us to the Tenterfield Shire.
And then we were there!
The School of Arts Cafe was expecting us at 1.30pm and we arrived with a few minutes to spare. When the bus stopped in the carpark at the back, we eagerly disembarked. There, right beside us on our right, was the Hotel we would be having dinner at that evening. And on our left, the motel we would be staying at. Can you believe it? Considering the bookings were made over the phone and via email, I couldn’t believe how convenient it all turned out to be.
The School of Arts Cafe – the perfect place for lunch
After lunch we unpacked the bus, walked through the carpark to the Peter Allen Motor Inn next door, collected our keys, and headed for our rooms. We had decided to make our own plans for the afternoon. Most of us chose to take a walk through town. What a fantastic place! Joan and I met a very friendly character who owned a number of businesses in town.
It just proved what I had always thought – Tenterfield is a very friendly place!
Back to our rooms for some downtime before dinner – NOT! I heard a voice outside my room calling my name, and I opened the door to an invitation to drinks at the front of the Motel.
By the time I had put on a few extra layers and made my way to the designated area, the pre-dinner drinks were in full swing.
Unfortunately, the discussion and subsequent vote for where to have breakfast the next morning, occurred later in the session rather than earlier. After a few drinks, three confused votes, and numerous attempts to count the votes, we apparently agreed we would return to the School of Arts Cafe. I say ‘apparently’ because with all the laughter and banter, I was flat out working out what had just happened. I certainly haven’t laughed that much in a long time. And I wasn’t even drinking!!
Dinner? What Dinner??
Yes, we had dinner at the Telegraph Hotel – but I realized when we got back to the motel that I hadn’t taken any photos.
How did that happen?
The food was fantastic, even though some of us had to wait a while – I mean a l-o-n-g while for our meal. But the staff were very apologetic, and besides, they weren’t used to having fifteen extra people for dinner on a Tuesday night. It was a great place to eat, and I’d recommend it to anyone.
Saying it was a bit cold as we walked back to the motel is probably a bit of an understatement. It was seriously cold! Thank goodness our beds had electric blankets and there was a reverse-cycle air-conditioner in our rooms. Sleep came easily for us all.