Day Two – Tenterfield Trip

At the end of Day Two, fifteen weary but happy travellers were delivered safely back to our beautiful village. So with Part One of the Tenterfield Trip done and dusted, here is a pictorial account of Day Two.

Day Two

On Wednesday morning we woke to a beautiful crisp Autumn morning in Tenterfield (that’s code for FFFFF – Freezing Cold!). The sun was shining in a clear blue sky and all was right with our world. 

Our Home-Away-From-Home…. for one fantastic night…

Breakfast was cooking at the School of Arts Cafe and the fabulous team of Marion and Amanda were waiting to greet us. Marion and Amanda had started work early so that we could eat and be on our way. We still had some sightseeing to take care of – oh – and maybe just a little bit more shopping. 

Marion and Amanda got up extra early to accommodate us, and still had a welcome smile for us when we arrived. What an awesome team!

Breakfast!

Who wouldn’t want to go back for more, once they have eaten at the School of Arts Cafe at Tenterfield? That’s how it happened for us… lunch one day – breakfast the next. These girls, (and the lovely Kylie), made sure our dining experiences were met with a smile, and every detail attended to. Thank you, Amanda, Marion and Kylie for contributing to our first overnight bus trip.

Make sure you stop in and say Hi! to these lovely ladies next time you are in Tenterfield.

And leave enough time to read the walls leading through to the cafe. You’ll come away with a deeper knowledge of our Prime Ministerial History. And yes, they have had to add a bit more wall space to accommodate our revolving-door Prime Ministership of recent years.

Photos from the early years to…..
…what the heck!
Funny how we were more subdued over breakfast than we were at pre-dinner drinks the day before…

With breakfast done and dusted, the early birds opted for a walk while waiting for others to finish, before meeting back at the bus.

Joan, Elizabeth and I opted for a quick dash to the Haberdashery store we had spotted the previous afternoon. What an experience that was!!! It was like finding Aladdin’s Cave unlocked, and with the lights on.

We each settled on our own version of obsession – mine was more wool for yet another scarf, as well as some awesome quilting fabric for yet another cushion (I don’t have the skill or patience for a big project yet).

Country Curtains was a lot more than we expected.

In real friendly Tenterfield style, the saleslady approached us, started a conversation about our warm headgear and scarves, and immediately put us at ease. She showed us different wools and what they would look like as a finished product. To say we were impressed would be an understatement! And the best news? You can phone Country Curtains and they will post items to you.

Apparently, they are very used to hearing visitors say ‘we don’t have a haberdashery store in our town’.

Joan found a great souvenir for a friend, and the last we saw of Elizabeth, she was immersed in a mass of colourful wool and fabric. She eventually caught up to us – looking as happy as we felt.

Meanwhile, back at the bus…

Bags were loaded and travellers resumed their seats for the next leg of the journey.

First stop: The Tenterfield Saddler House

Don’t ever go to Tenterfield without visiting the home of the Tenterfield Saddler. But don’t expect to only see saddles and whips. This tiny cottage is overflowing with history.

I was fascinated to see the handwritten note from Hugh Jackman, thanking the Saddlery for the whip he used in the film about Peter Allen. But you will have to make the trip to Tenterfield if you want to see it.

I dare say Keith, the amazing volunteer on duty that day, was sick of hearing ‘Oh Wow!’, every time I turned around and discovered another memory from the past.

We owe a huge thank you to the unsung heroes who keep the history alive for those who lived through it and those born too late to be part of it. To the Volunteers who keep the Tenterfield Saddler Museum running – Thank You. You are all Legends.

Back to the bus…

The next ‘must-see’ item on our itinerary was the Cork Tree.

Not bad, considering the cork tree came to Australia in a jam tin in 1861…

The Cork Tree is reported to have magical powers if you walk around it three times while reciting a special chant. If you make a wish while chanting, it is supposed to come true. If only we could have walked around it!

And finally, the Railway Museum

Old trains and railway stations conjure up images and memories of the past. And the Tenterfield Railway Museum provided a nostalgic snapshot of how travel used to be.

They just don’t make buildings like this anymore…
Part of the happy-travellers group

Murwillumbah Calls….

Ted navigated us back to the highway and we were homeward bound. But not without thoughts of lunch. We had our sights set on a Pie Shop we had seen advertised on the highway the day before. But to quote a famous line from Robert Burns – To A Mouse, “The best laid schemes of mice and men….”. Our pie-shop plans went sadly ‘awry’!

A short detour from the highway should have delivered us to the door of the pie-shop. Instead, we stared blankly at a door that was closed, despite a sign at the front and on the side wall blatantly advertising the promise of a cafe inside.

Doubling back we headed for a hotel we had passed moments earlier. A reconnaissance team was dispatched to see if the hotel could feed fifteen hungry travellers, but returned with ‘mmm – we might keep going…’. They also reported that the cafe down the road had been closed for about ten years.

The final leg of the journey continued.

Yes, we all had a fantastic time away – but there was something magic in seeing Mt Warning in the distance on the homeward-stretch.

We were almost home!

Casino – Next Stop

It was just before 2.00 pm by the time we pulled up in front of the Commercial Hotel in Casino. Google assured us the Commercial Hotel was the place for lunch. Except – lunch has prescribed times at the Commercial Hotel – and 2pm isn’t one of them. We were politely directed to a coffee shop at the end of the building, so coffee and cake would have to do. Surprisingly, there was more on offer than just coffee-shop fare, and fifteen hungry travellers were fed.

The best part of our impromptu change of plans was the garden seating – as long as you could find a seat in the sun.

Some of us even found time for a short walk before regaining our rightful places on the bus.

The sun was setting on Day Two…

Desley’s calculation that the sun would be setting as we came over the Burringbar Range was spot-on. The sun-visors did little to deflect the blinding light of the sun as the earth began its journey towards darkness.

The sight of the Tweed Regional Art Gallery signalled our return to Murwillumbah. Back to familiarity – back to routines.

At 4.48pm, the bus stopped at the first drop-off point.

We were home!

One-by-one, well-worn travellers retrieved their luggage and said their goodbyes.

As Day Two closed around them, the fifteen adventurers probably relived the highlights of their two-day trip to Tenterfield. They may have had a few chuckles at the memorable moments – like – trying to count the votes for where to have breakfast (after a few drinks), finding the cafe that had closed ten years earlier, and meeting the most colourful character of Tenterfield.

And sleep found them all, probably a little earlier than usual that night.

We would like to thank the following people for making our first overnight trip to Tenterfield so memorable:

And the fantastic team of travellers!
Let’s do it again – soon!!

Tenterfield Trip – Part One

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.

The Journey Begins…

By the time we arrived at Kyogle, it was time for a cuppa and brunch. And The Sugar Bowl was the perfect place.

Oh, and maybe just a little bit of shopping. There’s nothing like supporting a local business.

No Bull!! Vintage and Collectables Extraordinaire…
The Welcoming Committee
There are so many bargains lurking here..
Alan offered to make us a cuppa.
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.

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.

I think the batteries need replacing in the clock – oh well, it will be right twice every twenty-four hours…

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.

And sleep heralded the end of the first day of our Tenterfield Trip.

Road Trip to Tenterfield!

Here at Mountain View we are always thinking of: new things to do; places to go; people to meet. Our Social Committee organises most activities, but residents come up with ideas as well. That’s how the upcoming road trip to Tenterfield came about.

Load that bus!! We’re going to Tenterfield!

Lock in the 28th May, Eddie!

A couple of months ago, Wendy and I started tossing ideas around for an overnight trip for Mountain View residents. And since Tenterfield had been on my mind for a while, it seemed like a good a place for our inaugural overnight-er.

Dulcie, on behalf of the Social Committee, joined us in the planning. And with seemingly little effort, we are all set to take off on the 28th May.

  • the bus is available
  • we have enough willing travellers to (almost) fill the bus
  • Desley has volunteered to drive
  • accommodation is booked
  • meals are sorted
  • and we are working on the itinerary

Tenterfield – here we come!

Tenterfield, besides being a beautiful place to visit, is a significant part of our Australian history. On the 24th October 1889, Sir Henry Parkes delivered the Federation Speech, (Tenterfield Oration) right there in Tenterfield.

I believe that the time has come, and if two Governments set an example, the others must soon of necessity follow. There will be an uprising in this fair land of a goodly fabric of free Government, and all great national questions of magnitude affecting the welfare of the colonies will be disposed of by a fully authorised constitutional authority. This means a distinct executive and a distinct parliamentary power for the whole of Australia, and it means a Parliament of two Houses, a House of Commons and a Senate, which will legislate on these great subjects.

Sir Henry Parkes (Federation Speech 1889)

So, the Sir Henry Parkes School of Arts Cafe will be our first port of call. Having lunch in the building in which the Father of Federation once stood, will be a great introduction to Tenterfield.

Our Federated Nation started right here in Tenterfield

In a more modern context, Tenterfield was showcased to the world in the words of Peter Allen’s song – ‘The Tenterfield Saddler’. Peter’s Grandfather, George Woolnough, once plied his trade in the building that had housed many Saddlers before him. A visit to the old Saddlery will feature prominently on our itinerary.


On the subject of Peter Allen, where better to stay in Tenterfield than the Peter Allen Motor Inn. A few emails and a phone call to Luke, and our accommodation was in the bag. Luke was so accommodating that he even helped us decide on the best place for dinner.

The History Trail on our Road Trip to Tenterfield

Some of our travellers are keen gardeners, so a visit to Tenterfield wouldn’t be complete without seeing the old Cork Tree. The seeds for the cork tree came to Australia in a jam tin, in the very early days of our settlement (1861). The seeds grew and the tree is reportedly one of the largest cork trees in the country. Who would have thought that cork grows on trees? And it is still growing, Just as well we didn’t have Border Force back then, or Edward Parker would have been paying a hefty fine for bringing in plant material. Next time you pop the cork of your favourite bubbly, spare a thought for the cork tree, from whence the stopper comes.

We’ll be visiting Stannum House – or at least looking at it from the outside. The spiral staircase might be a bit daunting for some of our travellers. Built more than three-hundred years ago, the beautiful Stannum House still stands tall and proud. Past visitors of Stannum House include: Banjo Paterson; Dame Nellie Melba; and of course, Sir Henry Parkes. Their spirits live on. There is a lot of history wrapped up in the New England city of Tenterfield.

…. Australia has now a population of three and a half millions, and the American people numbered only between three and four millions when they formed the great Commonwealth of the United States. The numbers are about the same. Surely what the Americans have done by war, Australians can bring about in peace.

Sir Henry Parkes (from the Tenterfield Oration 1889)
The Post Office building in Tenterfield

From historical buildings to beautiful scenery, Tenterfield has it all.

Our road trip to Tenterfield is quickly moving from the planning stage to the ‘Are we there yet?’.

We can’t wait to get there!