The Manna House: From Cowes to Orange and a trip down memory lane

We drove from Cowes, via Melbourne to East Doncaster, as it was closest caravan park to Eltham where we were headed the next day. Eltham has the amazing artist colony Montsalvat, founded by Justus Jörgensen, it is Australia’s oldest artists’ colony and is home to practising artists. It remains to this day a working not-for-profit arts centre administered by a board. Set in 12 acres of established gardens, the historic buildings include charming mud brick cottages and the impressive Great Hall which hosts a variety of concerts, exhibitions and functions.
It is like stepping back in time. Most of the buildings look centuries old. The main building (the great Hall) has a wonderful collection of hand made furniture. There are several galleries, mostly showing the work of Justus Jorgenson, lots of small buildings and rooms where resident artists live, acres of trees and gardens, a pool and a wonderful cafe selling the best scones and coffee in Victoria. We enjoyed several hours looking around the place.
Heading for Shepparton, we drove towards Wittlesea, thinking we might see some of the fire devastated areas. Most of the damage in that area was at Kingslake, a little too far out of our way, but as we drove along the freeway, we passed vast tracts of burt out bush near Flowerdale and Kilmore. Even down the centre of the expressway was burnt out for many miles.
We stayed 10km the other side of Shepparton and met some Chinese fruit pickers in the van park, who gave us a big bag of assorted, freshly picked fruit which I stewed up as we couldn’t have eaten it all before it went off.
On our way to Griffith, we passed through Jerilderie. The countryside is so flat that the sky gives the impression of being so much bigger.
I had been looking forward to seeing the Riverina area and was expecting much. Griffith was a big disappointment, as was Leeton, probably due to the 9 years of drought. Apparently a large amount of fruit and rice has to be imported to make their products. Rice crops especially, have fallen to minute amounts being grown and it has to be imported from Thailand, so that products such as rice cakes, can continue to be manufactured there.
The highlight of our week was visiting some “long time, no see” friends at West Wyalong. Dick and Bronwyn Myers, who have lived on a farm 30km out of town, for the best part of 40 years, (Bronwyn was actually born and raised there too). We got a wonderful surprise when they opened the door, to see Dick’s sister Tina was also there.
We had a wander round the property (Marnie had stayed there as a 10 yr old) and enjoyed a veritable feast for dinner (typical country hospitality) We left the next morning, weighed down by a large box of Dick’s home grown veggies.
We continued on the next day through to Grenfell, stopping to look around the town where Marnie’s parents (John and Judy) had spent their early teaching years at the local high school. Then it was on to Gooloogong, where my mother was born. Not much there, other than a pub, where the locals looked in their phone book and declared there were no longer any Hogans living in Gooloogong. We drove out to the local cemetery and managed to find uncle Ted and his wife Anne’s graves. That was the closest we got to unearthing some family history.
So, here we are in Orange. The countryside is so lush and green. I gather there has been plenty of rain this summer. It all looks so inviting after the months of browned off countryside we have been through. Tomorrow I am hoping to visit an old nursing friend from Sydney hospital, who lives in Wellington.

Vicki

David, Nicole, Charlie and Lou Lou, who we saw in Melbourne