Orange

This week I was up in Orange working.. it was actually a real surprise, I really liked it! The furthest I'd ever been past the Blue Mountains, was Lithgow... and my memories of Lithgow were of a barron, dry landscape.. with a depressed town centre. Perhaps I went on a bad day or something!? but Orange, about an hour or so away on the Grt Western Hwy, was a thriving, bustling, young town.. surrounded by rolling green hills (i underderstand it's because of the recent rain!) and productive Apple Orchards, weighed down with tonnes of fruit! I have never seen so many apples in my life!

On the first day that i was there, I was running early for an appointment so I drove to the Borenore Caves. Thinking of the impressive caves at nearby Jenolan, I'm not sure exactly what I expected... but when I got out of the car to an empty carpark, the deafening sound of bees, rustling trees, and this eerie feeling someone was watching me- I realised it was more Hills Have Eyes than it was Nature's tourist trap!

Here I am standing in the carpark...

The eerie pathway to the caves..

The general landscape.. so isolated!

Arrived to the top to find this... are you f*cking kidding me!? This is the cave on all the tourist brochures!? haha Okay...

I'll just enjoy it! Standing in front of the main event- The Borenore Cave! Behold it's majesty..

I went to a deer farm, where the elk staggs were on heat! They are pretty aggressive, and spend their time urinating all over themselves and rolling in the mud.

This was probably one of the only times I've ever thought of OHS! I have an absolute refusal to acknowledge it (I prefer to believe in common sense!) Anyways the farmer took me fanging around the farm (steep ridges) on a quad bike, I was carrying my camera and trying to take photos, and almost fell off the back! Whoopsies!


I met this guy, who seems to have the monopoly over the local fruit and veg scene in the little town of Canouwindra. Here we are at the Organic farm, checking out some heritage pumpkins.

This town was so interesting. It was so old... so quiet... there were about 5 pubs in the main street! Plus I found a little boutique stocking the most gorgeous clothing... so hip and cool in the middle of seemingly nowhere!?


Some of the buildings I drove past begged a photo.. I was constantly stopping, here's a few pics..

How is this for the local motel!?
I spent a long time wondering, is it or isn't it in operation!?
Honeymoon booking perhaps!? hehe.

I would love to paint this landscape...


Whilst in Orange and surrounds, I had plenty of time to Op Shop.. my bounty mostly consisted of old books.. this one I passed on, but I was intrigued by it's cover!


Can't not show the apples... APPLES APPLES APPLES! Every property is an orchard.
Even the little B+B I stayed in had an apple orchard on site!?

Driving back home through the Blue Mountains it dawned on me that this is my last recce for the Series of the show. Perhaps it won't get renewed for it's forth season!? Perhaps I will never travel for work again like I have done for the past three series of this program. I felt quite sad at the thought .. no more X 10 coffees driving around the countryside for days meeting crazy and amazing people.

I got back to Sydney in time for peak Hour. Damn, it was HELL. Then the heavens opened, and it poured, thundered, lightening. I was held up on the tarmac for two hours. I got home sometime after midnight. Soooo knackered, soooo glad to be home!