Australian outings: Lawrence

 

My very dear friend, James, and I have only had one outing together this season. Well, it has been a rather 'social' season, and I do 'social' only in limited amounts. And never in the company of more than one person or couple ... because if two or more people speak at once, I simply hear ... noise. I am not (was I ever?) a party creature .... and my hearing is, at nearly 80, what is politely described as 'defective'. Most of the time, I'm happy with that!!

So, when James called and suggested a 'museum and pub lunch' outing, I was delighted!

And it fulfilled all of its promises. How have I been here ten years, and -- although I have passed by -- yet not discovered the village of Lawrence: its museum and its "pub"?

Both museum and pub were a resounding success!

The museum is unlike any other 'local' museum I have ever been to.  It is built in and around the buildings of what used to be the important Northern River radio station.  This means that they not only have a large indoor space in which to display their collection but also ... land!  And that land they have utilised splendidly, with 'exhibits' of C19th farming and professional artefacts of all kinds ... rightly, the whole is named the 'Rural and River' Museum. A real breath of fresh air ... one of my favourite museum visits of recent years.

If you are in the Clarence Valley, this is a must for a visit! And the drive through the countryside from Maclean to Lawrence is a scenic joy in itself ...

From the Museum, we headed for our pub lunch. The Lawrence Tavern.

The sun was shining deliciously, so we sat outside, overlooking the river ..

And what is that!? A manège? No. It is apparently an excessively waterside house. Round. And turns round ...  How? Why? What about the plumbing? Ah! It's for sale. Perhaps the occupants got rheumatism. 5 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. Hmm. James looked up the floorplan on his phone. I couldn't live in it, but hey it would make a brilliant restaurant or cafe ...  Price? Six figures rather then seven ..

ADDENDUM: Courtesy of engineering historian Robert Lee:  The house does not rotate, but it is built on former railway turntable bridge recovered from former steam locomotive depots on the North Coast Railway.

Interesting ...

My companions: James and Brett

Seafood crèpe with chips and a salad which I was actually able to eat ... a pint or two of Toohey's Dark ... very nice!

Lovely way to spend a Tuesday ...

And then home, via that lovely scenery, over bridges and the river ferry ...

Happy days!  

I'll be back soon!