I think I could live here

Armidale is a beautiful city. Three days is not enough to soak it up. I stayed at the show ground with plenty of space and good hot showers. To orient myself I went on the free heritage tour bus. It was a bargain, even at twice the price! People were very generous with their donations, and rightly so. It is a great service for visitors. With its lovely cool weather and four distinct seasons it reminded me a lot of Ireland. Even the rain was generally a light Scotch Mist that barely warranted an umbrella.


 


We toured historic Armidale with beautifully preserved and carefully renovated homes in the older part of the city. And it is a city, because of the cathedrals. Both the Catholic and Anglican churches  have a Bishop here.  So even if the buildings were small and insignificant, they would still be classed as cathedrals. They are neither small nor insignificant, built from the local blue brick.

As well as these cathedrals, there are other impressive churches, schools and city buildings. The university, UNE, is an important part of the city and the large number of international students has probably helped provide the wide range of ethnic restaurants dotted around the city. The Main Street is an eclectic mix of old and new or new and modern on the ground floor under period facades.

Driving east out of the city today, I followed the Waterfall Way. The recent rain and the current occasional downpour meant that the waterfalls were flowing. Unfortunately most were obscured by cloud, mist or heavy rain. It was almost impossible to get decent photos but that didn't detract from the beauty. In fact, there was an eerie atmosphere with the sound of the waterfall muffled by rain and the falls only glimpsed through the drifting cloud. Spectacular!

As usual, the people I met along the way contributed to the enjoyment. On the bus tour I met Lynne from Brighton and Carol from Bracken Ridge who just happen to be Red Hatters. We will connect again when we are all back in Brisbane. Last night I kept to myself, arriving after a late dinner when everyone seemed to be settled.  The Show is on next week and most of my neighbours were Showies getting ready to set up. They were interesting to talk to but most were busy getting domestic duties out of the way before the Show started.

Tonight has provided an interesting mix of travellers. I had planned to camp closer to Dorrigo but the recommended camp ground was very wet and soggy. I drove around the area and decided that it wasn't worth the risk of getting bogged so continued to Bellingen sports ground. Bill from Cairns was first to arrive with his dog Shadow. Next five German girls in a van and a car came and set up in the shed to play cards. Three friends travelling together have come across from New Zealand, two are Czech and one Japanese. Since then a young woman has pulled up in a car. She hasn't socialised and appeared to go straight to sleep. There may be another car up further but I will never know. Usually by the time I surface in the morning, everyone else has left,

We are fairly close to the road but the grounds are pretty dark and the road is not busy and will get even quieter over the next couple of hours. I will try to be like my neighbours. I will batten down and try to sleep.