Day Twenty - Thursday 9th May - Quorn to Clare Homeward Bound.....

We were off to a slow start partly because I had conflicting information about the opening times for the Flinders Gin Distillery. I was determined to buy some before we came home.....and preferably from the Distillery in Quorn. The funny story that goes with this purchase was that I had chatted to an 'older' woman at the Ochre Cliffs the previous day and somehow the conversation turned to gin. She told me she was the mother of the guy who set up the distillery in old stables in Quorn a couple of years ago so I was all set to go and buy some. The next morning when we went to the Distillery at 11am (after purchasing some ghastly 3D placemats for all of our grandchildren from the Tourist Information Centre and having some truly great coffee at a cafe called Scruffy Fellas) I said to the guy "I met your mother yesterday". He looked rather baffled and said 'I don't think so!" Then when I explained my meeting with this woman it turned out she was his stepmum and he exclaimed 'She's a witch! I can't stand her!" And proceeded to tell me how awful she is. I did have to point out to him that she was doing a good job promoting his gin to complete strangers. But it was funny: he even shook his head and said "My Dad really lucked out there"......

I bought a bottle of Quandong gin and one of Butterfly Pea Flower gin which is a beautiful purple colour. Jude and I bought some cans of lemon-Lime gin and quandong gin and tonic. Delicious! The Scruffy Fellas cafe was a hoot too. It was actually a barber shop and filled with beard care items. Both of the guys had long beards, one of them plaited. They'd come from Ballan in Victoria to live in Quorn and couldn't find a drinkable coffee anywhere in town so they set up Scruffy Fellas cafe. The coffee beans were roasted in Ballarat by a mate, and both Liz and Graeme bought some. Its always interesting to hear the stories about how people end up in remote towns. We wandered around town and admired some beautiful old buildings from better times. There were some interesting sculptures made from chicken wire commemorating those who served in past wars.

The rest of the day was spent heading for Clare, refreshed by pasties and coffee along the way. The landscape changed completely: the barren rocks and plains replaced by wheatfields and grain fields, and eventually towns lined with autumn-coloured trees and, of course, lots of gold and red-coloured vines. The enormous mountain ranges were replaced by more modest hills and green landscape.

I drove again and, of course, the minute I took over the straight road turned into a series of bends which I hated. Towing a caravan is quite a responsibility!! It doesn't matter what speed I'm doing it's the wrong speed according to Ewan, especially when I go too slow. It's a relief when he has a nap I can tell you! We booked into the Discovery Caravan Park on the outskirts of town. It was a very well-equipped Caravan Park; two pools, a huge inflatable jumping playground and some skate tracks. But no campfires allowed! After we set up our abodes the others walked to a nearby winery. Surprisingly, Ewan returned with only a dozen bottles of wine! Remarkable. The Distillery guy had recommended the Watervale Hotel for dinner. It was the last night we would all be together so we felt we should have a nice farewell dinner.And it lived up to his recommendation. They say they provide 'ethical epicurean experiences'. The produce comes from their own large farm and they certainly used every part of the produce. For example they served three kinds of pickled vegetables with the charcuterie plate, including pickled celery stalks. And those combined with home-made terrine, pate and proscuitto served with hunks of hot bread was a great start.The beetroot cigars and the duck sliders were fabulous. The mains were very much enjoyed: barramundi, steak, ragu pasta, a hamburger with more homemade pickles, all enhanced by some local wines. No room for dessert! A great night out. We would all gladly return! All of the travelling has worn us all out and it was too cold to sit outside without a campfire so it was straight off to bed earlyish. Your well-fed and well-travelled correspondent Dianne