ISSN 2007-001X August 2018
At the end of June, Miriam Miller from Milton and a group from the Narrawilly Proggy Rugmakers travelled to the Sydney Craft Fair at Darling Harbour and along with Martha Birch and Helen Orr of Sydney, talked rug hooking with fair goers at the Australian Rugmakers Guild stand organized by Martha.
In July, Miriam and Jacqui Thomson, drove even further north to visit family, friends and rug hookers. Their long road trip also being a trial run – “what to pack considering differing weather conditions” – in preparation for their overseas travels later in the year when they’ll attend the The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers (TIGHR) Conference in the UK in October and a knitting tour in Iceland in November. The temperatures on this trip ranged from 27C at Atherton to -7C in the mornings at Dubbo and Cowra.
They covered 6,600.03 kilometres (yes, they clocked it down the last fraction of a kilometre). Their route taking them from Milton on the south coast of New South Wales, over the mountains and up the inland route through the outback of New South Wales and Queensland to Atherton on the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns in the far north of Australia. Their travel journal is detailed in Miriam’s newsletter “Connecting Us” July/August issue, archived on the Guild website.
This map shows (roughly) the stops they made along the way; Blayney, Mudgee, Lightning Ridge, Surat, Emerald, Charters Towers, Atherton, Bowen, Gladstone Coolum Beach, Landsborough, Brisbane, Murwillumbah, Byron Bay, Texas, (yes there is a Texas in Australia) Warialda, Dubbo and Cowra.
After leaving Lightning Ridge – famous for mining of black opals, they drove 75ks East to Surat and stayed at the Myall Park Botanical gardens at Glenmorgan, for two nights, and … “enjoyed the walks, short and long, examining the Australian flora all named and described. This whole area is maintained by volunteers. On the property gifted by Dorothy Gordon are the three grevilleas the Gordon’s bred, named after their three daughters – ”Robyn Gordon” is the best known (The Grevillia walk would be spectacular in the spring).”
On the return trip they drove the coastal route and in Coolum Beach, met up with Annette White a former Narrawilly Proggy Rugmaker now a member of the Sunshine Coast RugCrafters
and visited the groups leader, Judi Tompkins in her new home in Landsborough.
and three more members of the Sunshine Coast RugCrafters.
The next stop was Murwillumbah, where they visited the Art Gallery and the Margaret Olley Exhibition. This was followed by two nights in Byron Bay visiting a former member of the Narrawilly Proggy Rugmakers who, when she lived in Milton, was famous for keeping the fabric shelves tidy in Miriam’s Rug Room. Her rug below would remind anyone who has been in Miriam’s studio of the colourful of wall fabric.
Then it was off to Texas on the QLD-NSW border to visit the Rabbit Museum, which the travellers said is most interesting and worth a visit. Those new to Australia might not know of the rabbit problem – The battle of the Bunny – and the steps taken to overcome the scourge, i.e. the introduction of the disease Myxomatosis and the rabbit-proof fences – like the one that separated Western Australia from the rest of the country. As a child I remember driving from Perth to the East Coast with my parents, and being the one designated to get out and open and shut the gate.
Their final stop was Cowra where their accommodations really made an impression on them – “a fully self-contained cottage in a vineyard surrounded on three sides by grape vines with a creek in front. There was wine, biscuits, cheese and chocolates on arrival – 7 kinds of fruit and food for a very substantial breakfast! Lovely heating, interesting books galore, DVD’s, comfortable furniture and beds, all washing facilities, washing machine & dryer. Big picture windows looking out over the vineyard.”
So impressed were the travellers they provided details: Tinnies, Back Creek Vineyard, Chiverton Road, Cowra. Hosts Bob & Meg Clark. http://www.tinniesatbackcreekvineyard.com.au/
This trip was no mean feat, it was a serious driving holiday, with many sections involving 4.5 – 5.5 hours on outback roads and extremely winding roads through the Great Dividing Range.
Good going Miriam and Jacqui!
In a few days it’ll be my turn to travel – flying not driving, to Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village, Ohio, USA for the Opening of our “Re-imagined” Exhibition, which I hope to share with you on this page on 17th August.
Until then – Happy Hooking – Jo Franco, Editor
