By John Rozentals.
Five things to do in or near the smaller centres of the NSW Western Plains:
Michelle Tonkins … posing plenty of questions in Wellington’s old phosphate mine.
1) Walk through the old phosphate mine, Wellington Caves Complex, Caves Rd, Wellington, NSW — There’s plenty of mystery to wonder about as you tread the narrow but well-lit underground passages of the 1995-reopened-for-touring old phosphate mine. Why is it there at all? There was plenty of demand for phosphate as an explosive during Word War One, but was that enough to warrant the quite elaborate infrastructure built before the mine was closed in 1918? Was it merely a ruse for potential investors? The guided tour is worth taking and even the reconstructed megafauna fossils are quite well done. Phone (02) 6845 2970 or visit www.wellingtoncaves.com.au.
A wonderful nook to explore … plenty of arty stuff at Wellington’s Cactus Café and Gallery.
2) Catch up on some browsing and shopping, and have a bite to eat at the Cactus Café and Gallery, 33-35 Warne St, Wellington, NSW — Everything old in new again. Marilyn Keirle opened the Cactus Café in the late 1990s in a delightful 1930s Spanish mission-style building that used to house Wellington’s Sacred Heart school. Even a couple of the cooks are old boys. These days it is home to a varied collection of arty items for sale and tables for customers to have a cuppa or lunch at. The food is generally good, though make sure you have your teeth in if you decide to order the steak sandwich. Phone (02) 6845 4647.
Narromine’s favourite son … a statue of Test fast bowler Glenn McGrath stands proudly in the main street.
3) Gawk at the statue of Glenn McGrath, Narromine, NSW — Former Australian Test fast bowler Glenn McGrath is god in the small NSW Western Plains centre of Narromine, population approximately 3800. And just to make sure that no one forgets that their favourite son rose to take 563 Test wickets after towing a battered caravan to Sydney to live in while he started a fast-bowling career with the Sutherland club, they’ve erected a statue of Glenn in the town’s centre. No visit to Narromine would be complete without paying homage to the great cricketer, and even the local pigeons — he was always known as ‘pigeon’ because of his lily-white legs — seem to have plenty of respect for him.
Memorabilia of the early days of flight … Bob Richardson at the Narromine Aviation Museum with a working replica of the truly iconic Wright Flyer.
4) Visit the Narromine Aviation Museum, Mitchell Highway, Narromine, NSW — After being where Glenn McGrath grew up, this is Narromine’s greatest claim to fame. Its airfield is an international gliding centre of repute and houses a fabulous aviation museum which includes a working replica of the truly iconic Wright Flyer which started the whole airplane game in 1903. It’s very easy to spend a couple of hours scouring the museum’s collection and saluting those magnificent men in their flying machines. It’s run on a shoestring, largely by a team of volunteers such as Bob Richardson and they can use every cent of the donations they collect. Phone (02) 6889 7131 or visit www.narromineaviationmuseum.org.au.
Ellen Havelka … managing a good-enough operation to be forgiven her boyfriend’s rugby connections.
5) Enjoy lunch in Soul Food Design Depot & Gallery, 1 Dandaloo St, Narromine, NSW — I’ll even forgive Soul Food’s manager, Ellen Havelka, for her boyfriend’s connection to the Narromine Gorillas, the rugby side who beat the fabulous Molong Magpies in the GrainCorp Cup Northern Grand Final a couple of years ago. Owner Mel Hamilton’s conversion of an old orange packing shed into an art space, food store and restaurant really is magnificent — right down to the ‘loading dock’ window from where truckers and other drivers can pick up their takeaway coffees and meals — and is somewhere I loved, as I did my cold Peroni beer and lime-and-chilli salt squid with aioli. The place is an absolute gem and well worth trying if you’re heading into western NSW. Phone (02) 6889 7997 or visit www.soulfooddepot.com.au.
Disclosure: John Rozentals was a guest of Destination NSW (www.visitnsw.com).
