A Wet Afternoon

Back to our little adventure......after lunch on Thursday we decided to play the tourist around the Castlemaine area.  

This mural appears to be relatively new going by the artist's signature.

First stop was to the old woollen mill precinct which now houses a brewery and a "Vintage Bazaar". 

I wish I'd brought my peacock along for the ride. 

You immediately feel a sense of fun in the place.

Oh my! This certainly looked right up our alley.

Maybe a little parcel of fabrics came home with me.

There were a couple of stores selling vintage sewing bits and bobs.  Everything was so beautifully presented. 

I may have also come away with an idea for my old flour bags.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable wander around. Yes, a few vintage orange bits came with us for use in the van.  We hope to have a bit of fun with all this.

Back outside we enjoyed seeing all the old buildings and are glad they are being used rather than demolished.

Over the road was another old industrial site. We learned it used to be a large steelworks in the past. It now houses a pump firm.

What to do next on a bleak afternoon?  Why not drive out to Maldon.  It's not all that far.

When we arrived we saw a sign so went to investigate.

There seem to be so many tall chimneys in this area. If we had more time there are lots of interesting paths to explore, but not this time.

We did see another gnarly old tree.  I wonder how old it must be.

By now the rain had set in again and the temperature had dropped considerably, so we found a nice snug coffee shop and then just walked up and down the Main Street, trying to stay dry.

I wonder what lies behind this substantial door?

I did venture  into one shop and Mick tagged along.  The Village Patch is delightful with a lovely range of fabrics and friendly staff. 

Maybe some fabric and a Michelle Hill pattern are coming home with me. (The fabric isn't for the pattern.)

And that filled the day nicely.  I kept saying we could easily spend a week in the area.

We finished the day off with a meal cooked in the van from food bought at little local shops.  Delicious.

On Friday we were to continue on our little road trip towards home. 

More soon.