It Was a Friday - So We Had Fun

The first Friday after we were out of lock down saw us in the car and off for a little adventure - but what would we do and where would we go?

It was a miserable day, weather wise, so it had to be something that wasn't all outside.  Sydney is still unable to visit regional NSW until  the start of December, so it was a good chance to go somewhere that would ordinarily be popular with Sydneysiders.  We thought of Lithgow, but the venue we wished to visit hasn't reopened as yet.

In the end we headed over to Kandos and Rylstone.  They are two little towns that are just 7kms apart.  They are about 100kms from here.

Rylstone is the older of the towns and has some lovely old sandstone buildings. 

It is a popular place for people to visit in conjunction with Mudgee and as travelling along the Bylong Way.  

We often stop in here and the last time we used our caravan it was to attend the Rylstone Swap Meet.

We found a little cafe and enjoyed a nice lunch.

It was fairly quiet, which was good and everywhere we went the people were very Covid safe.

The old Railway Station appears to be deserted.

Another lovely old building in the main street.

Kandos is quite a different town.  It was built around the Cement Works, which opened in 1913 and a local coal mine. 

Being an industrial town, right from the start it does not have the architectural history of Rylstone, with all the houses being built in the 20th Century.  

Also, you have to turn off the main road to drive up the main street of Kandos, so it is usually passed by.

I have a soft spot for Kandos, as back in 1996, I travelled over each day for two months to establish a branch of the Credit Union, where I worked at the time.  Banks were closing in small towns, much like today, and Kandos was losing its bank.  The bank closed its doors on the Friday and we were trading in the premises on the Monday.  I'm very happy to see that the branch is still trading today. (Silly me, forgot to take a photo.)

The Cement Works closed in 2011 and the mine in 2015, which both created a decline in the town.  However, there is a new breed of residents starting to arrive, due to its proximity to both Sydney and Mudgee and the cheap housing.  I do hope there will be a revival of its fortunes.

The main street has changed a lot since 1996.  Alan Jacksons was still trading as a old fashioned store with clothing, manchester and the likes.  It now houses a rather impressive Community Charity Shop.  

Down the street, the newsagents has closed and houses Nanna's Haberdashery.  This is a fascinating little store.  It is a mix of new and vintage haby.  There were even quite a few unfinished cross stitches and tapestries.  Apparently, it started from the elderly owner's craft room contents.  I did find one little piece of patchwork fabric to bring home.

Kandos hosts a hot rod weekend each year and this mural celebrates that event.

The main reason we were visiting was to have a look at the Kandos Museum, which we had heard about.  It deserves a post of its own, as this one is getting far too long as it is.

On the way home, we took a detour through the little village of Clandulla and came across another old railway station.  This one is much more solid than the one in Rylstone, being built from brick rather than weatherboard.  It appears to be having some works done to it as well, which is nice to see.

Our first Friday Fun Day was very enjoyable, and we even seemed to dodge all the rain while we were out of the car.  Here's looking forward to many more days out.