SFT - Day 1 - Tamworth to Mudgee

 At last.

Cudgegong River at Mudgee

Rig joined. Food on board. Tank full of fuel. Tyres kicked and away.

We left Tamworth mid morning and headed south to Werris Creek, before turning west via "The Gap", a narrow break in the hills through which both rail and road squeeze and opened up the Breeza Plain to us. In steady progression, we passed through Spring Ridge and Premer before joining the Black Stump Way and heading south to Coolah.

On the way, we passed the site of the Flaggs Inn. Named for the Flag Lillies that bloomed at the entrence to the inn, it was built in the 1880's and was the main coach stopping point between Mudgee and Gunnedah. According to the Mudgee Guardian ... 

"The Inn consisted of a large bar, office for the owner, parent’s bedroom and parlour,  sitting room and a spacious dining room. There  was an extensive  kitchen and an oversized bakehouse with an immense stove and oven. Hot  water was connected to the stone kitchen and bath rooms.  In addition there was a dormitory, fifteen bedrooms, one especially fitted for the governess, plus a big dance hall with a supper room. There was long verandah which ran around the front and side of the Inn with a school room at one end, containing book cases, shelves etc. Out buildings consisted of a butcher shop with all necessary equipment, a general store, saddle and harness room, a blacksmith’s shop with forge, a stable, with eight feeding boxes, plus a loft for the storage of hay and corn.  A shearing shed joined the blacksmith’s shop. Horse yards with watering troughs were provided nearby."

The inn was built by James Dempsey, who held the first licence. It lasted forty or so years before being burnt to the ground in the 1920's.

An interesting part of its history was its role in the search for Jimmy Governor and his brother in the huge manhunt in August of 1900. It became the search centre. The owner was told by the Police sergeant in charge that he should expect 75 at the Flaggs for lunch. 200 turned up.

Today, nothing remains except some exotic plants. All materials that mark it's existence were removed quickly after the fire.

We stopped not long after the Flaggs for lunch at the roadside stop which marks The Black Stump - or one of them - about 10kms from Coolah.

Click for today's photos

After lunch, it was an easy run on through Gulgong, the town which used to be on the $10 note, along with Australia's most tragic creative, Henry Lawson. What awful irony that he should be replaced by his rival Banjo Patterson.

Arriving in Mudgee as the afternoon turned from mid to late, and we set up comfortably at the Riverside Caravan Park among the leafy trees, right beside Cudgegong River.

Its just so good to be back on the road in our little mobile home.