SFT Tour - Day 6 - Art and Parks

A pretty laid back today.

We started by walking the short distance to see Gold Panning Man. He’s a big thing. Not a really big thing; more of a small, big thing. He sits panning for gold beside the highway to/from Lithgow. 

It’s a thing we do. Sometimes we regret it.

Sue went to t-Arts mid morning. They are an art collective who keep a shop front to exhibit and sell each other’s artwork. As a result, there is a range of artists represented.

While she was there, I revisited the parks we saw yesterday. At the Carillon, I had a treat as someone was playing hymns using the bells. I found a shady spot on the grass and just enjoyed the lovely sounds.

After that, I went back to Machattie Park to get a photo of the Bandstand and discovered a little pond we had missed yesterday and a few buildings which dated back to the origin of the park in 1890.

I rejoined Sue for a really good coffee and a chat with some locals and then we returned to Bicentennial Park for a section we missed. It’s a beautiful park, with almost all of it created for celebrations in 1988. The autumn trees in their shedding reds and orange and yellow, stood out starkly against some big Australian eucalypts. There was an interesting sculpture called “Conversation”, depicting four people talking and a Peace Circle with walls which had panels decorated in designs from local students showing their representations of peace.

It was quite a comparison of the outdoor planning differences over time, with this park flowing along beside the bends of the river, with its statements made randomly across the design and many of the trees originals who grew where they chose. Compare that to the structured and formal designs of the two parks in the centre of town, with their geometric symmetry and their key features centred and trees planted specifically. Both are delightful. Both represent the thoughts of their time.

Click here for today's photos

We retreated back to our digs, hiding from the crowds and traffic of the Bathurst Show and the Panthers v Manly NRL game. We spent the afternoon reading, researching and napping.

Moving on tomorrow.