Hit the Monaro Highway and got so excited seeing the Goulburn signage, the lines of poplar trees and familiar country vistas. Got completely lost going in and out of the ACT and suddenly I was at the top of Lake George! OMG.. No water at all and a wind farm on the horizon. I stopped at the rest area, cracked a beer and looked out over the plains remembering some of the horror stories from that strip of the Federal Highway that ran along the lakeside; UFO sightings, mysterious beings, people that disappear down the rabbit hole and even the story that when this lake fills up another lake in Tasmania/China empties.

“DO NOT STOP” along this stretch of road if driving to Canberra to see a Slade concert!!! LOL

Driving into Goulburn I noticed the Big Merino swamped by an industrial area and there was Mary Street… and Furner St… I pulled up in front of 26, the old family home my father built where I was born and bred, took a photo and promptly burst into tears. The front door was still the same but everything looked a lot smaller and the sides of the house where we used to tear up and down on our pushbikes looked so narrow. I totally wanted to go inside!!

First, a lap of the main drag, Auburn Street. Back in the day we would lap this street endlessly. That was the thing. The girls would hang around Rogers corner (a beautiful old department store) and the lads would do the laps until they could score the car parks, up from Rogers, in their EH sedans, Shaggin Wagons or Torana’s with their cartridge decks sounding off the beats of Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd, Tubular Bells and Money being big Favourites. What a different place it is today. Most of the stores are chains and all the speciality shops are done and dusted. Knowlmans and Rogers are gone. Lots of empty shops which seems the norm everywhere in Australia now as we give over to big chain stores who suck the business and soul out of a place!!! There are huge property developments to house people who commute to Canberra for work. The estates have crowded the main town and some of them seem to swallow up the Wollondilly River, especially around Marsden’s Weir.

My Nan and Pop had a Grocery Store here back in the day, “Huggett and Sons”. Residents would drop their shopping lists in then go “Up the Street” shopping while the lists were filled and then delivered to their house. As kids we would often get to h… — My Nan and Pop had a Grocery Store here back in the day, “Huggett and Sons”. Residents would drop their shopping lists in then go “Up the Street” shopping while the lists were filled and then delivered to their house. As kids we would often get to hang out at the shop and loved it!! Biscuits were sold by the pound and were kept in these beautiful big black tin boxes. Arnott’s Monte Carlos and the like were stored on the top shelf in the store room and when we could, we would climb those shelves ……… mmmmmmmm sooooo naughty!!!

Now. A cuppa with my aunties!!!!... FOR 3 WEEKS!!!

Back in the day I payed the tenor drums in this very band!!! I notice they don’t have to do the full dress these days… Man that was full ON!! You had to have your spats as white as!!! Goulburn Highland Society.

Hanging out with my aunties and uncles, cousins and people I had not seen for decades was totally beautyFULL. I needed to book my car in for some work and sort out a few things as well so the timing was perfect. It was so awesome staying with Edna and Ross who have knocked up 48 years of marriage already! They have a beautiful loving home and are the most peaceful and loving people I know. We played endless word games, watched the tennis, poured through albums and books on our families histories (Aunty is a total historian) ate in and out and seriously over 10 cups of tea each and every day!!! Like coming home. X

I caught up with sistagirl Kezza!! What an absolute treat, an emotional and beautiful time we had. Went on a d trip out to Crookwell tracking all the backroads and spent days together in her gorgeous little heritage house just hanging out, chatting and smokin’, pouring over where our kids are at and lots of quality time… beautyFULL!!

Country Goulburn~ backroads to Crookwell