Rose Garden (Mayfield Gardens, Oberon, New South Wales)

Hello dear reader, so nice of you to join me again. It's fair to say I have received some off-line commentary about the "glamping" event. Not all of it justified; it was not as if I make vacation decisions in isolation. It is true, I was desperate to get away, having my last attempt, a low-level trip to South Australia, cancelled through a border closing, by a politician whose name I can't recall. If I ever knew at all. 

Regardless, the last post was not the complete story. Not that the details I am about to add might sway your opinion of glamping. The title today is courtesy of Lynn Anderson, circa 1967, and contains the memorable line, "I never promised you a rose garden". And this is true. although we did have a wonderful rose garden when we lived in the suburbs. I digress.

The vacation period was approaching and we had not booked a break anywhere. What is that you smirk, dear reader? Every day is a holiday for me? Well, perhaps that's true but I have Jayne's well-being to consider and she works in a thankless industry that consumes your energy, so she needed a break.

The Mayfield Gardens looked quite spectacular. Neither of us had been to Oberon previously so I consulted Dr Google and the website mentioned the glamping experience. It sounded quite delightful. Peace. Quiet. Country side. Warm doona. Three course meal. Wine. It certainly ticked my boxes. What it didn't mention, caveat emptor, and I should have noticed, was any reference to en suite facilities. We have glamped before, see the Marramarra post, but they were safari tents with their own bathroom. Initially, I expected something similar. It wasn't until I began preparations for the trip that I realised. Probably something best left  as a surprise, thought I.

As an interlude to the glamping fiasco, may I point out that the gardens are picturesque? It is quite a marvel what they have achieved, not just horticulturally, but also the hydro-engineering to move water around the gardens and make the best use of what is available. The gardens were well visited both days we were there. They also host festivals and weddings; there is a chapel at the top of the property. It was stunningly beautiful and I'm not sure my pictures have captured it adequately.

The colour in the leaves was beautiful, but nothing compared to what I've seen in Canada. Oberon can't compete with those temperatures. The garden is also planted out with bulbs and I would like to return in spring to see it in flower. The difficulty there is distance. It was about a 3 hour drive from home and there is precious little accommodation in the area - which is why we ended up glamping.

The meal in the restaurant on site was very good. They had a small selection of wines from the Orange/Mudgee area and much of the produce was grown in the gardens. The wait staff were very friendly and helpful and, in general, it was a great experience - except for the glamping bit. We enjoyed a peaceful pre-dinner wine in the restaurant, with nobody but the staff. There needed to be more space between the tents. I didn't really wish to hear the midnight discussion of one couple after their children had gone to sleep. Any more than I needed to hear the man in another tent snoring and being woken by his wife at regular intervals. Or the continual zipping and unzipping of the tent flaps as people responded to the call of nature or to meander across the field to star gaze.

And so, confession time. While the toilet blocks were all new and reasonably well looked after, the block designated for the glampers was also for public use during the day. The showers you ask? Would it be sufficient to say that neither Jayne nor I availed ourselves of their use? It was a semi-portable block of some description that contained 4 showers. A rough guest count had maybe 36 adults and 8 or more children. We decided to wait until Canberra. Although our duelling GPS systems made the drive interesting. One thought we should take the 5 hour scenic drive, the other the 3 hour direct drive via Goulburn. Given our state of hygiene, we unsurprisingly opted for the direct route.

Interestingly, the reason we ended up in Canberra was a lack of adequate accommodation in Bathurst. Anywhere we were interested in booking was already gone when I started preparing for this trip. The intention had been to stay in Bathurst and explore Sofala and Hill End then drive over to Orange and drop into a few wineries. Not this time.

The only other noteworthy point is that after a life-time of driving from Sydney to Dubbo we drove through places that had been little more than signposts in our past. I can now proudly boast that I have been to Sodwalls and Tarana. The latter was only ever of interest because of a race horse in the '80s named Anarattadetoor. You might need to read that backwards.

Well dear reader, that is all for this post. 

Until next time and the charms of the country's capital.