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Bungled the Weekend

Breadknife and Grand High Tops Walk

Friday morning I awoke. Only a day earlier I had been informed that I had the day off, having finished my latest show early. My newly-minted long weekend was forecast to have perfect Autumn weather, and I had no plans. Suffering from weather-guilt, I had to ensure I made the most of it.

The 14 hour loop

Now, most places in the 2-3 hour radius of Sydney I’ve seen a bunch of times. It doesn’t make them any less amazing, but I was craving new sights and new hikes. Warrumbungle National Park (6 hours west of Sydney) had long been on my list of places to check out, but the distance had always landed it in the too-hard basket. But not this weekend!

At 8:30am I decided I would do a three-day loop out to Coonabarabran, down to Dubbo, then back to Sydney via Mudgee and Lithgow. By 9:30 I had departed.

Silo art projects are found in abundance in NSW
Roadside planets were a pleasant addition to the trip
“Do the coat-of-arms!”

I’m glad I made the effort. The journey (once out of Sydney) was a breeze. Podcasts, tunes, and a new audio book kept my ears entertained while the road provided the visuals. As I approached Coonabarabran I noticed a scale solar system started dotting the roadside. I’d come for the hike, but the stargazing opportunities were an unexpected delight. It’s easy to see why so many observatories are set up in town – the sky is incredible, thanks to the lack of light pollution. I visited one of them and was treated to an impressive show (and the most powerful laser pointer I’ve ever seen – somehow it reached the sky??).

The highlight (and main goal) of the trip was the Breadknife and Grand High Tops walk. This is the main loop in Warrumbungle National Park, offering views of all the “bungles”. The guide suggested it would take 5-6 hours – “five if you’re fit” said the lady at the visitor centre. I was done in three, and I spent a lot of time taking photos and little detours off the track. Climbing up mountains really is my happy place.

Dubbo was really just a rest stop. I did have a quick look at the zoo – but all it did was confirm what I already knew – that I really find zoos incredibly boring. I did see some Galapagos tortoises doing some slow-motion banging though which was quite the sight.

The drive home was incredibly picturesque, and it got me thinking. We really don’t value the journey enough as part of the experience in this country. There were so many spots I wanted to pull up and take in the scenery, but the roadside failed me. It’s one thing America does really well and we could seek to emulate that a little by sprinkling a few more scenic lookouts along the roadsides of our beautiful country.

Dead trees reaching from the depths of the lake just outside of Mudgee
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Ear Candy 2021.04 – Nobody Said Menulog

That sun is getting lower

When you’ve dearly departed
There will be all those broken-hearted
But I’ll have a smile painted on my face
There’s a spot in the grass
Waiting for you at Whispering Glades

This month is all about the real start of autumn, the cluster-fucked vaccine rollout, and a lot of great acoustic female vocals – Molly Lewis making use of an underutilised instrument (the human whistle), Natalie Bergman and Nicole Dollanganger bringing folksy tunes straight out of yesteryear, and LDR serving a solid album of fantastic tracks on Chemtrails. It’s folksier, more stripped back and consistent and less attention-seeking than her last few – and better for it. The mixing is fantastic too – every distinct detail of those vocals blows gently across the peach fuzz gracing your ear lobe.

Meanwhile, the original Gorillaz self-titled album turned 20 this month. I revisited it and reflected on just how unique and fresh it was – and, aside from two main singles, seems to remain unknown to many to this day (despite the enormous success of the two albums which followed). It’s spooky, quirky, unusual, genre-hopping and thumping, with plenty of fun and bizarre lyrical moments. It was an album that really made an impression on me. I’ve added one of the lesser-known tracks.

The Voidz also finally released TET 2.0 to streaming platforms, which cross-pollinates with The Adults Are Talking. I’ve paired it next to the Gorillaz track – The Voidz are to The Strokes what Gorillaz is to Blur (right down to the COOL Z) – I love all of the above but the more adventurous latter creations speak to me far more than the originals.