My co-worker and friend, Alex, suggested that Howard and I come to Tullibegeal for the weekend to enjoy the horse races. When we decided to take her up on the offer, she was very concerned about our boys. You see, Alex was leading us to a small country town where things can get rowdy and a little out of hand! We assured her that we too are from small towns and that our boys are used to hanging out with adult hockey teams, ball teams, etc. We would be fine!
And so, we borrowed tents, mattresses, sleeping bags and a cook stove and we were (literally) off to the races! We followed Alex and friends up to Tully late Saturday morning. It was a very beautiful 1.5 hour drive from Griffith. The roads were comical in that they started as 2 lanes with shoulders, then just 2 lanes, then 2 lanes but only the middle was paved the width of one lane.
Alex's parents and their friends were already there and they saved enough room for us to set up our tents with them. We camped in the brush/red dirt parking lot and, when we pulled in, Khye's first words were: "Are you kidding me??!!" Sooo funny!
There were about 22 of us camping together. Camping in Australia is different. For this weekend, there was 1 tent trailer, 1 4x4 tent trailer (a utility trailer that unfolds into a large canvas tent), and our 2 tents. Everyone else unrolled their swag and slept in the back of the utes (covered or uncovered) or threw the swags on the ground. We were quite comfortable in our tents until the mozzies followed Howard in each time he had to step outside!
The races themselves were heaps of fun! There were 6 races of different lengths. You could place bets on the races there in Tully, in Melbourne and in Sydney. Turns out Alex doesn't know much about betting either and but she and Howard placed 2nd a couple of times! (Although from what I could see, 2nd didn't win us any money back!)
The Fashion in the Field was an exciting part of the afternoon. Beautifully dressed women and men stepped forward to be judged by a selection committee. There were amazing hats and facinators everywhere I looked. I loved the women that were dressed in 1920s style hats and dresses....so sleek and beautiful!
For the boys, the weekend was about escaping the heat and the flies. (We didn't do either very well.) There was a boucey tent to play in and they ate lots of soft drink and lollies. They also loved sleeping in the tent and visiting with the 2 English backpacker girls that are living with Alex's parents. (My boys are even LESS shy than before, if you can imagine!)
And, as Alex had promised, the party did rage on for most of the night. While we stayed back at camp with 1/2 of our camping group, the band played on. When they were done, the party moved over to the pub. By 11:30, we packed into our tents and the party moved back over from the pub into the parking lot in which we were sleeping. The music thumped, the partiers yelled and laughed, the truck horns honked and, at one point, the semi truck near us fired up so he could let off his air horn. (I was soooo hoping he wouldn't take it for a drive!) It was everything we could have imagined when camping at a small, country festival. We commented that our friends back home would have gotten just as drunk and disorderly but they wouldn't have looked near as good doing it!! (Can you imagine the Irma bunch wearing hats and facinators??!)
So thanks for a true country gathering, Alex and family. We appreciate the offer to follow you up to Tully and for letting us camp with you. We enjoyed meeting the family and friends and loved our 1st experience at the races!
And so, we borrowed tents, mattresses, sleeping bags and a cook stove and we were (literally) off to the races! We followed Alex and friends up to Tully late Saturday morning. It was a very beautiful 1.5 hour drive from Griffith. The roads were comical in that they started as 2 lanes with shoulders, then just 2 lanes, then 2 lanes but only the middle was paved the width of one lane.
Alex's parents and their friends were already there and they saved enough room for us to set up our tents with them. We camped in the brush/red dirt parking lot and, when we pulled in, Khye's first words were: "Are you kidding me??!!" Sooo funny!
There were about 22 of us camping together. Camping in Australia is different. For this weekend, there was 1 tent trailer, 1 4x4 tent trailer (a utility trailer that unfolds into a large canvas tent), and our 2 tents. Everyone else unrolled their swag and slept in the back of the utes (covered or uncovered) or threw the swags on the ground. We were quite comfortable in our tents until the mozzies followed Howard in each time he had to step outside!
The races themselves were heaps of fun! There were 6 races of different lengths. You could place bets on the races there in Tully, in Melbourne and in Sydney. Turns out Alex doesn't know much about betting either and but she and Howard placed 2nd a couple of times! (Although from what I could see, 2nd didn't win us any money back!)
The Fashion in the Field was an exciting part of the afternoon. Beautifully dressed women and men stepped forward to be judged by a selection committee. There were amazing hats and facinators everywhere I looked. I loved the women that were dressed in 1920s style hats and dresses....so sleek and beautiful!
For the boys, the weekend was about escaping the heat and the flies. (We didn't do either very well.) There was a boucey tent to play in and they ate lots of soft drink and lollies. They also loved sleeping in the tent and visiting with the 2 English backpacker girls that are living with Alex's parents. (My boys are even LESS shy than before, if you can imagine!)
And, as Alex had promised, the party did rage on for most of the night. While we stayed back at camp with 1/2 of our camping group, the band played on. When they were done, the party moved over to the pub. By 11:30, we packed into our tents and the party moved back over from the pub into the parking lot in which we were sleeping. The music thumped, the partiers yelled and laughed, the truck horns honked and, at one point, the semi truck near us fired up so he could let off his air horn. (I was soooo hoping he wouldn't take it for a drive!) It was everything we could have imagined when camping at a small, country festival. We commented that our friends back home would have gotten just as drunk and disorderly but they wouldn't have looked near as good doing it!! (Can you imagine the Irma bunch wearing hats and facinators??!)
So thanks for a true country gathering, Alex and family. We appreciate the offer to follow you up to Tully and for letting us camp with you. We enjoyed meeting the family and friends and loved our 1st experience at the races!
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