Sunday. Early April. A chill is in the air. Autumn leaves are appearing, skies are blue, clouds are few. Night temp – a bearable 13C. Day temp – a healthier vitamin D friendly 26C.
Weatherwise, it’s a beautiful time to be travelling and taking in the sights of Scottish named Scone which anoints itself as Australia’s Horse Capital.
Thoroughbred racehorse breeding is what’s done well here. So well in fact, that the region is recognised as the second largest horse breeding centre in the world, outside Kentucky. The retired Winx and Makybe Diva are in one of the many horse studs that dot a landscape where climate and soil marry perfectly.
Historical buildings in walking distance of each other are another terrific feature of Scone. A few hours of wandering and wondering yielded these pics.
We camped at Glenbawn Lake, about 20 kms from Scone. A dam across the Hunter River has created the lake which is the water supply for the Hunter Valley vineyards.
Outside Scone are some terrific drives. We drove to Gundy’s popular Linga Longa Inn. http://www.lingalongainn.com.au
Further along at Moonan Flat is the Victoria Hotel with its very welcoming owner and an equalling welcoming fireplace. It gets cold here; winter snow is always a sure thing. http://moonanpub.com.au
A little further up the road, a dirt road that is, and through some stunning countryside is Ellerston, Kerry Packer’s vast property. Security is tight as you can imagine, but one of the polo fields is visible. Here’s an insight into Ellerston. https://www.theland.com.au/story/7060210/a-look-behind-the-fences-of-an-empire/
Attractive Scone is now a favourite of mine, and with a mayor who’s keen to do the right thing by townsfolk and visitors, plans for this town sound progressive. Put it on your bucket list.
