Down memory lane

I still can’t believe I drove to Melbourne for the weekend … without spending one whole day there.

We arrived just before 9am on Saturday and departed just before lunch on Sunday.

It was a punishing schedule, but Sunday was an oddly wonderful day.

It started with me waking up at the crack of dawn – despite getting less than four hours sleep on Friday night – and sneaking out of the eldest’s aunt and uncle’s place to walk the familiar path through beautiful parklands to their local cafe for a strong flat white.

Guilty confession … I also bought a lemon curd cruffin and sat in the morning sun enjoying my naughty treat. I’ve never had a cruffin before and couldn’t help myself … delicious!

The guilt is because I knew we were having a family brunch at 10.30am, at The Baker’s Wife in Camberwell.

All too soon I was tucking into my next indulgence of the day – sweetcorn and pecorino fritters with bacon chutney. Yuuuum.

Our bellies full, we hugged everyone goodbye and hit the freeway bound for Albury to collect a bracelet I had left behind.

Three and a half hours later we pulled into the driveway and were thrilled to catch up with the eldest’s grandparents and Great Aunty Mandy, who happened to be visiting. It was such a lovely surprise to catch up with my ex’s family after not seeing them for so long.

So many people and places and shared experiences are lost in a divorce.

I hadn’t been to Albury for years and it was lovely to return. It’s such a gorgeous town and it was a wonderful to take a walk down memory lane through its historic streets.

We settled onto the couch for a cold drink and a quick chat before tackling the second section of our journey – six hours to Sydney!

A few hours into the journey I was contemplating fast food at a roadside service centre for dinner when the eldest suggested The Sir George pub in Jugiong.

Oh wow, what an amazing place, I highly recommend it to anyone journeying down the Hume Highway.

Built in 1845, the hotel is famous for being the longest singularly held liquor license establishment in Australia.

The historic venue has been restored to offer accommodation, a restaurant and a boutique bar. The wine and food menus have a focus on locally sourced Riverina produce and the lush beer garden is fairytale gorgeous.

We grabbed a table in the late afternoon sun and gazed in delight at our pretty surroundings before tucking into dinner. The eldest chose a fried chicken burger, while I went for the lamb rump with creamy chimichurri sauce.

I also treated myself to a small glass of Chardonnay with my meal. When I went to the bar to order it the bartender asked if I wanted “zee house one or zee nice one”.

Zee nice one, please!

After dinner we enjoyed a quick wander through the gardens before reluctantly continuing our journey home.

It was an oddly lovely day despite the epic drive and a bonding experience for the eldest and I, chatting for all those hours as we sped across two states.

Song of the day: Sarah McLachlan “I will remember you”