Sadly Molong was hit by floods in November 2022 and the small caravan park is ‘Closed until Further Notice’. You can still camp at the Bowling Club but the club itself has not been able to reopen due to flood damage. One of the cousins had rented a house in Molong via Airbnb and we were able to park the motorhome in the driveway. Free camping in the driveway!
The next morning we headed into Orange to check it out. We lived in Orange from 1981-1985. Our eldest daughter was born there. During our time there we had the Angus & Robertson bookstore in the Main Street.
Orange has grown so much since we lived there. There are many suburbs that didn’t exist back then, they were farms. The ring road that bypasses the town now makes it easy to go from one side to the other. As we drove down the Main Street there were buildings we remembered and many that were new. Cook Park is still magnificent with its huge old trees. Our old store is now an Optus Shop!
We drove out of town on the Ophir Road to check out our old house at Clifton Grove. We were amazed to find that the trees we planted 40 years ago are so big that you cannot see the house from the road anymore. You just get a glimpse through the trees. I remember planting the gum trees along the driveway and they are now enormous! We were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t see the house as we wondered if it has changed much. I remember brining our daughter home from the Orange Base Hospital. It had snowed the day she was born in late May. It was in the days before disposable nappies were everyday items and I had cloth nappies to wash. I remember having them out on the line and when I went to bring them in they were frozen stiff. We bought our first clothes dryer!
After spending the morning driving around Orange we headed back to Molong to prepare for the afternoon funeral. The funeral was held in the chapel at the Crematorium followed by a wake in a private room at a local cafe. The good thing about family funerals is you get to see and talk with family that you may not have seen for a long time. It is great to chat and find out what their families have been up to, what the children have done with their lives, how many grandchildren everyone has, who has retired and who is still working. Is it weird to say I enjoyed seeing everyone? I think Richard’s aunt would have been pleased to see us all together and enjoying each others company.
The next day it was time to head home and we took the most direct route home. As we left early we were home by lunchtime.
What’s your routine after a trip away in your motorhome or van?
We like to give the outside a good wash after unpacking our food and clothes. I strip all the linen and it goes to the laundry to be washed. Then I give the inside a good clean paying attention to the dusty windows and wiping anywhere that collects dust. Lastly the floor gets a good wash. Once the linen is all washed and dried it goes back in to the motorhome. The pantry is restocked and I make a list of any items that need replacing next time I do groceries. If we’ve had a fire Richard will restock the wood bin. Once that is all done the motorhome is parked under its own carport and is all ready for its next meander!