Sunshine & Rain
Written By Kevin Kapusi Starow
Driving up out of the city limits, and passing on through the suburban fringes, into the rural expanses of Victoria, I am always impressed with the scenic wonderment of the land, simple, yet stunning.
Though on this particular occasion, it is morning, early morning, about 3.30, or 4 am, which for me is pleasantly comforting. The silence, the darkness, is certainly a place which I feel at ease in, allowing an opportunity, every few hours to pull the car to a halt, in the middle of nowhere. Providing time to stretch my legs, though more importantly to ingest the environment, as it is in that moment at that particular time, how perfect.
As the morning sun cracks over the horizon, I find myself in NSW heading up towards my final destination deep in the Riverina, Leeton. Well known for growing grapes, wheat, rice and citrus, being the home base or headquarters of Sun Rice. Driving up through Finley, Bundure, Corobimilla, though into Narrandera, where they have a great cricket oval, at which I have to admit I have watched one or two games over the years of driving through the town, on the way to various locations. Though no time to stop on this journey, as I need to get into Leeton promptly, so left I turn and up into Leeton
This is my second trip to Leeton, it is always enjoyable here, the weather at this time of year is balmy, not too hot or cold, it is just right. I took my time one evening around 6 pm to walk barefoot through a park in town, it was nice, though as the hours ticked by, I became the target practice of several voracious mosquitoes, who I am sure were dive-bombing me.
Leeton was established in the early 1900s being designed by the famous Walter Burley Griffin, though the town was named after a former NSW minister Charles Alfred Lee. This is a great place to explore on foot, it is safe, friendly and there is a lot to see, especially if you are a history buff.
This trip was a brief one, as we were up for the Show which was well attended, at which I got to learn more about Walnuts, and how many varieties there were. In the main pavilion, there were two sample bags of walnuts with walnut openers. Have you ever seen a walnut opener? I have always crushed them, though there is a much easier and stress-free method to pop them open, it is so easy, it is embarrassing. I will do a video clip of how soon, I think and pop it up on YouTube.
Before I knew it, I was on the road again, back down south, if you haven’t experienced a drive like this, I recommend it, as it is well worth the time.
Experiencing The Riverina Experiencing The Riverina Experiencing The Riverina
