On the 26th of august our trip to Griffith and Leeton began in earnest, our meeting
place at the service centre on the Hume highway was attended by 19 members
and friends of IMSMC.a cold and clear morning presented itself as we moved down the Hume highway and onto our destination, Griffith.|
Our first stop was Yass where we had a traditional breakfast of pannini con salame, cake and coffee with a "sweetener". The next stop was Temora was lunch where we stretched our legs and indulged in some well made sandwiches.
Onwards to
Griffith as we passed kilometers of picturesque canola fields. We arrived in
Griffith and settled into our hotel. after a a period of well deserved rest. members and friends met at the Griffith Leagues club
where we settled and a number of drinks were imbibed. After a wonderful session
we ordered our dinner and retired to the banquet room which was specially
prepared for us and we affectionately renamed and referred to this room as the bouquet room, go figure!
Saturday
morning our bus was waiting to take us on a tour of the Murrumbidgee irrigation
area referred to as the "Riverina". A very educational tour indeed . Did you know
that 50,000 hectares will be sown with cotton this year? All cotton is being
shipped to China. During the tour we were treated to a number of locally
produced home grown treats including sauces, olives and pickled onions.
Leeton Council
together with the staff of the visitors centre put on a seminar including a
video explaining how the Riverina works. The visitors centre a magnificent
period building, was the managers quarters during the construction period of
the waterways in 1912.
The MI
(Murrumbidgee Irrigation) area is such an important and integral part of the
NSW economy. It is a vast farming area which I believe should be taught in
schools, they employ many people and use the latest equipment and technology..
Lots happening in rural NSW!
At this stage
let me mention the wineries we attended: Calabria wines, Lilli Pilli and De
Bortoli. Great deals, exceptional tasting, good company and a bus to drive us
around needless to say a rather “Full Filling” day.
Sunday the
sausage festa was attended by 1100 people, under a huge marquee, we were protected from the elements. At one stage we needed to improve the ventilation due
to a rise in temperature! (couldn't have been the wine!)
The food, wine
and entertainment was awesome. Peter and Ivana Perri’s son Anthony won first
prize in the raffle, a mountain bike, he was last seen peddling back to Sydney
on the Hume Highway. Well Done Anthony!
The Red Cross
collected money from the crowd for the recent earthquake victims in Italy, the
donations were started off by Griffith council with $1000. The IMSMC table
Raised over $150!
All in all a great (long) weekend away! The festa was well attended and booked out well in advance of the event, and is well worth attending!
