Hello Dools and All,
Dools, I know your post is from some time ago now but I enjoyed reading about Kangaroo Island. It’s another place I’d love to visit. I hope you are doing well.
The happy memory that I’m currently recalling is from a few years ago. I was looking for a place to live in the country and had a look at a place in a particular town. I decided to visit another town before returning home, more out of curiosity than anything. The main place to stay was the pub. It was $70 a night, $75 if you wanted to include breakfast. I booked a couple of nights and the online form gave you a space for additional info where you added the breakfast option. I’d recently gone gluten free so I just said if they have gluten free options that’s great but no worries if not.
I knew it was a 2 star hotel so it wouldn’t be flash but that was all fine with me. The first thing I saw was the “No Antisocial Behaviour Will Be Tolerated” as I pushed open the front door. A seriously tough looking woman in cowboy boots looked at me like “Waddya want?” I explained I’d booked two nights accommodation. I was given a key and waved in the direction of the stairs. I lugged my case up the stairs and found my room. Small but fine for me. It came with some free port which I knew I wouldn’t be drinking after a recent liver disease diagnosis. I found where the single bathroom and toilet were down the hallway, very rustic with paint stripping off the wall but functional. Definitely a creaky old pub but it had character. I ate at the bar that night and went to bed with the sound of noisy shenanigans from patrons for awhile that eventually settled down.
The following morning I went down for the expected breakfast. There was nothing to be seen. I found a few dining tables and chairs at one end but no sign of breakfast. I wandered about until I found a dude with dreads and tatts vacuuming. I asked, “I’ve paid for a breakfast, do you know where it’s served?” He said, “Ah mate, they shoulda told you”. He stopped vacuuming and unlocked a door to a kitchen. He scrounged up some Vegemite and pointed to some bread on the table and tea bags. I picked up the slightly out-of-date bag of bread and there were dead flies under it. You would think I might be p$&@ed off at this point but I found it hilarious 🤣 He left me to prepare my breakie and continued his vacuuming.
I sat down with my toast and tea at the dining table and began to munch away. Then a few minutes later he came over to chat. He was so friendly and told me wonderful things. Firstly he told me all about the history of the hotel. Then he told me about his horses he keeps on his property nearby. He told me how amazing they are and that they can intuit the weather. He said he always knows when a thunderstorm is coming by their behaviour where they become super sensitive and aware. He described coming to that location because it’s where he could afford to buy land. He was interested in my photography and gave me a great tip for a photo location high up on a hill and told me how to get there and that I’d see the landmark of an abandoned farmhouse. So after a day of exploring nearby nature reserves and a visit to another town at lunch, I drove up to this hill and saw the farmhouse knowing I was in the right spot. It was indeed a great view. I got a photo across the landscape with a combine harvester moving through a field harvesting a wheat crop.
That night I enjoyed fish and chips at the pub, same as the night before. They were overrun and it took about an hour to arrive but I didn’t complain. I could see they were busy. And the tough country ladies behind the bar were nice and friendly to me. I think they decided I was an alright city slicker after all and not some uppity yuppy with my request for a gluten free breakfast 😂
The following morning I left, after more Vegemite on stale toast, feeling like I’d just had an enriching experience. I loved the characters I met and, yes, breakfast wasn’t spectacular. But sometimes something that could be taken as disappointing turns out to be meaningful. I got a feel for the place and the characters in it, and that is priceless. I especially loved hearing about the horses and I was very grateful for the kind fellow scrounging me some breakfast. I departed with a happy memory.
