Humble Royals

For the past week or so we have been on a pre Christmas Sweet Wayfaring trip through the Riverina and outback NSW.  It has been on my bucket list to drive the Kidman Way for a while.  We have previously done the 'ends' but not the 'middle' section from Griffith to Cobar so that was our destination this year.

As is always the case when I am on new roads I keep my eye out for more Royal Hotels to add to my collection and was rewarded with two on this trip.

Royal Hotel, Mirrool

This  beauty is in the tiny town of Mirrool which is not much more than the pub, a couple of houses, a small church and the ubiquitous wheat silos beside a railway siding. To get there we traveled through vast acres of grain country where this year's bumper harvest was in the process of being gathered. 

Next we passed through the Riverina which has huge vineyards and orchards where irrigation makes the dry landscape flourish.  It is just astounding the scale of agriculture in this region.

To reach the next Royal we travelled miles and miles along a straight road edged with "Christmas trees" - native white cypress along with other small timbers and grasses. I guess this is mostly grazing country.

Eventually we reached Mount Hope in the middle of "nowhere" which has the Royal Hotel (closed), a couple of houses and a Rural Fire Service shed along side a truck rest stop.

Royal Hotel, Mount Hope

Mount Hope is an old mining area.  From there we progressed many more miles on the long straight road to Cobar which is still an active mining community with gold and copper mines.

It is hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of this crazy year and that by next Sunday Christmas Day will be over - the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the royal son of God, who came in the most humble of circumstances to live among us.

I do wish each of you a wonderful and blessed Christmas regardless of any strange circumstances you find yourselves in this year.