Yesterday I went to visit the Nymboida Coaching Station Inn and The Museum of Interesting Things. The drive alone was an adventure! Once you turned off the Pacific Coast Highway you traveled for over an hour on a narrow two lane road where the only thing that you saw all around were gentle rolling hills, fields with cattle and horses and lush green trees and grass. The views were interrupted only sporadically by a local store, small gas station or pub along the road. There is certainly no place left in my part of the States where you could get that type of continuous landscape without it being encroached on by unremitting retail sprawl mile after mile. I could only glance rather than look at the scenery because I needed to concentrate to drive at 100km on this type of road navigating the sharp turns, cresting the hills blind to what was beyond and mostly relying on only the hope that the 16 wheeler hurling at me in the opposite direction was going to stay on his side of the road. At least in the initial part of the drive was I was warned with the occasional reduction of speed sign for a particularly sharp curve or dip but once I made the dog leg turn towards Armindale it was Mr. Toads Wild Ride all the way. It was fun in spite my random vehicular miscalculation that caused some roadside gravel to fly! I thought the Museum was perfect for its surroundings; unpretentious and unexpected for such an isolated place. The name is apt, in that it is a collection of eclectic, interesting things. The Leviathan coach dominates the room with a few vintage cars, a race car, cricket memorabilia and a couple of motorcycles scattered among the movie memorabilia that Russell and others have put on display. I could go on and on but there was much more, everything ‘interesting’ in its own way. Given how familiar we all are with Russell’s films it really was a treat to see the things he thought to keep from each role. It was great to see the Gladiator breastplate and the wall with all the various Glad posters from all over the world. Ben Wade was represented and I loved seeing Hando’s Docs and the Christmas angel from The Sum of Us. I thought the collection of Braddock mementoes were the most fascinating, especially the note where he paid off his debt. Taking photos was difficult because of the lighting and the glare from the glass. Here’s a link to the best of the lot. http://cgee.smugmug.com/gallery/7344238_TQcE3/1/472664869_D9LjE#P-1-16 |