I knew I was going away for the weekend, but I had no idea where we were going. It was like this last minute, mystery getaway where I just had to pack my bags and hope that I had brought everything that I would need. The only thing I knew about was that it was somewhere in the country (duhh...) and that it was for a birthday (Josh's grandfather's).
Well, I cancelled my hair appointment on Saturday and packed my thermals. I left two things at home that I wish I didn't - my Kathmandu jacket and my camera. I was dressed for the weather but was hardly dolled up for the occasion (we were going to arrive and jump straight into celebrations). There was a lot of hoping for the best.
Turns out the party's in the historic town of Maldon, about 2 hours west of Melbourne, near Castlemaine. Got into the car, fell asleep (as you do), and woke up in Derby Hill Blue Light Youth Camp.
They had booked out the entire venue for the event. How cool was that?!?! There was an obstacle course, mini golf, a pool room, basketball courts and table tennis. There were rooms with bunk beds, and we had name tags. It was just like at camp! The best thing was that the entire party was like 90% adults, so to imagine them sleeping on squeaky metal bunk beds was quite funny xD
Festivities were well underway by the time we got there (all 4 adults and 3 kids - it was like a scene out of any National Lampoon movie), as guests had started turning up at 11am. There was a big bonfire and pre-dinner drinkies outdoors in the BBQ area, guests milling around everywhere. I got hurled right into the middle of it all, and it was so fun. Getting to meet Josh's extended family for the first time, trying to keep my head straight after two glasses of champagne and keeping up the light banter. Also had a go at mini golf, but it started getting dark and we couldn't see the course, so we gave up.
After dinner us young 'uns decided to head to the local pubs to play pool, i.e. get away from the parentals. The two local pubs in Maldon that we went to serve only their basic purposes - give people a place to drink, eat, watch sport, play pool and gamble. The pool table at the Maldon Hotel kept eating our balls and not releasing them, so we headed over to the second drinking hole, which was on the verge of closing for the night. There was a couple of guys at the bar nursing beers, the footy was on (Collingwood vs. Sydney) and the pool table was deserted. I wonder where the local kids go to party on weekends here in Maldon?
Maldon is a beautiful place. The fresh country air, wide open spaces and friendly locals. The town has retained its heritage shopfronts, and there were awesome little antique stores and a lolly shop. We walked past a cafe that sold yabbie and scallop pies (!) I bought the cutest little redgum table from Wheel and Loom, an antique/secondhand dealer. Photo to come! It's nice to be able to come away from places you have visited with something to remember the trip by.
So, for a weekend that almost never was, it turned out to be pretty successful after all.
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