Well its a little hard to say Tenterfield for the show as we actually have the first stop at Emmaville. Phill chats to Bill who is the Vice President of the Emmaville Mining Museum.
The historic village of Emmaville in the Glen Innes Highlands is home to the Emmaville Mining Museum, the dream of Mr and Mrs Jack Curnow who ran the Emmaville bakery.
After closing the bakery in 1969, they used the shop to display their vast collection of minerals and photographs.
Their collection was bequeathed to the community in the hope that the town could start a museum.
The local council purchased the old Foley’s Store in Emmaville and volunteers began remodelling the building to house the Curnow collection.
Today, the Museum that houses the renowned Curnow mineral collection is also home to the Jillet, Gilbey, Ellis, Schumacher, Trethewey, Hermann and Maskey collections. In all, there are over 4,000 mineral and gem specimens.
As the collection grew, the Museum expanded. Out back is Foley’s General Store Museum, a replica blacksmith’s shop, an old wood-fired bakery, and a machinery shed filled with old mining equipment.
There’s the interior of a hessian-lined miner’s hut, a collection of over 400 photographs of the old mines, miners, and the Emmaville community, and a beautiful 1,500 bottle collection. Its a great place to visit and spend an hour or two pocking around the museum. https://emmavilleminingmuseum.com/
We spend a couple of nights in Glen Innes. What a great town this is. We camp up at the showground, great area, relatively flat sites and plenty of room, there is power and water available. Here we meet Phill and Leslie, they are full time on the road and fill us in on some of the places they have been as well as getting caught in Tassie for 20 months with Covid. They are travelling with their Jayco Silverline 21.6ft van. Its great meeting other travellers and sharing stories. also learning tips along the way.
Whilst in Glen Innes, Celtic Country take a visit to the Standing Stones.
They were created in 1991/92, the Australian Standing Stones in Glen Innes Highlands is the national monument to Celtic people, past and present.
The Stones acknowledge the contribution to Australian culture made by people from the Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, Wales, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Asturias and Galicia.
The Stones continue to attract national and international exposure and is a major tourist destination in the Glen Innes Highlands.
Along the way we heard of another great place to camp and that’s out the back of the Longhorn Pub, on the New England Highway. The camp ground is currently closed for renovations.
The Longhorn Bar is the best meeting place on the New England. Located in Deepwater Northern NSW, they are right in the middle of some of the best cattle country in Australia. They have real live cowboys, cowgirls, locals and visitors alike are treated as family.
If you like country music then this is your place!!! With an outdoor stage for events and an intimate indoor stage, they love to entertain you with great Live Music “Longhorn bar style”. They are also available for weddings and other social events.
Space is never a problem with 13 acres, 11 rooms, a 5 star commercial kitchen and camping and caravan park behind the pub. Our food is legendary, all food fresh on the premises including, breads and pizzas are made from scratch.
Phill chats with Angela who fills us in on what’s on offer. Check out their website for more information. https://gleninneshighlands.com/the-longhorn-bar-grill-deepwater.html
Last stop on the trip takes us to Tenterfield, and what a lovely town this is. Full of character and old buildings. What has made this town famous is Peter Allen and the Tenterfield Saddler. Phill chats with Jim one of the many volunteers.
The Tenterfield Saddler was made famous by Peter Allen’s tribute to his past and grandfather George Woolnough in the ‘Tenterfield Saddler’.
However, it is much more than just a song. For 50 years (from 1908 – 1960), this quaint blue-granite saddlery on High Street was a key meeting place in town. Saddler, George Woolnough plied his trade, listening, undisturbed by the chatter and opinions of those who wandered in. One famous customer was Banjo Patterson.
Since 1860, the building has been used as a bank, private residence, and saddlery.
Classified by the National Trust and in original condition – the old ceilings wear 130 years of tobacco stains, wooden floors are patched in places with scraps of leather, and visitors can see the working conditions of 100 years ago first hand.
Immortalised by Peter Allen’s song, ‘Tenterfield Saddler’, this living museum is full of leather goods and historical tools.
Volunteers currently open the Saddler, so opening hours can differ. If planning a trip specially to see the Saddler, call beforehand to ensure they will be open.
