JOIN PROBUS TODAY!
AUS: 1300 630 488    NZ: 0800 1477 6287

Visit to Bidgee Strawberries and Cream - April 2024

A vsit to our local strawberry farm on a beautiful autum day, morning tea with scones and homemade strawberry jam and cream.  Some serious fruit picking after a talk about the business by the owner, a very fruitful morning!



Visit to Kapooka Soldiers Chapel - July 2023

Our Vice-President, Angus McDonald, a former Army chaplain, organised a visit for Probus members to view the renovations of the Soldiers Chapel at Kapooka Army Base, Wagga.  Angus was a key member of the team who managed the project as well as being instrumental in designing the three stained glass windows for each of the Catholic, Protestant and Anglican Chapels.  We spent an interesting afternoon hearing the history of the Chapel and also visited the site of a devastating explosion at Kapooka which killed 25 soldiers in 1945 and injured many more. The memorial is sited opposite the location of the explosion which was a terible event for the local community.

Visit to Snowy Valley Sculpture Trail - 3 November 2022

A full coachload of members  and friends set off from Wagga at 8.00am for a great day visiting parts of the Snowy Valley Sculpture Trail, fortunately avoiding more rain after the recent overwhelming downpours and flooding in the region.  Morning tea was at the Pioneer Women's Hut  at Tumbarumba, then a terrific lunch at Courabaya Winery with lovely views across the valley.  The winery was hard hit in the bushfires of 2019/20 but the business is now back on its feet and welcoming visitors.  A tour of six sculptures at Tumbarumba and others around Batlow, Tumut and Adelong kept everyone busy before returning to Wagga.  More information on this great initiative, open all year and inspired by Sydney's Sculptures by the Sea, can be found at https://sculpturebythesea.com/snowyvalleys/  

 

Casserole Lunch - 15 July 2022

Another lovely winter's day to enjoy a splendid casserole lunch cooked by our team of chefs and hosted by one of our members at her home overlooking Lake Albert - beautiful views, food and company

Visit to CSU Winery, Wagga Campus

 

On Thursday 12 May, 26 members went to CSU Winery on the Wagga campus on a cold, wet and  dreary day.  That didn't stop us from having a terrific time with a tour of the winery with the CSU winemaker who was very knowledgeable about wines from around the world and in Australia and who explained the detailed aspects of wine-making to us.
Following the tour we had a light lunch and then an entertaining afternoon of tasting CSU wines and testing our palates - it got easier as the afternoon went on!

 

Trip to Gulgong and Mudgee March 2022


Although numbers were down because of unexpected events,there was still a good turnout of members who travelled fromWagga to Gulgong on Monday 21 March. This is a historic goldmining town in the Central West which was also home to HenryLawson as a child. Today, much of the 19th-century characterof the town remains, contributing to its appeal as a touristdestination and the Gulgong Pioneer Museum proved to be a hit with its amazing collection of exhibits.

Mudgee is another busy tourist town, everyone seemed to be onholiday! Visits to local shops, cafes, an excellent lunch at Di LussoWinery and a tasty dinner at the Oriental Hotel allowed us to enjoy localproduce. Despite torrential rain overnight and wet feet all round thenext morning, some of us departed for other adventures and a coregroup of seven members made the scenic journey via Sofala to Mayfield Gardens, just outside Oberon. The wet weather had disappeared andwe had a lovely time exploring just one part of these amazing gardenswhich cover 16 hectares, definitely need to go again. Once again we enjoyed a very tasty lunch at the Gardens' restaurant, all local produce

We stayed overnight in Oberon and drove home on Fridaymorning with a stopover at the Rose Gardens cafe in Cowra. Avery enjoyable break with excellent company and a lovely part ofNSW to explore

Link to the April Bulletin with photos from the trip is here

 

WATER TOWERS TOUR 20 October 2021

TRIP TO WHITTON 5/6 MAY 2021

We had a lovely day out to check out the impressive water tower at Yerong Creek and the terrific work of the local community members who were busy planting and gardening in the space around the tower.  We were fortunate to find the project manager from Lockhart Council on site who described how the project had developed - a great tribute to the local community.

We had lunch at the community garden at Tootool, a dot on the map where two of our members grew up.  The community garden is a credit to past and present Tootool residents and we enjoyed a picnic lunch and admired the gardens and sculptures.  Then on to see another water tower at Milbrulong painted by the same artist as Yerong Creek tower, and finally to Lockhart to see their larger tower.

A lovely spring day, very enjoyable.     

Some of the murals in the renovated bar at the Hydro Hotel, Leeton

Twenty two members joined this trip and enjoyed many interesting visits, great accommodation, and excellent party house food and entertainment.

First stop, coffee at Leeton through to Whitton, a small township with many old-world features.

The visit to Southern Cotton https://www.southerncotton.com.au/ was very interesting and informative and illustrated the great work and industry which has created a busy, productive and wealthy cotton industry.

Semi-trailers bring bales of cotton in very large loads to the works for processing.

The cotton from each (local) farm is treated, combed, and baled separately, specifically identified, so that wherever the bales are sent to in the world for spinning, it can be traced back to the individual farmer. We were taken through the facility and watched the process taking place.

Employment – not many full-time employees, but part-time employment through the area is available during various cropping seasons – fruit picking, grape harvesting, rice harvesting, general farming, cotton farming.

Next, on to the Malt House – an oasis in a very flat area of land https://whittonmalthouse.com.au/

The main building is the restaurant, gin and whisky tasting area, and gift shop. There is a lake, around which are built a number of modern, up-to-date villas/cabins, with walkways. Further development is taking place. Our group occupied most of the villas, which were extremely well fitted out with all amenities.

Our trips are known for good food and good times, the high standard was maintained with great organisation by all who organised the food and drinks. Much talk and laughter and trivia and games followed.

Members of the group went their different ways to Altina Wildlife Park, Griffith, Leeton.

At a stopover at Leeton many checked the Roxy Theatre, and the Hydro Hotel. What a magnificent old Hotel, built in 1919 and well maintained with good accommodation today. We were given a look through the Bar area, not always open, and viewed some wonderful stained glass windows. Leeton is a town with many interesting places to see.