Canberra Convenors' Lunch at Bowral

01 March 2019 / Report by Giulia Schiemer. Photos by Jill Wicklander and Rod Nicholas

Convenors’ Lunch Run to the Southern Highlands

Thirteen cars and 25 people made their way to the Southern Highlands last Sunday on our Convenors’ Run.

The cars were divided into two groups with James and Giulia leading the first group and Rod and Maryanne leading the second. Ten cars left from Queanbeyan and were joined by another three as the group made its way through Bungendore.

Mother Nature donned her ‘glad rags’ for the day and provided us with some beautiful late summer weather.

Our morning tea stop was at Roses Café in Goulburn, where after some initial confusion over booking numbers, we all settled in for a cuppa and yummy treats. With a long 90 km drive ahead of us before our scheduled lunch in Bowral we had to ensure we didn’t go hungry.

From Goulburn we endured a few motorway miles before turning off on Highland Way. The decision to break the run into two groups proved most sensible as we negotiated the turnoff shortly after Marulan; the oncoming road was busy and there was little room for more than a couple of cars in the north-bound lane as we waited for an opportunity to cross the highway. Highland Way was a delight; it is a very scenic and quiet country route, proceeding gently through Tallong, Wingello, Penrose, Bundanoon, Moss Vale and then into Bowral. In some stretches, the eucalypts formed a beautiful crown over the road, sheltering those travelling topless from the warm sun.

We arrived at the Imperial in Bowral around 12.30, snagged a park almost directly outside the pub, and filed in for a delicious (and plate-filling) lunch. The noise levels in the pub were raised somewhat - we’re a very chatty happy lot, making lots of noise wherever we go!

After lunch, some chose to head straight home, others explored the attractions of Bowral and Berrima, and others still hung around and talked and talked and talked.

This was another highly successful run; a good, mostly country roads type of trip, topped off by a great lunch and great company.