Christmas Mystery 22 - A story looking both ways!
22 August 2022 / Words: Brigid McCarthy & Chrissie and John Zaremba. Photos: Brendan Barr, Senia Gaunson;
All photos here
The Illawarra 2022 Christmas Mystery Run starts ....
On a clear, dry day 15 cars met at Hungry Jack's Haywards Bay for an exciting adventure. As well as the Illawarra red regalia there were lots of red and green accessories with a Christmas theme.
As Brendan explained the rules there were some anxious moments. But salvation was at hand! For a mere $20 enlightenment could be yours in the shape of a waxed sealed envelope with all the answers to the cryptic clues. We were all issued with two packs: one with the clues and answer sheet the other was the evidence bag.
We were sent off at 2 minute intervals. Thank goodness for Google and Google maps!
The clues led us to our first destination. Cordeaux Dam. We were instructed to go to the gates and see what you can find. Luckily our intrepid leaders (well the organisers of this event) Senia and Bob were there. Everybody was searching around and hidden in a variety of places were rocks painted with MX5 on them. Our first piece of evidence! Photos were sent to Brendan.
Clue 2 took us to Picton Kart race track, the putt putt course to be exact. Lena and Wes were on hand to greet us and ensure we did not cheat! We all found number 14 and were able to describe ourselves as “kinky”.
Thirlmere rail museum was our next point of call. Who would have guessed that knowledge of French would come in handy to solve the clue. We kept seeing red (not literally!), our fellow Illawarra MX5 members so we knew that we were on the right track.
We thought that the next clue had got us stumped. Google had us driving down a suburban street to find a Heritage Centre - but it was there! We were excited to find our Sydney counterparts waiting for us with a pile of MX5 painted pebbles. However we were informed that they were only for the Sydney siders. Ours were hidden! Obviously the Illawarra contingent is a much more astute bunch! The Wollondilly Heritage Centre Museum was it a real gem. The lovely lady volunteers had put on a hot lunch for us. The museum and outdoor exhibits proved very interesting.
From The Oaks we meandered down some lovely country roads taking in the scenic vistas but also taking care to avoid the multitude of potholes in the road. We had two venues to go to for our next destination: Penrith Panthers Club and Krispy Kreme doughnuts next door. Our lovely Senia was there to greet us with two full boxes of doughnuts!
At last we reached our final destination of the day - The Hills Lodge Hotel & Spa. With a sense of relief that we had finally made it we booked in and acquainted ourselves with the sumptuous surroundings.
There was a jolly “happy hour” with lots of nibbles, alcohol, conversation and jollity.
Christmas in July evening was absolutely wonderful. A lovely room with an open log fire. Beautifully decorated, including a Christmas tree. The food was delicious. The evening was rounded off with Brendan doing a great job of delivering speeches, the awards and lucky door prizes.
What a magnificent event! So well organised. Everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
At the same time, hundreds of kms away the Sydney Christmas Mystery Run 2022 starts .....
On the morning of July 23rd, our group of intrepid sleuths gathered at Menai McDonalds to commence our Christmas Mystery Run. Tinsel adorned MX-5s and Santa-hatted participants joined our marshals Ann and Bryan for starting orders and carefully prepared clue packs. With just a few minutes for whispered huddles and deciphering of our destination 1 clues, our driver and navigator pairs were on their way.
Our cryptic clues guided us along Heathcote Road and past ANSTO, to the surrounds of the Moorebank Sports Club. Clues for bat, ball, netting and boots had us searching the baseball area and then the cricket nets before we spotted some brightly painted shoes, bearing MX-5 logos, near the cricket nets. With the correct sporting code and supporter identified, our 1st piece of evidence bagged and our hatted selfie taken, we were onto solving our 2nd destination.
Deciphering Mt Annan (from Jimmy Hannan) and several garden clues, led us to the Mt Annan Botanic Gardens next, with its seed bank and precious Wollemi Pines. With photographic evidence collected and our dinosaur tree clue solved, it was on to our next challenge.
Very few of us knew that there was a heritage centre at The Oaks (a ‘leafy’ suburb rhyming with Jokes). The Wollondilly Heritage Centre was our next destination and where our Sydney and Illawarra sleuths converged. The search was then on for painted rocks and indigenous symbols, both of which proved a little elusive but did send us wandering through many of the buildings and exhibits that show the rich and varied history of this area. Refreshed with lunch and homemade soup, we were ready for the afternoon’s problem solving.
Rhett Butler’s quote from Gone with the Wind, led us to our next destination. We did do a quick Google check for the indigenous meaning of ‘water running over rocks’ though, before we decided which ‘Dam’ and set course for Warragamba. Having last been there on a school picnic, it certainly has changed, with a significant visitors’ centre, viewing points and picnic grounds. Definitely one for a return visit. With height and width statistics captured and our hatted selfie sent, we were off to our penultimate destination.
Black cats who are not tigers and several NRL related clues, sent us next to the Penrith Panthers Club, via the neighbouring Krispy Crème. Who else has never noticed the date above the door of this doughnut establishment? Taking our selfies in the foyer of the Leagues Club got lots of smiles and laughs from the customers, including a few early Christmas present requests.
Deciphering our final set of clues led us to an unexpected, hidden gem in Castle Hill. MX-5 flags and smiling faces greeted us on arrival at The Hills Lodge Hotel and Spa. Final odometer readings were checked, evidence bags and answer sheets surrendered. I was surprised to learn that all the beautifully sealed ‘emergency clue’ envelopes were returned with seals intact! The significant task of checking and tallying scores from all teams, now lay ahead for our valiant brigade of organisers.
Lovely big rooms and comfortable beds provided an opportunity to refresh before regrouping in the bar, ahead of our festive dinner. Laughs and stories were shared of clues gone wrong, errant sat navs, rogue potholes and the ‘driver versus navigator’ power struggle. A few well-earned beverages, cheese and crackers were enjoyed before moving into the dining room, where an open fire, beautifully decorated tables and room awaited. The cheer and chatter continued as a lovely meal was served, awards were announced and the amazing team of organisers acknowledged.
Anna & Senia - the hardworking team collating the event answer sheets
Thank you to everyone involved in the massive task of organising and executing such a fun and entertaining event. A great day and really lovely night. Happy Christmas everyone!
