Harrigan's Irish Pub Run
13 May 2019 / Story by John Hansen
Tuesday 7 May saw two cars arrive at Oliver’s in the Port Macquarie Service Centre. Run leader and Convenor Peter in his black MX-5 NB and John in his grey MX-5 NC. The dreaded ‘lurgi’ had struck others hard! We were to pick up a few more at our morning tea and luncheon spots. The day was a perfect day for a MX-5 drive with clear skies and invigorating winter temperatures.
We set out to Rosies Cafe at John’s River for morning tea with the tops down and the heaters up. There was very little traffic on the highway giving us time to appreciate the scenery on the way. Without the traffic the highway can be a very relaxing drive!
Margaret and Murray joined us at Rosies. It had been a while since we had visited Rosies however we found that the food was as enjoyable as ever and Rosie certainly made us feel welcome.
Murray took the lead as we headed down to Coopernook along the familiar back roads to Taree. The lack of traffic enabled us to enjoy the twists and turns on the road while taking in the pleasant backdrop of the hinterland. The recent rain had certainly changed the familiar landscape from brown to pleasant shades of green. Although the drive was enjoyable the pothole patches on some sections were not. The bumps seem to be getting larger, especially near the level crossings. However, it was pleasant to be driving along with the wind in the hair with only the occasional car along the way.
The Taree turnoff to the Pacific Highway seemed to come up in no time at all and soon we were travelling north on the highway to the Harrington turn off. This right hand turn can sometimes take quite a while to make, however the light traffic meant that there was no hold up and we made our way along to the turn off to the Harrigan’s Irish Pub for lunch. Sally and John joined us at the pub and soon we were enjoying a satisfying meal.
Although there were only the six of us, we had a most enjoyable lunch and lively conversation where we solved most of the world’s problems! Whilst we commiserated with our members on sick call, we agreed that even a run with small numbers, in our MX-5s can still be a very pleasant way to spend a day.
Thanks go to the club’s Convenors and also to run leader Peter for organising the day.
Photos to follow.
