We’ve been in Cobar for two days, and the weather is … SUMMER! And the summer you only get when you get away from the coast – hot, dry and still. I love it.
The first time I came to Cobar I was 8 years old. I flew out on Ansett airlines with my older brother (he was 10). We came out to visit my aunt and uncle (the same uncle who’s sick now) and my 5 cousins. It was a great adventure. They lived at the edge of town next to the dusty oval, which we snuck across into the bush to go swimming in the ‘tank’. And we got swooped by magpies on the oval when we ventured too near their nests.
I remember walking the hot, wide, dusty streets to the railway station to meet the train (always an occasion in the country), and stopping at the shop on the main street for ice blocks.
My aunt and uncle still live in the same house, and it’s still at the edge of town – but only because the town has spread out in the other direction. The oval has also changed – it’s green and well kept, and played host to the National Sheep Dog trials last time we were here. The streets are still wide, but no longer dusty, and the main street now has lots more shops including a funky second hand clothing shop where I bought a great little black dress. It also has the longest pub verandah in NSW.
The ‘tank’ in the bush we swam in way back when is now a reservoir and the source of much of the water for the town. In the heat of the late summer we decided to go out there for a swim. We weren’t alone. There were lots of others with much the same idea – swimming, water skiing, having barbecues and picnics. Some were even camping out there.
It was a great spot. We swam a bit, watched the waterskiers, swam some more, and took some great photos – especially of dragon flies!
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