On the Coast – Over 55 Issue 30 I July/August 2019 | Page 18

Fast Facts
with the rhododendron festival and visit
the gardens at Blackheath.)
The following morning these
hungover flappers checkout of the
glorious Carro to enjoy a river cruise at
the foot of the mountains (see fact box
below). We can’t wait to return to the
Carrington Hotel. It’s a national treasure.
Seniors Special Package
Retirement and Leisure Package
This special package is only available for
Australian Seniors Card holders**
$410.00 per room for two people
$360.00 per room for one person
Valid Midweek only
The Goon Show LIVE!
Dinner and show
INCLUSIONS
• 2 nights accommodation
in a Colonial Room
• Cake of the Day or Devonshire Tea
for two
• Continental buffet breakfast each
morning, served in The Grand Dining Room
• Two course dinner for two, at the award winning Old City Bank Brasserie
(1st floor of The Old City Bank building at the bottom of the drive) on one night.
• Package is strictly valid midweek only (Sunday to Thursday) and is not valid long
weekends or special events.
• Package is valid for 2 guests and includes one dinner and one cake of the day/
Devonshire Tea for Two Adults.
Extra charge applies for more than 2 guests per package • Packages and prices are subject to
change without notice
Rock Pool
Everglades
Breakfast is nostalgic in the grand
dining room with its Art Nouveau statues
and stained-glass doors, gently lit by the
creeping morning sun. I imagine too,
conversations of families breakfasting
here over the decades: ‘Mum, they have
American cereals here like Coco Pops and
even pineapple out of a tin!’
Post brekkie we make a beeline for
Everglades. The gardens are run by those
good eggs at The National Trust (psst!
members enter free). We soon find the
historic house to enjoy a Devonshire
Tea with lashings of thick cream and
homemade jam. As we drink that
wonderful old school CWA-style tea that
18
ON T H E C OA S T – OVER 5 5
you can stand a teaspoon in, we watch
light shining through the tracery of bare
branches and across the biscuit-coloured
stonework of the gardens. Even in the
winter months seniors will enjoy these
historic gardens as the chill lays bare the
garden’s structure. Winter bulbs include
crocus and daffodils, while pansies,
jonquils and daphne blur the garden in
muted colour. Less mobile readers may
wish to call ahead and chat with staff
about access. There are some steps folks!
However, garden staff may be able to
collect you from the top entrance if you
are patient and give them some notice.
(Psst! you may wish to time your visit
Everglades Devonshire Tea and
homemade pumpkin soup
Remember the fabulous Goon Show
from 1950s radio? This dinner and
show package will be held in le Salon
Grand at the Palais Royale, Katoomba,
each Saturday night from June 29 to
July 20, with a special afternoon tea
on July 14.
Peppered with one-liners, the high
energy show will feature a plethora of
characters including the world’s most
famous idiot Eccles (yes, even more
infamous than Neddie), the squeaky-
voiced boy-scout Bluebottle (who
reads his stage-directions out loud),
Major Dennis Bloodnok a devout
coward, and Miss Minnie Bannister
the sexy senior citizen who lives in sin
with crumbling, fumbling old man
Henry Crun.
TICKETS: $135 Saturdays, $80
Sunday afternoon tea, seniors and
group discounts available. Bookings
and details: www.goons.com.au.
Nepean Belle river
Yuletide luncheon
cruise, Jamisontown
This renowned heritage-style
Nepean Belle paddle-wheeler will be
festooned with festive decorations
and guests will board for luncheon to
the strains of popular carols against
the picturesque backdrop of the Blue
Mountains escarpment.
Tuck into two-course Yulefest fare
with all the trimmings, beginning
with a shared platter of succulent
roast turkey with fruit seasoning and
tender roast pork with apple sauce
and gravy followed by a dessert
platter of festive favourites all
washed down with your choice of
freshly brewed tea or coffee.
COST: Monday to Friday – $59 adults,
$53 seniors, $39 teens (13-16 years),
$20 children (3-12 years); Weekends
– $65 adults, $58 seniors, $39 teens,
$25 children. Bookings: nepeanbelle.
com.au or 4733 1274.