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We drove to Miller Park after our successful game at Denman. It's a bowling club at a pub. Jean's been in touch with Faye from here. She told us there's no social bowls but we're welcome to roll up. The place definitely has a pub feel - though modern. The life members are on the wall. Jean asked Carly the bartender about the green story. She said the Miller Park Bowling was owned by Greta Workers. Greta sold it because it was losing money. A local named Dale McNamara bought it and fought hard to reopen it as an establishment. (Carly and Kiwi Dazz) Dale rebuilt the building as a pub and put in a plastic synthetic green. The bowler's came back and call themselves 'The Phoenix'. Back from the dead. They have a Pennants team which has had success in the three years its been open. It's an unusual Pennants scoreboard. Mal wanted a beer before our rollup. He sat and discussed bowls tactics with Kiwi Dazz. Dazz was the Greenkeeper for eight months. Everyone was interested in Jean's Gulgong shirt 👕. Dazz joined us in our rollup for a few ends. Jean went first as usual. She did ok once she worked out the grass. Mal had his go then Dazz. His grass was good. Almost perfect! Jean got cross when Mal placed Dazz' bowls around the jack. She wanted to get a photo of her shot bowls. She threw hers down in anger and managed one accidentally. We came in and had a drink in the pub. Who's heard of bowls at a pub - they have in Miller Park.

We drove just half an hour from our nice stay in Merriwa to the little town of Denman and its Bowling Club. We'd heard on the grapevine it has social bowls on Saturday so came for that. It's a quaint little clubhouse though quite modern outside. It was opened in 1957. There are some great photos from the 50's and more recently Including of the opening of the Women's Club in 1949. The greens are (as usual) named after men but the club does appreciate the ladies. It has a really good outdoor seating area. There's an impressive array of old Pennant flags - twenty-four in all from 1951 to 2004. Jean had to do washing so Mal walked down from the caravan park early and met Snow. Margaret organised things. We were so happy to finally get a game after so many rollups in the little country towns. There are two good looking grass greens. Mal rolled up on the front green. It's the Irwin Green. It has a little plaque on it that says in 1985 it was named to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. There's a pretty little river beside the green. There were 18 players so we played three-bowl triples. Three games. Here they don't score shots just Win and Lose each end. They draw the overall winner out of a hat. It was Joyce, Jean and Graham. Against Barbara, Graham and Denise. Neville, Mal and Snow. Against Graham, Bro and Margaret. Mal put one in early. Jean put one on the kitty then took it out with her next bowl! 😞 later she did it again when she had a Resting Toucher! Jean made the boys wait while she got a photograph of Mal's bowl. Later Jean ran down after her first bowl to get a photo. Amazingly she didn't take it out with her second bowl. Mal and Jean both won on ends. There's a wheel to determine the jackpot. The jackpot is complex. The winners decide how many numbers for different jackpots. Jean drew her team who, decided on four numbers (N/S/E/W), then picked out her rink but didn't spin up the money. We met such nice people. They welcomed and joked with us. At last a game for us at Denman

We stayed two nights at Coolah Sports Club . After our very ordinary rollup we moved on to Merriwa. Jean has a special place in her ❤️ for the town because her family used to billet students from there for Sports exchange when they lived in Gulgong. We pulled up out the front and met Craig. Craig took us on a tour of the surrounds and showed us where to park our caravan. We'd arrived around 11:30. Craig was mowing around the green. He told us people start to arrive for drinks from 2pm. Jean walked down and met Ron one of the Greenkeepers. The club opened at 2:30 when we came down for our rollup. We charged our camping battery 🔋 out on the smoking deck. We met Ken who's been bowling for 50 years. He told us he's the only player who's won every championship. He gave us some Merriwa stickers that we can give to Hoppy at Herberton. The club has one grass green. With some old fabric shades. Ron mowed then rolled it before our rollup. We met the other Greenkeeper Bruce. He got us mats and jacks. Jean took to the mat. We both got our grass and weight Ok. Jean had three shots but Mal took them out. She's reminded of when he did it to her on Valentines Day and the smartarse bowler who told her he was only trying to kiss her bowls! He kept annoying Jean when he got shot. Until she did it herself again! Jean walked ten minutes to IGA to buy some wine while Mal sat for a beer with the boys. Merriwa - fond memories and fine rollup!

We drove half an hour from our unsuccessful stay at Binnaway this morning to the Coolah Sports Club where we'll park our van. There's an RV parking area by the green on the golf course. The clubhouse is small but cosy. It has a nice trophy case though it's a sports club so lots of trophies from other sports. There are two greens - upstairs-downstairs. They said we should roll on the bottom one. It has some sort of insect holes all over it which bumped the bowls on their way down. We went down and rolled up on Thursday Mal went out. It was sooooo slow after the rain! It took all our muscles! Jean stepped out nervously. Mal got cranky with the slow green and just threw his bowls down the back. It was hard to get our bowls up. Mal managed to get a couple. Jean was over the moon to put one on. We gave up after a few ends. Much too hard! Coolah - we needed muscles!

We stayed t he last two nights in Coonamble and got a game . We drove two hours today to the little town of Binnaway and its bowls club. Jean phoned about social bowls. It's usually Sunday so just a rollup today. Jean also asked if the bartender if we could park our van there. Initially she said yes but then she came to the door and said insurance won't allow it. We walked around the clubhouse and Sue the Bowls Captain came out to greet us. It's a tiny little clubhouse with a good bar. The black and white President photos are nice. There are two grass greens. One out the front And one out the back we rolled up on. It has a semi-permanent shade and cute little white seats at both ends. Jean had a go. It was slow as...well is was about nine seconds! Mal took his turn. We got our grass ok but weight was rubbish. Mal started to work it out. We finished our rollup then decided to drive on to Coolah Sports Club where we know we can park overnight. Bye Binnaway - on to Coolah now!

Since we decided not to stay at Mendooran , we drove on to Coonamble. We know they have bowls on Tuesday morning so we'll be there in time for that. It's a nice modern clubhouse. There's a display of former Presidents. With a hall of fame. We came in on Monday to get our names down. The bartender called out and we met John, Trevor and Barry. Mal thought Barry looked familiar. It turns out he's Mal's ex-brother-in-law. When we arrived Tuesday Audrey, Jenny and Terry walked in and they welcomed us. Dennis and Audrey looked after the money. It only cost us $5 each to play. There's just one synthetic green. It looks like there used to be two but the other is now a playground. The new green is plastic synthetic. It's The John Whiney Memorial Green. There are quaint metal shades. They said they usually get 6 to 8. Today with us there are twelve players. JJ, Jean (Skip) and Don Against Rob, Ron and Dennis It was Jarrod, Mal and Audrey against Terry, Jenny and Allan. Mal forgot to take a photo of the opposition but we met them all earlier. Jean's team was 5 up then Dennis came in and knocked it back to one. Mal dropped a beauty. Jean was two down when she played weight and picked up kitty for one. She said " It's fun playing skip. I get to save us sometimes! " Skip Mal did it too. Jean moved the kitty and picked up a four. Mal was very impressed with JJ's Parramatta Eels Indigenous shirt. Mal won 21 to 7. Jean won by two but won the day. Coonamble - a win for both of us.

We'd heard about Mendooran at some of the other clubs like Trangie . Sam from Dunedoo told us Mendooran closed a couple of years back. We didn't make it in time for Sunday morning bowls so decided to come on Monday for a rollup. The club was closed. Jean peaked in the window. It seems they all sit out here. The first green we saw didn't look good. Mal said " We won't be bowling here! " But there was another much nicer green, though it did have some weeds. We decided not to stay. As we were leaving Steve showed up. He said the club opens at 3pm. He said it's sad we missed the game yesterday and invited us to come back. We decided to drive on to Coonamble where we'll play tomorrow. Maybe next time Mendooran!

When Jean lived in Gulgong in the 70's she visited Dunedoo quite often. We've had a lovely time to date in Nyngan , Gilgandra , Narromine and Trangie . Today we're off to Dunedoo where we hope to get a Sunday afternoon game. It's a comfy clubhouse. There's a cute cartoon of the clubhouse. The plaque says the club was extended in '72. When we arrived at the caravan park Mal rang to discover that they only play on Wednesday. We came and met Sam (President), Jane and Jim. Jean told them she feels at home here. Sam and Jim decided to roll up with us. They found some old bowls to play with. There are two nice grass greens. We played on Green One. Sam told us they don't have enough players to play Pennants now. Those who want to play at Gulgong. Tom and Alan the volunteer Greenkeepers came out to watch us for a while. Mal played with Sam. Sam skipped. The wind was wicked but he worked it out. Jean felt pretty confident. She skipped Jim and they scored a couple. We met Terese who organises all the Swan Bowls Days. Dunedoo is the Black Swan town. Mal kept asking Jean " Where the hell did that shot come from! " He did his best. But we did twelve ends. Jim told us he hasn't played sine he was fourteen. He and Jean won by four. He said " I've got bragging rights. I beat the President! " We stayed for a couple of drinks then walked back to the caravan park. Dunedoo - Jean comes home.

We were supposed to come to Trangie on Thursday for a game however when we were at Gilgandra Noel told us there's a memorial day at Trangie on Saturday. Jean contacted them on Messenger and got our names down for that. FRIDAY We decided not to stay at Tullamore so drove on a day early to Trangie and a nice surprise. Jean had been in touch and was told we could park at the club. There was nowhere to park the van that we could see. We chatted with Brett who was playing a Pairs championship. Brett pointed to the house next door and said " We own that. It's empty. You can stay there! " They hooked us up to power and water! It's a nice little clubhouse. We'll have Chinese for dinner there tonight! There's a good trophy case with badges from all over the place! Past Presidents sit above the bar. We met Lee-ann the Manager. We really liked the club shirts 👕. We asked if we could buy some. They are the Billy Goats. There are two grass greens. One out the front And one out the side next to the house. The Ron McAnally Green. With a pretty side garden. On the other green there's pigeons and bowls. We sat and watched the game. Young blokes vs old. Going into the last end it was 21 all after the oldies picked up a six! The younsters got a three for a win! We came for Chinese Friday night. It was delicious! SATURDAY Since we stayed Friday night we were here bright and early for the tournament on Saturday afternoon. The tournament is in memory of Mossy a former member from here and Gilgandra. The atmosphere and camaraderie was fantastic. People from different clubs in the region enjoying each other's company and remembering Mossy. It's sixteen ends of three-bowl triples. Everyone else went mufti but we wore our club uniforms. Jean in Wildcats And Mal in Vikings. Mal, Kevin and Jean Played Kerry, Peter and Dave who we met on Thursday at Narromine . The boys from Gilgandra were here as well. Jean took the kitty for no result. We had one then Mal did it as well for two! We often both had shots in the count. And again. We were about ten shots up then they got a five, started to roll short ends and we didn't get the mat back! We lost the plot! Mal put his last bowl down, did a ' Nyngan draw shot ' , hit several bowls and got shot. We managed another end or so but it was not enough. Mal said " Why am I playing for them. I've given them shot six times! " We came in for final chats and munchies. Afterwards they got a photo of everyone who turned up for Mossy. Trangie - we felt very much at home!

We've been on to Tullamore about social bowls and staying at the club. We decided to come on Friday for a rollup. Hmm, not so! There was nobody about. We couldn't find a tap to fill up with water. Jean got a pic of the clubhouse through the glass. The club has a covered outdoor area. A plaque commemorates the 1963 opening. Tallis the Greenkeeper drove up. He said the green hadn't been touched for three months. We could see that. It's mown but full of weeds. Mal didn't want to roll up on that. There were also other things on the green. There used to be a second green but it's used now for other sports (sometimes it seems). Tullamore - we gave it a miss!

We drove today f rom the nice stay we had in Gilgandra to Narromine. We'd heard on the grapevine that there's Men's bowls on today so Mal's here for that. Narromine is in Jean's old stomping ground from when she lived in Gulgong but when she hears the name of the town all she can think about is the poem ' C ity of Dreadful Thirst' by Banjo Paterson which is about a man from Narromine. Banjo Paterson We parked our van in the carpark then met Robbie the Greenkeeper. He told us the Bowls Coordinator lives next door and has a bowls-themed house. Robbie introduced us to Club Manager Paul. We asked if we could camp overnight. He said yes! The clubhouse is quite spacious. In the foyer there's a seat in memory of an old member who has passed. A foundation stone from 1937 is out the front. There are two grass greens. There's a third green out the back. Robbie said it hasn't been used for ten years. There are not enough members to warrant its upkeep. We bowled on the front green which Robbie rolled as we arrived. He said he's been off a few weeks and struggles to remove the winter grass. We came inside and chatted with Cliff and Bill. Richard called the cards. He's the guy with the bowls-themed house! Jean got a game with the boys. We went out for three-bowl triples. There were four games. It was Danny, Rob and Jean. Against Cliff, Col and Frenchie. Mal played with Ian and David Against Bill, Kevin and Peter. With her very first bowl Jean took kitty for one. Then Rob consolidated. The boys talked about ' The Nyngan draw shot'. Jean recognised it from playing with Rod at Nyngan. It 's a wick! Danny's black bowl did it beautifully! Jean got a Resting Toucher out on the left. Col took it. Then Rod got it back for two! Jean kept walking over to watch Mal's bowls but he didn't do any photo-worthy bowls while she watched but he sent her a couple. The way the boys were playing Jean was surprised when she came down the other end to see she still had shot! One of the guys came over and gave Jean a Narromine pen and a badge for her hat. Mal finally put one in. Unfortunately next bowl his opposition Second drove it out! Jean's team won by eight. Mal's team lost by four. Third day running Jean won the day. Banjo Paterson, a win and a loss for us at Narromine.

We had such a lovely time staying two nights at Nyngan . We said a sad goodbye this morning and drove over to Gilgandra. They play at 1:30 so hopefully we'll get there in time. Though she's never been there, Gilgandra is pretty familiar to Jean from when she lived in Gulgong in her high school years when her Dad Roy was the police Sargeant there. The small clubhouse is nice. It has a Chinese restaurant like many do. There's an impressive trophy case. And a painting of bowlers. With some cartoons of members. With some horse 🐎 racing memorabilia. The photos belong to Bruce who's a champion horse trainer. There's a cool outdoor area. And one down the side. When we arrived we met President Noel. Mal sat and chatted with the boys. They were pretty funny. They teased each other and behaved like larrikins. Jean met Steve from Engadine and told him all about our trip. Garry looks after the money. " Because nobody else will do it! " He said. Garry called the cards. Out the front is the 1938 Foundation Stone. There are two nice grass greens. The green has just been rolled. It seems there were once three greens. Now the old one is a playground. Green 1 is dedicated. There were enough players for two games of Triples and one Pairs. Garry decided to make it sixteen ends because it gets cold after four. It was Angus, Dylan (Greenkeeper) and Jean Against James, Bob and Larry. Mike, Larry and Mal Played Bruce, Ed and Steve. It took Jean three ends but she scored shot. She did it again - then they scored a seven! Jean was always up the other end when Mal bowled but she managed to catch when he knocked up his teammate's orange for shot. A lot of trucks went past. They said it's because Gilgandra is on the main highway between Melbourne and Brisbane. They didn't deter Mal. Jean was able to get a photo on his last end. He almost did it. Jean won her game with two shots, Mal won by one shot. They came in to spin The Equaliser. Every winning team has a chance. Dylan's team won with Highest winning margin. Jean (Mal) won two schooner tickets. Gilgandra - all the larrikins!