Detour - Minmi NSW 2287

We'd gone for our annual sandboarding adventure and after much fun ziplining through the trees, we just weren't ready to finish the weekend. So we decided to head to a delightful little town for a late lunch.

Minmi is technically a suburb of Newcastle, but still feels and looks very much like a little village. Minmi came into being as a cattle station in the 1830’s but later coal was produced there from 1850 and it grew ever so slightly. Minmi was actually a private town owned by J and A Brown. It is home to a school, pub, and two churches, all on the main street so it is very easy to navigate. The cemetery next to Tree Top Adventure Park has graves from the 1860's with legible headstones, and older ones pre-date that, in various states of deterioration.

The Minmi Hotel is in a historic building, and has sweeping views of the fields beyond. While reportedly a great counter lunch, we missed out by arriving after the kitchen had closed. However, given the crowded dining area, we may've been pushing our luck to get a table regardless.

We ventured up to Shazza's Country Café & Takeaway, and I'll admit I went in with low expectations. The exterior, however, hides a very cosy café, with inviting lounges and fresh flowers on the tables, even a chandelier!

The counter houses containers of lollies, that you can order by the piece as we did when we were kids. The menu prices also hark back to yesteryear, and we managed to feed our family of five for roughly $30. This is almost unheard of these days.

Burgers, milkshakes and plenty of chips made us all happy, though coffee and salad sandwiches are also available for the more health conscious.

We then hit the park, which over looked the valley and hills beyond. There kids played in the playground while we studied the restored caboose (no doubt from the private railway that used to service the town) and read the town history on the park monument.

It is a lovely spot, quite the hidden delight and a world away from our busy city life.

An easy drive home on the freeway, makes this an easy detour from Port Stephens, Newcastle or the Hunter Valley, or even a day trip from Sydney, as it's just under two hours.

Practicalities:

Bookings and requirements (height and age restrictions) for Tree Top Adventure Park at Minmi http://www.treetopadventurepark.com.au/home/Newcastle

Related articles:

School Holiday Day Trip to Minmi http://www.weekendnotes.com/school-holiday-day-trip-to-minmi/

Sandboarding and Flying Foxes Port Stephens http://holidazeandhellidaze.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/overnight-adventures-sandboarding-and.html

Linking with #TravelTuesday #GardenAffair (for the forest - nature)