Gunning Australia

The other day I drove from Melbourne to Terrigal to start training for the Laser Worlds. I drove in convoy with Andrew and Dave in two cars over two days. We stopped for the night in a small town called Gunning around two hours south of Sydney and a fair bit inland as well. It must have been around nine pm when we rolled to a stop in the town of 1000 and called in at the only hotel in town to see if they had room and dinner for us. Dave went in to enquire and came out with a small pitcher of milk for coffee and keys to a standard three bed motel room. As for food we would have to go to the only place in town, the chinese restaraunt attached to the hotel bar next door. It was just before closing when ordered ourselves a feast of 8 or so different items to take back to our room to eat and we didn't feel like waiting in the chinese place so we sauntered over to the bar part of the establishment. As soon as we walked in I knew that I loved the place. The first thinks that I saw were the old barrels used for round tables and the chart drawn on a chalkboard recording the weight of fish that locals had caught each week. As we ventured further into the gloom we came across a man and his wife behind a bar serving one portly gentleman with a bushy beard and a cowboy hat. We ordered beers and found seats near one of the four walls filled with pictures of different rugby teams from all over the country stretching back at least twenty years. Pretty soon the bearded man was asking us what we were up to and all the usual questions which we tried to answer without being too complicated, at length we got to talking about beers and he professed that whatever we were drinking was crap and he would "shout" us some Cascades. Now we must have looked mighty confused as he kept offering to shout us a few until he just gave some money to the bartender and handed us short green bottles with a drawing of an animal on the front that looked like a cross between dog kangaroo and tiger. The name of this beast has slipped from memory but it only dwelt in Tasmania and is some sort of marsupial animal now thought to be extinct. The beer was indeed good with a fuller taste than most. Our benifactor explained that he had family in the Southern US that fought in the Civil War, and seemed to have an extensive knowledge of many of the battles. He also expressed a desire to go to America but thought that all of his DUIs might impede him. Our chinese food was brought over and it was clear that the bar was closing up. We were each given a beer coozie to remember the place by and I think won't soon forget it. By the way it was only 5 degrees as it is inland close to the snow fields. there were some great photos of the whole place covered in snow looking just like home sometimes does. We drove out the next morning through beautiful golden hilly terrain dotted with large boulders (suggesting glaciation?) and burnt and stunted trees with just enough cloud to make it interesting. Photos would be beautiful