What to do on a quiet Saturday?

October 10, 2024 

Sometimes there seems to be nothing to do in a quiet country town on a Saturday. But there usually is something to do if you have a look around. Oberon Matters had a look around on October 5.

It was the first Saturday of the month, so what better place to start than the Farmers' Market at the Showground? Possibly because it was a holiday weekend (the camping area at the Showground was well occupied) the crowd at the market was bigger than in some previous months. It can get a little crowded in the hall, but that's not a bad thing.

A quick detour over to the Oberon Common where picnics were going strong. It was also a chance to see the new Yarning Circle (which will be officially opened on Saturday, October 19).

The next stop was the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway for morning tea and the chance to read the paper. The restaurant critic was very impressed with the cinnamon scroll that came with his pot of tea. The railway is only open on the first Saturday of the month and is always worth a visit.

Just around the corner from the railway station is the Oberon and District Museum. The museum is open every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday and contains some reminders of Oberon's history, including a model of what the town once looked like and a building showing the importance of forestry and the timber industry to the town.

After the museum, Oberon Matters had to go to Tarana for lunch (another restaurant critic chore) and to examine the horror of Sodwalls Road. On the way back there was another stop to be made - at the tip. While this might not be on the usual tourist route, it's somewhere that everyone should go to occasionally to get rid of the stuff that clutters everyone's homes. Unfortunately, unlike days of long ago, it's no longer permissible to scavenge through the place so that the kids can take home more things than Dad went there to throw away, but times change.

Then there was karaoke at the Oberon RSL. Oberon Matters decided not to sing because the club didn't need a panic evacuation of terrified and appalled listeners.

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