Whenever we take city guests on a drive to explore the towns and country west of the mountains they always warm to places like Oberon, Mudgee and Rylstone and pretty much ignore the run down places I adore. The attraction of these towns are the tidy streets, buzz of activity and cafes. I am not altogether sure the cafes matter that much to the locals but from my observation they are essential to attracting out of town dollars.
The Monkey Bean Cafe is in Oberon, quite a big town (population 2,700 in the town and 5,500 in the district). Oberon is set in the middle of in sumptuous rolling rural acres, huge spreads of pine forest and nearby Blue Mountains wilderness areas. A perfect location for a weekend getaway.
At this time of year they promote mushroom picking in the pine forest but with those people dying in Canberra earlier in the year from misidentified wild mushrooms perhaps it won't be so popular this year.
See more of Oberon and district over at 100 towns.
I don't know HOW many travellers I've heard bitterly bemoaning the absence of what they refer to as 'great coffee' in rural areas. But I'm with you - I'd rather explore off the beaten track, coffee or no ...
ReplyDeleteI prefer the run down and shabby as well. My God Oberon has gone up market!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I like the rustic ... but AFTER I have had 'good' coffee.
ReplyDeleteI did not enjoy Florence until AFTER I had coffee.
ReplyDeleteI dont like that cafe. I don't like animals portrayed as cartoons. I am not a fan of anime.
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