Day 285 - Tuesday 10 October - Inner Sydney Marrickville

Day 285

Tuesday –

10 October 2017 

Vineyard – Marrickville

With the van on a bit of a lean, I didn’t sleep the best with my bones feeling like they were being pulled from my body as I slept, as a result when Paul got up for a shower, I was still asleep.

By the time he was back, I was awake and got out to ensure I was ready for the day ahead. It was quite grey and miserable outside, with a slight drizzle, but by the time we were on our way, it was just oppressive grey cloud.

We were heading into Marrickville, one of Sydney’s inner city suburbs, 55km from where we were staying. Leaving at 9.30am we believed we were leaving the crowds behind, but the roads were still quite busy and at stages it felt like we were part of a video game as cars darted in and out. It was times like that, that I wished I was blind folded and I am sure Paul though the same as I gasped or grabbed for the door handle in a panic.

Thankfully we made it to Batch Brewery at 1045am and completely unscathed. Phew! They had a decent size car park next door and it was free, so we were happy to park up and then make ourselves known in the brewery. It was a hive of activity in the back, with plenty of workers putting a brew together or packaging up another.  Paul went through the beers that were on tap, talking to the barmaid about the various brews and what they offered.

An hour later, we were all done and with google maps in hand we took off on foot for our next stop, Young Henrys. It wasn’t a long trek, about 2.5km. It was great being on foot as it allowed us to see a bit more of the area. It was quite obviously a lower socio economic area, with the schools leaving a lot to be desired in regards to their aesthetics. The streets were also laden with graffiti, though there was some interesting street art. It was while taking a photo of a mural that my camera lens went ping and something inside began rattling around. I couldn’t get it to move in and out, but it would take photos at certain points. Looks like an insurance claim will be needed. Grr

We located Young Henrys and entered the bar, noticing the various motorbikes parked outside and the hairy blokes inside. Paul felt right at home and was happy to hear they have a beer, bikes and loud music ethos.

There was plenty going on with a product photo shoot and a film going on. We stayed at the bar, chatting to the barman and other patrons, as Paul downed the schooners they were pouring as samples. By the time he was done he had a health glow.

We then made our way back towards Batch, passing two other breweries on the way. The Marrickville area is known as a bit of a hub for craft breweries, there are currently 9 in the area and another 4 are expected in the coming months.

Once back at the car, we grabbed our lunch and sat in a small park to eat, before returning to Batch for a beer and then it was time to join the traffic once again.

It was now 3pm and I was in charge of getting us home, I felt far calmer being in the driver’s seat and just plodded along.

We stopped at a large shopping centre for groceries and then it was back on the road to join the crawl.

It was a crazy drive home, hearing the 4pm news, as Paul napped. There were plenty of speed cameras along the way, but I am puzzled as to when a driver would actually get up to the sign posted speeds. The roads are also atrocious with a mix of concrete and bitumen that are lumpy and in need of repair. 

We passed a few road side signs indicating the traffic would be worse later, as we skirted ANZ stadium. The Socceroos were to be playing Syria tonight in a world cup qualifier. If we had been a bit more switched on we could have bought tickets and gone along.

The 5pm news played and we were finally only 15min from home, pulling in to the caravan park a short time later. I can’t believe it took us 2 hours to drive 55km. How do people living here do this drive day in and day out? Thankfully we only need to drive in again on Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully traffic will be bearable.

We unloaded our things and then I rang QBE to put in a claim for my lens, I fear it could be a bit drawn out, which will be an issue with me wanting to take photos and not having my full kit.

Once I had lodged my claim, we went for a walk choosing to walk the opposite end of the street and check out the small farm lots. We walked as far as the t junction and then returned to the van ready to put dinner together.

We ate and then got stuck into our computer bits, the night seemingly disappearing.

I organised our adventures into the Blue Mountains for tomorrow and contacted all the breweries we intend to see over the next week to give them a heads up.