Strathalbyn is a small town about 45 minutes north-east from our home. We stayed overnight there last year when we were on our way back from South Australia to Victoria, but the weather was miserable with rain and gloom and we left as soon as we could. So it was with high expectations that we set off last Saturday in sunshiny weather to discover what we missed out on.
The brochure we were given by the friendly people at the Information Centre told us that the area was first settled in 1839 by Scottish immigrants, hence the name: 'strath' being Gaelic for valley, and 'albyn' a corruption of the ancient name for Great Britain. It is nowadays famous as an antique centre with lots of the heritage buildings converted into attractive antique emporiums. But as I'm no longer on the lookout for items from the past we bypassed them and concentrated on the houses and public buildings.
It was very pleasant to stroll around the town. Everything is very neat, clean and spacious. There are lots of beautiful old homes built of that lovely honey-coloured South Australian stone, with well-cared-for gardens.
Luckily for today's tourists most of the old buildings from the 1850s were not demolished and have been beautifully restored, giving Strathalbyn a pleasing character and ambience that is so often missing from country towns. There are said to be over 30 buildings on the Heritage Register. Our brochure outlined the history of many of these on our walk.
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| Built in the 1860s this was a general store then became a butchers shop. |
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| Simple and restrained architecture yet full of character. |
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| Sweet-smelling lavender is a lovely foil for the stone work. |
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| A native hibiscus in full bloom |
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| The Heritage Centre displays machinery from the early days. |
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| The Town Hall |
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| Charming vistas around every corner. |
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| The former John Wesley church is now the Chapel Theatre. |
... sat on a bench to view the grand St Andrews Church across the river ...
...then ventured over the river for a closer look.
We also came across this wonderfully dilapidated building ripe for restoration.
I love seeking out details, especially now I have a super-duper lens on my camera.
A lime milkshake for me, a coffee for Steve and a shared frangipane tartlet at the Bean Machine cafe ended a most rewarding day in Strathalbyn.
It is a lovely place. Is the Bean Machine where we bought the delicious ice-creams after Langhorne Creek?
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No - there were quite a few cafes open and this one had been recommended by the Information Centre people. It really was a great place to wander around. If we had been living in 'Glenfield', I would have spent hours in the antique shops.
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