The day started with a long and nearly unsuccessful hunt for the winemaker who produced a lovely Riesling that we had sampled at Sydney Opera house the day before. He was "somewhere in the Orange area". It turns out Bloodwood winery is very hard to find; very off the beaten track. Satnav was no use at all. Luckily in the Orange area it's grape harvest time so I came over very un-Brit, walked into a field of vines and asked a grape picker - who knew Bloodwood and told me the secret of how to find it. I met Stephen Doyle, the winemaker himself, and (after getting over the shock of me turning up out of nowhere) he was utterly charming. And slightly richer 'cos I bought a case of the Riesling.

Next it was onward to Dubbo. Saturday afternoon in Dubbo is very quiet and sadly the one thing I wanted to see - the aboriginal art centre - was closed for rebuilding. On the plus side the Dubbo RSL (local sports & social club) was very welcoming. I enjoyed a few beers and a very nice dinner while watching the 'super rugby' - teams called "Force" & "Rebels" - no idea where they were from. Then a short walk back to the motel across the McQuarrie River bridge gave me my first chance to see the constellations of the southern sky.