Crookwell was inhabited by the Gundungua indigenous people. But white settlers had moved in by 1828, and named the local river Crookwell (after a local family home called Crookhall). The town itself was actually called Kiama until 1860 when it was renamed after the river.
Not wanting to be late for the potatoes, we headed straight up the highway to Goulburn and then made the short additional drive to Crookwell. I had never been to this part of the world and was immediately amazed by the gorgeous countryside and almost Welsh rolling hills..
The wind farms are pretty hard to ignore as you drive towards the town - and are a very cold place to visit on a 1 degree day!
I had never actually been so close to a wind turbine. They are huge! - and say thank you Canberrans as this is how we will be on 100% renewable electricity by next year, so its important we give back to this local community.
My first memory of the actual town was - OMG I am cold - but it is actually pretty cute :)
Thank god for the famous Linder sock shop, where we immediately bought much needed beanies!
And warming up, we were pleased to find that Crookwell has a lovely, caring kind of vibe...
But it was time to check out the potato festival! I may be a little obsessed...I blame my Russian heritage and all the potato salad I ate as a kid (no one will ever make it like my oma).
The event was certainly not as large as the epic Crookwell pumpkin festival - but it was still lots of fun...with potato decorating...
Very healthy food :p....
Vintage cars...
New friends....
And bubbles and more bubbles!!! from the man with the best suit ever :)
And being over 40 I did wonder whether it was time to move on from the cardigan and purchase a blanket coat :p
But it was time for a quick side trip to the lovely little town of Laggan near by...
Where the toilets are very formally named...
And the views are amazing....
And you get welcomed to lunch at Laggan Pantry by these gorgeous eyes *heartbreaks*
After lunch we headed back to Crookwell and the Alpacca farm where we were staying the night (warning - many Alpacca photos to come, but they are so damn cute, and there were more than 70 on the farm!)
Getting to feed the Alpaccas the next morning and hear all about them was an incredible experience (look for Alpacca farm on AirBnB in Crookwell if you are interested - or msg me).
And I finally found a pine cone to bring home :)
I have so much love for Crookwell and look forward to a return visit when it is more than a maximum of 9 degrees!
