The Smug Wives' Road Trip

Me and Davies (not her real name), took the Toorak Truck into the country for a bit of a girlie respite from married life this weekend.

Quite frankly, I think Davies needed a rest from her Husband (strangely also named Davies) whose idea of a restful weekend is a 2 day bivouac (without tents) high in the alps, hopefully with a bit of snow to keep it "interesting".

Tralala! We love our brighter than bright whites!

But us ladies, ahem, no - we armed ourselves with girlie mags and Tim Tams and headed to Maldon, a town in the Victorian Goldfields which put the "Q" in "Quaint". Our room at the Eaglehawk was a cute, vintagey no-lace zone with a terrace, perfect for a Sunday morning breakfast bask in the sun over the Sunday papers (alas, we had to deal with little Johnny Howard's smug mug gracing the front page, but even the good Lord can't get everything he wants).

Unfortunately (to quell the voyeurs in our respective Husbands), the girls had twin beds - certainly no saucy stories to share on that front. Trouble did brew, however, in the little pre-Davies, who objected to being intravenously fed a whole packet of snakes and promptly beat the drum of protest on mum's tummy. All night...

Struck by the realisation that they really are goldfields!

Maldon is apparently famous for its steam-train [an ancient throwback to Victorian times which thrust me back to my former life as Judy from "Seven Little Australians] and its antique store, "Beehive Old Wares and Collectibles" - a veritable warehouse of knick-knacks, kitsch and genuinely fascinating antiques, including a wall full of old American and Australian posters circa 1930s-1960s.

We also ate. A lot. Damn that pregnant Davies! If it wasn't Tim Tams and those infernal snakes (I demurred) - it was ice cream and BBQ shapes, Chicken Kiev and fries, supermarket tiramisu and devonshire teas in the sun (c/- Macarthurs Bookshop and Cafe, thanks for coming). Davies was quite horrified to discover she was on the verge of buying an entire fruitcake from the Maldon IGA with the intention of polishing off the lot. Some days logic just escapes us chicks. She put it back. I feel seriously disgusting today.

The Ghost of Little Australians past

The Smug Wives headed home on Sunday afternoon, after a tipple at the Basalt Ridge Winery high in the hills. The wives were content after a relaxing time away, but not-so-secretly looking forward to seeing their darling husbands again. Don't vomit. At least not in my direction.

Maldon Road Trip Gallery