We then enjoyed a tour around the town with a representative from the Tourist Office, who told members that unemployment in the area is very low at two percent. Also that Griffith has two daily flights to Sydney.

The ornamental Sikh temple was pointed out with a comment about how well other cultures blended with the community.

We were shown the citrus sculptures, a highlight of their annual spring festival. Thirty sculptures line the main street for two weeks over the annual festival held in October. Over 700 volunteers from all sections of the community work on a Sunday morning to erect the fabulous display of 100,000 oranges.

Then it was time to go to a wine tasting at McWilliams Hanwood Winery. Machinery now prunes the vines and the wine is produced in many centres, including cold country wine grown in Tumbarumba and other centres, after originating in a small way in Junee and later moving to Griffith.

On Saturday Lyndsay and Brian Sainty welcomed visitors to a lush cottage garden. Lavender grew in abundance while fragrant roses were underplanted with a variety of ground covers and perennials.

The Rena and Bruno Mercuri garden and home were designed by Rena. Every corner of the garden brought a new delight to admire. The huge water feature was magnificent while the matching stone edging that bordered each garden bed spoke of the care that was a feature of the garden.           

Davit Farm garden began in 1983 when an outer perimeter of trees were planted to define the garden boundaries. The garden was then divided  into a variety of large garden rooms each with a different colour theme.

The garden is flood irrigated from the dam every two to three weeks in summer. There are no annuals or exotic plants, reliance is placed on old fashioned tough plants that can cope with flooding, frost or drought.

The “Monet Dam” was added in 1999 while the “White Trunked Forest” gives a home to the sculpture “Irony” a hand forged iron ship’s anchor chain.

The generous hostess took two of her handicapped guests around the extensive garden on a motor bike. Everyone was grateful to the warm welcome given by their garden hosts who were so willing to share their knowledge and beauty of their hard work.    

On Sunday, members of the club visited the Griffith Pioneer Park Museum, which was opened early in 1971 and contains 40 different buildings donated and maintained by district volunteers.

There are homesteads and early cottages, all faithfully reconstructed as well exhibits of antique tools, farm machinery and an Italian Museum with a continuing video telling of the origin of the city and an incredible collection of memorabilia of the early Italian settlers of the area.                                           

Archives of the Historical Society can give information about families that settled in the area. One entry tells of William Barry, the third son of William and Ann Kelly, who married Ann and had nine children that survived childhood. There was Thomas, William, Mary, Ellen, Eliza, Matilda, James, Louisa, and Mary.