We slept well on our “private” campground and decided to start the morning with a refreshing swim in the ocean on our “private” beach since we’d had so much fun last night.
Eventually we had to say goodbye after combing the beach for sea glass (our new hobby). We made it about 30km until we stopped at the Goldboro Interpretive Centre. This region is known for gold mines, natural gas and a huge project to reintroduce gold mining in the area is underway.
The cafe offered ice cream and had a flavour called Gold Mine which we had to try. At $1 a huge scoop it was the cheapest ice cream we’ve had.
Next came the 300 meter ferry trip which cost $7.
Finally we made it to Sherbrooke Village, well in time for the 2:30pm ice cream making demonstration. Sherbrooke Village is a heritage site adjacent to the St. Mary’s River consisting of buildings from the real town as it was in the 1860s. We got an extensive overview of the site from Dana who also told us that the ice cream making that Stephanie had promised us yesterday at the beach had been changed to butter churning.
We’ve been to a number of heritage sites and this one stands out for its authenticity, super nice interpreters and interactivity. We visited the blacksmith who made items far beyond the typical nails most blacksmith demonstrations do.
The print shop was next and the design graduate showed her skill in letterpress work with materials and machines of the period. She produced a wide variety of printed materials, including recipe books, invitations, signs and advertisements.
It was now 2:30pm so we rushed over to the building that Stephanie was doing the butter churning demonstration at. Everyone was welcome to turn the handle to make butter and butter milk from the rich cream. We got to try this super fresh butter on crackers.
The tailor shop didn’t just produce clothing but also sold hats. There was a large selection of buttons to be seen. The cloth was imported from Europe and the US.
The pottery shop produced all sorts of cups, bowls and jugs and had a super friendly dog that Pepsi barked at.
The General Store was restored as a typical store of the 1870s when it was operated by John and Samuel Cumminger.
The second floor was of far greater interest to us as it housed an Ambrotype photography studio where we learned about 19th century photography techniques and had our portrait taken, in costume of the period, on a glass plate hand coated with sensitizer.
Our portrait exposure was 33 seconds and we had to sit absolutely still during that time. Today’s digital photography, like the image posted below is much easier.
One of the nice things about Sherbrooke Village is that dogs were welcome to visit the grounds and buildings, except for the restaurant. Pepsi had a very busy day greeting all children and Stephanie even prepared Pepsi her own ice cream cone. After a few hours, Pepsi was beat and needed a nap at the photo studio.
While waiting for our glass plate to be developed we moved on to the woodturner’s shop. Here the trained cabinet maker turned spoons, rolling pins, baseball bats and various other objects.
It was now 5pm and closing time and although we still had a number of buildings to see, we said goodbye to a number of the people we got to know, received our image and drove to the Riverview Campground nearby. We have a beautiful spot right by the river and are looking forward to a quiet night. Pepsi is already asleep by the driver’s seat.