9TH - 11TH MARCH - LAKE BURRENDONG STATE PARK, NSW

Pleased to arrive in another lovely spot in the middle of the afternoon.  The camp is situated high above the lake/dam which has a capacity more than 3 and a half times Sydney Harbour.  There are very few caravans so we get a site with a  nice view, but there are lots of day visitors down on the lake water skiiing & fishing.   There is also a golf course here but I didn't see anyone using it.  There are also lots of permanent cabins many which have started out as large caravans & had large additions so much so that it is hard to see the van anymore.  Many of them have nice gardens & patio areas with BBQ's etc.  A couple even had extractor fans over their barbies!  I guess they are just weekenders as most were deserted.  We had a lazy afternoon as the temperature was in the 30's  much too hot to do anything active.  My e-reader is very handy though I think Stu sometimes  regrets buying it as I become too engrossed.

Lake Burrendong

Checking GPS

 

Next morning we take an early morning walk to a lookout over the lake, then after morning tea decide to cycle to a nearby arboretum, about 8 kms.  It was extremely hot & sometimes quite hilly so I personally was glad to get back to the van.  It was quite interesting though I think it has seen better days, & unlike QLD hasn't seen rain for some time.  They did however have a rather nice fernery with an amazing shade cover made from natural brush.  Would like to copy it at home. 
After lunch & some relaxation Stu thought we should walk down to the lake itself - quite a long way downhill so obviously the same to come back up .  Not keen I suggested driving but Stu still had lots of energy so off we set on shanks pony.  We didn't go far when we realised we were on a no exit road, but there was bush which looked as if it would lead down to the lake, so Stu took the lead.  I might tell you we were both in jandals with our swimwear in a backpack & it soon became obvious that this was not a good idea.  There were little cacti hidden all through the weeds & it was bad enough to step on one, but when you tried to pull it off it then stuck in your hand - just great!  Apart from that it was all shale rock & most uncomfortable & slippery.  Somehow we managed to get to the bottom of the slope, then had to cross a bit of a swampy area, then more shale right along the foreshore.  Eventually we reached 'the beach' area where all the ski boats launched & there was no way either of us would consider swimming in that water.  We saw two fishermen with two  very large European carp who explained to us that there used to be thousands of Murray Cod, Silver Perch, Yellow Belly & Redfin.  Unfortunately the Carp have taken over & it's rare to catch anything decent so the fishermen just leave the Carp on the foreshore for the birds.  They are fun to catch but that's all so they just leave them rotting on the foreshore - yuk!    Of course we still had to get back to camp & yes, it was all uphill & so, so hot but at least it was on a sealed road with no cacti!  So although the lake looked lovely from a distance it failed miserably close up.  I guess when you live so far from the sea or decent rivers it is better than nothing but makes us realise how lucky we are at home.

Fern Gully at Arboretum

Sunset from campsite