12TH MARCH 2013 – DUBBO TO BROKEN HILL

Another free rest area night called ‘Mac’s Reserve’ which is quite large & further from the road. There is only one other van when we arrive so we get the chance to choose a good spot. By early evening there are 7 vans. Some of them light small fires which we can’t understand being in such a dry area surrounded by scrub & trees, but there is evidence that it is the common thing to do. Who needs it anyway when it is so hot.

We have travelled the Mitchell Highway through the small towns of Narromine, then another 115kms to Nyngen, & and onto the Barrier Highway. It is still agricultural country, very flat, probably wheat country judging by the bleached stubble in the paddocks. There is huge grain storage by the railway lines ready for transport. The highway is quiet so I begin to look at road signs as we go along. The funny ones today are “Bumblebox Lane’ & a place called ‘Nevertire’. Another sign also informs us that we are now officially in the outback. Driving is a bit harder for Stu as we have a head wind which is no doubt increasing our diesel useage as well. It is very obvious the lack of speeding drivers here & because the roads are so long & flat it must be quite tempting. The only wildlife we see are groups of feral goats which farmers tried to eradicate many years ago. However today they are allowed to breed as goat meat is low in fat & cholesterol so they are mustered & sent to abbatoirs. . Even though the surroundings are becoming quite a bore there is a real sense of freedom being so far out in the backblocks & away from the hustle & bustle. Incidentally there are occasional emergency phones by the highway which is quite reassuring.

Gold Mine at Cobar

Onward to Broken Hill

Our lunchstop is 120kms before the township of Cobar, a town rich in mining history. Copper was discovered here in 1869 & became a magnet for Cornish miners so even today there are many Cornish surnames in the area. Large deposits of gold, silver, zinc & lead were later found & mining continues today despite many closures over the decades. We took the time to go to a lookout to view the large opencast gold mine not unlike Waihi. It has recently started underground mining again. There are many lovely old heritage listed buildings dating back to the 1860’s & 70’s.

Next township will be Wilcannia in another 300kms . For the first time we have a kangaroo leap out in front of us – there are the occasional signs reminding motorists to watch for this occurrence but it is still a surprise. Thanks to the quick reactions of  me calling 'whoa' & Stu  reacting too, we managed to avoid it. 

 

We are now in the Central Darling Shire named from the Darling River which flows from Bourke all the way to Wentworth in lower NSW near the Victorian border. Someone with a quirky sense of humour has decorated some trees by the roadside, one with caps & hats, one with shoes & socks, & one with underwear. Does break the boredom a little & give one a smile. We finally see some hills, the McCulloch Ranges. There are now lots of road kill (roos), probably caused by the large trucks thundering through during the night. Several we saw today held HUGE mining equipment. Lots of emus now evident in groups of 10 or more. We finally reach Wilcannia & have to stop for fuel – price now $1.73. It’s only a small place, mostly aboriginals I would say, & has certainly seen better days. A group of them were sitting on the roadside shouting at each other & it makes me feel rather sad seeing the children & wondering what sort of future they have. There are lots of large ‘station' properties but all it’s possible to see are the letterboxes – the houses could be many, many kms away out of sight down the red dirt roads. Yet again a free rest area for the night & the hottest night of all – 32deg at 10pm! We didn’t think we’d sleep but after a nice cold shower to refresh us we managed to drop off. We leave at 8.45am for our last leg to Broken Hill which we reach at 3pm to seek out a caravan park for two nights. The first one we approach is weird with a sign saying ' no-one is here due to a bereavement so just choose a site & call a phone number.'   Upon driving in we site the ‘swimming pool’ – more like a sludge tank- & the whole thing is totally run down. Naturally we drive off. It’s not too difficult to find another one close by which is fine. Once again we are in quite early but the park fills up consideringly by the end of the day. One of our ‘neighbours’ sees our QLD number plate & figuring that’s where we are from strikes up conversation. A nice couple about our age, similar circumstances, who have sold up & living permanently on the road. Like many others have left QLD to get away from the wet.

11th MARCH 2013 - DUBBO, NSW

25deg at 9am on leaving Lake Burrendong for Dubbo via Wellington.  Named after the Duke of Wellington it is a pleasant little town with lovely buildings & park.  It is bounded by the Bell River which adds to its charm.  Journeying on through sheep country with rolling hills till we reach Dubbo, a go ahead city with wide streets which show off the fine colonial buildings as well as modern structures which are evidence of its recent growth.  The site for Dubbo was decided in the 1840's   beside the Macquarie River & became a stopping place for mobs being driven south to Victorian Markets. 

It's time to stay in a caravan park to refill with water & do washing etc, & find that the one chosen is cheaper than expected ($27) & it even has a pool.  Stuart needs to  buy two new batteries for the van - one has a failed cell & that has affected the second one as they were run in tandem.  He has now changed the system to run one at a time & we need power to charge them both up.  While he is away I have time to do my chores  & relax with my e-book as it's too hot to do much else.  Our plan is to vacate the park next morning .

Just out of the city is the Taronga Western Plains Zoo which is the first open range zoo established in Australia .  It is some years since we have visited a zoo & probably wouldn't bother, but this one is different in that it is possible to cycle right around it, approximately 6kms or more if you follow all the extra tracks, & we feel the exercise will be good for us.  However the big attraction for me is that it's possible to handfeed the giraffes (my favourite African animal) although not touch them.  Apparently they are not keen on that.   For a extra fee it was also possible to feed the Sumatran tiger but that's definitely not my scene.  Anyway we arrived at 89am on the dot trying to beat the heat.  It proves to be well worth the visit - there are no high fences & the country is so like Africa in the dry of summer, so the animals all look quite at home & so close - great for photos. There were talks by young lady zoo keepers who were really great & so knowledgeable, especially the one with the Meerkats - she could name & identify every one of them (about 18).  They are amazing little creatures with the breeding female getting pregnant again just a matter of weeks after her last litter  of 3 or 4 pups (or should that be kits???)  Actually they are related to the mongoose so I'm not sure what I should call them.   Unlike rabbits there is only one breeding female in each group & she stops breeding when the group is getting too large. Sounds sensible to me.
The highlight is definitely feeding the giraffes who are really greedy for carrots & so funny with their long........... blue tongues.  Stuart took photos so I have the proof.  The next highlight was being so close to a very large, very old  Galapagos tortoise that I was able to gaze right into it's rheumy old eyes which looked so sad & wise.  In an area on it's own was a hatchling of 3 years old which is the first bred here.  It was the opposite extreme - so small it was hard to imagine it ever growing to the size of the other one & so cute to watch it in it's tiny basin of water trying to eat it's greens.  All in all a most enjoyable morning but we were happy to leave & get out of the heat by lunchtime. 

Black Rhino

Aren't I Cute.

A dream come true



The face of wisdom

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

7TH MARCH 2013 - COONABARABRAN, NSW

Burnt out Warrambumgles
 

Observatory at Warrambungles
 

Stayed in freebie again last night with 2 vans, multiple trucks, very noisy again.  Lots of roadworks & holdups, & lots of roadtrains on the road today so lots of pulling over to let them pass.   Beautiful clear blue skies again - aren't we lucky?  We arrive at Coonabarabran which is the Astronomy Capital of  Australia due to the fact that the skies are so clear in this area.  There is a large observatory on top of the Warrumbungles National Park (meaning 'crooked mountains) ,  so we head for the Info centre to check whether we can visit it and the park itself.   It has  been recommended to us - lovely rock formations & 19 different species of parrots plus lots of wildlife like koalas, eastern grey kangaroos, wallaroos & emus.  Unfortunately the whole park  was burned out by bushfires in January, but a young lady at the Info informed us that the road was open as far as the entrance and the view of the rock formations was good because there was no bush to block it.  As usual we checked   that it was suitable to take the van & the answer was to the affirmative.  A pleasant enough drive out despite the site of many burnt trees & a few burnt out buildings (they looked like they may have been pretty old & basic), but on the positive side there were lots of houses which had escaped unscathed even though there were burnt trees right beside them. Luckily the observatory escaped practically unscathed too &  amazingly, even though the fire was in January, most trees were already starting to sprout new branches, especially the Eucalypts which are very tough (like the Aussies themselves).   Anyway we arrived at the end of the road to find a barrier -  fine - but the road was so narrow & ditches both sides & here were we with a large caravan to turn round???   Stu has now faced his worst nightmare but after thinking about it,  jack-knifed the caravan, then decided to unhook the van & try to squeeze the landcruiser out somehow & then hook up again.  Success!  I can tell you we were a little concerned for a short time.  If we had time we would have gone back to the I- centre to suggest they check their facts before giving out assurances, but we were limited for time in order to reach our next destination & meet our Sydney friends there.

 WOLLEMI NATIONAL PARK  -

 This National Park covers nearly 500,000 hectares & is the 2nd largest park in NSW.  Dunns' Swamp or Ganguddy as the aboriginal people know it, is formed by the trapped waters of Kandos Weir which was built in the late 1920's when the Cudgegong River was dammed to provide water for the Kandos Cement Works 25 kms away.   We arrive about 3.30pm & our friends & some other caravans, campers etc are there but being a Thursday not too busy.  Although very hot there are  lots of trees & shady camp spots, ours  a lovely large one.  I know I am going to love this place even before I explore it.  After a nice cuppa we do a familiarisation stroll down to the beautiful lake/dam which was tranquil & still with a few kayakers paddling around.  Would love to have had ours with us.  We were visited by a few birds & a wallaby before we had dinner & the four of us chatted & caught up from our last trip till it was time for a good nights sleep with NO road trains.  Temperature down to 14deg in the van which helped too.

The Long Cave
 

Breakfast about 7.30am outside with tiny birds flitting round us, then walking tracks to explore before it gets too hot.  Wonderful rock formations, some called Pagoda Rocks for their interesting shape, beautiful views of the river & weir from the high ones.  A picnic lunch was a welcome relief in the shade as it got hotter.  At one stage from a high platform we heard Lyre Birds - very vocal as it is nearing their mating season.  When we reached the weir itself Stu amazingly spotted a platypus, not in the water but climbing down the side of the weir.  Unfortunately it was too far away to photograph but we watched it till it reached the river again.  After 3 hours of walking  we headed back to camp for a break from the heat, so just relaxed for a couple of hours.  About 4pm there was one more track to do which proved to be longer than planned & took us right around the end of the lake to the other side where we could watch people from the camp swimming kayaking & relaxing.
All in all a wonderful start to our travels & we are feeling much more relaxed.

Saturday 9th March.

Look at me!

Dunns Swamp

14deg in van again first thing in the morning, but it's not long before it warms up.  Left Wollemi 8.30am through lovely countryside with mountain views & amazing rocks.  It is very cold in this area during winter thus the cherry orchards though of course they are not producing now (boo hoo).  Lots of big hills to climb with van now that we are in Mid Western NSW.  There are quite a lot of lovely old stone churches as it is a very historic area.  Again we have cloudless blue skies & the roads are quiet.   Bathhurst is one of the big towns we pass through, & you will no doubt connect it with autoracing.  Actually it's probably a city & a very old historic one at that, with mountain scenery & very cold in winter.  We stopped for lunch & did some txting & e/mailing while we had connections.

The next town was Orange similar to Bathurst but smaller.  However there seemed to be a lot of new subdivisions on the edge of town so obviously it is expanding.

WEDNESDAY 6TH MARCH - GOONDAWINDI QLD/NSW BORDER

Woke to a beautiful blue sky morning & on the road by 8.15.  The morning chorus of cockatoos, galahs & choughs had woken us early anyway, and when you are in a roadside area there is nothing to linger for.  Long straight roads are the order of the day with paddocks of stubble of some crop or other.   There is still water up to the sides of the road in places but nothing to worry us thank goodness.  By 9am we arrive at the large town of Goondawindi which is the bordertown between Queensland & NSW.  It's a lovely town with big wide roads as are so many of these old heritage ones.  Here we have to adjust our clocks by an hour.  As on our last visit we smile at the amusing names of both places & things, like 'The Wobbly Boot Hotel' in the very small village of Boggabilla.  The driving is very good over here & it's easy to see why when you see signs informing you of fines of up to $1380 & loss of licence for speeding.  Traffic is now mostly big rigs (or road trains), fortunately going in the opposing direction, but we did get a call on the CB radio from one truckie going our way, just telling us he was there & would pass us when there was a gap - very polite.  Stu has begun his Aussie handwave again to caravans coming towards us though it's not so prevalent as when we travelled up through Northern Territory etc last time.  No where so many caravans either at this point.    Lots of sunflowers roadside just before Moree where we stop for lunch where it is 32deg.

5TH MARCH 2013  -  LANDSBOROUGH, SUNSHINE COAST QUEENSLAND
 

Finally hit the road from Landsborough at 10am in the rain, we turn  inland through winding native forest roads, with great views of the Glasshouse Mountains which unfortunately I  couldn't stop to photograph.  Later the surroundings became lush cattle country & we are always amused to see the white egrets in large numbers either eating insects off the backs of the cattle or hovering around their feet waiting for them to stir up luscious morsels.  Passing through Kilcoy, a tiny little country town in the Somerset region which changes to  rolling hills & sheep country.  There is still evidence of washed out rivers & closed roads, though the latter did not apply to our route.  The temperature soon rises to 29deg as we climb the hills & finally see two other caravans.  Roadworks become numerous which isn't surprising given the floods they have had.   Our lunchstop was in a lovely little town called Pittsworth with beautiful paved streets so we took the opportunity to purchase meat in a  small town butcher shop who called themselves the 'sausage kings' with varieties I have never heard of before.  They did prove to be very tasty.  Passing over the Condamine River it was obvious how high the water had been & many of the crops were adversely effected.  We were not sure what those were but discovered that it was grain country including birdseed of all things.  By 3.30pm we were pleased to stop at a free roadside rest area for the night which had lots of roadtrains arrive throughout  the hours of darkness.  We were obviously rather tired as we still managed to sleep quite well.

JOINING THE GREY NOMADS - EDITION II  -  2013

26th February 2013 - Brisbane Queensland

 '
"Here we are again, Happy as can be!"

Can't believes it was August 2011 we left our Aussie home on wheels, so much has happened since
with the building of our new home & workng hard to landscape etc before we could escape  - .
In some respect hard to leave it all behind, but adventure & a change of scene calls.

The weather was of course brilliant on arrival in Brisbane on 25th February - NOT!   It's been rain, rain, rain almost continously. Luckily we were collected  at the airport by friends who have recently moved here from Sydney, so it was nice to spend a night with them & their two delightful children.  Took the train next morning to Landsborough  just an hour away,  where my son Trevor met us.  We were  lucky to have a window of opportunity to take the cover off the caravan  & service the landcruiser etc next day.   All was well with both thanks to the care of  Trevor.  It was nice to see my three grandchildren  - it's amazing how they grow up in just 18/12's, so it's always nice to get reacquainted. 

Finally after a week we have woken to sunshine & a hot breeze, so good for packing up the van ready to hit the road tomorrow.  Roadwise things are not great here due to the floods, so we have had to adjust our initial route a little to avoid any problems. Our plan is to head inland from the Sunshine Coast in QLD down through northern NSW for a couple of days where we will meet up with some friends from Sydney in their campervan in a National Park.