Day 1 – Wednesday 5 June – Home to Albury - 327 km
After last minute packing, switching off of appliances, and locking all things that need to be locked, we took a deep breath and moved away from home around 9:45 am.
The NEW car and UPGRADED caravan were ready to go. Shirley had visited the hairdresser. (Grand-daughter) Riley had cut mine. The fuel tank was full. We have a GPS tracker in both the car and the caravan. That could be interesting......
The check-list had been rechecked and deemed 'ticked'. However it failed. The keys to the locked sheds (for friends and family to access) were still in my pocket when we stopped for morning coffee. They were not in the secret location at home.
Our first stop was at the weigh station in Epping to ensure that we were compliant with load limits. We were. Shirley regretted not packing more shoes.
The forecast along our route suggested that it would be cloudy with a top temperature around 14 degrees C. It was.
After a morning stop for coffee and a lunch break we crossed the NSW border - without fanfare - and booked into the Discovery NSW Lake Hume park. We were within photo distance of the spillway.
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| Lake Hume Spillway, from the NSW side |
We set up camp. Then coffee. Then relaxation. Then dinner. Then ...........
Day 2 – Thursday 6 June – Albury
I was ready for a rare day-one-sunrise-over-water photo, but the clouds thwarted my enthusiasm.
After breakfast I scored a few bird photos, a female Blue Wren being one of them (below right).
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| Tiddalick the Dreamtime Frog |
We then followed a 2.75 km track around the numerous lagoons. This was the first decent walk for the new hip for this trip, without any ill effects. We visited a couple of bird hides and took a few photos. The bird hides were made from old shipping containers and were lovely and warm.
It was then off to the Harris Farm Markets for a mouth watering experience at buying food. You have to see it to understand it. Fully recommended. Our fruit & vegie cupboard is now fully stocked. We resisted the cheeses, the processed meats and the many other tasty delights.
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| Albury War Memorial |
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| A Cockatoo sculpture that also serves as a climbing structure and a slide |
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| A reminder of the role of migrants at Bonegilla |
As the sun dropped the 19 degree day disappeared, so we moved indoors. And that was it for the day.
Today’s snippet of trivia is to learn that fish generally do not like to
swim through a round pipe. So fish-caring councils install rectangular pipes
under roads where fish are liable to transit. The Albury shire council has a
plan to replace round pipes where it is deemed necessary.
Day 3 – Friday 7 June – Lake Hume to Wyangala Dam - 395 km
It was a magnificent start to the day as I walked to the water’s edge,
did some exercises and waited for the sun to appear. It was crisp, but
not cold. I had time for a photo (or two) and a shower before Shirley
appeared.
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| Lake Hume at 7:18 am – 20 minutes before the sun rose |
It has been a long time since we last travelled in the caravan (around 8
months) so we were rusty. However an 8:45 departure was OK. The sun was
out, there was no wind, and we had ideal driving conditions.
The thermos provided coffee for morning tea at Tarcutta. A good
neighbour (from home) provided the fruit cake.
We left the Hume Motorway at Jugiong and headed north towards Cowra. The
sun gradually was replaced by clouds and looked ominous.
Lunch was pea n ham soup in the twin towns of Murrumburrah/Harden. It
was a pleasant place to catch up on history and art. The history was all about
a man and his horse, called “Bill The Bastard”, and their exploits in the
‘Great War’. It is a fascinating and heart warming story.
Click here to learn more.
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| A Memorial to ‘Bill The Bastard’ |
The art was courtesy of a painted grain silo and its adjacent building.
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| Silo Art in Murrumburrah |
We had 105 km to go for the day and it rained for the last 70 to 80 km –
then continued as we found our site at Wyangala Dam (which is over twice
the capacity of Sydney Harbour). We had some issues with “left” and “that way”,
but we soon had it sorted. I could be cooking dinner.
The ‘set-up’ weather conditions were probably our worst for 10 years, or more. I
just hope the local farmers are also getting some rain – although the
countryside looks pretty good around here. The sheep along the road today
looked in great shape.
Dinner was leftovers reheated.
The rain continued, somewhat lighter, as campfires lit up all over the
park. The rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the youngsters on the skate
board ramp.
Again, sleep was not an issue.
Day 4 – Saturday 8 June – Cowra
The day started with a pea-souper fog, until I wiped down the window.
However, there was low cloud and the sun struggled to get through. It soon did
and the start of the day looked good (like yesterday). I had a great hot shower
and Shirley was less than impressed with the cold water in the ladies showers.
A drive was the order of the day – for a change – so off to Cowra we
headed. Our first point of note was Darby’s Falls, which is notable in that it
does not have any waterfalls. Local legend has
it that Darby was the local postman who had two significant falls while
crossing the local river – the second fall costing him his life.
Into Cowra we headed and stopped to take photos of the indigenous murals under the bridge over the Lachlan River. They were impressive. Click here to see more of the murals and other art in Cowra.
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Above & Below - Indigenous Murals under the Cowra Bridge |
A local man in the Information Centre was a wealth of knowledge and he
gave a suggested route to follow. He also told us about ‘Cowra Voices’, an App
that explains all of the local sights and history.
A coffee and a cake slowed us down slightly. Then it was off to see more art, and the historical Cowra Peace Bell.
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Above - A Wall Mural Below - A Painting of a Common Local Scene |
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| Shirley ringing the Cowra Peace Bell |
We walked around the water tanks that contained excellent murals.
Below - One Million Litre Water Tank
We visited the site of the WW2 POW camp that held Italian prisoners, some from the Australian community and some captured overseas. History indicates that there was mostly a good relationship between the guards and the prisoners. An example of this was the prisoners offering to build (the old) stone/brick building in the camp – to house electrical equipment. That building is the only remaining building from the camp. However the history is not all good news and the local community readily acknowledge that period of local history.
Click here if you wish to know more Cowra history.
Above
– A memorial to the POW camp
Below
– The sole surviving structure from the POW camp
While at the above Italian-made structure we noted an inhabitant that did not look very friendly. It was avoided.
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| A local inhabitant that we avoided |
On the way back to camp we checked out the location for tomorrow’s fireworks extravaganza and took a photo of the (yet to be lit) bonfire.
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| The Bonfire before Ignition |
A 2 km walk along the waters edge of the dam was in order – so we did.
The day was so good we relaxed in the outdoor chairs for a while. As we
headed in-doors the campfires were being restarted all over the park – this
time without rain.
Relaxation: No TV, no internet access, no mobile reception and one radio station meant that I was able to finish my second book for the trip before lights out. I have also driven around 900 km.
Day 5 – Sunday 9 June – Fireworks
The heavy fog of yesterday was replaced by low cloud, that hid most of
the surrounding hills.
After morning duties we did our exercises and went for a drive. Our first stop was the wall of Wyangala Dam. The walk across was 3 km return so we had already completed our minimum walking for the day – by 10:30 am.
Above
– The Wyangala Dam Wall
Below: A view of the dam- the arrow indicating the location of our camp site
They were apparently expecting 4000 people. I don’t think they reached
that, but who am I to judge.
A chat to a local bowls member brought us up to speed on local news. He
pointed out where people parked to avoid the gold coin entry. He was less than
impressed. However he pointed out the best spot to sit, so that we were near
the bowls bar and could see the fireworks.
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Above - Our fire-side location Below - Live Entertainment |
Live entertainment kept us entertained.
We bought a pork & gravy roll to support our soup for dinner, and settled in for the evening. The local fire authority people lit the fire on schedule and (thanks to recent rain) used some accelerant to get it going – plus a couple of blowers. We soon had a good bonfire and reaped the benefit although we were maybe 30 metres from the fire. |
| Our source of warmth |
The fireworks started on schedule and went for around 15 minutes. It lived up to its title ‘Fireworks Spectacular’. It was well worth our effort.
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Above & Below - Some Fireworks & Bonfire |
We were home in the caravan around 7:20 pm. It was an excellent night.
Day 6 – Monday 10 June – Wyangala to Dubbo - 255 km
The day started wet and was miserable for most of the drive to Dubbo. We
had a great coffee at the ‘Lime & Stone’ café in Molong.
Camp was established at Dubbo Discovery Holiday park by 12:30. Pumpkin
soup became lunch.
I decided that we needed to see the Terramungamine Rock Grooves around
14 km north of Dubbo. The ‘grooves’ are rocks that were used by local
inhabitants 2000 to 26,000 years ago to sharpen axes, hatchets and spears. I
must admit that I am not sure of the difference between an axe and a hatchet.
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| Terramungamine Rock Grooves |
While there we saw two king parrots (no photo), two kookaburras (no photo) and a large echidna.
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| A Large Echidna |
A car wash, a relax, then dinner, then bed.
Day 7 – Tuesday 11 June – Dubbo
It was 2 degrees as I headed into Dubbo to get our first service on the new car (3000 km). I was soon home courtesy of Mickie - the courtesy bus driver. Shirley was up and the (credit card powered) washing machine was in action.
Mickie picked us up around noon and we got the car back. I was astounded by the stats that are extracted from the car's computer. We headed to Bunnings for a couple of minor items - one of which never got back to the caravan. We have no idea what happened to it.
Shirley decided on a pie from the Farmer's Bakehouse for lunch. We changed clothes and had a 'Tradie Tuesday' lunch. It was excellent.
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| An excellent lunch |
Next stop was the Dubbo Gaol (which like most gaols of those days) had a checkered history.
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Above - A dubious prisoner Below - Gaol Buildings |
It was time for some relaxation and preparation for a National Park visit tomorrow - to the Warrumbungle NP.
Day 8 – Wednesday 12 June – Dubbo to Warrumbungle NP
Neither of us could remember what time we left Dubbo so we agreed that we must be in relaxation mode - particularly the driver.
Our destination was the Warrumbungle National Park, via Gulargambone. The name Gulargambone is derived from the local Wiradjuri people's word for "Watering place of many birds" or "place of galahs". As such they have a huge emphasis on the Galah in the town - via many art forms. It is a small town but well worth a visit.
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Above & Below - Examples of the Art around town |
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| A Memorial - Ghosts of Bullocks Past |
We had set up camp in Camp Blackman within the Warrumbungle NP by lunch time.
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| Kelly Camp Site |
Our first (and only for the day) was a 4 km walk to 'Tara Cave' - a place of indigenous habitation about the time the Egyptian pyramids were being built. The local area is rich in plants that were used for food, medicine and weapons by the local people. We tried none.
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| Tara Cave |
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| Walk into Tara Cave |
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Above & Below - Local Views |
By the time we had afternoon coffee it was time to decide 'fire' or 'no fire' as it was quite windy. The wind dropped enough for me to light a fire in the well-protected fireplace. Camp-oven cooked beef stew and damper was dinner - using all of our remaining veggies before we soon cross into Queensland. It was pretty good and we have enough for another meal (at least).
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| Camp-fire cooked beef stew |
Day 9 – Thursday 13 June – Warrumbungle NP
My phone indicated that it was one degree at 7 am so there was no incentive to go outside, so I did some computer tasks. By 9:30 it had jumped to 7 degrees, so the walk organiser said 'we will do our morning walk after morning coffee'.
That was agreed and we set of on the 2.5 km 'Burbie Canyon' walk first up. Although we saw no bird or animal life it was a pleasant stroll.
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Above & Below - Scenes from the Burbie Canyon walk |
That completed, we did the one km Gurianawa track - from the visitors centre. I scored a couple of birds and some interesting plant life.
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| Eastern Yellow Robin |
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| Speckled Warbler |
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| One of the views |
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| Currojong Tree |
Lunch was a rest and a bowl of pea n ham soup.
Against our better judgement we then tackled the 6.5 km 'Spirey View' walk (dont tell my 'handlers' at Donvale Rehab). This meant over 10 km for the day - but we survived - maybe thrived. It was an excellent walk with some great views.
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| A very big local resident |
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| Typical of the scenery in the Warrumbungle NP |
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| Local Flora |
As soon as we returned to camp the fire was lit and fuelled by wood donated by a departing neighbour. It became an excellent fire and heated our (leftover stew) dinner and cooked our damper and leftover apples.
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| Late afternoon coffee |
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| Apples stewing. Stew heating. Damper cooking in foil. |
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| ... red sky at night .... |
It was a great day. We were in bed, and the lights were out, by 8:30 pm.
Day 10 – Friday 14 June – Warrumbungle NP to Queensland - 485 km
In 2016 the Warrumbungle NP became the first park in the southern hemisphere to be designated as a 'Dark Sky Park'. This means that most nights are darker than most other places and the park is a great place to see the splendour of the stars. That is why this region is called the 'Astronomy Capital of Australia'.
In celebration of this fact we were up at 2:30 am to admire the skies, and we saw why the word 'splendour' is used.
We started the day just after 7am and both bodies had no adverse impact to our extended walks of yesterday.
The car was started before 8:30 am for the first time this trip and we headed into Coonabarabran, but not before I got one last photo of the Warrumbungles.
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| One of our last great views of the National Park |
188 km later we were in Narrabri where we filled up on diesel. 99 km later we were in Moree - where we had a sandwich for lunch. 123 km later we crossed the Queensland border at Goondiwindi.
*** Chapter 2 is now Complete ***
Last updated at 7 pm (NSW time) on Friday 14 June 2024