Maybe Coopernook 2013

Going to be a big days drive today, over 350k to home so I left Gunnedah a bit before 8am. Traveling on the Oxley Hwy, made my first stop at Tamworth information centre but being to early to be open continued a little further to the first rest area I came across.
At another time, I intend to spend a few days in Tamworth to check out places like Nundle and Bendemeer.

My next stop was on the Great Dividing Range, it was really bloody cold at 7 degrees so the hot cuppa was a welcome morning tea break while Ruby took her time wandering around. This spot would be great for a free overnight camp as it is a good distance off the road and a stand of trees separates the road and the camp site.


For more than the next hour the road was winding, I took my time as usual but with more care on the bends. As its Sunday, there are many bikers testing their skills on the hairpin bends.  Its a shame they don't know that double lines mean 'do not cross'.

                       



For young learner drivers this would be a real challenge of concentration to hone their skills.

Finally made Wauchope and took a right turn for the short cut to the freeway toward Kew and then another executive decision made by turning into Coopernook state forest. One or two days here will top off my holiday. There is a young female camper nearby, by the name of Amanda, very well set up with 2 small dogs for company.

A lot of work has been happening around the old house, all the vines have been removed and the water tank is exposed.  Its a shame the workers have removed the pipe from the house roof to the tank, there will be no topping up the tank with fresh rain water any more. 

                                     


The fabulous Elkhorn are still in the old Jacaranda tree.

 

                                       



And my fire, made in the old can that was left by campers at Burren Junction and with a bucket full of logs given to me by the lovely couple who kindly shared their TV for the State of Origin match.   
We had an outdoor theater with 2 fires blazing to keep the cold away. John and Netti came from Avalon Beach NSW.

                                   
 

I asked Nicki if she was interested in coming up for a few days to try out our her caravan. As she was happy too, I left my caravan on site and made a quick trip home on Wednesday to pick up Nicki and return the next day. 

                    


Another fabulous sunset enjoyed by all.

A bit of practice with the damper and vol la ! cooked and shared around Carolyn and her husband Ian's campfire with Nicki, Amanda and myself, eaten with lashings of butter and golden syrup Mmmm......

I stayed for 11 days all up at Coopernook and enjoyed it as much as last time. I've almost set a new record, being away from home shy of 4 days of the full month this time.

Another fabulous trip ended and looking forward to the next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gunnedah stop over 2013

Driving along I'm mesmerized by the vastness of the open plains to Narrabri then watching Mount Kaputar National Park to my left

                    

ever increasing in size, then onward to Boggagri where the ever changing landscape becomes hilly. Reaching Gunnedah late afternoon I receive directions to the showground for a relatively cheap stop over for $15 with power. I look forward to seeing more of this interesting town tomorrow.

I had the best sleep last night, only hearing one train sometime early this morning, took me back to my childhood when we stayed over at my grandparents who had their home near the railway line at Mulgrave near Richmond.

I've spotted a vacated concrete slab skirting the fence and will move kit and caboodle to that position before I start my tour of this lovely town. When the rain does come I wont worry so much. A limit of 3 nights stay here in the show ground, which is really a closed off area beside the show grounds, that suits me fine.
The rain arrived later in the afternoon, quite heavy at times during the night with thunder early Saturday morning before the sun broke through by mid morning.

                            
            

Took a chance on Harvey Norman to help me out with my dead Fuji battery and sure enough assistance came with a Fuji charger found in a box so I left the battery to charge for a few hours while I toured the town.   So this is the capital of Koalas, boasting they have the most healthy and numerous Koalas here,  the map shows where they are, not that I could spot them. The first lookout I drove up was called "Pensioners Hill" and was called this as during 1890's and the 1930 depression, destitute families and swaggies lived in tents and humpies on the hill.  
     
                          

It now boasts beautiful sandstone sculptures.

                                                 
              
The town itself it really quite large and all the roads seem very wide in the greater area of Gunnedah.

                          


Author Dorothea Mackellar of the poem "My Country" lived here. You know the one...

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping planes,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

There is much to see here.....

The Liverpool Ranges in the distance, that's the direction I'll be traveling tomorrow morning, through Tamworth, Walcha, Wauchope and on to home. I may need another stop over?

 

Start the leisurely return home 2013

 Still catching up....

I enjoyed Lightning Ridge so much I would like to come back some day but not so long as was the last time (about 35 years ago) Of what I remember, its still the same dirt mounds and bloody big holes in the ground.
On leaving town at a slow pace, first a little shopping to stock up on stores but what's this! the whole main street has no power. The IGA store was having solar power installed, there was some kind of accident with one man taken to the local hospital, with not too serious injuries.  Picked up a few items at the garage and headed out, cruising along in mid afternoon I came across many sheep on the road near the very tall metal statue of an Emu.

Across the road from here there is a free camp site, about 14ks out of town.

I have decided to return to Burren Junction for a few days (I think I've become a bore bath junkie) this time staying on the Tamilaroi Hwy to Narrabri and onto Gunnedah, I'll take a closer look at Wee Waa on my way through.

I spotted this Mob of Emu (I asked google what to call them) in the bush near the road. When I got out of the car to take a photo they turned to walk away so I got Ruby out, when they seen her they turned toward us for a closer inspection of the little brown hairy thing. Ruby gave a little chase, then the boss of the group turned (on the right of the picture) flapped his feathers and turned toward her, well, did she take off in the other direction. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, just the funniest thing to see.... 

 
Eventually arrived back at Burren Junction, rain is expected tomorrow. There are still just as many caravan/rv's here as before with a count of no less than 6 single female travelers enjoying the free camp.

 

 

How about this for a storm, heading our way...
                         

                                  


Mud, mud everywhere, well the red dirt is ok but don't wander onto the brown stuff or you will grow an inch or two with the stuff stuck on your shoes. It dries out really quickly but there is another storm expected on Friday so I'm out of here Thursday afternoon with not a clue to where I'll make my next camp, just know I want to see Gunnedah.  

My time at Lightning Ridge 2013

A catch up of days past

After my first night here I figured it to be in my best interest to book for another two nights so the grand total is $128 for 4 nights, I also will do a clothes wash and dry for $6.

I'm reviewing all the information I received from the information centre.  There are self drives or tours that will pick up from the gates of the caravan park. The park office girls say they will look after Ruby in a spot behind the counter for the duration of the tour if I choose to go that way. The tours are called 'car door tours' with actual coloured car doors at the entrance to each tour and with the map from the information centre to explain and educate along the way, off I go.
                      

                                                 
On the green door tour I came to the highest point in Lightning Ridge, the best spot, the map tells me, to view magnificent sunsets. Being here to early for the sunset I enjoyed the lovely warmth of the day, this shot taken looking south west over the Coocoran Opal fields, I was standing near the first shaft dug in the area in 1815.
                      


A bazar relic of a house made from aluminum cans, ah! what
patients the builder had. The sign says the owner still resides nearby. 
No matter where you go outside of town you see all round what looks like dilapidated humpies made from scrap metal and corrugated iron, old caravans with poorly made additions and extensions surrounded by piles metal, disused cars, car parts and trucks scattered here and there with mounds and mounds of dirt dug from the miners shafts. Gives the feeling of hopelessness.
                         

But how do they live in these shambles, unless the outsider is deceived by the exterior look of the places. I hear some miners
choose to vacate the area for the summer months for a climate change , maybe they own lavish homes away from this dust bowl.
The mind boggles! why would they stay if they didn't reap reward from their hard work. I've spoken to a couple of locals, they are a happy go lucky bunch but they don't let on to what they have found in the way of Opal, only what they would like to find.

                              
        
And how about this beautiful bark, so amazing, I've never see a tree like it.

Got my days mixed up, was here longer than I thought. Anyway to continue I did my bit of fossicking, it was really peaceful listening to the birds and a warm breeze, I actually had a nana nap on the little stool I took with me, here with my bucket and spade.
  
                                            
               

This sign says it all,

                              
  

                       Should say noodle napping !!!

One of the many bloody deep holes around the place.

Spent some time in the local cemetery and many nights at the bore baths after which I went directly to the lovely showers of the caravan park. The baths are a fabulous place to hang out and talk to the locals.

This time out the only thing I've left behind is the charger for my little camera. I quite like having it on the ready in my pocket so I am missing it now that the battery has died.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last leg to destination 2013

Before leaving Burren Junction I noticed this Spoon Bill looking for breakfast.

                         
 
 

I drove out at 10.30 and headed toward Walgett along the Kamilaroi Hwy, the turn off to Lightning Ridge is before Walgett so didn’t get to see that town.  

The roads are so darned straight out here you can see kls ahead and at last the view is fantastic, a wide vista of open space and in the distance I see blue sky through the distance trees with a simmering water mirage in front.  I passed 2 fox feeding on road kill and many emu on the left side in the bush.  Only half dozen drops of rain fell on the windscreen, looks like they need a decent downpour for their crops.
 

The view while driving

 

Feeling really tired I headed for the Opal Caravan Park, this one is nearest to the bore baths so I splashed out with two days stay for $32 per night. A little bit of luxury needed after 5 free nights. The place is living up to its reputation; I’d heard very good information about the Opal from many people. They have an open fire,

 

                                      


that won me over but then the bore baths is also just a walk across the road.  The showers are huge, all with shower screens within the individual shower areas, never seen that before. Ruby and I enjoyed sitting around the fire and listening to the earthy voices of the local singer/guitarist this afternoon. I’m still feeling a bit drained so did a quick shop in town while getting my bearings of the place. Tomorrow I’ll visit the information centre.

                          

To Burren Junction 2013

I'm never really happy to pack up and move on, especially when its bloody cold out. Finally thought I was ready to go when I realized I hadn't put the top down, Luckily, I have my process of elimination to go thru so that saves any accidental forgetfulness. Sometimes I envoy married couples as they have two brains to bounce things between to jog their memories.

Arrived at Coonabarabran around 10.30 and made the decision to take a northerly drive to Narrabri on the Newell Hwy and give Coonamble the flick, my thinking being it might be warmer in that direction. Narrabri's information centre and their staff are A1 and the town is a bustling hub. I parked in a side street just off the mail shopping area and on foot with Ruby in tow I sort out the fresh bread shop then had lunch in the caravan with a hot cuppa.  

From here off the main road to Wee Waa I turned off the see the Australian Telescope Compact Array. There are 5 here in this photo and another one 5kls up the track.



I was lucky to see them move position while having another cuppa, Amazing!!!

Beautiful landscapes of greenery and dark brown soil seen on this mostly straight road from Narabri to Wee Waa. I passed 2 windmill and lots of cotton strewn on both sides of the road.  Drove through Wee Waa and can't remember to much about it, possibly busy looking for the signs to Burren Junction. When I arrived I don't know why but I though the bore baths reserve was on the other side of the town so I passed the entrance even though I could see at lease 20 caravans spread out across a large area. Anyway I found there is not much in Burren Junction. On returning to the reserve and finding a spot I again practiced reversing, wondering what other campers thought as the space was wide enough for a road train ha ha ha

                                                                  Girdle of Venus
The colours of the sky and a 360deg beautifully spectacular sunset. Later, as I had already looked up "Heavens Above" for the time of the International Space Station's fly pass and speaking to a group of campers we gathered at 6.25 to spot it. It was brighter than I expected, that would be possibly due to the darker sky's here so next Wednesday will be even better at -3.2.

The Inverter is beeping now, the laptop has been running for about 3 hours.  Its warm in here with the gas heater running (not if I'm in bed though) I heed the warnings and wouldn't be so silly to run it during the night, not that I need to because its really toasty under the doona's. So the battery has made my decision to stay tomorrow and set up the solar for the boost it needs, then I'll make the final leg to Lightning Ridge. Now I'm thinking "how do you get your clobber off to enter the Bore Baths" to cold to make a dash from the caravan?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merriwah 2013

Finally, all's  ready at Raymond Terrace, took a few hours to do the work but on the road now. I don't recall the New England Hwy being so busy in the middle of the day, the population explosion in Newcastle is amazing. 

                               This lovely old home is on the Hunter river

I was again toying with which way to travel, toward Quirindi then Gunnedah or Coonabarabran and Coonamble, as I neared the Golden Hwy I eventually turned left so my first stop would be Merriwah. Ah! that wonderful town brings back memories as I drive past the motel. A few years back I received a distress call from a friend Dave, he and his lovely wife had broken down on their Christmas trip to Victoria and was in need of a lift back home as the repair to their car would take many days. It was a 3 1/2 hour trip out to pick them up, was my Christmas present to them.

Pulling into the park (pretending to be a Caravan park) at the end of town, I practiced reversing as there was no one around and plenty of room. Shortly the park managers arrived, I entered the doorway where she was filling in the payment sheet, I explained I needed no power or shower this evening, ok she says, that'll be $20 thanks. What! no way, I turned tail pretty quickly and headed out of town toward Cassillis. But bugger! the petrol light comes on! I have two bars left and I have at least another 40ks to Cassillis. I refuse to turn around so continue on hoping the gauge is incorrect.  The Cassillis War Memorial Park is adjacent to the Bowling club and made my inquiry in the club for a site for the night, once again saying no power needed. To my surprise the cost was nil and was offered a hot shower to boot! In repayment for the hospitality I returned to the club for dinner. My first night was a warm one, I first warmed up with the gas heater for an hour or two before snuggling under the feather doona reading about the first settlers of Aus. Mighty cold out in the morning though, ice on the ground and on the car. I ran both gas burners on the stove as well as the heater until the morning sun melted the ice.

                    

                                                   Close up of the ice on my car

                    

                                      Little Ruby keeping warm

There is no petrol in Cassillis and the closest garage is in Coolah. Mmmm, no phone coverage here either, it would be silly of me to travel further so I find out there is a store/police station in the little town. I'm given the direct NRMA number at Coolah (this seems to happen often here) and in half an hour he arrives with 20ltrs of petrol and I'm on my way again with lesson learnt...toward Coolah

                    
 
              I'm sure they moved the Black Stump, It's before the turn off to Binnaway now?

then onto Binnaway to the Pumphouse caravan camp area on the edge of the Castlereagh river. There is one caravan parked here with 3 well behaved dogs. The area is large enough though only room for 7 powered sites, feeding a few dollars into the box allows for the power, the same goes for the hot shower. Plenty of non powered sites also. This is a fabulous way to welcome travelers as the signs says "enjoy" more than once. The fan heater will be running as soon as the sun goes down with the telly set up ready to go, I'm looking forward to a relaxing wind down this afternoon and tonight.
                             
 

                                         Found a friend on my walk to the shops

I have to say I really do enjoy driving thru the country side, just amazing peacefulness surrounds the view and slipping along at around 80kls give time to reflect on its beauty.

                    


                                      The Castlereagh River
I've just watched the last slithers of sun sink behind the hills and to top off the day I might brave a few minutes outside in the dark to check on the Milky Way.
 

Lightning Ridge 2013

Its actually the 4th Thursday afternoon, I just noticed the date being incorrect. 

Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them. 

The rain hung around all of June, It seems as if it never went away since I returned from Coopernook. Today though, is the second full day of sunshine with the temp rising to 22deg this afternoon and I'm happily packing the last of my gear in the car and caravan for my trip to Lightning Ridge.

First thing tomorrow at 8.30am the caravan is booked in at Custom Caravans Raymond Terrace for another external door to be fitted, for under the front seating area, I've found these external doors a fabulous idea and are worth the money spent.  The picnic table I ordered on the net and delivered the very next day will be attached to the side of the caravan and with the de flappers, the attachments will be screwed into the wall and with a couple of large holes for the other end of the de flapper in the roller, then there is the rope tracks to be riveted to the other side of the caravan so I can hang my home made very green en suite and lastly I hope they have time to check the broken front leg of the van, I'm told the boys knock off at 2pm on Fridays. 

It's sometimes hard not having a man around to do fiddly jobs, it can be costly but hey what can I do.
  
I expect Ruby and I will be hanging around Raymond Terrace for a few hours, maybe then as the time passes I can gauge what distance I can travel before sunset and decide where to camp for our first night. I'm really hoping to get out around or past Denman but we will see how long it takes to finish the job.

I've a few neighbors looking out for the home while I'm away so that puts me at ease. Karen wont have to worry about my mail as  bills are all paid thru the bank now. The rest is only junk mail.