Chez T & A

6/6/2018 Wednesday It had rained most of the night.  R & R woke to the raindrops making splat like sounds on the plastic of the flies and a tick tick sound of the tin roof and glass plates of the solar panels. It was 9*C with a promise of rain all day and some storms possible by the middle of the day.  That being the case, R & R just breakfasted, waited for a break in the weather and packed everything down damp.  They popped into the office on the way out to pay as they had not done so the night before.  Many lorikeets were feeding in the tree and were a delight to watch as they darted from the branches to the ground and squabbled.  By 9:30am, RL was driving away from Clarence Town back through all that very pretty, but windy, country side to Seaham, bound for Raymond Terrace, 28kms away.  Though it was not raining the rain clouds were rising up the wooded hills as horses grazed in the very wet valley.  Many of the paddocks were covered in a yellow daisy, fireweed, which dominated over the green underneath.  From Seaham, it was only 13kms south east over the Nelson Plains where the road was subject to flooding, to Raymond Terrace.  Again, RL noticed cattle each with their own minder, an ibis.  It was misting with rain when R & R arrived in Raymond Terrace, about 10:00am, so they just picked a spot near the CBD and had a cup of coffee.  When the mist lifted they walked down town to look at the historic buildings and investigate op shops.  Nearly two hours later, R & R set off for Nelson Bay, 45kms away with a view to stopping at the information centre and picking up some maps or brochures about the area.  The road began by skirting round the eastern end of Grahamstown Lake which is a water catchment area. It was mostly, flat, heavily wooded with tall trees, and very pretty even in the grey mist and, at times, pouring rain.  R & R read the signs warning of low level military air craft flying and about a local winery and brewery.  After Salt Ash, the road was divided and double laned, interspersed with round-a-bouts that led off to several points of interest: Anna Bay, Middle Rock, Hill Lookout.  Tomaree National Park flanked both sides of the road.  When R & R drove past the information centre they were surprise to find little parking, even though A had warned them, and what parking was available was ticketed or not suitable for caravans.  RL drove along the foreshore.  They saw all the boats moored and could smell sea air, a novelty for having been inland for a few weeks.  They ended up just stopping in a nearby park and having lunch before heading to T & A’s home in Salamander Bay.  To clarify – T is RA’s cousin and A is her husband.  RL drove along Foreshore Drive which was an interesting surprise as there was a very low lying section, Mambo Wetlands, which had mangrove and where the water flowed directly under the road from the sea to the wetland area.  A wall built up on the side of the road protected it from being flooded too often.  It was raining and, apparently, it had rained and stormed heavily in the area for several days.  A ship had lost about 80 containers at sea along the Central New South Wales coast during one of the storms, on 1st June, and debris had been washing up on the beaches.  T was waiting on the street to indicate where RL should park the camper and greetings all round were warm.  R & R chatted with T & A over a cup of coffee for a couple of hours and then, in a break in the weather about 3:00pm, brought what they needed up from the Ute.  A showed them the camper unit he had made for the back of his Landover. RA was most impressed at how he had managed to think of everything and fit it all in, especially his ingenious indoor shower which just packed away to nothing.  Everyone chatted while A cooked the roast on his home made BBQ and T sorted the vegetables.  There was a great deal more chatting, especially about campers, camping, and places they had all been before it was agreed that bed time had arrived.  R & R’s daughter, S, rang, so RA chatted to her for a while.  RA loved the whole idea of sleeping in a comfy bed in unit like accommodation downstairs looking out over the bay … but the real coffee she had consumed after dinner had her feeling quite alert.

7/6/2018 Thursday R & R slept well and warm despite the late coffee and were out of bed for coffee at 6:45am where they read and wrote quietly for a while before breakfast at 7:00am.  The sun played delightfully on the water in the bay down below the trees.  They went upstairs to join T & A with coffee before chatting on the balcony where lorikeets, butcher birds and minors all rested a while.  About 9:30am they all put walking shoes on and went down the stairs to the street to put the camper up to allow it to air out.  Then they all set off to walk along the track around Wanda Head, along Wanda Beach and as far as the jetty.  It was warm walking along the beach but standing on the end of the jetty the wind was icy. The only sign of debris from the ship was pieces of black and white packaging foam that were scattered along the sand.  After lunch, R & R went down to the street to put the camper down and open up the flies so that they too could dry out.  Shortly before 2:00pm, A drove everyone in his new joy, a twenty year old Range Rover in mint condition, to Anna Bay, over a track in the dunes to the beach.  The Stockton Bight Sand Dunes also known as Worimi Conservation Land is the largest (32kms) moving coastal sand mass in the southern hemisphere where the dunes are up to 4m high with up to 60* angle. It has a shipwreck at the most western end near the RAAF base and airport.  A stopped briefly at Fisherman’s Bay, Soldier Point and the local Salamander Bay village shops before popping into T’s sister, H, for afternoon tea.  H and her husband, K, and their son, J shared apple pie that H had made.  Everyone chatted quite a while and it was lovely to meet them again, in their own home.  They had all been to Western Australia a couple of years before for J to participate in hockey championships.  A drove to Soldiers Point to catch sunset at the boat ramp.  It was a treat.  When they got back at 5:00pm, T and A’s son, S, had arrived home for a few days. R & R enjoyed another of A’s BBQ roast dinners and everyone sat around chatting for ages.  RA spoke briefly with her daughter, S, who had had another good day at school.  R & R went to bed about an hour later than usual … and hoped for another good night’s sleep.

8/6/2018 Friday R & R woke at 6:45am having slept well and were not disturbed at all by A leaving for work at 7:30am.  They read and wrote a while with a coffee.  They had showers before heading upstairs to catch up with T and S.  It was not long before A stopped by and picked up S just to take him for a ride for the morning.  R & R looked through and discussed lots of family stuff with T for a couple of hours.  They decided to go for a little expedition downtown to the various op shops and to end up at Coles at Salamander Bay Central for a little food shop.  Armed with a map where X indicated all manner of places, R & R drove first to Anna Bay, then to Nelson Bay before food shopping.  RA was desperate for a biro or two as she had been using a pencil for her notes for the previous few days.  R & R were not long back when A and S returned so everyone enjoyed T’s soup and sourdough bread for lunch.  Everyone had quiet time for a little while, until the agreed time of 3:00pm.  Then T & A took R & R through Nelson Bay and on to Tomaree Head and Lookout.  It was a strenuous climb to start but became easier as they all climbed the tracks, stairs, steps and metal ramps up the 161m hill.  They stopped to look eastward to the ocean at the Fort Tomaree Lookout.  In 1941 it was deemed necessary to emplace a gun turret there to protect the coastline, and, in particular the industrial area of Newcastle to the south.  From this vantage point they all viewed Port Stephens Bay and the offshore islands towards the headland on the other side.  The whole area is protected Marine Park. They all continued to the top lookout where a magnificent view of the coastal  bush, heath, forest, sand dune lead the eye to the sand and water below.  From there the Fingal Spit could be seen leading to the island with its light house.  It was a lovely view to be savoured before the 1.8km walk back down.  K, RL’s sister rang as they were coming down.  After 5:00pm when they got back, T & A prepared dinner while R & R chatted with them. When S, R & R’s daughter rang, RA took the call down stairs.  Again, before bed, everyone chatted for ages about all the interests they had in common … especially camping and family.

9/6/2018 Saturday R & R slept well and woke at 6:45am.  The forecast was for 13*C to 17*C with a chance of rain after lunch. They had coffee and showered before bacon and egg breakfast cooked by A at 8:00am.  About 9:30am R & R went for a drive, parked at Conroy Park and walked back to Nelson Bay along Bagnall’s Beach.  They rang H, their daughter, and then walked back the other way towards the Anchorage where they saw dolphins in the bay.  Again, they saw a plant they had seen the day before.  Later A told them that it was called Guymea.   R & R rang S, their son, and popped into a garage sale.  They were back by 12:30pm for lunch of chicken sandwiches.  S left to spend a couple days with a friend before visiting his sister, C.  Everyone managed to chat all afternoon until G, RL’s brother rang so RL took the phone downstairs. While A made bolognaise and T made salad for dinner RL rang S, his brother.  After 7:00pm, S rang and RA went downstairs.  Again, everyone managed to talk till late about family, photos and travel/maps and stayed up till 10ish …  all of them looked a little tired before they quit.

10/6/2018 Sunday Having slept well, R & R woke at 6:15am with the forecast of 13-16*C and a chance of rain all day.  They had breakfast quietly and messaged their grandson, D, for his First Holy Communion. RA did a little catching up on her diary before showering and heading for 8:30am Mass at St Michael’s in Nelson Bay. R & R popped into the information bureau and were back by 10:00am. Everyone sat round chatting before agreeing to have an early lunch. H and K joined everyone for a cup and to pick up something from T.  There were lots of photos all round and RA gave H a ginger jar in blue and white to add to her collection. At 1:30pm, A took everyone for a drive to Newcastle, stopping first at Stockton Beach and then driving past the wharf and along the coast. It was such a shame that it poured with rain most of the way there and back. He made a little detour out to Medowie, where they used to have a small fruit farm, on the way back to Salamander Bay.  Shortly after 4:30pm, everyone had a cup and chatted a while. RA helped a little with preparations toward dinner.  S rang about 6:00pm so RA chatted to her a while, downstairs.  R & R felt really lucky that T & A had taken them to Newcastle … it was not part of their plans to go there … and it was really lovely.

11/6/2018 Monday R & R woke at 6:30am with the forecast of 9*C to 17*C and possible showers at noon and late afternoon.  Again, it did rain heavily on and off all day.  R & R put RL’s photos onto computer and RA typed up the recipes that T had given her.  At 7:30am, they had a shower and then went upstairs to have bacon and egg breakfast with T & A while the wash was in the machine.  RA paid the Sat phone account online. About 10:00am, RA went to Bunnings and then food shopping with T while RL stayed home with A.  When RA and T returned at 12:30pm, they all had toasted ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch. About 2:30pm, R & R went out for a walk along Salamander Bay beach towards Mambo Wetlands and found Warrigul Greens growing there.  Luckily, T had insisted they take an umbrella with them as it poured most of the way back.  About an hour later, R & R went for a drive to Fingal Bay, sat in car and had a coffee watching people surfing and beach fishing. RL drove a little further to Barry Park. They went to the lookout which looks backwards to the sea side of the Final Spit they had seen from the east the other day and out eastward to the Tasman Sea, They saw some whales way out and then walked down the stairs to a rocky fishing spot.  It was very wet and slippery on the paths and quite damp.  Back by 5:30pm, they chatted while T & A whipped up another lovely dinner this time polenta bread, tasty BBQ chicken wings and stir fry veg followed by fried pears and chocolate sauce with custard.  T had brought the washing in from the garage and had it all drying nicely so it was ready to fold away after dinner.  S rang. R & R gave T & A a little blue and white oval platter and Lindt chocolates … they had been such wonderful hosts … and really made R & R feel like family.

Newcastle Bound

1/6/2018  Friday  R & R were awake and out of bed about 7:00am to a cool 3*C.  They had slept relatively well considering that the rest area was literally on the corner of a set of crossroads of two highways, the Barrier and the Kidman.  By 9:00am, they were walking downtown to the Cobar information centre, for milk powder from IGA and a photo walk to give the camper canvas time to dry thoroughly.  RA made coffee at 10:00am before they set to packing down the camper.  RL drove down town to check out the op shop and to refuel before heading out to the Fort Bourke Lookout.  It had a viewing platform looking down into the current copper mine and had several water filtration tanks.  Peak, the gold mine was a further 12kms out.  R & R left Cobar about 11:20am heading east on the Barrier Highway for Nyngan about 130kms away.  The rail line ran on the northern side of the road and it indicated Floodways which explained why the countryside was more heavily timbered and included more smaller trees and shrubs than they had seen yesterday.  After entering the Bogan Shire, there was little understory and they noticed goats but only briefly.  The country side became more undulating to 300m and the rail passed under the highway.  To that point there had been no visible sign of farming.  About 5kms west of Hermindale, R & R noticed the first signs of farming behind the wood verge first to the south of the road and then to the north.  Hermindale had just a hotel and service station and beyond that the land was cleared for cropping on both sides but it wasn’t until 25kms west of Nyngan that they saw sheep.  About 10kms from Nyngan, RA noticed a sign for AGL Solar Power Station which was not open for viewing on Fridays.  On the out skirts of Nyngan, there was a large grain handling facility.  The town sat on the Bogan River and there was much ado about the little and big bogan statues.  About 2:15pm, R & R went into the information centre, chatted with T, RA’s cousin, and made arrangement about visiting them the following week.  It was a lovely warm 16*C with a mild breeze as they ate lunch in the car park before taking lots of photos of the river, bogans, Cobb & Co coach, wool wagon and cart.  So it was about 3:00pm, before R & R headed out of Nyngan on the Oxley Highway for Nevertire with the intention of sleeping at Mendooran.  They had thought to head to Dubbo, but T had suggested they might be interested in the Henry Lawson museum at Gulgong and RL had noticed that Gulgong was not far from Mendooran.  Shortly out of Nyngan, there was open sheep station country which was not as wooded and there were at least half a dozen falcons or hawks.  RA noticed a sign just before Nevertire, “Inland Rivers Scenic Way”, which would later explain the agricultural endeavours in the area.  Nevertire had many massive silos to facilitate grain receival.  As they headed north toward Warren, R & R noticed cotton fluff on the side of the road.  Auscott Warren Gin was an incredible sight with its huge building and acres of baled cotton and many, many more acres of land with cotton just baled or about to be baled.  The size and quality of the drains was impressive.  The inland rivers and creeks as seen on the Navigator showed just how easy it would be to tap into water supplies for such a venture.  There was cotton farming for a large portion of the 20kms to Warren and another not far beyond.  A bridge crossed over the Macquarie River at Warren.  In between there was open wheat and sheep farming with some cattle.  Many of the paddocks were ploughed in preparation for rain and others already with a green tinge, were in hope of rain. The Oxley Highway between Warren and Gilgandra ran very closely to the Marthaguy Creek (which was dry) and Collie had a hotel about half way.  To the north at some distance, RA saw a mountainous area which she assumed would be the Warrumbungles.  Gilgandra, sited on the Castlereagh River, was famous for the Coo-ee.  Apparently, 35 men marched from Gilgandra to Sydney in 1915 to attract recruits for WWI service. RL noted a crop just before entering Gilgandra and commented, “Some type of crop!” to which RA questioned, “That’s not rice?”  All that remained of a flour mill at the entrance of town was its chimney.  By then it was getting late and, as R & R turned for the last 50kms to Mendooran, the sun was beginning to set in the rear view mirrors.  The road was heavily wooded with Boyben State Forest to the north and south in many sections interspersed with cattle farming.  R & R both concentrated on the verges to spot kangaroos which may be startled and jump in front of the Ute.  They saw a few but, luckily, they all jumped away rather than in front.  It was almost dark at 5:45pm when the Navigator led them to the Mendooran Rest Area, free camp by the river.  Motivation was high to get everything set up and within 20 minutes they were having coffee and reading maps.  Dinner was ready by 7:15pm and then they were free to read and write.  Their daughter, S, rang to report on her day.  Outside, the sky, with full moon, was clear … and they knew they were in for another cool morning.

2/6/2018  Saturday  Well. R & R knew it was cold as they got out of bed at 7:00am when: they blew steam, the droplets on the inside of the canvas were actually icicles, the chux wipe from the last night’s dishes was stiff, the grass outside was white and crisp, their fingers and toes were frozen and RA’s pen would not write..  The weather for Mendooran indicated 4*C but it must have been below that on the edge of the river and having pulled in after dark they had not realized that they were parked in the shadow of the biggest tree in the park.  They had no choice but to pack it all down and get going.  Mendooran was the first town settled on the Castlereagh River after exploration by John Evans in 1815, then Oxley and later Mitchell. Shortly after 9:00am, R & R were ready to drive out but not before popping into a garage sale that had been advertised on the toilet block notice board.  RL headed out on the Castlereagh Highway towards Gulgong 90kms away.  The road verge was wooded and there were wooded sections in the paddocks of crop and sheep.  There were some paddocks, already green, with cattle, horses and bees.  Undulating became more hilly to 580m.  Dunedoo was a lovely little town in the valley where again they noticed people angle parking backwards just as they had done in Cobar and again they noticed cotton fluff on the side of the road without evidence of seeing it farmed.  Ten kilometres beyond Dunedoo, the highway veered south towards Gulgong and Mudgee, which are part of the Mid Western Council, and continued to run in the valleys between hills. R & R saw a big shed and set of silos at the side of the railway track but it was hard for them to tell if it had been active this last season.  The road then rose again into the hills to about 590m where the farm houses and sheds were much closer and farming seemed more profitable. R & R’s son, S, rang and they chatted while driving.   Gulgong was a delightful stop with its old buildings, many in good condition and still in use.  It had a narrow main street going up a hill and little lanes.  Gold was discovered there in the 1870s and the tourist could visit the Gold Experience between 1-3pm daily and even do a little panning.  R & R went to the information centre, walked up and down some of its quaint streets, popped into an op shop and had coffee about 11:30am before heading for the Henry Lawson Museum.  At $5 per ticket (concession) it was great value and very interesting.  RA found it a little overwhelming because there was so much to take it all at once.  By 1:00pm, R & R were back at the car and having lunch while chatting to their daughter, H.  They drove out of Gulgong and headed for Mudgee 28kms away again on the Castlereagh Highway.  It was very pretty hilly country to 650m and a sign advertised all the different vineyards in the Mudgee Wine Region.  The road crossed over the Cudgegong River and R & R could see overhead and single stand irrigation being used.  The town of Mudgee was quite big and sat in the valley between wooded hills beside the Cudgegong River.  R & R popped into the information centre before doing a little grocery shopping.  RL drove to the camping area at the show grounds about 3:30pm and before long they were set up and having coffee.  It was agreed that showering before dinner would be a good idea so they did just that.  Their daughter, S, rang so RA prepared dinner while they all chatted.  After dinner, RL read and RA wrote her diary.  Kangaroos had been grazing down on the oval since they arrived … RA hoped that it would be a warmer night higher up the hill where the camper was parked.

3/6/2018  Sunday  Indeed, it was a warmer night and it was already 6*C when R & R got out of bed at 7:00am with the sun shining.  After breakfast they made sure all was ready to be packed down and they left for 9:00am Mass downtown Mudgee.  Luckily, they were early as it turned out to be First Holy Communion morning and the huge church was packed to the rafters.  R & R returned to the camper, wound it down and hitched it before stopping downtown near the river for a cup of coffee and to chat with RL’s brother, S.  It was sunny and 17*C.  Mudgee was a lovely town with several large churches in the main street all vying for car space and ringing their bells on Sunday morning.  It had a large shopping centre and a largely pastoral history which continues in the gourmet produce found in the area: honey, cheeses, wine, olives.  As RL drove out of Mudgee toward Ulan (39kms north) the road began to rise with Mt Buckeroo rising 790m.  In parts it was quite hilly with sheep and cattle farming in between the wooded tops of hills.  Again, like the day before, R & R noticed horses and ponies in paddocks and noted that they seemed significant in this area.  RL stopped about 19kms out to look at Frog Rock which was a granite outcrop shaped somewhat like a squatting frog.  The Ulan Rd had a couple of sections where there were road works to develop passing lanes and improve the overall quality of the road.  R & R were truly surprised when driving through Ulan as they had expected it to be just another abandoned settlement.  No.  Ulan is the site of massive coal mining operations with trucks and haul packs moving coal.  There was a huge bulldozer driving up and down over a wall of coal.  The operation developed seriously over the last twenty years and virtually backed on to the Goulburn River National Park.  As RL drove north there was evidence of the variety of wildlife supported in the park: koala sign, dead wombats, kangaroos and echidna.  When R & R went to The Drip, they saw a pair of rosella parrots with different colouring than they had seen before and a pair of lyrebirds ran across their path.  The Drip (which is 10km north of Ulan) was added to the Goulburn NP since it was deemed significant and needed to be protected from outside influences  R & R arrived at the picnic area shortly after noon.  A 1.5km walk from the picnic area took R & R along the river under a towering sand stone cliff to a section where clear spring water dripped from the cliff above down on to the rocks and river below.  It was the most delightful track very close to and under the cliff face and beautifully presented to make it comfortable and enjoyable.  The sight of the ferns and grasses, the delicate damp smell of forest, the cool provided in the shadow of the rock at water level, the bubbling of the water as it rippled over the stones all made for a wonderful experience.  R & R took their time and when they got back to the car park, they had lunch.  About 2:00pm, RL headed 2kms north and then turned off towards the Hands on Rock site.  The track was only about 600m and it was in poor condition but with adequate room to turn the Ute and camper.  The walking track became steep toward the end and the trees were more dry woodland than damp and forested.  The viewing platform provided R & R with a display of hand prints and emu feet images under cave like protection where aboriginal women and children would have sought shelter.  R & R took also photos of the pagoda like rock formations that were in the area.  Just before 3:00pm, they were back on the road and heading for the Cassilis Rest Area on the Golden Highway about 15kms away.  As before there were sections of farming in between wooded and the Durridgere State Forest areas.  R & R arrived at the free camp site shortly after 3:00pm.  Having missed a call from G, RL’s brother, R & R rang him while having coffee before even contemplating choosing a spot to set up the camper.  By 4:00pm they had set up the camper and were chatting to J, RA’s sister.  RL helped RA proof a post draft before dinner.  While RA was preparing dinner C, her brother, rang and while R & R were eating dinner they rang S, their daughter.  It had been a lovely day, full of surprises … and warm.

4/6/2018 Monday R & R had slept well at the Cassilis rest area and woke at 7:00am to a pleasant 5*C and the promise of a fine day. They had not noticed the evening before that the rest area had been severely burnt a year or two before but in the clear morning light, the trees showed their blacken bark and the signs of new green growth.  Ever hopeful and resilient, one black stump, literally under 10cm in height, had several budding stems with a few leaves on each.  After breakfast RA put a blog post up and RL looked into the trailer light fitting which had been problematical and cut a piece of carpet for under the camper table.  R & R had coffee before packing down the camper and heading 40kms east on the Golden Highway for Merriwa about 10:00am.  The road was undulating before becoming quite steep.  The countryside and hills were wooded with large trees and farming sheep, cattle and horses right up to the top.  Where it was steepest, crops were planted in terraced sections to prevent erosion.  Some crops were already green and some of the paddocks that had not been sown were showing a green tinge.  “Well.  They must have had rain here.” RL commented.  R & R arrived in Merriwa at 10:45am and headed for the information centre.  They looked at a bottle collection containing over 5,000 bottles and walked around the Hut museum and its stalls.  The town was abuzz with excitement for the Sheep Festival to be held on the long weekend.  It had been suggested that R & R might enjoy the Battery Rock formation 15kms out on the Denman Road so they did not head for Scone which claims to be the horse capital of Australia or Muswellbrook where cheese and wine are a calling factor for some.  The Battery Rock formation was one of the best exposed, most unusual and most accessible displays of horizontal columnar basalt joining in Australia.  It was well worth the visit even though RL had to wait several times for the road works in the area.  It was noon before R & R were away to Denman 50kms east.  For a while they travelled in the valley alongside the river at about 130m but at other times the road went right up and over hills to 450m before heading back down into the valley.  At Sandy Creek there were a row of carriages standing still on the railway and there were wineries to the south, The Upper Hunter, known for its wine and food produce.  Besides the farms, and there were many of them, that had horses, RA saw several draught horses in one of the paddocks near the road.  At 1:00pm RL drove through Denman over the Hunter River where irrigation was prominent and horses were a focus.  RA smiled as RL was pulled over for breath testing, knowing full well that they were wasting their time.  Dark clouds were looming and RL had to turn his wipers on for a little light mist.  At 1:30pm, about 5kms west of Jerry Plains which was established in 1882, they stopped for lunch on the side of the road and messaged RL’s sister, K.  Near Jerry Plains there was irrigation in the valley between the wooded hills on either side.  In Jerry Plains there was quite a large veterinary clinic and an equine hospital which reinforced the idea that there were a lot of horses in the area.  RL noticed an Angus Stud with bulls grazing in the paddock but what fascinated RA was that each bull had a white ibis companion.  She thought there must be some kind of symbiotic relationship between them.  Perhaps the cattle disturb insects which the birds eat?  RL had also noticed lots of trucks with fluro numbers and utilities with flags on them.  The penny sank when RL drove past coal mining, mountains of coal and the massive holes in the earth created by United Colliery and Wambo Colliery and power lines coming from the Hunter Valley Operations  and Wylie’s Flat power station.  RL veered north off the highway onto Putty Road to go to Singleton.  There R & R eventually found, about 3:15pm, the information centre that they had not seen on the way in because they had come in on a minor road.  They refuelled before heading out about 9kms to the Singleton East Rest Area.  They had been warned that traffic at the junction of the Golden Hwy and The New England Hwy would be busy and to head out soon or wait til later.  They certainly were in for a surprise when they arrive there just as the rain came down.  Luckily, there was a truck pulled up over the road with enough room for RL to do the same.  R & R sat, had coffee and spoke to RL’s sister, R, until the rain stopped.  Fortunately, though the traffic was backed up right over the hill, NSW drivers are extremely polite, so RL was able to cross the traffic and pull in to the rest area with no trouble.  About 5:30pm they had set up and were reading and writing a little before dinner preparations.  They chatted with their daughter, S, for a while before considering their plans for the next day.  The rush hour traffic lasted at least until 6:30pm … but vehicular movement remained constant … fortunately R & R were not generally disturbed by traffic noises in the night.

5/6/2018 Tuesday R & R were aware of the traffic but slept well until disturbed by flashing lights.  They woke.  It was 5:30am, pitch dark, and rush hour traffic was already in full swing.  A mobile coffee van had set up in the rest area and drivers were popping in for a fix.  R & R just went to the loo and popped back into bed. It was comforting listening to and laying low while the traffic went to and fro where ever they were going.  When they got out it was 7:00am and it was still rush hour. It had rained a little during the night and had promised to rain again by 11:00am so, although the flies were a little damp, R & R set about getting the camper down.  Just before they were leaving RA spoke to the girl who made the coffees.  She begins her morning at 3:30am and sells over 100 coffees with toasted cheese sandwiches and/or muffins or banana bread.  The rush hour happens at shift changes for the Singleton Army base and the three coal mines in the area.  At 9:30am R & R pulled out on to the New England Hwy heading for Maitland 33kms to the east.  It was cloudy and damp but not wet and the drive was undulating and quite pretty.  Lochinvar was an industrial area and had a lovely set of old convent and school buildings. By 10:00am, R & R parked outside the Maitland information centre where RL counted 98 coal carriages behind three Pacific National engines.  The information centre had free post cards which they will add postage to for free, so RA wrote on three to the grandchildren.  #mymaitland.  R & R walked downtown, looked at all the lovely old buildings (there were signs on the pavement that ask the tourist to look up), popped into five op shops (they also had other antique type shops) and bought a loaf of bread at Aldi. Both RL and RA were impressed with the giant dog, picking up its own doo, statue. A photo moment!  RL drove away from central Maitland to Morphet where R & R had lunch at 1:00pm at the Hunter River boat ramp and park on Queens Wharf Rd. The drive to Hinton was in the valley, an area that was subject to flooding and required driving over the Patterson River twice.  RL turned east for the eight kilometres to Seaham where a water pipeline ran alongside the road and rose up out of the valley into the hills.  From Seaham it was 14kms to Clarence Town and the road became quite winding into the hills where there was farming in between the wooded hills of the Columbey National Park and Uffington State Forest.  R & R pulled into the Williams River Holiday Park at Clarence Town at 2:15pm.  It was raining heavily as they stood at the door.  The office was unattended but a note on the door instructed caravaners to find a park and come back between 3:00 and 5:00pm.  R & R chose a spot and set up before having a coffee and heading down the main street just to see what there was.  The manager had not returned when R & R went back but an older gentleman came out and suggested that they pay in the morning. Then they walked down to the Williams River park and picnic area below the upper caravan park. As there was no chance of any washing drying, R & R put a wash in and immediately into the dryer in between having a shower. They rang their daughter, H, before dinner and spoke with their other daughter, S, after dinner.  RL read and RA wrote her diary.  It was raining but R & R were warm and dry … prepared to accept whatever the next day brought.

Cobb Hwy

28/5/2018.  Monday.  R & R were out of bed about 7:00am and away having breakfasted and packed down about an hour and a half later.  The plan was to get back to Echuca and camp north of Moama in the one day covering the same distance (about 500kms) it had taken them to do in three.  They were lucky where they had slept, 20kms north of Wentworth, as it had been dry (they did hear a couple of drops on the canvas during the night).  Although they did see signs of rain along the way to Mildura, it seemed dry in the mallee country between Euston and Robinvale.  When R & R arrived at Robinvale, mid-morning, they had a free shower at the information centre and the lady there indicated that it had rained heavily overnight.  R & R enquired about the track to the junction of the Murray and Murrumbidgee and she was not sure about how wet it was there.  She said something about the track being a bit “dippy” and not good in the wet.  R & R popped into an op shop and bought a couple of pieces of fruit at IGA.  Five kilometres east of Boundary Bend, at 11:50am, RL took the track called Passage Camp and headed one kilometre north toward the Murray.  The track leading to Mitchell’s Passage Camp (Mitchell camped there in his exploration through the area) was very sandy and quite deep for about a kilometre before RL took the right hand track towards the Junction.  The River Track was not sandy and it was dry (there was no sign of any recent rain) but it was rutted. And RA did find out what she meant by dippy.  Thank goodness they were not towing something larger.  The Hum had shifted into four wheel drive and chose his lines carefully at speeds less that 20kms/hr (sometimes much less than that) and they were rewarded with a fabulous view of the junction where the two largest rivers in Australia meet.   R & R also saw a good example of a canoe or scar tree.  The track coming back from the junction out to the Murray Valley Highway just north of Nurung was quite a bit smoother. It was not sign posted off the highway at the eastern end which indicates it was designed to be one way.  All in all, it took about one hour to drive nine kilometres with a photo break somewhere in the middle.  Shortly after 1:00pm, R & R came upon a sign which read Swan Hill – Wine Region.  It was interesting to note that there is always a different perspective to a drive when going back.  You see things you did not see last time or you see them in a different way.  At 1:30pm, RL stopped at Piangli, near the river for lunch and they rang H, their daughter.  It was a lovely warm 21*C.  They drove past the sign about rice first being grown in Australia nearby which prompted RA to look it up.  A guy called Joe experimented with the growing of rice in Nyah in 1905 and found a strain that proved successful.  It would appear that rice is grown near the Murrumbidgee but perhaps a little further up.  By 2:30pm, R & R were at Swan Hill with about 160kms to Echuca.  R L drove back past Lake Boga and then he drove on a section of the highway that they had not been the other day as they had diverted via Koondrook to be closer to the river.  To their surprise R & R saw yellow bales which looked just like hay or silage from a distance.  Closer it was quite obvious that it was cotton as the ends of the bales were open and white.  On the ground nearby, low brown bushes had little white tuffs in them.  R & R passed by a couple of other attractive lakes, Kangaroo and Charm,   Fortunately, the next cotton crop they saw had enough space for RL to pull over on the side of the road and take a photo.  There was dry land farming in between the ones with irrigation and either sheep (some with lambs) or cattle and some farms producing large quantities of hay. Occasionally, RA has mistaken the smell of olive orchards for dairy while driving past.  They are not dissimilar.  At Cohuna, about 3:40pm RL spotted the sign he’d been looking for and stopped to photograph it.  $500 fine for not giving right of way to stock crossing the road!  In Echuca, R & R stopped for fuel and by 5:00pm were heading out of Victoria and into New South Wales through Moama.  About 20kms north they did see a small herd of cattle in the long paddock but it appeared not to be supervised.  It was getting late with the sun starting to dip in the west as R & R headed north to Mathoura on the Cobb Highway. They saw a full moon at dusk as they drove out another 8kms towards Tocumwal to the free camp spot they had selected at Edward River Bridge.  On the drive in, assisted by lights, a logging truck was being loaded and kangaroos bounced across the road.  It was way too late to look at and appreciate the setting.  They just unhitched the camper and put it up with the flies as rain was forecast.  At 6:30pm, R & R were having coffee, ringing S, their daughter, and preparing dinner.  After dinner they read and did diary.  RA found it a little unnerving to arrive and be setting up late … but at least they were warm and dry … and the wheels had stopped turning!

29/5/2018.  Tuesday.  It rained on and off during the night after 2:00am.  R & R woke at 7:30am with a little more rain at 8:00am so they waited a while for the flies to dry a little.  After taking a photo of the wrought iron images at the camping reserve and of the Edward River and its bridge, RL drove back out toward the main road at about 10:15am.  There had not been enough rain to make the unsealed road impassable.  They popped into the information centre at Mathoura before heading to Deniliquin information centre.  In the door way there was a model of Roger the Ram which was an irresistible photo moment.  Deniliquin is a town which sits on the Edward River and boasts holding Guinness world records for the most utilities assembled in one spot and the most people wearing blue singlets anywhere in the world so a photo of the utility up the pole and the mosaic utility were a must.  R & R walked downtown to look in three op shops and along the river front before a late lunch at 1:00pm and leaving for Hay 120kms further north on the Cobb Hwy.  Along the way R & R stopped at several of the interpretative panels and artworks: the bronze merino at Wanganella is witness to the development of the Peppin merino and its impact on the Australian wool industry, the legend of the headless horseman (said to be the ghost of a drover who died there) at Black Swamp, the Royal Mail Hotel at Booroorban which sits in the middle of Old Man Plains and a stand of gum trees which was the sight of another stop over for the Cobb and Co coaches.  They did see evidence of the use of the long paddock where, closer to Deniliquin, sheep were grazing unsupervised on the wide grassy stretches on the side of the road and, quite a bit later, a large herd of cattle with a camp for the horses and stockmen nearby.  For the most part the land was flat and relatively treeless with lower grasses and shrubs and yet the horizon there did not seem flat.  It looked curved!  For much of the day R & R saw channels with water and some irrigation with sheep feeding on green grass but more often than not the vegetation was dry and sparse.  Along the entire journey there was what looked and felt like tufts of cotton on the side of the road.  About 10kms south of Hay their suspicions were confirmed as RL drove closer to the massive building they had seen on the horizon for a while.  The site had a signboard Auscott Ltd Gin 11 and there were thousands of bales lined up.  The lady at the information centre said that it was harvesting season and it was huge business for Hay.  Each bale is about 3 tonne and the seed is used as feed as well as the fluff for making cotton.  The big complex over the road had originally been a rice facility. With rice no longer big business it was being used for the storage of cotton.  R & R walked a little around town before finding the camping spot at Sandy Point.  It was a wide but relatively shallow spot in the Murrumbidgie River where in the olden days, before a bridge was constructed, drovers crossed their cattle.  R & R set up and had coffee at 5:00pm before walking all the way back to the bridge just because they could.  Before dinner they put RL’s photos on to the laptop and deleted some of them and after dinner they chatted a while with S.  They read and wrote diary for a while.  R & R were surprised by the number of caravans camping at Sandy Point.  They knew where they had come from and had a clue where they were going … but where was everyone else coming from and going to?

30/5/2018.  Wednesday.  R & R were out of bed about 7:30am with the promise of a fine day and the plan to sleep at Ivanhoe Caravan Park about 211kms north of Hay.  Hay had only received 3ml of rain so they were hopeful that at least for the next couple of days it would remain dry so as not to close the unsurfaced road beyond Ivanhoe to Wilcannia a further 182kms.  About 9:30am with the temperature already up to 11*C, R & R were packed up and heading to the Post Office to post a card to their grandson, D.  The journey to Ivanhoe along the Cobb Hwy was interspersed with points of interest and the Long Paddock markers, for tourist stops, broke their journey to ponder life in the early days and the changes that have occurred over time.  Just 16kms north of Hay, at the sunset viewing area, it was wide and open and almost treeless.  This was the case most of the journey.  Where the road came near water either from creeks or channels, there were lovely stands of trees; otherwise trees in a cluster off in the distance often meant homesteads, tanks or dams with a windmill, fed by a bore.  About 20kms later a grand building remained in good condition.  The One Tree Hotel, built in 1862, was a staging post for Cobb & Co. and was so named after the one and only gum tree near fresh water on the otherwise barren plain.  Sometimes the ground was so bare the glass, thrown by passers-by, glistened in the sunlight.  The one tree has long since gone; the One Tree Plain claims to be some of the flattest country on earth.  There were grasses and shrubs some of which had dried and tumbled against the fences.  Although the sun was shining, the wind, blowing from the west, was bitterly cold.  R & R noticed that there had been no power lines and then one appeared to cross the highway and remarked on this as it seemed unusual.    RL stopped at Booligal which was 70kms north of Hay about 11:00am.  They had coffee and banana and made sure they took some photos of the Lachlan River.  The explorer, John Oxley, named this place when he was exploring down the Lachlan, Booligal, from the aboriginal word meaning “windy place”.  It was, like Hay, an ideal spot for stock to cross the river.  Electricity only came to the area in the mid-1980s at the cost of $29,000 per property.   R & R saw two utilities with large trailers full of goats and, just north of the river, a farm where white sheep were feeding on green grass that could only have been watered from the river.  Just after noon R & R stopped again at a lovely rest area surrounded by trees.  It was named Baird’s Truck Stop and commemorated the life of an early truckie, Bill Baird, who following in the steps of the Cobb & Co tradition, delivered mail and goods to Ivanhoe before the road was finally sealed in 1999.  It 1981 it would take him 5 ½ hours from Hay to Ivanhoe including some drop offs on the way.  Several of the creeks R & R passed were dry, but in season they would have provided enough water for tress to grow and thus provided cluster of trees to break up the openness of the plains.  R & R saw sheep, some with lambs, as the number one choice of stock being farmed along the way.  They only saw one heard of cattle.  Emus were plentiful with fewer kangaroos and one dead black pig.  Interestingly, crows seemed to prefer roo from the menu.  Fencing on both sides of the road gave way to the use of grids.  About 1:00pm RL stopped 70kms south of Ivanhoe to have a rest and lunch.  Moangal Station was to the west of the road and could been seen as buildings and sheds with a couple stands of trees; otherwise everything was flat and virtually treeless.  In the 20 minutes they sat, only three cars passed by.  The Navigator indicated many bores; 14 Mile, 2 Mile, Brooklyn, Kerr’s Camp, Jeff’s and Wurly, all within a 10km radius.  It occurred to RA that these bores and the water they bring are the lifeline for people out here.  RL stopped at the interpretive panel at the Long Paddock Visitors Site where several cars, caravans and utilities (belonging to the drovers) were parked about 500m from the road. All that remains of Mossgiel, 50kms south of Ivanhoe, is a sign, a house and a cemetery.  This once thriving town suffered from drought, an outbreak of typhoid and its remaining young men going off to war, and never recovered.  R & R still saw cotton fluff on the side of the road and could only assume that it was being grown along the rivers that they could not see from the road.  Possibly from the trucks carting it!  Just before they arrived in Ivanhoe R & R saw a sign Mitchell St which is the entrance to a correctional facility.  At 2:00pm RA paid $23 for a camp site and they were airing out the flies to make sure they dried.  Their Optus mobile had no reception so they used the Telstra dongle to send a group email about their status.  R & R walked downtown and spoke to a guy in the multi-services building and to a couple who were preparing an op shop for opening.  They all seemed to show a commitment to the community and its future.  R & R read all the panels and took photos of the public art.  By 4:00pm they were back to set up the camper and have a coffee.  There were issues with the door jamming so RL took it to pieces.  He went for a shower while RA covered the vent as they planned on being on unsealed road and then she had her shower.  After 6:00pm R & R were able to sit a while before dinner.  After dinner, RL read and RA wrote diary and worked on a post draft … she was a little frustrated as there didn’t seem enough time in the day to do everything.   

31/5/2018. Thursday.  R & R slept well enough though it was a cool 4*C when they got out at 7:00am.  They set about getting underway as soon as possible with the prospect of unsealed road of unknown condition before them.  A lady who had camped overnight near them, enquired about the condition of roads as she had spent a difficult day on very bad roads the day before.  RL gave her his map which showed sealed roads and she contrived a plan to drive down to Hay.  At 8:30am RL drove out of Ivanhoe and it was not long, about 8kms, before the bitumen ran out, at which point he got out to let the tyres down.  The owner of the servo and caravan park had said that there would be random patches of new bitumen which would give relief so RA made a point of checking it out and counting them all up.  Of the nearly 200kms distance from Ivanhoe to Wilcannia, one third was bitumen and two thirds was unsealed.  The road was more or less corrugated but for the most part the Hum drove between 40-60kms/hour.  “I’d rather this than a wet road”, RL commented.  “Absolutely!” RA, who dislikes wet roads nearly as much as winding ones, added.  Over that distance, RA counted no less than 19 stock grids most of which were surfaced.  Somewhere near the middle, the road came to the Mount Manara Range, where it wound back and forth around the base of Manara Hill (202m) and a working station in the middle of the bend and floodway at Manara Creek.  The trees and the rocky outcrops were a brief but delightful change to the otherwise flat open station country which seemed to support more emus and goats than sheep or cattle. About 10:00am, R & R stopped to have a coffee and a break.  The wind was icy and blowing strongly from the south west causing the Ute to use its fuel faster than usual. At a couple of points, road works were being done and R & R saw a workers camp with no less than a dozen sleeping units not to mention utilities and masses of road working equipment.  At another point, a small water drilling outfit was busy.  It was the first time since R & R had left home three months ago that they considered listening to an audio book.  Together they enjoyed two short stories, Trail to Pie Town and Trap of Gold, by Louis L’Amour.  It was a real treat. There was not a lot of traffic.  One caravan passed RL and there were only 4 vehicles and 3 trucks going south over the whole distance except for the time that R & R were stopped to pump up the tyres and empty the 40lts of fuel from the jerry cans into the tank, when no less than 8 trucks and 2 utilities passed by.  It took 40 minutes for them to complete these tasks and by noon they were heading off for the last 40kms of sealed road to Wilcannia which had become much more wooded with mallee and small gums.  The last 20kms to Wilcannia required a left turn onto the Barrier Hwy which took R & R over the Darling River flood plains.  About 12:30pm RL drove over the Darling River and into Wilcannia where R & R walked along the river and down town taking in some of its history as a major inland port for the river trade during the 19th century.  More recently, it appears that the focus is on its indigenous peoples and their heritage. There were billboards with stories about indigenous people and their connections with the land and river.  Elsie Jones OBE who is known for writing “Story of a Falling Star” features on one of them.  There remain in Wilcannia several excellent examples of old historic buildings of creamy yellow bricks and some are still in use.  R & R had lunch in the park before heading east out on the barrier Highway for Cobar 260kms away.  The Darling River flood plain extends at least 10kms out with at least half a dozen bridges to keep the road up and dry.  After a while, RL drove through the MacCulloch Range which was undulating.  Sheoaks were prominent and another feature was the bare red stony ground which may have developed, at least in part, by the feeding habits of goats.  Kids, not yet up to eating for themselves, sat happily on the road verges while the adults feed there.  RL drove past Emmdale Roadhouse where the country side was more or less undulating with more and larger trees.  About 3:00pm, R & R stopped at Cornish Rest Area on the highway just to take a break before the last 119kms to Cobar. They saw some hawks and an eagle but it seemed that there was more road kill than the birds could manage.  It was a relief to arrive at Cobar about 4:30pm and walk to the information centre which they knew would be closed.  The rest area in Cobar was right under its entry statement which is an area of old mine site that has be cordoned off for display.  Cobar has an elevation of 250m, a population of 5,500 and was born out of a copper find in the 1870s.  R & R set up the camper, had dinner and chatted with their daughter, S.  They had only just got into bed when J, RL’s brother in law, rang so RL jumped out of bed, grabbed the phone, got back into bed and chatted for ages while being snug and warm.  In just over 600kms, on the Cobb Hwy, five rivers/five towns! … Murray/Moama, Edward/Deniliquin, Murrumbidgee/Hay, Lachlan/Booligal and Darling/Wilcannia.