April 2015

05 April 2015

On the move again. With the onion harvest (9,500 tonnes) over we spent Good Friday with good friends Alan and Kay who had stopped in to see us on their way East in their new home, a nice converted American 5th Wheeler. Easter Saturday turned out to be an additional day's work for me which left Joanne to spend more time with our visitors.

So this morning we packed up and after saying farewell to Alan and Kay hit the road and began our journey North towards Queensland where we will be spending a few weeks on the Sorghum Harvest before it is again time to begin another harvest called PLAYTIME!

Leaving SA we made our way along the now very familiar road to Ouyen in Victoria where we stopped for lunch before heading North again through Mildura, crossing the Murray River and heading into NSW. Heading up through the open and often barren land we were dodging the wild goats on the side of the road while we watched a small weather front pass in front of us before stopping at a rest area 137km South of Broken Hill.

This rest area is fairly familiar to us as it is the same rest area (and exactly the same camp spot) we were at about 10 months ago when we discovered our little Admin Error and had to head back to Pinnaroo to rectify it. It's also the very same rest area that Alan and Kay had stopped at the afternoon of the morning we had left. So with no other campers in, 409 km under the wheels, the trees in flower and the native bee's in abundance we set up camp over looking the dry Popilthah Lake and settled in for the night as the sky darkened from more than just the lack of sunlight.

06 April 2015

Other than a few trucks passing by our night was very quiet with no rain and no other campers coming in. We set off North towards Broken Hill passing more wild goats and quite a few foxes feasting on road kill as we went. Arriving in Broken Hill we topped up with fuel before leaving town via the main street with its row of old looking shops.

Despite heading for Wilcannia we could have been in the Pilbarra with its low ranges, salt bush and red dirt. The terrain eventually changed to wind blown open land covered in straw coloured grass, the odd bit of red dirt and of course salt bush and more goats.

Driving along something caught our eye out at the top of the drivers window and there hanging on for grim death was this rather large spider. He had some legs over the top of the door and the others under the ledge where the glass meets the rubber seal and if he had a spare leg I am sure he would have been knocking on the window asking us to let him off :-) but as we slowed to a stop, our 100km/h wind rated spider took off to find a less windy home around the roof until the fly swatter arrived and sent him off into the bush to set up his new home.

Spider

Our Stowaway about to get the flick.

Arriving in Wilcannia we noticed that the trees had that beautiful salmon pink colour to their trunk courtesy of the red dirt and they made quite a show. We took some streets for a bit of a look and after passing the very nice stone buildings that are the Police Station and Courthouse settled on a spot near the Darling River (which was very low and very green in colour) for lunch. Leaving town we noticed that the river was almost non existent where the highway crosses it so town must have a weir somewhere near our lunch spot to ensure water is available.

Darling River Wilcannia

The Darling River

Our uneventful visit to Wilcannia over we were heading for Cobar but first had to battle some wind as we turned South East and crossed some very flat, open floodplain for a bit before resuming our Easterly direction where we enjoyed a slight tailwind and the terrain that looked very much like that North of Carnarvon in WA.

Passing a few roadside rest areas as we went we were putting in quite a large days travel (for us) but we were enjoying the discussion and the scenery which included a number of tree's in a row which had themes - bra's, knickers, bottles, stubby holders, hats, TV's (the sign said Skynet capable), Made in China (Chairs), shoes and stuffed toys.

And so after a rather large 540km's we stopped at the small rest area of Meadow Glen where we were among five other campers in for the night.

07 April 2015

A peaceful night but quite a cool morning and then just as the sun decided to get up the cloud moved in and blocked it. We were up early courtesy of the time change to AEST so we hit the road and made our way into Cobar where we have stayed before. We picked up fuel and some food and then headed out of town along a part of the Barrier Highway that we haven't traveled before. Seems they have had some rain here recently and the trees are looking quite nice and healthy and there is a green tinge to the place. Goats and dead pigs were the only wildlife spots today.

Coming into Nyngan we stopped at the Teamsters Rest area where you can stop right in the middle of town for 24hrs for free. There's a dump point and water taps there but it is a small area and will only take about four rigs (five if you block off the dump point). There were a few in and like us they had a bit of a look around and lunch before moving on.

Leaving Nyngan we were then on the Mitchell Highway for a while before turning onto the Oxley Highway and heading through Cotton Country to a nice little town called Warren where they have a large open area with some trees, tables and shelters near the weir for free camping. There was a fair wind blowing and a sky filled with large fluffy clouds when we arrived but as the day has wore on the wind dropped and the clouds have darkened a little and are covering the sun (lets hope it doesn't rain because it's that grey channel country dirt underneath :).

Weir at Warren

The Warren Weir in action.

08 April 2015

Such a quiet night and not as cold as it was forecast to be when we awoke. The other campers were off before us and after a cooked breakfast we left our spot and headed back into town to top up the water tanks and then we hit the road heading towards Coonamble and threading the needle through the cattle on the long paddock as we went.

We left the open grassland behind as we passed through the Pilliga Forest, eventually stopping for lunch at the Pilliga Artesian Baths Camp site where ten campers had set up, two of which had camped with us last night.

Lunch over we drove the quite bumpy and narrow road to Wee Waa where we inspected the showgrounds and decided to go onto the same at Narrabri where we have camped some two and a half years ago. Not much has changed here including the price, it's still $14 a night for a powered site.

09 April 2015

Another cool morning and a fair dew on the roof and grass. Along with a few others we packed up and headed into town where some serious food shopping was carried out and a fill up of the fuel tank before we headed off. Not far out of town we turned off the main highway onto the Kaputar Road and some 25km later stopped at the parking area for short 700m walk to the Sawn Rocks formation so called because the bits that have fallen off look like they have been sawn off.

Sawn Rocks

Sawn Rocks or The Organ Pipes

Sawn Rocks

A little closer

Organ Pipes Stack

At the base of the formation is a small waterfall and creek that winds it's way between bits that have fallen off including a stack that looks like firewood stacked up.

We spent about an hour there enjoying the view, taking photographs and talking with a couple we worked with when we volunteered for BlazeAid a couple of years ago. Heading out we began climbing the range and after a number of hairpin bends topped the Coryah Gap and began to descend into the valley where the view over the very green paddocks with the mountains in the background as we drove was just beautiful and very typical of the New England area that this area adjoins.

Eventually we came into Bingara where we have been through before but this time we stopped for a look. A visit to the Visitor Information centre and a look on wikicamps meant that we had to check out the free camping along the banks of the Gwydir River. Turning off between the two bridges we found a nice little spot not far from the boat ramp but the sun was going to disappear early courtesy of the trees so we left there and went over the second bridge to find the other area which with the 15 odd campers along the riverbank shining in the sunlight, was not hard to find. Selecting a nice spot right on the bank we turned the ignition off and decided that this was going to be it for today.

Gwydir River Sunset

The sun setting over the river outside our door.

10 April 2015

Last night when we went to bed we thought, or was it hoped, that we would wake this morning to a cool one and some steam on the river for some photography but it was not to be, so after enjoying the view of the river as we ate our breakfast and the ducks and coots ate theirs we packed up and headed out, wishing we had a little more time to just stay and take it all in some more.

Nothing of real interest along the way today except more nice views of open farmland and some hills on the horizon. Stopping in the picturesque town of Warialda for a bit and then on some more along one of the bumpiest surfaces we have traveled for some time before we came to the small town of Yetman where for $10 a night you can set up camp next to the river (sort of) and the tennis courts. The caretaker had just finished cleaning the amenities and we were the first in (well it was lunchtime) and we were even treated to an aerial display by a crop duster as he did his job just half a kilometre away. There are nice clean toilets and a free washing machine which not only got some use from us but by some of the other three campers that came in later in the day.

11 April 2015

Last night as the sun set the sky turned a brilliant fire red and so rather than taking a shot of it over the top of the other campers and the tennis court a quick check to see what it was doing to the beautiful gum tree's behind us came with reward as shown in the shot below.

Sunset Glow on Trees

The brilliant red of the sunset cast a pink glow onto the trees for only a minute or two but long enough to get this shot.

11 April 2015

Yetman turned out to be a great little campsite and we awoke to a warmer than expected day. Our trip today took us towards Texas where the free camp down by the river was full of campers. We turned towards Stanthorpe where we had decided to drop in on some friends who we first met when we were cycling around Australia following their offer of a night in a strawbale cabin.

A couple of calls to Allan and Kate failed to raise them and after following a beautiful drive along a winding and hilly road with views across to the ranges around Tenterfield we just turned up at "Best Block" as it is called. The gate was padlocked closed and that must mean either they don't want visitors or they are away.

Moving onto Warwick we stopped for some shopping before heading onto the small town of Clifton just out of Toowoomba and sitting among many paddocks filled with Sorghum, Corn and Sunflowers. Coming into the main street there was a steam train and a number of carriages at the station and lots of people milling around them. Arriving at the showgrounds and selecting one of the last spots available we were near a number of horses and floats as the polo champs got ready for their game, practicing in front of us just the same as they did the last time we were here.

12 April 2015

And so the week of travel to Queensland ends today and after just over 2,000 km we packed up and embarked on the last few hours travel through paddocks of Sorghum and Sunflowers to arrive at Jondaryan mid morning. We booked into the Woolshed Caravan Park and began to prepare for our roles on the next harvest as the Sorghum we were driving past today comes in for storage.

Sorghum

Sorghum ready for harvest.

Jondaryan Sunset

The sunset tonight made for a great end to the week's travel.

So again there will be a small pause to the journal while we put some travel coupons in the bank.

Mark Twain once said "...years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do that by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - and so we will.