Day 31 - Barmedman to Wahgunyah (278km)
On the banks of the Murray seems to be a fitting place to end our together travels. One of Greg's favourite places (anywhere along the Murray) and today we found a new campsite which is worthy of return visits.
I was up early in Barmedman this morning as I had to get dinner into the slow cooker, which therefore needed some prep before that. I still enjoyed my coffee in bed before I started on that, and we were all ready ahead of our 9:30am scheduled departure.
On the road again, taking the back roads, we passed through (and stopped for milk!) in Ariah Park where we camped two years ago. Down the road a bit further we came into Coolamon where we have stopped for elevenses in the past. Today though, the centre park was awash with people for the 11am Remembrance Day service so we drove on slowly, looking for another spot to stop. We turned into the old train station and lo and behold, there was a delightful little cafe in the old station building. Trains do still run through here periodically, but we were more interested in their food. Check out this amazing raspberry waffle dish that both Jude and I had! Suffice to say, we didn't need lunch after that!
Leaving there, we tackled more back roads. It was great because there were no trucks. Some roads were a little bouncy and we passed lots of crops and saw some harvesting starting. Imagine my surprise to see these giant statues just inside a paddock near Lockhart!
Approaching Corowa, my car was definitely trying to tell me we needed fuel so we pulled into a lovely big Mobil as soon as we got into town and filled up. Then, just over the Murray back into Victoria we turned off to our campsite. In seeking out a spot that would fit two vans, avoid trees, and provide a beach-like access to the river for a swim, I think we hit the jackpot. We all went for a swim not long after this photo was taken and while it might have been the coldest water we have swum in on this trip, it was very refreshing and most enjoyable.
We wiled away the afternoon (it was pretty hot, around 34C when we arrived), enjoyed our pre-dinner drinks and nibbles and then I set about cooking the rest of dinner. It was way too hot to be doing that in the van so I brought the airfyer outside and used the outdoor kitchen with this amazing view!
Corned beef, roast vegetables and cauliflower with cheese sauce - we certainly don't eat badly when we're camping! We had enjoyed our dessert so much last night we bought more in Ariah Park this morning so enjoyed them again as the bird life sang around us, and it seemed to be taking a really long time to cool down.
Day 30 - Coolah to Barmedman (408km)
In my job, I talk a lot about the hidden gems of Northern Tasmania - the amazing places that are worth seeing that not everyone knows about. Well, today we have found one of those in central NSW! And for many years, we have been driving the highway 30km away, never knowing this place existed.
Back in Coolah this morning, it was a bit cool which made for a good night's sleep - so much so that we needed the heater on for a little bit this morning. We knew we had a big day's driving today, so we pulled out of our campground before 9am - quite the achievement for us!
Some solid driving this morning - early elevenses in Balliemore, fuel in Tomingley, and we were going to have lunch in Parkes at a bakery but caravan parking was non-existant so we kept going to a rest area south of Parkes. More driving this afternoon, although I had a great audio book and lots of phone calls to keep me entertained today.
We pulled into Barmedman before 4pm, and it was 34C here. The campground extends around the mineral pool so we found a pretty piece of red dirt under some trees for shade and had some drinks before we headed for a swim.
So, this mineral pool was developed in 1951 and the water feeds into it from an underground stream that ran through the gold mines. Gold was discovered here in 1872 and Barmedman became a thriving gold mine. However, as the mine shafts reached depths of 90m, the underground water became a problem, flooding the mine shafts and ultimately leading to the closure of the mining operations.
The pool was developed for the benefit of the community, and the water was pumped from the mine shafts into the pool, which was concreted over time. The pad of the pool covers almost an acre now and has been well developed by the volunteer committee. We can see it would be very popular in summer! The water contains potassium, magnesium and lots of calcium and is reputed to have theraputic properties. The pool is emptied before winter each year and refilled every October, taking 6-7 weeks to fill. It is only about 1/4 full at the moment but there was enough for us to splash around and float in. The second photo is not mine and not from now, but shows the pool full. We are camped towards the top of the photo.
It was really quite lovely to float in the water as it was still well over 30C at 6pm. We came back to camp for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles - and a shower as the minerals seemed quite salty! We had decided dinner would be after dark due to flies and heat - and mosquitoes! After our two night reprieve they are back!
Neill and I also went for a walk across the road around the gold mining area. You can still see some shafts (but they don't photograph very well) and this amazing old building.
Thankfully, it started to cool down a little after dark. We still took the opportunity to have a magnum ice cream for dessert which felt like a real treat in the heat!! Nobody can say we rough it while camping! Music playing out the caravan speakers, delicious food and dessert, refreshing gin and tonic - a perfect end to a busy day's driving in this hidden gem of a location.
Day 29 - Black Mountain to Coolah (317km)
Can't believe I had the heater on all night! Just on 12C but that was much warmer than the outside temperature! Woke up to glorious sunshine and the temperature was climbing again by our 9:31am departure time.
Down the New England Highway - a familiar road - to Uralla where we decided to have coffee out so we found parking for our vans (this NSW habit of reverse parking on a 45 degree angle to the kerb really doesn't align with caravan parking!) and headed to a cafe I remember visiting with Greg on one of our trips to see Andrew. The coffee and cake was still excellent.
Fuel top ups in Tamworth and then we went searching for a lunch spot but the first one we tried was not very nice so we drove through Tamworth and out the other side until we got to the small locality of Duri which had a very pretty showgrounds and we stopped there for lunch. Neill met some people geocaching in the showgrounds (unsuccessfully as it turns out).
Back on the road and a good thing my audio book was at a very interesting point. We did some interesting back roads, crossed the same railway line about a hundred times (or so it felt) and traversed some very bumpy roads, before arriving into Coolah before 4pm. We did go to the park we had found on WikiCamps where we could fill with water first, before coming to the Black Stump Inn, which has free camping out the back in return for some patronage of the pub. Firstly, we went for a walk up the street and then to the supermarket although surprisingly, they were out of milk. Then we did a few van jobs before heading to the pub at 5:30pm for a drink, and then ordered our dinners. While we waited, we did our new daily holiday tradition of the NY Times Wordle game - being competitive to see who can get it out in the least number of moves!
My dinner of a Mexican Parmi was pretty good indeed!
After dinner, we went for another walk (in the beautiful evening weather again - now that we're out of the cold mountains!) to wear off the large meal, and checked out the caravan park Greg and I had stayed in once (ironically, without the van) but quickly idenitfied that our camp behind the pub will be much quieter than the caravan park which is right on the truck bypass road.
Tea in Cafe Bushtracker along with some research into tomorrow's destination, which will require a big day's driving so an early night, ready for an early departure.
Day 28 - Ewingar to Black Mountain (264km)
For the past couple of weeks it has been hot. With that comes mosquitoes which I have complained abut a lot. They love me, and I think I'm sporting at least 20 very itchy bites at present. And that's even after liberal application of Good Riddance cream and ongoing operation of the Thermacell.
Tonight, I am reassured there are no mosquitoes. That's because it is so cold. Inconceivably, although we have only travelled 264km, we have climbed significantly in elevation - today a serious 1034m! No wonder the F truck fuel consumption went up so much! And no wonder it is so cold. But seriously, a 20C drop in less than 12 hours is crazy!!
Right now, I can't comprehend that I slept last night with every window and the door open, and the fans running all night. It was a little overcast when I awoke which made it easier for a pack up morning. Coffee in bed, breakfast and pack up - aiming for a 10am departure which we achieved. Even had a mosquito land on my arm for a farewell bite as I drove out. I teared up a bit farewelling my awesome brother and delightful sister-in-law - he is the closest family I have left and that seems super important without Greg.
For years now, my brother has jokingly raved about the small town of Drake, on the way from his place to Tenterfield. I don't know if he has actually ever stopped there but today we did! For elevenses. But glad the Lunatic Hotel in Drake wasn't open when we were there....
Back on the road for some more hill climbing on the way to Tenterfield. Stopped there for fuel but having been there several times over the years, had no need to stop there this time. Headed out the highway for a bit before stopping for lunch at a rest area. Still warm, but significantly cooler than Ewingar.
On the road again, aiming for Deano's Trout Farm just north of Armidale. We have been here twice before so knew it would be good - and quiet. We arrived at about 3:30pm, to be greeted by Deano's Dad who was up for a chat. We marvelled at the improvements that have been made since we were last here, bought some more trout (and this time I'm going to freeze it - the Spirit of Tasmania confiscated my trout from here last time citing it wasn't commercially packaged) and set up camp overlooking this peaceful dam and the cattle across the valley.
We enjoyed our afternoon coffee in the sun but given it was so much cooler than we've been experiencing, we lit the fire early. How different to last night - when we sat as far away from the fire as we could not to get even hotter from the flames, compared to tonight where we literally sat on top of it. I made a scallop and chorizo risotto for dinner (helped by Neill searing my scallops outside) which warmed us up well but even so, as soon as we had eaten we retreated indoors. The BOM says it is gettng down to 1C here tonight!! Heaters are on and I'll have to get the winter doona out again - just crazy!
Day 27 - Ewingar
A quiet, relaxing, hot day. Quite possibly the last day of relaxation on this trip so good thing we enjoyed it. Tomorrow we turn for home.
A bit of a sleep in before it was up to make our cooked breakfast - also the last of this trip. While the hash browns were cooking in the airfryer, the bacon and baked beans were cooking on my outdoor kitchen, Neill thought he'd do the eggs on his portable induction cooktop under my awning. As good as the caravan's power management system is, that was all a bit much and it screamed overload! Neill relocated and shortly aftrwards, Andrew joined us for our delicious breakfast as the day warmed up.
Relaxation followed, some reading, coffees in the shade, a bit of housekeeping. It did get pretty hot and we kept talking about going to the river for a swim but in the end the 40 minutes return drive put us off and I had a cold shower instead! Then the boys decided they wanted to watch the cricket so Tracey's outdoor TV came out and got set up (amongst much frustration - turns out Smart TVs aren't really smart). Let me refer back to a recent point about the luxury of our camping - airfryer, streamed TV, coffee machines!
Pre dinner drinks and nibbles while we watched (from afar, because it was too hot for a fire) dinner cooking in the camp ovens. Our roast dinner was delicious and thankfully it cooled down enough by dark to enjoy it still from a distance around the fire. A lovely last night with family in this beautiful place.
Day 26 - Ewingar
It's a real treat to be here in warmer weather. The sun is higher (good for the solar panels at our bush campsite), the temperature warmer and you can do more fun things like swimming in the river! Greg and I have been in warmer weather before but without the caravan. I have to say, Neill, Jude and I are enjoying our bush camp site in this fabulous weather.
While it was warm overnight, it was a few degrees cooler than it had been on the coast. This menopausal woman still had to have all the windows open and fans on but it is just beautiful temperature for breakfast and coffee outside. We had a nice slow morning, caught up on some housekeeping and even started to think about the trip home (sadly, we will have to hightail it out of here on Sunday given it's only a week until I sail home.
After lunch, Andrew, Roy and Courtney came down (our campsite is about 500m from their house) and we all headed to the river for a swim. I've seen that river at all heights - last time we arrived during a storm and the water was lapping at the bridge as we crossed it! It was just perfect today, and the banks aren't muddy so it was very pleasant to ease ourselves into the river. I thought it might have been colder than the ocean we have been swimming in but no - it was just delightful. Jude and Courtney saw a turtle swimming by, Roy wasn't so keen on the swimming part at all!
(That's Neill and Jude bobbing around in the water, with Andrew standing up)
(That's Courtney and I, refusing to have our photo taken!)
After our swim, we settled under the Landcruiser awning for drinks and nibbles, and to watch some horses that were part of a trail ride nearby come into the river for a swim and then back to the sand for a roll. Such a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and much cooler than back at camp.
We headed back, stopping en route for a tour of the new Ewingar Fire Station. This was built after the last fires, and is substantially bigger than their old one. After changing etc, we headed up to the house for dinner. This included a tour of works that Andrew has done on the house, the feeding of the horses, drinks, nibbles and laughs before a delicious dinner of burgers and chips.
So nice to be surrounded by people who love me as it is very sad to be here without Greg.
Day 25 - Illaroo Campground (Minnie Waters) to Ewingar (166km)
Pack up day dawned hot and sunny but we had a plan. Be all hitched, packed up and ready to go by 9:30am so we could head to the beach for one last swim before leaving this beautiful place. The sea water felt so good after getting hot and sweaty with pack up but unfortunately, we couldn't stay too long so after frolicing in the waves for a bit, we reluctantly headed back to the vans for a shower before departing.
On the road just after 10am, we headed to Grafton as we had a few tasks to do before driving to my brother's. We hadn't factored in Jacaranda Day, a half day public holiday for the Jacaranda Festival! Roads closed, shops closing at lunchtime etc. Anyway, we did all we had to do and avoided most of the people, before navigatin our way to the park where we could fill up the caravan tanks with water. Turns out it was 39C by this stage!
On the little travelled Clarence Way through pretty very green countryside. I did reminisce that this road is in much better shape now that when Greg and I did it just after Andrew first moved up here. Only two very short sections that have not yet been bitumenised.
In a rarity for us, we arrived at Andrew's mid afternoon. Our previous visits with the van have had us doing much bigger driving days and getting here right on dusk!
Lovely to catch up with Andrew, Courtney, Roy (the dog) and get set up in our very own private campground where the firewood is in plentiful supply (and already cut and stacked!). A few quiet days here catching up before we turn for home.
Day 24 - Minnie Waters
There's nothing rugged in the way we camp. Last night while bunkered down in my caravan during the storm, Neill got my digital TV set up in the van. Greg wasn't much into TV so it hasn't really been used in the 2 years we've had the van. But now I've got my NetFlix all set up and that's how I went to sleep last night - watched a movie on Netflix while the fans kept me cool.
This morning dawned warm and sunny. A quick breakfast followed by dishwashing from last night's dishes before we headed off on our walk before it got too hot. We toured the campground here and decided we are on some of the best sites available. Then we walked into the tiny town of Minnie Waters, a 1.1km (one way) walk that took us along a shady path - I still got sunburnt though.
After admiring the lobster a local had just fished out, we headed to the General Store for a coffee. Their pies also looked excellent so we bought some frozen ones to bring back for lunch, and I also bought a shirt (to remember the place by!)
We stopped at this lookout of our headland from the other side. The second photo is from our side.
Quite obviously, this made us hot so straight to the beach for a swim. Then back to our vans for a shower before I put the pies in the airfryer to heat for lunch. Once again, this luxurious style of camping. A quiet afternoon of reading, another swim before afternoon coffee, and then we rolled into drinks and pre-dinner nibbles.
Another entertaining factor of the last few days has been this bush turkey. He is building his woman a lovely nest to the right of Neill and Jude's van and has spent days raking leaves and materials from across the road in front of us all the way to his nest. Tonight, he thought our firewood kindling looked good too.
Finally tonight we could sit outside and have a fire. Still not needed for warmth but ambience and hopefully some mozzie deterrent.
We have loved this campsite - nice and quiet, close to the water, hear the waves crashing from bed. One to note for a future trip indeed.
