BROKEN HILL TRIP NOVEMBER 2018
Saturday 17th November 2018
Leaving
home at 7.30am our final destination today is Wellington. Making our way through Windsor, Richmond,
North Richmond then onto Bells Line of Road to Lithgow. The climb over the mountains through Bilpin,
Mt Wilson then into Lithgow is quite good now there are more double lanes which
has made the trip easier to get past slower vehicles. The car pulled the caravan very well up the
ascents which were quite steep in parts very pleased with this outcome.
We
had our first stop at one of our favourite places on the Western Highway
Yetholme Roadhouse, fuel, breakfast, lunch and dinner. This roadhouse is very clean and tidy and
also supplies other snacks. We had a nice bacon and eggs breakfast.
Yetholme
is not far from Bathurst and the drive through this beautiful town was great
not much traffic and easy drive to the turnoff to Orange. Next stop our destination Wellington this time we decided to take
a secondary road through the small locations of Clifton Grove, Mullion Creek,
Euchareena, Farnham and finally Stuart Town where we turned left to join the
Mitchell Highway. This road was
interesting driving through the farmland and the tiny villages the only
drawback being the condition of the road, it was very good in parts and a
little rough in others but if you took your time an interesting drive and not
much traffic, the caravan handled this well.
We
walked along the bank of the river where the abundant bird life was just
beautiful corellas, cockatoos, willy wagtails and many others.
Sunday 18th November 2018
Up
early again our destination today Cobar, we had not driven this far west before
so on a new adventure. Back onto the
Mitchell Highway through Dubbo, Narromine, Nyngan then onto the Barrier Highway
to Cobar. Our first stop was to be
Nevertire but due to tiredness we decided to stop at Narromine and grab a
takeaway cuppa and be on our way again.
We were lucky here as being Sunday everything was closed except for this
tiny café where we bought our coffee then on our way, it was a great pick me
up. We did stop at Nevertire just to change
drivers then on our way there was no shops open here just as well we bought our
coffee at Narromine.
Driving
through Nevertire we came across cattle being herded along the side of the road
which we call the “Long Paddock” with a drover on a motor bike and his dog, it
was fantastic to watch, the cattle were well behaved. The further we drove toward Nyngan the drier
it became the fields were bare, there was no activity around the silos. Willy willies were forming in the dusty
paddocks and the red dirt just blowing away, very sad. The farmers have a very huge job ahead of
them dealing with the drought. There
were not many animals, we did not see any cattle, very few sheep and they were
in small numbers and we did see some feral goats. The Barrier Highway is very straight and you
need to keep your wits and attention a test for the driver.
a mining town, this is the industry which keeps this town alive. There is a lot of history here the Railway Station, heritage listed houses and more. We stayed at the Cobar Caravan Park
overnight and found this to be great, we parked near trees which gave us shade, great amenities and camp kitchen
Today
was to be a big drive to Broken Hill and took a little bit of organising the
stops and driving times. We left Cobar
around 7.30am taking the Barrier Highway, our first stop Emmadale Roadhouse. About
half and hour on the road we came across our first mob of feral goats an animal
we were really not expecting to see. The
further we drove the more goats we came across some mobs only in small numbers,
other mobs bigger up to 20 goats with kids.
We had heard on the news and documentaries about the goats and their
nuisance existents but not seen any on our previous travels, of course they
were eating everything. The few
kangaroos we saw were not in good condition and some just did not seem to have
the energy to jump away from the side of the road as we drove past, very sad
the drought has certainly taken a hold out here. The vegetation became less and less and the
red earth was taking over, this area needs rain so badly. Traffic was sparse going our way with the
occasional Road Train coming toward us, which was good as we could keep a
steady safe speed.
We
arrived at Emmadale Roadhouse which was fairly indistinctive from the
outside. This very small roadhouse
offers camping, showers, fuel and of course a meal. We had a small breakfast, egg and bacon and
scrambled egg, a couple of young ladies behind the counter travelling back
packers from Germany, very polite but were ready to move on in the next couple
of weeks good luck to them. The
backpackers are a constant when travelling something you get used to, most are
great and very important when touring.
We also ended up talking with a couple of truck drivers who were also
having their breakfast, they are also good for ideas and places to go and they
enjoy a natter to break up their lonely life on the road.
The
Barrier Highway does not have many hills or bends and seems tedious at times so
you need good music if on your own but a companion is always good. Our next destination 220kms is Little Topar Roadhouse. Off on our drive again, we swapt drivers, the
trees are thinning out even more and the sides of the road offer no grass or
very scratchy areas of grass, at this point we had a Road Train pass us but it
was always in the distance but close enough to keep us company. About 60kms from the junction of the Cobb and
Barrier Highway the sides of the road a treeless plain where the lakes had
dried up and waiting for the next rain to fall.
Not far from the junction of the highways is the town of Wilcannia we
just drove through, it was the first time we had to get down to 50km for about
4 hours, felt strange. In the distance
were the Scropes Range which changed the skyline a little and the Darling River
flood Plains.
Little Topar
came up quickly and was way off the road we nearly missed this stop it was
certainly welcome for the driver. Filled
the car with diesel just to make sure we had enough to get to Broken Hill. Not a lot of choice for lunch in these little
outback places, more travellers came in and it became quite busy for a little
while, roadhouses are a very important stopping place. 70kms to get to Broken Hill another change of
drivers, which is important not to drive if you are tired, getting closer to
the end of a long day of driving.
Broken
Hill like all mining towns has a scenery of rusting old equipment, wide streets
and in particular most of the streets are name after ore or machinery
parts. We were booked into the Top Tourist Park in Rakow Street our
Navman took us in the right direction and we were lucky enough to have the
choice of three sites. The park has two
laundries, small swimming pool, two amenity blocks, camp kitchen, ensuite sites
and is very clean and tidy, we booked in for 5 nights.
Tuesday 20th November 2018
This
is our first touring day and not being in this town before after much
discussion we decided the Visitors
Centre was the best place to start and we were so glad we did, we came
across a local lady who was born and bred in Broken Hill and her knowledge was second to none, we walked away with
our brochures all marked up with the where to go to places and with a wealth of
information. The Visitors Centre is in
the same building as Gloria Jeans Coffee so of course we had to have our
morning tea here and discuss our first move.
We
could see Broken Hill did not seem as prosperous as we thought as we had been
to Mt Isa there was a difference, and we did find out the population has
dropped considerably, 35,000 in 1946 and now currently 18,000, due to the mines
closing down a few years ago. The people
here were not ready to go and so the idea of tourism took growth and this is
the biggest industry at the moment, although the mining industry is starting up
again but not up to the strength it was previously.
We
drove around a few streets first to get our bearings then headed to the Silver City Mint and Art Centre, we were
a little disappointed with this, lots of paintings on sale and other artefacts
these were a little dusty and the place felt unkempt. Lots of memorabilia and paintings around but
did not seem to be selling.
One
interesting thing about Broken Hill the town was built around the mine which
means the mine goes through the middle of the town. On top of this hill there is the Line of Lode Miners Memorial it is a
beautiful building which has a café and sells memorabilia, at the rear of this
building is a beautiful walkway where you can see the township of Broken Hill,
fabulous view. At the end of this
walkway is a steel framed set up and inside is the list of the names of miners
in a superb memorial who have lost their lives through sickness and accidents at
the mine since the beginning of time to current, beautifully laid out, well worth
visiting.
On the south side of town is an old fashion café, well known and well named Bells Café, this goes back to the 1950’s and is still in its original state this is a must for any age.
The café is located in Patton Street across
the railway line, it has soda bottles around the walls, old style TV’s, the milkshakes
are made the old fashion way, tables and chairs back to the 50’s, out the back
is a juke box and the furniture to match must visit this place.
Wednesday 21st November 2018
Today
a full day out to Menindee and the
Kinchega National Park. The drive to
the park from Broken Hill is 110kms and this was a very straight road and quite
treeless except where there were two river beds.
We could keep up a steady speed of at least 100kms/hr and even at this speed we had a couple of cars passing us. We took our own lunch and morning tea there is absolutely nowhere to buy anything. Along the road you are guaranteed to come across blue tongue lizards either crossing or on the side of the road, kangaroos and sheep wandering in open paddocks need to keep eyes peeled.
We could keep up a steady speed of at least 100kms/hr and even at this speed we had a couple of cars passing us. We took our own lunch and morning tea there is absolutely nowhere to buy anything. Along the road you are guaranteed to come across blue tongue lizards either crossing or on the side of the road, kangaroos and sheep wandering in open paddocks need to keep eyes peeled.
Our
first stop was Copi Hollow
of which we were not expecting to much but this was a definite surprise, it is a Caravan Park beautiful grassy area, caravans and camping, children’s play area and an abundance of water in the lake, really beautiful. On leaving here we went to the Main Weir
which is connected to the Darling River, to get there the drive is along a dirt road which runs along the side of Pamamaroo Lake and this is drying up as of this date due to lack of rain. The area near the road is very green and grassy but further out the trees are leafless and just dead sticks then beyond this the water can be seen. The road itself is not too bad but there is some corrugation and needs to be taken carefully. As we got closer to the Weir we found there were a couple of ponds and camping areas, some toilets. The Main Weir can only be observed from the edge as it is locked and the water is very low some pelicans were on the deeper side and water hens on the shallower side, the water was not to healthy, green in colour, the drought is certainly hitting hard.
of which we were not expecting to much but this was a definite surprise, it is a Caravan Park beautiful grassy area, caravans and camping, children’s play area and an abundance of water in the lake, really beautiful. On leaving here we went to the Main Weir
which is connected to the Darling River, to get there the drive is along a dirt road which runs along the side of Pamamaroo Lake and this is drying up as of this date due to lack of rain. The area near the road is very green and grassy but further out the trees are leafless and just dead sticks then beyond this the water can be seen. The road itself is not too bad but there is some corrugation and needs to be taken carefully. As we got closer to the Weir we found there were a couple of ponds and camping areas, some toilets. The Main Weir can only be observed from the edge as it is locked and the water is very low some pelicans were on the deeper side and water hens on the shallower side, the water was not to healthy, green in colour, the drought is certainly hitting hard.
Returning
to the main road into Menindee we drove about 5kms then turned right into the Kinchega National Park then turning
left we decide to take the River Drive which followed the Darling River this
dirt track wound its way around for 27km twisting and turning with the river. Every km there was a table set up for picnics
and quite a few long drop toilets further apart, these were very clean and well
looked after. We stopped at one of the
picnic table set ups and had a cuppa, so peaceful, although the river was low
with water and green it still had life, water birds were still around. We so enjoyed driving around this river so
beautiful, at the end of the River Road we took the turn off to the Historic Woolshed and Shearers Quarters,
this was amazing. The National Park Rangers are doing up these buildings and they are looking excellent, this will be quarters for groups to come to the area and have a place to stay and be able to use the kitchen etc. The Old Shearers Shed is in excellent condition it has all the presses, classing table etc still in place and you can just close your eyes and imagine the noise of the shears, the talking and sheep bleating, it was very enjoyable.
this was amazing. The National Park Rangers are doing up these buildings and they are looking excellent, this will be quarters for groups to come to the area and have a place to stay and be able to use the kitchen etc. The Old Shearers Shed is in excellent condition it has all the presses, classing table etc still in place and you can just close your eyes and imagine the noise of the shears, the talking and sheep bleating, it was very enjoyable.
We
were going to have lunch on an outside table, the wind was getting worse as the
day wore on, we were lucky the ranger invited us into the dining area of the
shearer’s quarters, where we were out of the wind and could eat our lunch. Once they have this up and running it will be
magnificent bus tours should take this on.
We
started our journey home but first we wanted to go into Menindee town itself,
we were disappointed there is not much happening here not a soul to be seen the
only movement we saw was the flashing 40 sign for school.
Now
to return back to Broken Hill the wind had picked up and we were about half way
back when the red dust came in, it was a “dust out”, in some places we could
see a short distance in front of us, we did make it back OK but a little
scary.
Thursday 22nd November 2018
Living Desert and Sculptures was our destination today. We would like to have seen the sculptures at
Sunset but the wind was still hanging around and we were not confident of the
dust so we decided to do this in the morning when the weather was a little
calmer.
The
sculptures are only a short distance from Broken Hill around a 15minute drive
we found the entrance very easily. The
park charges $6.00 per person to be paid by coin or card, no notes. We did the sculptures first driving up to
this magnificent hill which has a 360degree view of Broken Hill and its
surrounds.
These beautiful stone sculptures have a story to each one and each one is great in its own merit, the view alone from the top of this hill is just wonderful. We spent about an hour here reading every story and looking at every sculpture some had more detail than others.
These beautiful stone sculptures have a story to each one and each one is great in its own merit, the view alone from the top of this hill is just wonderful. We spent about an hour here reading every story and looking at every sculpture some had more detail than others.
A
visit to the picnic area, near the Cultural
Walk Trail, was interesting this is another area where could walk from here to
the sculptures. There were tables and
shelters and toilet well looked after.
Cultural Walk Trail was an interesting walk up a slight hill but not hard,
lot of native plants but unfortunately with the drought a lot of them have died
but others have survived native fuschia, native apricot, curly mallee, dense
cassia and pearl bluebush to name a few.
The view around this hill top was also so beautiful, there is something about the colours of the outback. Returning to the car then back to the caravan we so enjoyed our morning.
The view around this hill top was also so beautiful, there is something about the colours of the outback. Returning to the car then back to the caravan we so enjoyed our morning.
Friday 23rd November 2018
As
we had not been to Silverton and had
been given various information about Silverton we were really looking forward
to driving out to have a look for ourselves.
The road was a little bit how you going, we drove over several dips in
the road and realised these were made this way due to the water coming across
the road although at this time the area was in drought.
We
stopped at the Old Silverton Tramway
which is now a walking track, but in its day, 1887-1969, transported ore and
people from Cockburn, Silverton to Broken Hill, this was a vital link to Broken
Hill until 1970 when a standard gauge track was built making the tramway
obsolete. The land is now a reserve
trust managed by the NSW Government.
On
the approach to Silverton township we were taken aback by the lack of buildings
and people we were expecting by information given to us this was a reasonably
busy place. There were lots of land with
nothing on them but it did look like buildings had once resided. We could see a couple of ruins from
yesteryear, the Silverton Pub had a
couple of cars out the front, there was a bit of activity up a side street and
other buildings up the top of another hill, we just looked and said where is
everybody!!!!
At
this point we made a decision to go to Mundi
Mundi Lookout about 8kms out of the town, not quite knowing what to expect
and not feeling too excited about this prospect either.
It
was a good road and did not take too long to cover the distance, on the way we
saw a few birds on a road kill like we have seen on many occasions but this
time one of the birds looked bigger than normal, driving along Gil mentioned a
Wedge Tail Eagle, as we had not seen one the whole trip we thought maybe not,
Gil was right as soon as we got near the black birds took off and the Wedge
Tail Eagle, we were disappointed then we knew we had to return and took a
chance it would come back to the road kill.
Onward to the lookout and we were not disappointed it was amazing. Stopping at the top of a gravel hill with
180degree views of an open plain with the road making its way like a ribbon
through the middle, it was beautiful. We
walked around taking pictures of different aspects and down from where the car
was parked were some wild goats of which we had seen quite a few on our
travels.
Back
in the car to return to Silverton and its ruins, as we drove closer to the
section where the road kill had been there was the Wedge Tail Eagle, camera
ready we managed to get some shots he was only a young bird still magnificent
all the same.
We
went through a couple of ruins, houses, of long ago then decided to walk up the
hill to look at more old churches which are all locked up, there are some
artists places where various artefacts can be purchased, old cars, the old gaol,
the old school also now closed.
The main attraction besides the pub is the Mad Max Museum which is very good it is the only place besides the pub we visited, Silverton was disappointing and overstated.
The main attraction besides the pub is the Mad Max Museum which is very good it is the only place besides the pub we visited, Silverton was disappointing and overstated.
Silverton
is in drought like all the outback areas at this time we called into the
Caravan Park and Camping area very dusty with dirt, birds and animals in caged
surroundings did not look to good.
Saturday 24th September 2018
Leaving
Broken Hill we are on our way to Gol Gol
and we have found out this name originated from the name of a homestead which
was on the road to Mungo National Park.
We
stayed at the Riverside Gardens in Gol Gol which is located on the Murray
River, this is a very clean and wonderful park we have stayed here before and
would have no hesitation coming back here again.
After
setting up we headed for Mildura heading for the Merbein Common,
while there we were able to see a couple of large houseboats going up the river (Murray). We found the Common to be a little unkempt it could have been a better area for picnics etc it is a beautiful spot. We left here and went back to the main road to find the Lookout
we eventually found this little place where volunteers have put in some very hard work to make this a beautiful spot. High wooden steps and landing has been erected for a view to the Murray River but unfortunately some of the trees have grown in height and this very picturesque view is getting blocked but certainly worth a visit.
while there we were able to see a couple of large houseboats going up the river (Murray). We found the Common to be a little unkempt it could have been a better area for picnics etc it is a beautiful spot. We left here and went back to the main road to find the Lookout
we eventually found this little place where volunteers have put in some very hard work to make this a beautiful spot. High wooden steps and landing has been erected for a view to the Murray River but unfortunately some of the trees have grown in height and this very picturesque view is getting blocked but certainly worth a visit.
There
are a large number of grape producers in this area at this time they are all
green beautiful grape vines, every now and again you can see a winery
To
finish off the afternoon we wanted to visit Lock11,
at first we were heading the wrong way so re looked at our map we found where we had to go. Retracing our steps found the correct road, then the carpark, we noticed a couple of ferry’s downstream, it looked like they were moored but did not take a lot of notice, then all of a sudden one started to move and we realised it was coming into the lock. This really made our afternoon as we had not witness this before we waited patiently while the second ferry was brought into place then the operation of the lock began. It was fascinating to watch how the ferries are lowered down by the water underneath receding to the river level and the gates open to let them through into the river this took quite some time it is a slow process, so thrilling.
at first we were heading the wrong way so re looked at our map we found where we had to go. Retracing our steps found the correct road, then the carpark, we noticed a couple of ferry’s downstream, it looked like they were moored but did not take a lot of notice, then all of a sudden one started to move and we realised it was coming into the lock. This really made our afternoon as we had not witness this before we waited patiently while the second ferry was brought into place then the operation of the lock began. It was fascinating to watch how the ferries are lowered down by the water underneath receding to the river level and the gates open to let them through into the river this took quite some time it is a slow process, so thrilling.
Sunday 25th September 2018
Day
at Wentworth to see the sights of
this beautiful area, our first visit was the visitors centre where we met a
beautiful young lady who was a wealth of information for her local area. Our first visit was the Old Wharf Reserve and
the Old Wharf. 
This wharf was originally built in 1879 it was one of the busiest ports after Sydney and Newcastle throughout the riverboat era. The original eventually deteriorated and was replaced in 1983. On the wharf is a statue of a man from china, John Egge, who was a riverboat captain who came to Wentworth in the 1870’s, he also operated a butchery, bakery, floating shop and a boarding house and during his time at Wentworth he was one of the richest and largest traders on the river.
The Tractor Monument
This wharf was originally built in 1879 it was one of the busiest ports after Sydney and Newcastle throughout the riverboat era. The original eventually deteriorated and was replaced in 1983. On the wharf is a statue of a man from china, John Egge, who was a riverboat captain who came to Wentworth in the 1870’s, he also operated a butchery, bakery, floating shop and a boarding house and during his time at Wentworth he was one of the richest and largest traders on the river.
The Tractor Monument
is the first of its kind in the world, this is situated on a cairn of stones in the middle of Adelaide Street in memory of the TEA20 Harry Ferguson tractors which saved Wentworth in the floods by helping building clay levee banks with these machines. It is said the water would have inundated the town if not for the banks been constructed. “ By God and by Fergie we beat the flood.”
Where two rivers meet the Murray River
and the Darling River there is a beautiful park where a spiral tower with a viewing has been built (1991) which gives a great view of the confluence, the Murray River has a sand base and the Darling River has a clay base and when the rivers are flowing these differences are quite noticeable.
A
visit to the Old Wentworth Gaol,
1879-1881, to build and was used up until 1927.
Like all of these old gaols it had its run of bushrangers, thieves and
wrong doers in its history the building is made from local clay bricks it is
still in very good condition today.
The Perry Sandhills we found these to be magnificent originating from an
Ice Age 40,000 years ago and were formed by wind and erosion over thousands of
years. Skeletal remains of giant mega-fauna have been found also in the first
sand dune a 500 year old red gum tree, known as the God Tree, can be found.
Wonderful colour and height these are amazing.
Monday 26th November 2018
Mungo National Park which is part of the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage
Area. We paid for a guided tour and
this is the best way to see this area. 
There is no general entry into the Mungo National Park without a guide as the ground is precious and the need to care for it is vital.
There is no general entry into the Mungo National Park without a guide as the ground is precious and the need to care for it is vital.
The
road from Gol Gol is tar part of the way and then dirt with a lot of
corrugation but the beauty at the end is worth it. At the lookout,
where we stopped for morning tea, we could see the whole dried lake and where the sand dunes started nature is just wonderful how this has been formed. After morning tea, we drove further down to the entrance into the park.
where we stopped for morning tea, we could see the whole dried lake and where the sand dunes started nature is just wonderful how this has been formed. After morning tea, we drove further down to the entrance into the park.
The
sand is moving east and this is exposing some very ancient clay areas where
aborigines once lived and exposing their fire pits and other animals which died
and have been buried over time. The
colours of the clay and sand are just beautiful, white sand, pinks and grey
clay.
We
walked from the bottom near the gate to various areas where some of these sites
have been exposed by the moving sands bones of fish have come to the surface
where fires have been buried for hundreds of years, wombats, snakes and other
debris has surfaced after time.
We eventually walked to the top of the hills where the finer sand has been swept by the winds and the view to the land behind is magnificent .
We eventually walked to the top of the hills where the finer sand has been swept by the winds and the view to the land behind is magnificent .
After
waking over the Mungo Lake Bed we returned to the Old Woolshed, Shearers shed
and Homestead of which is being
refurbished.
This is a wonderful woolshed it still has the original timbers, flooring, sheep races, classing table and other areas also near this is a museum with artefacts of the aboriginal people from this area.
Also in this museum is a giant wombat and this was made from a replica of the size of skeletal bones found in Mungo when the sand were blown away and these bones were exposed this goes back 40,000 years it is really amazing.
This is a wonderful woolshed it still has the original timbers, flooring, sheep races, classing table and other areas also near this is a museum with artefacts of the aboriginal people from this area.
Also in this museum is a giant wombat and this was made from a replica of the size of skeletal bones found in Mungo when the sand were blown away and these bones were exposed this goes back 40,000 years it is really amazing.
Viewing
stage has been created to look down on foot prints discovered which are 40,000
years old a cast was made from these prints and place on display so when
looking from the top of the viewing area they can been seen easily, the size of
the feet are enormous, then a child’s footprint is also shown with the
possibility of only having one leg hopping along the ground the distance
between each step is quite long.
We
had a little scare on these steps Gil 
was already up the top of the viewing
area and Julianne was just starting to come up the stair when she heard a noise
beside her turning to look there was approx. 4 foot long brown snake trying to
rush up the stairs. A quick turn back
down and yelling to Gil “snake” all
the snake seemed to want to do is cross over the step and slither in its hole,
very frightening. The Ranger working
there at the time was informed and he will try and catch the snake and move it
to another area away from human activity, not the sort of excitement you like
to have on your day out.
was already up the top of the viewing
area and Julianne was just starting to come up the stair when she heard a noise
beside her turning to look there was approx. 4 foot long brown snake trying to
rush up the stairs. A quick turn back
down and yelling to Gil “snake” all
the snake seemed to want to do is cross over the step and slither in its hole,
very frightening. The Ranger working
there at the time was informed and he will try and catch the snake and move it
to another area away from human activity, not the sort of excitement you like
to have on your day out.
Tuesday 27th November 2018
We
left Gol Gol this morning with a bit of sadness as we really like staying there
we are on the road to Darlington Point. The road has a lot of straight stretches so
was a good run. We called into Balranald
for a quick stop, have something to eat and coffee, it was very nice.
Back
on the road we were held up with roadworks for about 15 to 20mins a lot of
retarring. 
The number of trucks on the
road is enormous they outnumbered cars easily by at least four to one, we have
never seen this number of trucks in any one day ever in all our travels. The
area is quite dry with crops not growing, bare earth and hay in paddocks for
the sheep dropped in various places.
The number of trucks on the
road is enormous they outnumbered cars easily by at least four to one, we have
never seen this number of trucks in any one day ever in all our travels. The
area is quite dry with crops not growing, bare earth and hay in paddocks for
the sheep dropped in various places.
We
did a swap with drivers at Hay and then onto Darlington Point where we are
staying at the Riverside Caravan Park
along the Murrumbidgee River it is a
nice park. There has been a change of
park managers, the park looked well looked after and very clean easy to book in
we could choose our own space, big caravan spots and grassy, well laid out
gardens very pretty. We needed to wash
some clothes here but our luck this trip this job seemed to bring the rain.
Wednesday 28th November 2018
This
stop was only a couple of nights stopover our main aim to catch up with family
in Griffith, we had a great day catching up with Gil’s older brother Bill, wife
Anna and one of their daughters, Racquel.
Always sad to say good bye with us all having busy lives we never know
when we could see each other again. Back
to Darlington Point had dinner
at the local Pizza Restaurant, which was very good, then a stroll along the river bank (Murrumbidgee River) to take in the beautiful sunset
and enjoy the raucous noise of the cockatoos coming back to gather in the trees for the night.
at the local Pizza Restaurant, which was very good, then a stroll along the river bank (Murrumbidgee River) to take in the beautiful sunset
and enjoy the raucous noise of the cockatoos coming back to gather in the trees for the night.
Thursday 29th November 2018
Today
we are driving a short distance to Narrandera
as times before we have only driven in and straight out again, but this time we
decided to spend two nights here. Our
thoughts were to stay at the Showground, we drove in took one look and no
thanks the amenities were being worked on and the ground was rough and uneven
not much if anything has been done since the last time we were here. We rang the Lake Talbot Caravan Park, a Top Tourist Park and booked here but we
had to wait until midday to go in, so now it was coffee time have something to
eat then head to the local Visitors
Centre, where there is a Big Playable Guitar,
to gather knowledge
and work out where to visit while we were in this beautiful town. The staff at the visitor’s centre
were wonderful, nothing was too much trouble and we gathered lots of information, Gil had a fair amount already.
to gather knowledge
and work out where to visit while we were in this beautiful town. The staff at the visitor’s centre
were wonderful, nothing was too much trouble and we gathered lots of information, Gil had a fair amount already.
This
town is like an oasis very green, beautiful parks and the gardens
and trees kept clean and tidy. We had to find a parking area with parallel parking as we still had the caravan in tow, it was easy to walk around the visitor’s centre is in the park and next door was a Tiger Moth Memorial,
to fill in more time we made our way to The Old Brewery
a big brick hollow building which has certainly had its day and this was opposite The Narrandera Common
where there were some caravanner’s free camping, there was toilets in this area. After this visit it was time to get to the caravan park our NAVMAN was a big help with directions, lots of grass, very clean amenities, not many bookings at this time of year we almost had the park to ourselves. This is a good spot there is an outdoor swimming centre, The Lake Talbot
Swimming Complex,
through the back gate of the park and also a walk to the Murrumbidgee River.
and trees kept clean and tidy. We had to find a parking area with parallel parking as we still had the caravan in tow, it was easy to walk around the visitor’s centre is in the park and next door was a Tiger Moth Memorial,
to fill in more time we made our way to The Old Brewery
a big brick hollow building which has certainly had its day and this was opposite The Narrandera Common
where there were some caravanner’s free camping, there was toilets in this area. After this visit it was time to get to the caravan park our NAVMAN was a big help with directions, lots of grass, very clean amenities, not many bookings at this time of year we almost had the park to ourselves. This is a good spot there is an outdoor swimming centre, The Lake Talbot
Swimming Complex,
through the back gate of the park and also a walk to the Murrumbidgee River.
Friday 30th November 2018
Over
the two days we were at Narrandera we managed to see quite a bit of the town
and its area,
the town beach which was amazing and the very
Old Railway Bridge, this was a magnificent structure in its day. We walked around the track at the Wetlands
,
beautiful native plants on track and reeds in the water where we could see a few eels coming to the top, native birds in the trees, two pelicans and a white heron looking for a feed, it was very quiet and beautiful. There is a great lookout not far from the caravan park, looking over Lake Talbot and surrounds and a drive to Rocky Waterhole Boat Ramp and Bridge
should be a must to any visitor, a magical place. The Narrandera Railway Station
is in great repair although this is not used as a station it is still very beautifully looked after also very worth a visit. One of the final drives we did while here was go into The Common not far from the walking track where there is a Koala Reserve,
in this common is a couple of spots along the river where these are noted as beaches and the beautiful sand and swimming area is great. Narrandera is a surviving town through this drought NSW is coping with, it is like an oasis really beautiful.
the town beach which was amazing and the very
Old Railway Bridge, this was a magnificent structure in its day. We walked around the track at the Wetlands
,
beautiful native plants on track and reeds in the water where we could see a few eels coming to the top, native birds in the trees, two pelicans and a white heron looking for a feed, it was very quiet and beautiful. There is a great lookout not far from the caravan park, looking over Lake Talbot and surrounds and a drive to Rocky Waterhole Boat Ramp and Bridge
should be a must to any visitor, a magical place. The Narrandera Railway Station
is in great repair although this is not used as a station it is still very beautifully looked after also very worth a visit. One of the final drives we did while here was go into The Common not far from the walking track where there is a Koala Reserve,
in this common is a couple of spots along the river where these are noted as beaches and the beautiful sand and swimming area is great. Narrandera is a surviving town through this drought NSW is coping with, it is like an oasis really beautiful.
Saturday 1st December 2018
Narrandera
to Queanbeyan, this was a reasonable
drive but our timing was not all that good we arrived at 1.31pm and the office
door was closed for lunch we arrived a minute too late, so had to wait until
staff returned.
Eventually
booked in, the park looked quite full, we booked well ahead knowing this and we
drove into our spot immediately and it was great. We are in this area to visit family,
grandchildren, daughter and son-in law looking forward to seeing them all.
Sunday 2nd December 2018
We
had a quite first day, the second day we had lunch with pre-schoolers and
parents celebrating the end of year and Christmas get together of course this
was very good, lots of happy children to see Santa. We had dinner and catch up with family which
was very good.
Monday 3rd December, 2018
Today
we had booked a short cruise around Lake Burley Griffin we boarded the little
cruise boat at the wharf at the Questacon building, with two of our older and
youngest grandchildren, would have to say this cruise is worth taking it was
great. The captain was a wealth of
information on the buildings and area in Canberra we enjoyed this very much. Had some lunch at McDonalds took the older
grandchildren home and then took our youngest to the local park where she
enjoyed herself for a couple of hours then back home.
It
was our daughter’s birthday today so off to an Indian Restaurant to celebrate
it was really lovely food great to join in with family and some of her friends
and great night.
Tuesday 4th December 2018
Home,
another great trip comes to an end we look forward to the next one.
UPDATE: The Queanbeyan Caravan Park is now closed for good.
Video's
Top is from Line of Lode lookout looking over Broken Hill
This video is of outside Silverton
UPDATE: The Queanbeyan Caravan Park is now closed for good.
Video's
Top is from Line of Lode lookout looking over Broken Hill
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