Travel

Time to escape winter! We left Melbourne on a cold but beautiful sunny day. The fields are vibrantly green in the bright sunlight. Frost sparkles where sun rays push through trees. I feel warm and snug in the new car even though it is a chilly 6 C outside. Before long we hit the Highway and truck after truck after truck….

We stop at Nagambie for lunch and pop into the new van for the first time to make a sandwich and a cuppa. Very convenient and i finally start to feel i am on holidays. We eat and get back on the road quickly stopping at Toccumwal for a toilet break and of course a pic of the giant cod.

We were running late and the sun was setting as we arrived in Merriwagga just out of Griffith. The sky glowed a brilliant pink and purple with streaks of gold and red. Beautiful first night. Unfortunately i was driving and couldn’t capture the glorious sky. The Old School House Caravan Park was finally in sight and Kel the manager came out to guide is to our spot in the night. Very lovely of him to leave his dinner to help us.

After a very quiet and peaceful night, morning revealed a cute and quirky park. The pool is a work in progress and the Vichy bath an interesting addition. The old hut is full of memorabilia. So many things to look at. We were late leaving as a result! A great little overnight stop.

Day Two we hit the Kidman Highway. Happily it was rather free of traffic and i enjoyed watching the lush green fields rolling by. The temperature is 17 C at 11.30am and i am loving the sun streaming through the windows of the car. I start counting goats but give up when they become so frequent it is impossible to keep track of numbers. There soooo many. Fortunately they scarper off the road more often than across it but we did have to avoid a few.

We stopped at Cobar for a quick lunch but as we were on a mission to get to Bowan as quickly as possible we didn’t have time to check out the mine and museum but will revisit on another trip. We hit the road again and headed further north to Bourke and the Mitchell Caravan Park. A very comfortable stop. Love the bottle trees and bouganvillia and love a park with pizza oven and fire pits!

Next stop Cunnamulla. Once again lunch stop only as we surge north! Being a Sunday the main street is pretty much all closed but still nice to walk around. We took the touristy pic with the Cunnamulla Fella. Lots of other travellers were walking the streets enjoying the buildings and i would suggest looking for somewhere to have lunch. I was sorry to have such a fleeting visit but we had to get to Charleville for another overnight stop. I have already had enough of driving, driving, driving and overnight stops! By the way, temperature is 21 C and the sun feels quite intense. It feels much hotter and hats had to come out of hibernation.

Arriving in Charleville in daylight was great as we could get a short walk in. Charleville caravan park has entertainment and a communal fire pit and is very busy. I would say almost filled to capacity. Lots of transit visitors like us are there but also appear to be many set up for a long stay, chilling out and enjoying the warmer weather. After three long days of driving we were too tired to socialise and shut down early for a dinner, a movie and early night.

Driving on iconic highways. Amazing sunset from the kitchen Social spaces

Another long day of driving with morning tea at Augmenta. The town streets are lined with caravans stopped for a break, as we were. Lunch at Tambo by the lake. Then GPS directed us onto a road which quickly deteriorated. Masses of road works ensured a dusty, dusty, dusty drive. Especially with each passing truck. But the new car and van handled it beautifully and not a speck of dust inside. Beware kangas.

Emerald caravan park is very large and very quiet. Unfortunately we arrived late and in the dark. They had forgotten to put our site map out and being super tired I was on the verge of a melt down as the office phone number only gave messages and no option to get assistance. I finally found a buzzer at reception and the park managers were super apologetic and really nice so all was well. Eventually.

The morning is warm,. Amost hot. And very peaceful. The only noise is the twittering and beautiful songs of various birds. A great day of resting, shopping and laundry in the morning and then a visit to the Botanical gardens, an art gallery and the giant easel in the afternoon.

We had a good walk around Emerald and enjoyed the exercise after four solid days of driving. The Botanical gardens are more of a large park, not exciting but ok. The art gallery had a wonderful exhibition of children and youth work, some of which was very impressive. We found the giant easel and wondered why? It seems it was the only giant thing the town could find to fit the criteria to make a mark for tourism. I laughed over the sign giving vehicles right of way before pedestrians in town.

At the end of a satisfying day, the temperature at 5.15pm is 24 C with not a whisper of wind. It is perfect. A very peacedful stop over. Tomorrow another long drive but we finally arrive at Bowen.

Can’t help taking photos of flowers

Yes, another long drive but it has been worth it. We drove through some very pretty country from Emerald to Bowen. Looking for somewhere to buy lunch we drove into a mining town called Copa Bella. They had a big new fully stocked open bar but the kitchen was still not complete so no food. Back on the road and we stopped at Clermont for coffee and a very nice chai at a cafe called Lotta Latte.

Finally arrived at Rose Bay caravan park where we chose to spend our stay while in Bowen. A tiny little park but super cute. We were too tired to think by this stage so the manager helpfully parked the van with his bobcat as it is super tight, although once parked we had adequate space and didn’t feel at all squeezed in. Froggy came out to investigate as we set up. We are very much looking forward to visiting mum in law and exploring this beautiful part of the country.

Rose Bay is beautiful. Now that we are here we think four days is too short. A week would have been much better.

Cats and flowers. Favourite things.

It was lovely to revisit Cape Gloucester. A truly beautiful area. I swam here last time totally ignorant of the fact it was croc country. There was a music festival in full swing at the Cape Gloucester Resort so we had lunch at Monty’s. The most tender delicious calamari i have ever had and a very good virgin mojito! We did a drive through of Hideaway Bay and Dingo Beach but it was rather crowded and not as nice as further up the road.

Sadly we had to pack up and leave pretty Rose Bay, vowing to return. We headed south to Cape Hillsborough stopping in at Airlie Beach for lunch at the marina. Totally enjoyed the shared platter and an Aperol while looking out at the shimmering blue water and rich folks pleasure craft. Several people were out enjoying the water but too cold for me.

A quiet easy drive to Cape Hillsborough National Park. The caravan park was busy but we had a perfect site with plenty of space. We arrived just as the sun was setting and tide was low. Magnificent. We had a quick walk and felt at peace.

The next morning weekend crowds were gone by 10am. We were delighted. Our site is shaded by palm trees and we have no neighbours. After breakfast we went for a walk edge to edge of the bay. Tides altered the landscape dramatically and offered brilliant contrasts. Low tide felt eerie as we walked through towering rocks that made me feel i was walking along the ocean floor.

Birdlife was abundant. Cheeky kookaburra stole the last piece of brie of our plate! Curlews sang their plaintiff songs at night but were unperturbed by the proximity of people during the day. Even the scrub turkeys were not troubled by us humans. I watched one snacking on a fallen coconut for ages. It was wonderful.

Friends from Melbourne joined us for a day in this beautiful national park and we made an on the spot decision to walk the short hike up to the lookout before dinner. It was a bit steeper and with quite a bit more scrambling over rocks than i expected. I wasn’t wearing appropriate shoes which made the walk a little scary and slippery. Not a good idea…

Oh, and of course there is the 6am Roo feeding. Heaps of international visitors come in for the night just to catch the feeding on the beach. I refused to get out of bed for this as we live with Roo’s but hubby decided to have a quick look. Most of these crowds then left by 10am.

At low tide it is possible to access the nearby island. The wind across the causeway was so strong it was comical but we were determined to do the walk. Sensible shoes are a must. It is very rocky and the rocks are loose. We had to tread carefully the whole way while fighting crazy wind. Once across and in the shelter of the island the wind stopped and it was beautiful. Pale blue water and fine white sand. Sadly no swimming due to it being croc country. We were told a small 1.3 metre croc had been sighted on the beach in the last few days. This one may be small but it possibly has family nearby!

The following day we had our first bit of rain since leaving Melbourne but it was gentle and more of a drizzle and it is still warm. We headed to the mangrove swamp for a walk. The boardwalk is a short easy stroll through a great variety of vegetation. It is really interesting. A nice surprise was a midden, way up high from the sea below. It was a pretty walk with myriad plants to look at.

We left Cape Hillsborough on a fine sunny day. We have really enjoyed our stay and highly recommend. We head inland to Dingo caravan park. A roomy park that unfortunately has freight trains full of coal running 24 hours so this is not a place for light sleepers. It didn’t bother me but some might find it difficult.

The reason for going to Dingo in central QLD is to visit the Blackland Tableland. It is beautiful country and I was told they have had fires and rain so is at it’s best. And it is glorious. The colours are vibrant. Such a beautiful area. Even the drive up was gorgeous. Definitely 4WD as the tarmac ends and the road is quite rough for the last bit of the drive. We took it slow and it was fine. Parking is easy once you get in. There are a couple of drop dunnies but they stink.

The walking track is very well maintained but there are a lot of steps from start to finish. A lot of people were falling over as they slid on tiny pebbles scattered on the track but most were not deterred from completing the walk. Although there are a lot of steps, there are 240 down to Gadda Gunno (Rainbow Falls) – you don’t have to be super fit. I did it quite easily with just a bit of huffing and puffing.

The big pool at the base of the falls is stunning. The huge boulders and lush vegetation made it a blissful spot to sit and enjoy the serenity. It is off season so there are very few people. I can imagine it would be quite busy during holidays times.

The much instagrammed swimming hole further up the track had a few young people with cameras filming themselves swimming in the freezing water, diving under the hollow rock that allows you to swim from the main pool to the one below. They quickly packed up and left and we sat in the quiet and appreciated the beauty of nature and glorious colours. A very special place indeed.

We stopped on the way out at Yaddamen Dhina (Horseshoe Lookout). It is majestic. Well worth a look. The photo does not do the view justice. It was amazing.

Our next stop was Carnarvon Gorge. Take note!! Fuel up before heading to the gorge as there is no fuel for 80kms in one direction and 170kms in the other.

We stayed at the Big4 which has large quite level sites. The amenities are dated but the hot water and strong flow were great. Reception staff were a little hot and cold. Friendly but stroppy. Not really big on customer service and for such a large park only two washing machines. We were lining up for them. I also have to mention amenities were quite filthy and could have done with a little extra cleaning. However, regardless of this, location is perfect so it made up for the few issues. It might be time for a change of managers.

The park has a cafe/restaurant/bar which is well placed and large enough to accommodate the crowds but it is not at all warm on a cold night. The two patio heaters i saw were definitely not adequate and i heard someone say one wasn’t working. This cemented the feeling customer service is not high on the agenda. With the big fancy pizza oven i was looking forward to a meal not made by me…We ordered a vegetarian and sadly, it was not good. We were faced with a cheese saturated round of dough with a few token bits of vegetable. I wish we had chosen something different. Believe me, it looks better than it tastes. My stomach was churning after a couple of bites. Oh well. I have done with my complaints. We are here for the gorge not the caravan parks failures.

Come the morning we started with one of the shorter walks to check out the terrain. Mickeys Gorge is a lovely walk with masses of palms set against a back drop of tall sandstone walls. Beautiful white trunks of gums contrasted with the vibrants palms. So beautiful.

The track starts off as quite an easy walk but the further you go the more scrambling is needed to get over and around rocks. The silence as you get deeper into the gorge is total. Not even a bird song can be heard.

Later in the evening we did a quick walk to the Rock Pool. This is the only pool swimming is allowed. Not sure i would enter the water but it is a pretty space.

The next day was a big day. We wanted to see as much as we could of the gorge but realistically knew in the four days we were there we would not get to the end of it. First part of the walk was to Moss Garden. A lovely walk into a pretty space with water trickling down moss covered walls. It would have been a beautifully serene space if it wasn’t for the elderly yappy folk talking non stop about friends and famaily with little respect for the space they were in. Seriously folks.

Next part of the walk was The Amphitheater. It was definitely worth the climb. Well. What can i say. The great cavern has powerful vibes. It absolutely permeates into your being. A majestic calm envelopes you. A place of solemnity and dignity. Unfortunately we were besieged by another group of squawking oldies and a family with very young children so there was a cacophony of voices. SO disrespectful to the area and other visitors. Talk quietly for goodness sake. They occasionally fell quiet and i could immediately feel the space relax. How i would have loved to be there alone but this gorge is busy. People are walking it all day which reinforces the need to travel out of season. I cannot imagine how crowded it would be during school holidays. They left and we were rewarded with some quiet time. Anyway, regardless, i am so glad to have had the experience and do highly recommend it.

Regardless of my whining about the park and the noisy people, this is a spectacular and incredibly powerful place and i would love to return for a longer stay and see the rest of the gorge. A week is needed here. Four days was not enough.

Time to head further south. We stopped at Roma overnight and stocked up as our food supplies had run low. Roma has an abundance of bottle trees. What a delightful tree. I fell in love with them. I want one!

Next stop heading south was Moree for two nights. We arrived late as we stopped at little towns for a walk and poke around and then had to drive super slow to avoid roo’s. Moree main street has a lot of restored art deco buildings which were lovely to see. Great chai and cinnamon scrolls at cafe Brooker Trading Co. Forgot to take a pic but very good. Enjoyed the hit of spice. We were not interested in the hot pools so we had a feet up day. It was a bit scary being told about all the security and the park needing to be locked down at 6pm. Just after dark there were police sirens going off intermittently but as it got later everything fell silent. It felt a bit edgy.

Next stop Coonabarabran for three nights. We selected a park just out of town. It was basically a large paddock but the amenities were super clean, the pool sparkling and the cabins looked quite good. At $110.00 for three nights it was perfect. And quiet. A good base for exploring Pilliga and the Warrumbungles.

The Pilliga sandstone caves walk was amazing. Short but stunning. The tall sandstone walls and multiple caves were like whipped cream in pastel whites, creams and pinks. Amazing patterns. The views from the walk are also brilliant.

Also in the same area is the Sculpture Trail and gorge walk. A peaceful pretty walk. The sculptures are along the top track and then you can opt to walk down to the bottom of the gorge. Recommend going the full circuit walk as the bottom of the gorge is very pretty. Being dry season the river bed was dry and it was an easy walk.

The next day we made a quick visit of the Warrumbungles and the Siding Spring Observatory. Great views from up there and a very pretty drive.

Time is running out and we head further south and into cooler weather. An overnight stop at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains was a lovely surprise and absolutely freeeeezing. By the time we arrived there were only a couple of hours of daylight left so we set up quickly and headed off to do a walk. The caravan park is only across the road from the walks and kiosk. Great location. We layered up in warm waterproof clothes to see as much as we could in a short time. We managed to do all of the short walks, only unable to do the 45 minute cliff walk. The paths are easy access to all of the lookouts although there are a few steps involved.

Later that night our movie was interrupted by a helicopter flying low over us. It landed in an adjacent oval, rattling and blasting us with noise and wind. It was only there a short time before taking off again. Apparently they were responding to a possible incident on the walks.

Final part of our time out is Kiama for three days to visit friends and to revisit this beautiful town which we love. We arrived to incredibly strong winds but the sun was warm. We stayed at Easts Beach caravan park situated right on the beach. Nice and clean and very empty. Only a few of us here. Which was lovely. Huge pool for hot days but waaaay toooo cold this trip. I would stay here again.

Had a wonderful day with friends. Lunch at Jamberoo and then the farmers market in Kiama and dinner that evening. They recommended we visit Minnamurra Rainforest and i am so glad we did. Another beautiful walk but oh my, a lot of up, up, up! I felt this walk but it was a well maintained path with lots of boardwalks and we saw six lyrebirds. Highly recommend. It was a great end to a fantastic month of incredible walks. Had a nice little shop at the visitors centre as well.

We finished up with lunch near the blow hole after watching some reasonable blows. Finished up with a walk by the sea pools and we sadly prepared to return to Melbourne via and overnight stop in Holbrook where we had a lovely dinner at the Holbrook Hotel.

Time to plan our next trip!