NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA 2016

After a couple of days in Rocky with our grandaughter we did the usual rellie run around Brisbane.

A classic 'homie' spotted at the rest area at Yamba north of Rockhampton. Note the ingenious way the tinnie has been sealed to the roof with Sicaflex.

Egrets etc at the lagoon at Gracemere caravan park. A lovely spot.

Then we headed into New South Wales and decided to take a look at the showgrounds camp in Maclean. This turned out to be a lovely spot with beautiful views across the Clarence River. 

View from our camping site at Maclean showgrounds.

From here we crossed over the bridge just beside the showgrounds onto the large island in the middle of the river and drove through the village of Lawrence. There is a camp spot there behind the pub which also looks quite nice. We had to take a ferry to get back onto the road to Grafton where we fuelled up etc. It was a lovely drive down Highway 78 to our next camp at Little Styx River, just south of Ebor. We had stayed here before and despite an afternoon storm it was still the lovely spot we remembered. 

Little Styx River

Next day we continued on to Armidale and then joined the New England Highway to Tamworth where we saw the early signs of the upcoming Country Music Festival. We must try to be there for it sometime.

Travelling south from Tamworth, we went through Willow Tree and Scone then turned west just before Musswellbrook. We went through Castle Rock to Sandy Hollow and continued on through the beautiful Bylong Valley. There is a lovely little camp opposite the store in Bylong so we decided to stop here. It proved so hot that night that we turned on the gennie to run the air-conditioner for a while. Fortunately it cooled down later in the evening so we did get a good night’s sleep.

Bylong Valley

Next morning we hit the road south through Ilford to Sofala. We were wishing we had more time so that we could call into the historic old mining area at Hill End but we continued on to Bathurst and thought we might spend the night at Carcoar Dam just past Blayney. However when we got there we didn’t think it was so great. The water was low admittedly but there weren’t many level, sunny spots left so we kept going to Cowra. Here we discovered a lovely little camp spot called Farleigh Reserve on the Lachlan River. It was still quite warm and there was quite a strong wind from a threatening storm but Leo thoroughly enjoyed swimming in the river and the storm didn’t come to much so it was a lovely stopover.

It was a relatively short run next day down through Cootamundra and Junee to Wagga Wagga where we spent the night with our son Dave and his fiancée Kristy. As we set off next day, we were looking forward to catching up with our good friends and fellow Bogsters, Phillip and Ann, who were camped at a beautiful spot on the Murray River called Neil’s Bend. It is a lovely reserve just east of Walwa and there was plenty of room for the 8 vans that eventually made up our little group. John got the tinny set up and we had a lovely little trip upstream. It certainly is a lovey river but is becoming choked with willows and another tree in places. Parks and Wildlife were busy removing them from the banks upstream from us so at least it is being controlled.

Views from our camp at Neil's Bend

While staying here we took a drive to visit fellow Boggers upstream on another lovely reserve Clarke Lagoon. This is also a nice spot but river access is not quite so easy in most of the campsites here. We also took a drive further east to Tintaldra. Here we turned north across the river and then west back along River Road on the northern side of the Murray. This gave us a chance to have a good look at this part of the river and also to visit some more Bushtracker owners who were camped at Jingellic. The reserve here is right behind the hotel and while it is certainly a lovely spot it is usually very crowded. In fact this couple ended up moving up to Neill’s Bend next day as they were given a very nasty reception by some incoming Australia Day campers who deeply resented them being in “their spot” which they had been coming to for years.

We also took a little trip in the tinnie up and down the river.

Neill’s Bend was a wonderful spot for Ann and I as we ended up identifying 50 different bird species between us. It was also a great place for the guys who were keen fishermen. They managed to catch two lovely Murray Cod using cheddar cheese. They really are very pretty fish.

We were quite sad to be leaving this lovely camp and all the terrific people we had met here but we were also looking forward to our next little interlude, the 45^th Anniversary for John’s Army Apprentice School intake, which was being held at Albury-Wodonga. John was excited to be catching up with old mates, some of whom he hadn’t seen for nearly 40 years. We drove along the Murray River all the way to Wodonga, skirting the southern shores of Lake Hume and it was a really pleasant drive. Along the way we noticed several other nice camping reserves on the river.

Our first day at Borderlands van park in Wodonga was really hot so we appreciated having the power so we could run the air-con. We made use of the pool and were parked in a little group of half a dozen other ex-army guys attending the re-union so there was plenty of banter and sharing of stories that night. Next morning we awoke to rain clouds and some welcome rain, as the area was quite dry. The whole weekend proved most enjoyable with get togethers at the RSL etc in Albury as well as an excellent lunch barbecue at the military base at Bandiana where there is also an excellent army museum which is well worth a visit.

The extensive Army Museum at Bandiana.

We left Wodonga on Monday morning and made a beeline to Kilmore, just north of Melbourne. The caravan park is a bit tired and most of the sites for non-permanent vans are on bitumen. But the toilets were clean and the management were extremely friendly and helpful. John stayed in Kilmore while our son Lachy picked Chris up to go into Melbourne to attend the Australian Open Tennis on Australia Day. What a great day it was too. Saw no less than three matches including Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer vs Thomas Berdich. The atmosphere was fantastic and the whole day was great. We really enjoyed dinner too at an unusual little restaurant called situated in an old clothing sweat shop.

On Wednesday we travelled west through Lancefield to Kyneton where we had a pleasant little overnight stop with some more Bushtracker owners, Ian and Ange. They have a lovely acreage with extensive country views. A storm with lots of lightning made the night interesting.

Next morning we continued west on the Pyrenees Highway. This area is very interesting as it is the scene of much of the early gold mining in Victoria. There are lots of rustic old buildings and you really get a feel of the history of the place. At Ararat we continued due west through Moyston and then north toward Halls Gap. We found a nice little camping spot on Wikki Camps, called Old Man Emu Campground. It is nestled in the bush in the shadow of the Grampians. The owners have just started developing the place and have set it up nicely. Unfortunately lack of rain has prevented them from greening up the grounds but if when the dam is filled it should look much nicer. At $15 a night I thought it was a little dear simply because of the lack of toilets but perhaps they have plans for more amenities. If you like kangaroos and emus there are plenty of them here.

We really enjoyed the drive next morning up through Halls Gap and over the Grampians. They really are quite spectacular and we managed to get a good feel for the area from the lookout overlooking Lake Wartook. 

Ian and Ange had recommended a couple of camp spots at Rocklands Reservoir so we turned south at Brimpaen until we got to Cherrypool where we took a right turn onto the dirt track which skirts Black Range State Park and takes you into the Reservoir. There are several camping spots around the Reservoir. We visited Mountain Dam and Hynes but unfortunately due to the lack of rain only Hynes had any water to speak of. 

Hynes Camp - Rocklands Reservoir

While the Reservoir would probably be a lovely spot if the dam was full, we decided that it was pretty ordinary right at this time so decided to head back to Cherrypool as we had noticed a lovely riverside camp there. Although it is close to the road it really was a delightful spot and there were toilets there if you needed them. We’d definitely recommend it for a free overnight stay.

Cherrypool

It was north again on the Henty Highway next morning through Horsham and on to Warracknabeal. At Brim we were fortunate to see the beautiful portraits that have been painted on the wheat silos there. Our friends Phillip and Anne had mentioned them to us but we had forgotten where they were so we were pretty chuffed to come across them quite by accident. They really are impressive and one wonders just how they were painted. Apparently a cherry-picker was used by the artist, Guido van Helten. If you are ever in the vicinity do not bypass Brim.

We spent the next night at a delightful camp spot on the banks of Lake Lascelles in Hopetoun. This spot has a variety of sites from grassy powered spots which you pay about $20 for, to various other spots scattered right around the lake. There are a couple of amenities blocks, barbecues and picnic tables and even kids playgrounds. Although it is used by the locals for water-skiing they are not really a bother.

Lake Lascelles - Hopetoun

When we left Hopetoun we continued on the Henty for 6km then turned north on a secondary road heading for  Walpeup. Here we turned west again on the Mallee Highway and continued on through the mallee with eyes peeled for the elusive mallee fowl, crossing into South Australia near Pinnaroo.

Mallee tree

One of the many large wheat farm homesteads we passed.