SOUTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES

The drive along the Bylong Valley to Lithgow the next day was lovely, with great sandstone cliffs eroded away on both sides of the road. We had originally planned to stay overnight in the Blue Mountains so we could visit the Norman Lindsay Gallery at Faulconbridge, but we decided that we would drive in and back out all in one day. It was a good decision as there are unending road works, and it is a very busy and congested area which we were glad to leave asap.

Bylong Valley

THE NORMAN LINDSAY GALLERY

A visit to the Norman Lindsay Gallery has long been on my bucket list. Last time we tried it was closed but it is open every day now. It was well worth the detour. There are lots of his works on display and even I was surprised at the diversity and extent of his work. He produced a myriad of oil and watercolour paintings as well as etchings, sculptures, model ships, magazine and newspaper illustrations and cartoons and also wrote several novels. He was also responsible for the picture of the Rosella on the Rosella soup cans.

Seahorse Fountain

Three figure group

Woman holding breasts

We were lucky enough to be there in time for the free guided tour of the house, the painting studio and the etching studio. The guide was a local with lots of anecdotes and information about Lindsay, his life and his work. John even found the visit extremely interesting and was also surprised at the man’s extraordinary talents. The buildings and surrounding gardens alone are worth a visit. And of course I couldn’t resist buying one of his prints. Just have to find a wall to hang it on.

Wood duck family in gardens at Norman Lindsay Gallery

HEADING SOUTH

Three things were noticeable as we continued south. First, the mistletoe on the trees in this part of New South Wales is bigger than any I’ve seen anywhere. I also noticed there were lots and lots of lovely old churches and cottages. You really start to get a sense that history is all around you. The third thing was the abundance of wombats, but unfortunately they were all dead on the roads. Hopefully this is an indication that their numbers are increasing.

A beautiful old church at Taralga north of Goulburn.

From the Blue Mountains we backtracked to Oberon and drove along the beautiful Oberon Plateau to Black Springs where we pulled up at a small reserve for the night. It was really cold but we had a lovely fire and of course the diesel heater kept us warm. Leo had his first night sleeping in the back of the car as it started to rain just after dark. It was our coldest night so far and in the morning we headed off toward Goulburn in thick fog.

Looking back to the Blue Mountains from the Oberon Plateau

The foggy start from Black Springs

Goulburn was a good opportunity to fuel up, stock up the fridge and water tanks etc. before continuing on to Yass, where we turned south to Wee Jasper. There are several camping spots along the way but the best by far is the last one at Micalong Creek. We spent 3 nights here and even though we couldn’t land a trout it was a lovely spot. The walk up the creek to the waterfall was also well worth the effort.

Burrinjuck Dam - Wee Jasper

Trees everywhere were covered in blossom.

Our Micalong camp.

Micalong Creek

John hard at work fishing at Micalong.

Wood ducks are thriving down this way. These were at our camp at Micalong.

We were thrilled on our first morning here to see snow on the hills surrounding us and took a drive to have a better look. We heard on the radio that there had been extensive snow falls all along the route we had taken the previous day, including at Oberon, Goulburn and of course higher up near Kosciuszko. We were a bit disappointed that we hadn’t stayed another night at Black Springs so we could have experienced the snow but then we would have been held up as the snow had blocked the roads around Goulburn for several hours that day.

Snow covered hills around Micalong Creek.

Micalong Falls

Downstream from the falls.

The most direct route from Wee Jasper to Tumut is a narrow, winding, dirt logging road but since we were travelling on a Sunday we decided it would be pretty unlikely to meet any logging trucks and we were right. It was very picturesque and we didn’t meet one car ‘til we hit the tar again. After a quick trip to Woollies and the laundromat in Tumut, it was an easy run through Batlow to Tumbarumba and on to Paddys River Reserve, with a stop off at Paddys River Falls which were quite spectacular. Paddys River Reserve is a very popular spot and rightly so. The camps are right beside the river and lots of the campers were catching trout which was a bonus. We had no luck again but loved this spot. Again we met some really nice fellow travellers. Whoever is responsible for the reserves down here have certainly got it right. Unlike the parks etc. in Queensland, there are none of the posts, fences etc. which stop you from parking at the nicest parts of the reserves. And they all have toilets so the horrid white streamers which are so prolific at a lot of camps up north aren’t evident here.

Paddys River Falls south of Tumbarumba.

Driving south along the Maragle valley next morning we caught our first sight of Mt Kosciuszko and surrounds, covered in snow. This particular valley is absolutely beautiful, with excellent views from a roadside lookout which also provides some interesting information about the crash of the Southern Cloud, one of the planes in the ANA fleet which was set up by Kingsford-Smith and Ulm. We also learned that the valley had been split up into blocks for the soldier settlers after World War II.

The views from the Maragle Valley up towards Kosciuszko.

 

Maragle Valley

At Tooma we were undecided about which way to go and initially went over through Walwa to Jingellic and parked at the reserve behind the pub. This is quite a nice spot right on the Murray, but the camps are back from the river somewhat and it is not as picturesque as lots of the others. We decided to have lunch, and as there was internet access here, John caught up on some computer work, e-mails etc. Then we decided to backtrack and go down through Corryong to a little reserve at Staceys Bridge.

 

NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES

Our first night in New South Wales was spent with our friends Tony and Kim at Skennar’s Head, between Byron Bay and Ballina. They have a fantastic view from their front balcony out over the ocean and I was thrilled to bits when I sighted whales spouting offshore. After half an hour I was really excited as I had seen two breaching and lots of fins flapping around as they played. What a buzz. Leo had his first experience in the surf and loved it, although it was a lot harder to find that ball amongst the breakers.

Lennox Head from the lookout south of town.

John, Dominic and Leo at the beach at Skennars Head.

This is the view in front of Tony & Kim's at Skennars Head

Leo loved it here!

That night we had a real laugh as we went into Ballina to a free comedy night at the RSL. The MC was Mandy Nolan, a real card of a lady who had us all in fits of laughter. If you want a laugh have a look at her blog -  http://mandynolan.com.au/blog/ There were also two other male comedians Paul McMahon and another who were really funny as well. I also got a real kick to see Akmal, another comedian well-known and liked by me with them all as we were leaving but I was too late to get his autograph. Damn!

Me an' Mandy

Next day we headed south again and inland from Grafton along what was once the main road to Glen Innes. We camped at a lovely spot on the Nymboida River at Buccarumbi.

 

The Nimboida River from our camp.

The following morning we took a drive further up the road along the Boyd River to Dalmorton. This was once a thriving community of 5000 people and 13 pubs living off the proceeds of a great but brief gold rush in the 1850s and 60s but there is little left now.

Boyd River where there are some beautiful campsites toward Dalmorton.

Dalmorton butcher shop.

We learned here of the original bridge at Buccarumbi, the remains of which can be clearly seen beside the present bridge. The first bridge was 52 feet above the water and was destroyed by big floods in 1947 and what a flood it must have been. Thanks to these photos from the New South Wales and Victoria State Libraries, you can see what the original looked like.

The original bridge at Buccarumbi in all its glory!



The construction of the "new" bridge after the flood. You can see the remains of the old bridge to the right.



 

All that's left of the old bridge today.

 

Another interesting spot was the 20 metre long tunnel which had been carved through Dalmorton Ridge. It was built by hand and there is very little evidence of explosives being used. The tunnel is very similar to the Boolboonda Tunnel but not nearly as long.

The tunnel through Dalmorton Ridge.

 

Inside the tunnel.

The Boyd River from the tunnel.

On Sunday we backtracked to Glen’s Creek Road, a narrow, windey logging track which took us to the little hamlet of Nimboida. Here we stopped off at the Nimboida Coaching Inn. This was obviously a coach stop in earlier times and is now a lovely hotel/motel and museum. It sits high above the Nimboida River and is full of really interesting sporting memorabilia. There is also a museum full of memorabilia, most of which has been donated by Russell Crowe. It would undoubtedly be worth a look but we were there too early as it opens at 10 am.  Maybe next time?

Nimboida Coaching Inn

Overlooking the Nimboida River at the back of the inn.

Sculpture at the front of the museum.

We continued on toward Dorrigo, taking another shortcut from Tyringham. This was a good decision as we discovered a lovely little picnic area and campground right beside a lovely creek a little east of Bosotbrick. It was a lovely place to stop for a night even though it was our coldest night so far. It was a real bonus too to have TV reception so we sat outside by the fire and watched the NRL Grand Final.



Our camp just north of Dorrigo.



As Monday was a public holiday we decided to take a quick look around the old windmill complex in Bellingen before we headed on to Macksville and Gumma Reserve on Warrell Creek. There are some lovely shops here with some amazing woodwork, leatherwork etc. but as always some of the prices were over the top. After filling up the water tanks at the back of the Caltex servo in Macksville, we paid a visit to our friends Pete and Gloria Connors before we went out to Gumma. It was great to see them again and Gloria treated us to a real show when she took us out the back to feed the birds. What a sight and what a noise as lorikeets and the odd dove jostled to get their share. I got a real kick next day when Gloria let me give them their food.

Gloria's birds.

Gumma is as lovely as ever and not as crowded as it usually is in the Christmas Holidays. It would be lovely to be here outside the school holidays for once though. As nobody was catching any fish we decided not to bother getting the boat off so I made a quick trip into Macksville to the laundromat and to the new Woollies which Pete and Gloria assure us is a most welcome addition to the town. When we first arrived we set up camp at the Nambucca end but on Tuesday the sites near the boat ramp had emptied out so we moved up there on Wednesday morning. It is much nicer there as you are overlooking the water.

View from our camp at Gumma.

We managed to pick a nice lot of oysters at low tide before swimming across the creek and walking the 400 metres over the dunes to the surf beach which is a lovely long white beach. You can see Nambucca Heads at the northern end and Scott’s Head at the southern.

Lookiing south at the beach toward Scott's Head.

Our camp from across the creek. Bushtracker is just behind the green van on the right.

Each night we had a lovely fire and as usual met new people. One couple gave us some excellent information about Tasmania. It was so relaxing here we decided to stay until Saturday. The fees are still very reasonable at $6 per adult but we missed the collection guy on Wednesday as we were visiting Pete & Gloria so we called into the shire offices in Macksville on Friday to pay. We must be the first people ever to do so as it took them a bit of ringing around to organise it.

From Gumma we headed south and then inland on the Oxley Highway. There is a lovely little reserve at Ellenborough alongside the creek where we spent the night with a lovely big fire. The bird life in the area was really interesting, with a large family of satin bowerbirds raiding the camps regularly looking for something to eat. There were also lots of finches, wrens, parrots and a very small brush turkey chick who wandered out of the underbrush in the morning and proceeded to eat some bread that was under the van. It was so quiet it even ate the bread out of John’s hand. Don’t know where Mum was but it wandered back into the brush when it was finished.

Our little brush turkey visitor.

We continued up the Oxley the following morning to Walcha. The Oxley might be motorbike heaven but towing the van it seemed more like a long and winding road. The scenery though was well worth it. At Walcha we turned south toward Nowendoc then turned west about 50 klms down and headed for Dungowan. The countryside out this way is truly beautiful. About 25 klms before you reach Dungowan you drive down the “Port Stephens Cut”, a very steep, narrow, winding road which leads into an idyllic river valley to Dungowan. We had no idea this country existed and would love to do it again on the bikes. A noticeable feature in Dungowan was two stately old churches. You don’t see many like them anymore.

St Stephen's Catholic Church, Dungowan

It was left at the roundabout at Dungowan and south again toward Nundle. There are quite a few nice camping spots along this road, the pick being at Chaffey Dam near Woolomin. We went on to a little reserve where Swamp Creek meets the Peel River. It is picturesque but not as nice as the dam.

Chaffey Dam

 

Swamp Creek

While at Swamp Creek we met a local prospector who told us it would be well worth while to spend some time in Nundle, so we went in there and settled into the caravan park early next morning. The park is beside the river and has to have the cleanest amenities block I have ever seen. We visited the Wool Mill in the middle of town which was really interesting. It is a proper, funtioning mill but obviously operates on a much smaller scale than in its heyday. There are some lovely items in the shop although a bit expensive.

 

The grounds around the mill are beautifully maintained.

 

Dying area

Dying vats

Winding machines

Next was a drive up to Hanging Rock Lookout which provided an impressive view out over Nundle and the Peel valley.

 

Hanging Rock Lookout

Looking down toward Nundle

There is also a trout farm which comes highly recommended but we decided we would probably see plenty of trout in Tassie. In town the antique shop was truly amazing. I have never seen so much old stuff in one place. The bird life in the river here was fantastic a well and there are lots of fish in the creek. Unfortunately most of them are carp.

From Nundle we headed south again through Scone and Musswellbrook then south-west through Sandy Hollow to Bylong where we decided to pull up at the local reserve opposite the shop. There were three other couples here and we had a wonderful time over drinks with them that afternoon. Again I was taken by the quaint old church here. It is only tiny but obviously well-loved by the locals. There are lots of stained glass windows but unfortunately I couldn’t get a key to get inside and see them properly. The reserve caretaker informed us that the music coming from inside was being played to keep away the bats. Go figure????

 

The old church and cemetary beside the Bylong reserve.