After a night parked up in Old Junee beside the highway we have learnt that our bus must be well insulated as we hardly heard a car or truck go past. We normally saw the lights first, it definitely didn’t bother us when sleeping. It was bloody cold in the morning, colder than in Victoria. Our weather station measured just under 2 degrees when we ventured out of bed.
We headed into Junee to check out the Chocolate and Licorice Factory and the Car Museum before heading off to our next destination. Both were good but the C & L Factory was awesome and we came away with a bag of goodies.
Our plan for the day was to head north and camp at the Bogan River Weir at Peak Hill. I was amazed at the country, every last inch is prepared for or planted with grain/seeds. This continued way past Temora to West Wyalong at least. As we drove through Temora we noticed it is known for a few notables including the last 2 flying Spitfires in Australia. We didn’t see them though. Also at Lake Centenary there is a jet boat circuit. We will be heading back here one day to spend time to check it all out. We continued on the Goldfields Way and there were still plenty of flood waters laying all the way to Forbes. We found a great free camping spot in Forbes on the river – noted for future reference as we aren’t staying here this time.
The last leg of the day’s journey passed “The Dish” at Parkes. We are officially at home “Bogan” River Weir, very peaceful. We spent 2 nights enjoying not travelling on Sunday. There were 7 vans/motohomes parked here on Saturday night but we were on our Pat Malone on Sunday night. Glorious! I got to use my washing machine for the first time – wowser I love it, 14 minutes for the wash. We finished the night with a small campfire – serenity plus.
Monday we left early as we had a fair travel, 400kms finishing at “Freedom Park” Manilla, NSW. This is a sweet spot operated by donation to the Men’s Shed. It is a grassed area on the river Namoi. Today’s driving was a mixed bag – hills, flats, grass, dry, wet passing through Dubbo, Dunedoo, Gunnedah just to name a few. There were 8 other vans parked up tonight.
Experienced my first grumpy ol’ fart traveller this afternoon. Was chatting to my niece to wish her a happy birthday and the ol’ fella across the way suggested I throw the phone away as I talk loud enough without it. I guess this is the real meaning of “Happy Camper”. LOL! We took the “Bridges Walk”, 4.5km meandering along the rivers and across 3 bridges. Life’s tough!
Today we headed for Texas crossing the Queensland border. We travelled on the Fossicker’s Way, lovely country but the road was rough as. We passed through several small towns and noted Barraba as a place we will come back to spend some time. The free camp at the edge of Texas was another great spot. You are allowed to camp for free up to 14 days and it is on the banks of the Dumaresq River. We could see where the flood waters had been, I reckon it would of just about been going over the bridge and that’s bloody high. The debris was stuck in the top of the bridge. Tonight was the full “Red” moon and it was amazing to see. So much better when out in the country without any competing lights.
It is now Wednesday and we are headed to Toowoomba camping for the night just outside at Vale View. This was a very small spot which allowed a 3 night stay. We managed but it isn’t suited to big rigs such as ours and would only house 2 – 3 caravans or smaller motorhomes anyway. We stayed as we visited family. On the way we passed Coolumundra Dam near Inglewood. It looks beautiful and there was plenty of bird life on the dam. Another place we have noted for a return visit. Our drive today was along the “Sprint Route” via Karara.
Today we stopped at Beenleigh to catch up with my sister. We had a campsite picked out but it was pretty crowded so after our visit we decided to continue on to the Gold Coast to visit my Brother and family. Seeing family is great!
The view from here is amazing. Stay tuned and I’ll post a pic of the view………….