Journey over
Braved the heavy frost in Lithgow this morning and got away at 8:00am. We chose to travel along Bells Line of Road which turned out to be a very exciting drive for John towing the caravan. We hadn't realised how steep and twisty that route is. Anyway he did well and we arrived at Galston in one piece. Our neighbours were there to greet us and so was Nicole and Joel, which was lovely.
Upon inspecting the house we realised there is a lot of work to do. We will start by ripping out the bathroom back to the walls and completely renovate it. We will also get some wardrobes built in 2 of the bedrooms, then we can repaint the bedrooms and get the carpet replaced. While this is happening we will continue to live in the caravan, which is now parked on the driveway - so nothing has changed really!
That's it for the blog. We have had a fabulous time and were fortunate enough to see some parts of Australia far from the madding crowd. In fact we found the traffic and general pace in Sydney quite a shock today. I think I have gained an insight into the lives of the tough people that populate the outback and certainly now have a better understanding of indigenous Australian culture.
Can't wait to do it again!
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Friday, 3 August 2012
Friday 3rd August - Mudgee to Lithgow
Last night on the road for this trip
We just did a short drive to Lithgow today so we can get to our renovator's delight early tomorrow morning. Quite nervous about what we will find and how long we will have to continue living in the caravan whilst we get the bathroom stripped out and renovated and at least one bedroom repainted and possibly re carpeted. The last couple of nights have been really cold!
On the way here from Mudgee we stopped off at Lake Windamere for lunch. This is an artificial lake, presumably to provide water to Mudgee and the surrounding settlements. There was no one else there and it was lovely, if cold. I took this photo of the car looking in need of a good clean. John has had a go at the outside on several occasions but the inside is thick with red dust. Likewise the caravan has had the walls cleaned but the roof is something we will have to get to with a ladder. I think the solar panel can't be working too well with a thick coat of dust. That bull dust certainly penetrates everything.
All in all the caravan has been a success, we have not felt too claustrophobic and John has become expert in reversing it into tight spots. The car too turned out to be a good choice as it accelerates easily when towing the van and has performed well on 4WD roads. I'm hoping next trip we will get to be a little more adventurous with free camping.
We just did a short drive to Lithgow today so we can get to our renovator's delight early tomorrow morning. Quite nervous about what we will find and how long we will have to continue living in the caravan whilst we get the bathroom stripped out and renovated and at least one bedroom repainted and possibly re carpeted. The last couple of nights have been really cold!
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| Hills near Lake Windamere NSW |
On the way here from Mudgee we stopped off at Lake Windamere for lunch. This is an artificial lake, presumably to provide water to Mudgee and the surrounding settlements. There was no one else there and it was lovely, if cold. I took this photo of the car looking in need of a good clean. John has had a go at the outside on several occasions but the inside is thick with red dust. Likewise the caravan has had the walls cleaned but the roof is something we will have to get to with a ladder. I think the solar panel can't be working too well with a thick coat of dust. That bull dust certainly penetrates everything.
All in all the caravan has been a success, we have not felt too claustrophobic and John has become expert in reversing it into tight spots. The car too turned out to be a good choice as it accelerates easily when towing the van and has performed well on 4WD roads. I'm hoping next trip we will get to be a little more adventurous with free camping.
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Thursday 2nd August - Bourke to Mudgee
Hills and bends in the road
After driving 18,700 kms on straight roads in a flat mostly treeless landscape, it came as a bit of a suprise to hit the foothills of the Great Dividing Range today. The rolling hills, trees, bends and inclines in the road all seemed a little strange!
We stopped off in Narromine to eat our lunch, quite a nice little town. For me this marked the edge of the outback, it all seemed much more busy after that.
We stayed in a caravan park right on the edge of Mudgee town so we wouldn't have to unhitch. Quite a nice camp right on the river Cudgegong. We walked into town and admired the old buildings that have been preserved and later went to a pub for a meal. Last time we were in Mudgee was about 11 years ago and it has changed. Before it was a sleepy little place, now much more vibrant. I think a lot of 'tree change' people have moved in and apparently there are new coal mines in the district which is bringing business to the town.
After driving 18,700 kms on straight roads in a flat mostly treeless landscape, it came as a bit of a suprise to hit the foothills of the Great Dividing Range today. The rolling hills, trees, bends and inclines in the road all seemed a little strange!
We stopped off in Narromine to eat our lunch, quite a nice little town. For me this marked the edge of the outback, it all seemed much more busy after that.
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| Mudgee NSW |
We stayed in a caravan park right on the edge of Mudgee town so we wouldn't have to unhitch. Quite a nice camp right on the river Cudgegong. We walked into town and admired the old buildings that have been preserved and later went to a pub for a meal. Last time we were in Mudgee was about 11 years ago and it has changed. Before it was a sleepy little place, now much more vibrant. I think a lot of 'tree change' people have moved in and apparently there are new coal mines in the district which is bringing business to the town.
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Wednesday 1st August - Bourke
Cotton Picking
Went to have a look at the old lock and weir on the Darling river this morning; there is not much to see. The lock was the first one built on the Darling in 1897, but in the 1940's the weir was concreted over to provide a reliable water supply for the town of Bourke. The weir wasn't really visible as the river level is currently high at about 5.5 metres. In full flood it gets to 14 metres.
After a bit of a wander around the town we joined a 'Back O' Bourke Mateship Country Tour'. There were only 12 of us on the tour, all grey nomads and all staying at the Kidman's Camp. Stu who runs the tour has strong views about many things, especially the hardships farmers are facing due to the water allocations from the Darling and competition from foreign imports. It was interesting to hear all this from a country point of view. Many citrus and cotton farmers in the district have been unable to continue in their once successful businesses and a number of the large enterprises in the area are now being run by the Rabo Bank.
As well as visiting a couple of citrus farms, we visited a cotton gin. This was very interesting. The cotton has all been harvested for the year and the gin separates the fibre from the seed then packs it into bales. Sadly these days, almost all the cotton grown in Australia is exported to China. The Chinese mix it with their own inferior cotton, make it into cloth, sew the garments then sell it back to us. The ginning process is automated so only a few staff are required. The seed is used in margarine production, vegetable oil and some as cattle fodder.
Went to have a look at the old lock and weir on the Darling river this morning; there is not much to see. The lock was the first one built on the Darling in 1897, but in the 1940's the weir was concreted over to provide a reliable water supply for the town of Bourke. The weir wasn't really visible as the river level is currently high at about 5.5 metres. In full flood it gets to 14 metres.
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| Weir on the Darling at Bourke NSW |
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| Lands Dept Building circa 1898. Great example of 19th century climate sensitive design. |
After a bit of a wander around the town we joined a 'Back O' Bourke Mateship Country Tour'. There were only 12 of us on the tour, all grey nomads and all staying at the Kidman's Camp. Stu who runs the tour has strong views about many things, especially the hardships farmers are facing due to the water allocations from the Darling and competition from foreign imports. It was interesting to hear all this from a country point of view. Many citrus and cotton farmers in the district have been unable to continue in their once successful businesses and a number of the large enterprises in the area are now being run by the Rabo Bank.
As well as visiting a couple of citrus farms, we visited a cotton gin. This was very interesting. The cotton has all been harvested for the year and the gin separates the fibre from the seed then packs it into bales. Sadly these days, almost all the cotton grown in Australia is exported to China. The Chinese mix it with their own inferior cotton, make it into cloth, sew the garments then sell it back to us. The ginning process is automated so only a few staff are required. The seed is used in margarine production, vegetable oil and some as cattle fodder.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Tuesday 31st July - Bourke
Paddle Boats on the Darling River
This morning we enjoyed a riverboat ride on the replica PV Jandra. The paddleboats were not used for passengers, only to carry the bales of wool [and later cotton and citrus produce] along the Darling River, then onto the Murray to the sea in South Australia. The flag on the prow is an identification system which was used between the different states prior to federation. The NSW government wanted to put a stop to this trade so the revenues were kept within the state; they achieved this once the railway was installed. The paddle boat trade started to decline and finished in 1931. Unfortunately the river trade was at a great cost to the ecology as fallen logs [important fish and amphibian habitat] were removed and trees lining the banks were clear felled for fuel causing accelerated erosion. The river is naturally silty and fast flowing but does dry up in times of drought and also floods into the surrounding flatlands when there is rain upstream. The natural balance is starting to be redressed now.
The replica wharf demonstrates the fluctuation in water level in the river. It has 3 tiers and the loading took place from any of them depending on the river height. The current river level is about 5.5 metres which is 1.5 metres higher than it was a week ago. Originally there were three of these wharves side by side so the port was very busy.
The first bridge over the Darling was built in 1883 and was still in use until 1997. The central section of the bridge lifts to allow boats to pass through and this bridge is the only surviving example of it's type in NSW. The bridge had to be built curved as the huge bullock teams that passed over it could not turn in the space between the end of the bridge [if straight] and an existing pub on the bank!
There was a tremendous optimism in these outback towns at the beginning of the 20th century but times have changed drastically. Sheep and cattle are no longer profitable to farm the way they used to be and Australians have come to understand the endless cycles of droughts and floods and realised we have to live with them. There is also far more understanding of the natural environment and how fragile it is.
This morning we enjoyed a riverboat ride on the replica PV Jandra. The paddleboats were not used for passengers, only to carry the bales of wool [and later cotton and citrus produce] along the Darling River, then onto the Murray to the sea in South Australia. The flag on the prow is an identification system which was used between the different states prior to federation. The NSW government wanted to put a stop to this trade so the revenues were kept within the state; they achieved this once the railway was installed. The paddle boat trade started to decline and finished in 1931. Unfortunately the river trade was at a great cost to the ecology as fallen logs [important fish and amphibian habitat] were removed and trees lining the banks were clear felled for fuel causing accelerated erosion. The river is naturally silty and fast flowing but does dry up in times of drought and also floods into the surrounding flatlands when there is rain upstream. The natural balance is starting to be redressed now.
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| Darling River, Bourke NSW |
The replica wharf demonstrates the fluctuation in water level in the river. It has 3 tiers and the loading took place from any of them depending on the river height. The current river level is about 5.5 metres which is 1.5 metres higher than it was a week ago. Originally there were three of these wharves side by side so the port was very busy.
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| Replica wharf, Bourke NSW |
The first bridge over the Darling was built in 1883 and was still in use until 1997. The central section of the bridge lifts to allow boats to pass through and this bridge is the only surviving example of it's type in NSW. The bridge had to be built curved as the huge bullock teams that passed over it could not turn in the space between the end of the bridge [if straight] and an existing pub on the bank!
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| North Bourke Bridge circa 1883 |
There was a tremendous optimism in these outback towns at the beginning of the 20th century but times have changed drastically. Sheep and cattle are no longer profitable to farm the way they used to be and Australians have come to understand the endless cycles of droughts and floods and realised we have to live with them. There is also far more understanding of the natural environment and how fragile it is.
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| The London Bank circa 1888, Bourke NSW |
Monday, 30 July 2012
Monday 30th July - Charleville to Bourke
Back into NSW
Big drive today across very boring flat country. This is the channel country in fact where rivers flow into Lake Eyre when it floods. Nothing interesting in any of the little towns on the way.
Bourke is on the Darling River which is prone to huge fluctuations in level when there is rain or drought upstream. A replica has been built of the original wharf, which was designed to cope with these differing water levels. I think we will learn more about that tomorrow when we go on a replica paddle boat, the PV Jandra. Bourke is the centre of a huge wool production area and paddle steamers operated on the Darling River until 1931 to carry the hay bales to ocean ports. There are many fine old buildings in the town so hope to get a look at some of those too. The courthouse, circa 1900, has a crown on the spire which indicates it is a maritime court. This is a long way inland! Presumably it was considered maritime as this was such a busy shipping route in the days when the roads were just tracks and railways had not been constructed.
Big drive today across very boring flat country. This is the channel country in fact where rivers flow into Lake Eyre when it floods. Nothing interesting in any of the little towns on the way.
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| Darling River, Bourke NSW |
Bourke is on the Darling River which is prone to huge fluctuations in level when there is rain or drought upstream. A replica has been built of the original wharf, which was designed to cope with these differing water levels. I think we will learn more about that tomorrow when we go on a replica paddle boat, the PV Jandra. Bourke is the centre of a huge wool production area and paddle steamers operated on the Darling River until 1931 to carry the hay bales to ocean ports. There are many fine old buildings in the town so hope to get a look at some of those too. The courthouse, circa 1900, has a crown on the spire which indicates it is a maritime court. This is a long way inland! Presumably it was considered maritime as this was such a busy shipping route in the days when the roads were just tracks and railways had not been constructed.
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| PV Jandra, Bourke NSW |
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Sunday 29th July - Charleville
Top secret US WWII site
We stumbled across a small advert in the information centre for a tag along tour to a secret WWII US airforce site on Australian soil in Charleville. Looked interesting so we booked and discovered we were the only people on the tour. Jane was our guide and she is passionate about this little known piece of history that altered the course of the war in the Allies favour. What the American's were doing that was so secret was developing and testing a bombing guidance system called the Norden Bomb Sight. This piece of equipment in aircraft allowed bombs to be dropped with incredible accuracy, which was not possible before. Five prototypes were tested in Charleville and then used in the Pacific to blow up Japanese weapons stores on pacific atolls. The technology then went into large scale production in England and they were first used in the bombing of Dresden.
After the war, the Americans dismantled all buildings on the base in Charleville except the bomb proof bunker they kept the Norden Bomb Sights in. This bunker was so well constructed that it proved indestructable. Over time the bush grew over the foundations of the buildings. The hangar and the runway were used for other purposes and the whole thing was forgotton. It took a few enthusistic locals like Jane to start asking questions and digging around, including getting information from the Pentagon, to start to piece the story together. They still have a long way to go and I wish them every success.
In the afternoon we had a look around the Heritage House Museum in Charleville. The building dates from the 1880's and was the built by the National Bank as the bank premises and manager's residence all rolled into one! The original bank safe is still there.
Evening found us at the National Parks and Wildlife Bilby Centre where a programme is in place to breed these endangered animals and release them into a predator free 25km square fenced area within a nearby national park. The main predator is the feral cat, of which there are estimated to be about 14 million. The cats have been eradicated from within the fenced area. The evening provides information about the cute little Bilbys and gives an opportunity to see them up close [they are nocturnal]. The fees help fund the project.
By the way, we also found a prototype for Rob's barbeque area.
We stumbled across a small advert in the information centre for a tag along tour to a secret WWII US airforce site on Australian soil in Charleville. Looked interesting so we booked and discovered we were the only people on the tour. Jane was our guide and she is passionate about this little known piece of history that altered the course of the war in the Allies favour. What the American's were doing that was so secret was developing and testing a bombing guidance system called the Norden Bomb Sight. This piece of equipment in aircraft allowed bombs to be dropped with incredible accuracy, which was not possible before. Five prototypes were tested in Charleville and then used in the Pacific to blow up Japanese weapons stores on pacific atolls. The technology then went into large scale production in England and they were first used in the bombing of Dresden.
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| 1942 cypress pine drain on edge of concrete runway. In perfect condition. Recently released from the scrub on US airbase, Charleville QLD |
After the war, the Americans dismantled all buildings on the base in Charleville except the bomb proof bunker they kept the Norden Bomb Sights in. This bunker was so well constructed that it proved indestructable. Over time the bush grew over the foundations of the buildings. The hangar and the runway were used for other purposes and the whole thing was forgotton. It took a few enthusistic locals like Jane to start asking questions and digging around, including getting information from the Pentagon, to start to piece the story together. They still have a long way to go and I wish them every success.
In the afternoon we had a look around the Heritage House Museum in Charleville. The building dates from the 1880's and was the built by the National Bank as the bank premises and manager's residence all rolled into one! The original bank safe is still there.
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| Originally a bank and bank manager's residence, Charleville QLD |
Evening found us at the National Parks and Wildlife Bilby Centre where a programme is in place to breed these endangered animals and release them into a predator free 25km square fenced area within a nearby national park. The main predator is the feral cat, of which there are estimated to be about 14 million. The cats have been eradicated from within the fenced area. The evening provides information about the cute little Bilbys and gives an opportunity to see them up close [they are nocturnal]. The fees help fund the project.
By the way, we also found a prototype for Rob's barbeque area.
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| BBQ area to inspire Rob, Charleville QLD |
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