Henri and Blake's Adventures – Page 3

Paddling South

Tuesday 22 February 2022

Despite Lake Oberon being only 48km from Bathurst, we decided it might be worth a visit, especially as it’s free to camp there. We’re also in no hurry to get anywhere, so why not stay and check out the lake. We originally thought we’d stay for 2 nights, but as we had a nice view of the lake, internet access and plenty of water on board, we stayed for 5! We ventured onto the water on three occasions, one of which was quite windy, and the last paddle was like paddling on a mirror. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the camera with me on that occasion. Steve F, you’ll be pleased to know that we paddled to the dam wall (a leisurely 4km each way). Each time we went out we paddled about 8km. We were surprised by the lack of birdlife. Whilst we did see grebes, pacific black ducks, maned ducks, coots, parrots and magpies, there was a distinct lack of numbers of each. Every afternoon a severe thunderstorm came through, sometimes just skirting around us, other times passing right overhead, dumping heavy rain on us and the lake.

Whilst there, Bob, Jane and one of their grandsons, Leo, came down and we all travelled to Mayfield Garden, an extraordinary private garden just 15 minutes from Oberon. Read more about it below with the photos.

Once we’d had our fill of Lake Oberon, we stayed 2 nights at the Bummaroo Ford campground in part of the Abercrombie River National Park. Having arrived on Thursday we were the only ones there and secured the best campsite. Lamb shanks cooked over an open fire on Thursday night made up for no internet or television access. Unfortunately, Friday was plagued by gusty winds and intermittent rain all day, so we didn’t risk a fire that evening, though the winds calmed down toward dusk.

Following our two nights at Abercrombie is was time to make some choices as to where to go and where to stay. Reviewing numerous coastal freedom camps and caravan parks around Nowra didn’t reveal anything particularly appealing so we called Mel’s dad to see if we could spend a few nights on the driveway of their holiday house in Vencentia while we sorted out our next few months. As usual, Kyrie was very obliging and said we could stay as long as we wanted. We stayed 7 nights which gave us the opportunity to get washing done in town and hang it out on the backyard clothes line, do some specialty item shopping in Nowra, undertake a video meeting for the BOG committee, enjoy a few local paddles and dine in Huskisson to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Continuing south, our next stay was at Burrill Pines campground, just south of Burrill Lake near Ulladulla. A large motel/cabin/campsite/conference centre which was overpriced for what you got. We stayed 3 nights but paddled only once, despite 4 paddling locations within 30 km. We’ll be back in the region one day to enjoy those missed opportunities.

A short 45km drive on Tuesday morning (15^th) had us stopping at South Durras at the Lakesea caravan park to paddle Durras Lake, reputedly a stunningly beautiful lake. The lake didn’t disappoint, however the desire to have a swim at our turn-around rest spot was thwarted by thousands of jelly blubbers (Catostylus mosaicus) of all sizes in the lake. Whilst they’re not dangerous, I wasn’t keen on sharing my swimming space with them.

Following 3 nights at South Durras we travelled another 45km south, this time to Moruya. We had planned to travel further, but as it was a weekend, all other sites I had considered were booked out. Whilst there, we drove to Tuross Lake for a paddle amongst the labyrinth of islands and shallow coves. Beautiful clear skies and water, but a stiff breeze made the going tough in unsheltered areas.

From Moruya we travelled to the small town of Kalaru, just west of Tathra to paddle the Bega River. We passed several other paddling locations on the way down which we’ll explore another time. Unfortunately, our arrival at Kalaru saw the arrival in me of a head cold. We had RATs so I was able to confirm a negative COVID diagnosis, but decided not to venture out on a cool, cloudy day, despite it being beautifully calm. That’ll have to wait for another day too.

The south coast is a mecca for paddling, and also pedalling as there are cycle paths through most of the towns. Next time we’re here we may have to bring the bikes as well as the kayak. But for now we’re off to Tumbarumba, in the Snowy Valleys of NSW.

Oberon Dam (1943-1947) is situated on the Fish River about 3 kilometres south of Oberon and has a capacity of 45,000 megalitres. The dam is one of only seven concrete slab and buttress dams in Australia, and of these dams has the highest wall and largest storage capacity. Oberon Dam’s original concrete slab and buttress wall was 21.3 metres high, although the foundations and buttress bases were built to allow later raising to its maximum design height of 33.5 metres (1954 – 1957). (Gotta love engineering).
The scheme supplies water to Wallerawang and Mount Piper power stations, to Oberon and Lithgow councils for domestic and industry use, and to more than 200 landholders along its length. It also supplements town supplies in the upper Blue Mountains.

Mayfield was established in 1984, originally as a sheep farm. The heart of the property has been gradually transformed by the Hawkins family into one of the largest privately owned cool climate gardens in the world. The 20 Ha (49 acre) Mayfield Garden is open 363 days of the year. The Hawkins’ Family Garden is a further 55 Ha (136 acre) and open 4 times a year (not when we were there. We missed it by one week). The garden is simply jaw dropping in its size, complexity and peacefulness.

Oberon is surrounded by stunning scenery, and the local tourism association has published five tourist drives for the taking. We took an 85km loop through the towns of Tarana, Rydal and Hampton. Each town boasts little more than a pub and a few shops, and a railway station at two.
Top photos are the Rydal Railway station and Rydal’s Alexander Hotel. Unfortunately we would have had an hour wait for lunch there, so we motored on to the Hampton Halfway Hotel (bottom pics).

Oberon has a significant timber industry, with Borg Panels and Highland Pine Products occupying 1 square kilometre of land immediately north of the township. Our camp at Bummaroo Ford overlooked the Abercrombie River. Leaving Abercrombie we turned off the main road at Taralga in the southern highlands to take a road less travelled through to Marulan. Unfortunately we had to abort after 20km as the road ahead was washed away following heavy rain. The detour however did afford us a view of the Taralga wind farm, consisting of 51 turbines that can generate 107MW of power, enough for 38,000 homes. Completed in 2015, it was purchased that year by the Chinese state-owned utility State Power Investment Corp (directly under the central government of China) for a reported A$300 million. Hmmm!!

Vincentia is a lovely township on the southwestern shore of Jervis Bay. Kyrie and Helen’s holiday home is on an elevated block 2km from town. Whilst there we paddled on Currambene Ck, Wandandian Ck and Sussex Inlet. The photo is Currambene Ck during a break. 4km north of Vincentia is the bayside town of Huskisson. A massive seafood stack at the Huskisson Hotel was our anniversary dinner, shown completed. It’s a pity the seafood wasn’t particularly fresh.

Burrill Pines campground straddles part of the Meroo National Park and backs on to Wairo Beach. So much of the south coast was devasted during the black summer bushfires, with fluffy new growth on most trees as evidence of the inferno. Whilst paddling Lake Conjola we were astounded as to how the RFS had managed to save so many houses that were obviously completely surrounded by fire.

South Durras and the surrounding Murramarang National Park are renowned for their friendly kangaroo population, many of which come into the campground each afternoon. Less friendly in appearance were the jelly blubbers in Durras Lake.

Moruya, founded in 1851, is a historic little town on the south bank of the Moruya River. The town is rich in agricultural history and the Moruya Quarry supplied the granite for the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Being a weekend, we were lucky to secure a site, with a less than desirable view from the balcony, but the views whilst paddling the Tuross River were superb.

Whilst in Moruya we took a tourist drive north through the beautiful coastal towns of Broulee, Mossy Point, Tomakin, Malua Bay and Surf Beach, before packing up and heading south to Tathra and our camp at Kalaru. The map shows our 2022 route in yellow.

To and Fro

1 February 2022

Hello everyone. Our last post was back on 1 August 2021 when we returned to Sydney for the birth of our granddaughter Grace. Our plan from then had been to sell our unit at Pennant Hills, buy a property in Taree and move in, and then prepare for a return trip to WA later in 2022. This hasn’t quite gone to plan.

As you’ll read, we’re back on the road, so the blog is back up and running.

During our 3 months in Sydney, we did sell our unit and made several trips to the Taree area between exchange and settlement to search for a new home. The day before settlement our furniture was collected and put into storage, then we hitched up the van on the day of settlement (October 20) and moved to a van park in Cundletown, just north of Taree, to continue our search. We found a property we liked, exchanged in mid-November and settled on Carol’s birthday (December 14). Unfortunately, we were unable to move in upon settlement due to delays downstream in the chain of property sales. We agreed to the delay with the worst-case scenario being that we can’t take possession until June 2022. I was feeling optimistic, as there was a chance that we could move in by Christmas, or mid-January.

We could see no reason to hang around Taree now that we have found a house, so we took the opportunity to travel and catch up with friends and family around the place. First stop was Kylie’s campground in the Crowdy Bay National Park, just 40km north of Taree, where we spent 5 days with friends Steve and Bron exploring the park and surrounds. From there it was to Gumma Reserve near Macksville, a little further north, to join the Bushtracker Owner’s Group NSW mini muster for a further 5 days where we caught up with several old friends and made new ones.

We returned to the van park in Cundletown in order to see to the delivery of our furniture from storage in Sydney to storage in our new shed in Taree. It’s a large shed, so we asked the previous owners (who are now our tenants) that we wished to occupy 2 of the 4 bays. We stayed on until after Christmas, with Nicole, James and the two boys coming down the spend 4 days with us from Christmas Day. On the 29^th we all headed south to see Sydney families.

We then did a bit more touring up through Armidale and on to Boonoo Boonoo National Park to spend a few nights with Grahame and Julie (Carol’s sister) before returning to Taree to rattle the cage to see if the move-in date was imminent. It wasn’t to be, so we’ve now resigned ourselves to the worst-case scenario. To date we’ve done a lot of toing and froing from Taree. With a move-in date now likely to be months away, we collected the kayak and a few other camping bits from the shed, and will tour south for up to 4 months.

First stop Fishing Point on Lake Macquarie to check out Steve and Bron’s new home (they settled on the same day as us, the only difference being they could move in). From there to Bathurst via Bylong. We spent 3 nights in Bathurst to catch up with Bob (Carol’s brother) and Jane. We’re now camped by Lake Oberon, before continuing south to seek out many kayaking locations.

Final farewell. Three locals came to bid us farewell in our final week at Pennant Hills; Our last meal on the balcony; G-ma getting to know little Grace before we head north to Taree.

Our new home
Left: Our home for 2 months on the edge of the Dawson River in Cundletown while we look for a new home; Whilst in Taree we were able to attend a free concert at the River Stage on the banks of the Manning River.
Right: Located between Wingham and Taree, our new home is 8 km from the centre of Taree. Our 4-bedroom home and 4-bay shed are situated on 2 acres (0.8 ha) of gently sloping land.

Having exchanged contracts on our new home, there was no point hanging around Taree, so we headed off on a little adventure north, first stop being a camp with Steve and Bron at Kylie’s Campground in the Crowdy Bay National Park. Whilst there we walked around Diamond Head and Kylie’s Lookout, with views to Kylie’s Beach to the south and Dunbogan Beach to the north. Author Kylie Tennant loved the area and wrote of it in her novel “The Man on the Headland”.

Bushtracker Owners Group (BOG) mini muster at Gumma Reserve. A fun 5 days at the end of November with campfire chats, a working dog display, damper cook-off, oyster farm tour and a final night at the Star Hotel in Macksville.

After the BOG muster we returned to Taree to keep on top of the settlement requirements for our new home. Between dealings with our conveyancer, bank and real estate agent we set out to do some local touristy stuff which included the Cattai Wetlands and Crowdy Head lighthouse.

The mid-north coast has had its fair share of rain over the past few months, but not enough to cause major flooding. However, on one high tide, the Dawson River was kept high by the swollen waters in the Manning River just 500m downstream, causing the tide to be higher than expected, inundating the foreshore and our campsite. Fortunately, the floodwaters will never reach our furniture, which is now stored in our shed at Taree.

Another tourist drive took us to Ellenborough Falls, 50km north of Taree. At 200 metres, Ellenborough Falls is the tallest single drop waterfall in New South Wales and amongst the tallest in the southern hemisphere.

On Christmas Day, Nicole, James, Connor and Patrick arrived from Lismore to spend 4 days with us. We then headed to Sydney where I was able to help Peter learn to ride his new bike, and we hammed up a devastating crash to send the photo to his mum and dad. Somehow, they saw through the façade. I think Grace was pleased to see me too.

On New Year’s Eve we left Sydney and headed north again for some more random touring, stopping overnight at Gloucester before reaching Armidale to spend a few nights at the showground and have a look around the region, including the heritage listed railway station. It was built from 1882 to 1883 by Edmund Lonsdale and Henry Sheldon Hoddard, and was opened on 3 February 1883 when the line was extended from Uralla. It was the terminus of the line until it was extended to Glen Innes on 19 August 1884.[1][2] It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

The area to the east of Armidale contains a wonderful array of gorges and waterfalls within numerous wilderness national parks. The New England NP has a lovely high altitude walk to Point Lookout (top right and middle right). On a clear day it’s possible to see to the coast, but with rain and low cloud there was nothing to look out to. We couldn’t even see the ground below the lookout. The sun broke through the clouds for about 2 minutes.
The other images are of Dangars Falls and the Oxley Wild Rivers State Conservation Area.

After leaving Dangars Falls we travelled through the little locality of Gostwyck. Founded in 1834, Henry Dangar bought the land from a Pastoralist named of Edward Gostwyck Cory. From its start over 180 years ago, Gostwyck Merino has evolved into a fibre that is finer than cashmere, with the works continued by the 5th and 6th generations of direct descendants of Henry Dangar. 200 elm trees line the driveway from the chapel.
Originally part of Gostwyck Station, Deeargee Station and its unique octagonal woolshed gained their name from the old Gostwyck wool brand, DRG, which stood for “Dangar, Gostwyck”. The woolshed was built in 1872 and continues to be in operation today.

Cypress Pine campground in the Boonoo Boonoo National Park (pronounced bunna-bunoo) is located 30km north of Tenterfield and 11km from the Qld border. It was a lovely campground, but for the constant rain that fell for the 3 days we were there. Fortunately, Grahame and Julie’s company made for an enjoyable few days with campfires, good food and good conversation. Boonoo Boonoo River passes through the campground and there’s an interesting bike trail nearby.

During a break in the rain, we all headed off to Bald Rock, a large granite outcrop rising about 200 metres above the surrounding landscape. Measuring about 750 metres long and 500 metres wide this is the largest granite monolith in Australia. Grahame and I walked to the summit whilst Julie and Carol headed back to the picnic area after reaching the base of the rock. 360 degree views were had from the summit.

45km north of Grafton is Secret Lake Retreat. A new campground on an 800-acre private property with a 60-acre lake. Opened on 1 December 2021 it has lots of open space, nice new facilities, a pontoon and free use of kayaks, noodles and truck tyres. However, with a potential capacity of 1000 campers (once the word is out), we don’t think that 3 toilets and 4 showers will manage.

We returned to Taree again (mid-January) to be greeted with the news that access to our home will be some time away. Fortunately, Sandy, Rich and Sairsha were camped only 45 minutes away at Bonny Hills, and were keen to spend a few days with us beside the Dawson River to escape buffeting winds on the coast. Their company was a wonderful (and fun) distraction from the disappointing news. Hopefully our last camp at Taree before we move in.

The start of a 4-month kayaking holiday was at Fishing Point in Steve and Bron’s new home. We paddled on Lake Macquarie, and had a pizza cook-off. Despite a sticky start, the outcome was spectacular.

Leaving Fishing Point, we decided to take the road less travelled to head south…..by heading west to Bathurst via the tiny town of Bylong, where we camped in the sportsground beside St Stephen’s Anglican Church (1876).

We spent 3 nights at the Bathurst Showground, visiting Bob and Jane and various members of their family over that time. Blake is not a small caravan, but he was dwarfed by our neighbour’s 5th wheeler at the showground.

It’s a Girl

Sunday 1 August 2021

(As we are now back in Sydney this will be our last post until some time next year, when we hope to be able to travel back to Western Australia)

Founded by William Yabsley in 1849 when Lismore was only a small cattle station and Casino had only one store and a hotel, Coraki is a small town that sits on the confluence of the Richmond and Wilson Rivers. The name Coraki is derived from the Bundjalung word gurigay, meaning the meeting of the waters. A quaint little town with a quaint little caravan park on the Richmond River.

We spent 4 days at Coraki, travelling to Lismore on a few occasions to see Nicole, James and the boys, before heading south to arrive in Sydney in time for the birth of our 4th grandchild. On our way south we decided to spend a few days in and around the mid-north coast and the Hunter Valley, as these are regions we may consider for an up and coming tree change.

After a quick overnight stop at Coffs Harbour, we set up camp at the Wingham Showground, 10 km west of Taree. Seven days there gave us an opportunity to refamiliarise ourselves with the area and check out some of the potential subdivisions. From there it was off to Dungog Showgrounds for 2 nights. There were very few campers in either showground, which suited us, though both were very wet underfoot from recent rain.

Then we headed into Sydney’s COVID lockdown to wait for the birth so we could look after Pete whilst Rachel was in hospital.

*Our camp at the Coraki Caravan Park, right on the bank of the Richmond River. We didn’t need to connect to power, which allowed us to camp close to the water’s edge.*

*Wingham and Dungog Showground camp areas, and the Wigham Town Hall.*

*Little Grace, born 8:28am Thursday 29 July, measuring 50cm and weighing 3.45kg.* *A real cutie.*
*Carol entertaining Peter with colouring lessons.*

Party Time

Sunday 4 July 2021

Carol’s youngest brother, Peter, had planned for months the coming together of all seven siblings to celebrate the birthdays of three of them that coincide within 2 days of each other. The celebration was for a 70th, a 60th and a 64th. Unfortunately, COVID once again dampened the outcome. Four of the seven live in NSW, the other three in Qld. Bob (and Jane), and Carol (and I) crossed the border into Queensland before the Sydney outbreak, but unfortunately the others from Sydney, John (and Mary), and Margaret (and Joe) weren’t so lucky, and weren’t able to get across. Very disappointing for all concerned, and especially for John, being one of the birthdays we were celebrating.

But first, we were to meet up with Bob and Jane a few days before the party. We coordinated our rendezvous to be near Bunya Mountain, at the locality of Pimpimbudgee (yes, that is its name). Leaving Bowenville, we had a short 100km drive northeast to Pimpimbudgee, and a 200 acre working cattle farm with views across the Pimpimbudgee Valley. We were the only ones there, until Bob and Jane arrived, and we all had the place to ourselves for our two-night stay, with a large fire pit and electric fence around a neatly mowed 2,000 m2 section of paddock to keep the two inquisitive Shetland ponies and numerous cows away from our camp. A drive to Bunya Mountain, and some surrounding attractions partially filled one day, and the rest of the time was enjoyed soaking up the serenity, light winds and clear skies.

From Pimpimbudgee we all headed off to another private property, this time a few km north of the town of Toogoolawah. The owners have set out large mowed campsites, several hundred metres apart, each with firepit, for no cost to campers. Wow. Two inquisitive horses visited occasionally, but again we, and the horses, were the only ones there. Visits to the towns of Toogoolawah and Esk helped fill our otherwise relaxed, but rainy, two days there.

Then off to Sandstone Point, near Bridie Island. Wherever we could, we kept off the main highway and took some lovely back roads between Toogoolawah and Woodford, before rejoining the main road to Sandstone Point. Three of the siblings; Carol (and me), Bob (and Jane) and Julie (and Grahame) have caravans and we set up next to each other at the Big 4 caravan park. A great venue for families, with heaps of activities available, in a very well set-out and tidy van park. Rather expensive, but a great opportunity to catch up with some of the siblings. Peter and Paul live locally, and we all got together at the adjoining Sandstone Point Hotel for dinner on the first night, and we all headed to Pete and Liz’s on Sunday for a large family gathering to celebrate the three birthdays. A great weekend, only marred by the inability of Margaret and Joe, and John and Mary to get out of Sydney and NSW to join us.

On the Monday we parted ways from the siblings. From Sandstone Point it was a quick trip down the expressway to Lismore in order to spend a few day with Nicole, James, Connor and Patrick and celebrate some more birthdays.

First up was Patrick’s first birthday (today actually). We all went to Evans Head for the weekend at the Reflections Caravan Park, Carol and I in Blake, and Nicole, James and the boys in a nearby cabin. The weather was not favourable, but that did not stop us having fun, and a lovely bbq party lunch on Saturday. The weather cleared today as we packed up to leave, with Nicole and family returning home, whist we travelled just 20km towards Lismore to the little town of Coraki on the Richmond River.

Next birthday is Nicole’s on Tuesday, so Carol and I will be called up for babysitting duties whilst Nicole and James have a kid-free night out.

Our 200 acre campsite at Pimpimbudgee. Ahh, the serenity.

In and around Bunya Mountain: Muntapa Railway Tunnel, the longest single bore railway tunnel in Australia at 287m long, 4.5m wide and 5m high, dug by hand in 1911; Fishers Lookout; Coomba Falls (not falling) at Maidenwell.

The town of Toogoolawah, and our camp at “Jack’s Place”. Located on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, we have stayed in the town on 2 previous occasions, and enjoyed cycling the trail. This time no cycling, just chilling out between rain showers.

Party time: Paul and Julie cutting the cake; 5 of the 7 siblings, with their partners; party hosts Pete and Liz, with Sammy, Jess and Jack.

Our 3 vans at the Sandstone Point Big 4; and the newly formed “Super Six” caravanners group!!

Our campsite at Evans Head, and the boys joined us in the van on several occasions, especially so Patrick could open the first of his presents. It was a nice, neat park, but as you all know, van parks aren’t always our first choice of accommodation. At least we could say we had the dirtiest van there. On this occasion, it was a perfect location.

Party time for Patrick at Nicole and James’ cabin

What’s in a name?

Monday 21 June 2021

Whenever we have considered replacing Henry, the question has always been; “What will happen to the name of our blog?”

Well, as you’ve read, the inevitable has happened. We considered several names for the Toyota LandCruiser, such as Larry LandCruiser, Lucy LandCruiser (Carol’s preference). Others have suggested Tom Cruise, ToyBoy, and we’ve thrown many other names around. Carol really wanted a girl’s name, but some of the suggestions didn’t wash well. Then a light bulb moment….. we can have a girl’s name and retain the blog headings, with only changing one letter. Agreement has been reached on her name; HENRIETTA, aka Henri. It’s a bit like the Theseus’s paradox, and George Washington’s axe which has had its handle replaced three times and the head twice, yet it is still George Washington’s axe. We have now replaced the van and the car, and the domain name is still henryandjakesadventures.com, and the blog is now Henri and Blake’s Adventures.

Back now to the adventure.

Last post we were in the NSW town of Nundle, about to head off to Gunnadah. We’ve travelled quickly through central northern NSW twice in the past, and decided we should spend more time investigating the towns Gunnedah, Boggabri and Moree. However, with the COVID positive Melbourne couple having travelled through central NSW, we decided not to risk hanging around, but rather head directly to QLD to ensure we were there before any threat of border closures. So after a coffee in Tamworth with travelling friends Scott and Jo who we first met at the Birdsville Races a few years ago, we headed northwest, crossing the border at Mungandi the following day.

That provided a few more days in Qld, but not enough to cover more western outback regions that we’d originally planned before heading back to Sydney, so we decided on a slow journey to Carnarvon NP. Firstly, 3 days camped on a private property just south of St George on the Balonne River. A beautiful, peaceful setting at which we just chilled.

From there we broke the 440km drive to Carnarvon NP into 3 days, primarily because severe thunderstorms were predicted upon our approach to the final 80km, which is unsealed. BOM forecast the storms to clear overnight, so we took their word for it and camped through the storms at the end of the sealed road. BOM were correct, so we had no rain the following day, just damp roads under clear sunny skies. We stayed 3 freezing nights at Dargonelly Rock Hole campground in the Mount Moffatt section of Carnarvon NP. We were there several years ago but thoroughly enjoyed visiting again, with spectacular rock formations, no crowds and peaceful surroundings.

We’re now on our way to Bunya NP where we’ll meet up with Bob and Jane for a few days before heading to Sandstone Point on the Qld coast to party with all of Carol’s six siblings. More on that next post.

Bingara Park campground near St George. Large sites, heaps of firewood and peace and quiet. Plenty of time to cook a yummy breakfast over our fire pit.

Adjacent to our site was the Balonne River. An outcrop of interesting cementitious rocks was nearby. There was very little flow in the river.

Upstream from our camp were two weirs, the big one (Jack Taylor Weir) at the township of St George, the smaller one a few hundred metres from our camp. As you can see, not much flow.

There’s always historic markers and sculptures around the country. On Monday 23 June 1902, four constables arrested bushranger brothers Patrick and James Kenniff. The arrest is usually regarded as the last episode in the century long struggle between police and bushrangers. (At Arrest Creek, south of Mitchell).
North of Mitchell is a campsite depot of explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell adjacent to the Maranoa River in 1846.

80km south of Carnarvon NP is a freedom camp called Womble Pit. It is near the end of the sealed road, so we hunkered down to wait out a series of thunderstorms. Initially thinking the old quarry pit was sand based, the first rains revealed it to have a high clay content. Very slippery…..”I hope we can get out in the morning”. Beautiful views though.

After the storms, as they retreated to the east.

Dargonelly Rock Hole campground at the Mt Moffatt section of Carnarvon NP. The toilet block offered a room with a view, as you could sit there with the door open, only until other campers arrived!

A cute chirping young waterbird frequented the rock holes. I couldn’t identify it. It was a great underwater swimmer, catching a fish on one of its dives.

Marlong Arch. Carol was worried that it might collapse. Lot’s wife, a solitary sandstone pillar.

The Looking Glass. One edge is looking a little thin. We found another rock we dubbed the Little Looking Glass.

The Chimneys, Cathedral Wall, and is that Australia’s Mount Rushmore, with Captain James Cook and Wallace, from “Wallace and Gromit”?

A serious bushfire in December 2018 has left much of the ground cover and undergrowth very depleted, even 3 years later. There remains evidence of very large trees being destroyed and damaged, some completely burnt to just a mound of ash. However many beautiful Angophora leiocarpa (smooth-barked apple) still remain.

The Tombs, a sacred burial ground in a large sandstone bluff, supports several areas of rock art.

Our last two camps before meeting up with Bob and Jane; Judd’s Lagoon at Yuleba, and Bowenville Reserve.

Theseus’s paradox. First there was Henry and Jake, now there is Henri and Blake, going through the same dry creek bed in Carnarvon NP.

We are now at the end of the green line just west of Brisbane

Back Out

Thursday 10 June 2021

Having spent 7 days returning home from Innamincka in search of a new vehicle, and a further 11 days at home readying the LandCruiser to get back out, we are now on the road. We’ve effectively lost 3 weeks from our original 10-week itinerary, so we’ll be cutting out a lot of the planned outback route, and head directly for Carnarvon National Park, before turning east to meet up with Carol’s six siblings near Bribie Island on the last weekend of June.

We undertook the minimum possible modifications on the Cruiser, just enough to get us back out: towing mirrors, different tow hitch, and transferring from Henry the UHF radio and dashcam. This is a bit of a shake-down run for the Cruiser, as we are travelling very light, and we’ll see what we can live without.

We are now in Nundle, leaving tomorrow for Gunnedah via Tamworth.

Our first night out was at Burning Mountain, 20km north of Scone in the Upper Hunter region of NSW.

The walk from the rest area to Burning Mountain presented several stunning vistas.
The first is of the Wingen Maid, a Wonnarua woman, who sat on a cliff edge waiting for the return of her husband from battle. He never returned, so she asked Baayami, the great sky god, to kill her. Her turned her to stone, and she cried tears of fire which ran down the hillside and and set the mountain alight.
The second, looking east towards Cameroun’s Gorge, and the third;
Part of the Liverpool Range which was crossed in 1825, to later become the New England Highway

First observed by Europeans in 1828, Burning Mountain is a slow burning underground coal seam ignited about 6,000 years ago. It is moving south at a rate of 1m per year.

Our camp on day#2, Chaffey Dam, 14km north of the little town of Nundle. The picture is deceiving, as the daytime temperature reached just 6 degrees, and from mid-afternoon it rained without ceasing all night and the following day (today).

Nundle Woollen Mill. The primary reason to come to Nundle was to visit the woollen mill again. With machinery dating back to 1914, it is the only mill remaining in Australia that takes wool from bail to ball, with every machine of the seven stage process visible to the public. It is an amazing historical enterprise, with lots of pure merino wool to tease Carol into buying.

Out n Back

Sunday 30 May 2021

With Henry ready and raring to go after his ride on the tow truck and easy fix at the mechanic’s, we turned west and continued with our planned agenda heading further into the outback. Our plan was to spend several days at Innamincka, just over the QLD/SA border. But with 570km to travel from Cunnamulla, and having made a rather late start, we knew that we had no chance of getting there before dark. We passed a few options to camp but pushed on to one on the Innamincka turnoff. However, the rest area no longer existed as the area had been regraded, in preparation for what looked like, a revamp of the site. (It was so well graded, that on our return past the site we saw a light aircraft parked there…..only in the outback!!!)

It was getting late and we’d travelled 330km that afternoon so we decided to camp there and moved well off the road onto a lovely clear patch of red dirt. I collected some fallen wood and we had a nice fire after the flies had gone to bed.

We arrived at Innamincka early the next afternoon and to our surprise, some BOG friends were still there, despite our two day detour to Cunnamulla. We had hoped to do some kayaking on Cooper Creek as we had done several years earlier, but the creek flow was quite strong following recent rains further north, which would have made one direction of paddling quite tiresome. And besides, our focus wasn’t on relaxing…..

For several reasons, none the least being to get an automatic to better enable Carol to drive, especially when we’re home, we had decided to retire Henry in the not too distant future. Our replacement vehicle of choice was the larger 200 series Toyota Landcruiser. The problem was they are no longer in production, with the new 300 series not due to be released for several months. In fact it appears that all new vehicles have been sold and second hand models are becoming more expensive and scarce. We undertook a wide internet search for vehicles in Qld and NSW and realised we needed to head east if we were to have any hope of finding one whilst they were still available.

Their scarcity added to the urgency so we bade our friends farewell at Innamincka and here we are, after having gone out to the outback, we are back home in Pennant Hills, after having found a suitable Landcruiser in Newcastle.

Our route home was based loosely on the possibility of finding a Toyota dealer with a second hand vehicle on their lot. Most dealers were out of stock and the two dealers along the way that did, had only high km models. Of the 33 NSW models we shortlisted from the internet, Newcastle seemed the best option so we didn’t want to miss it. A quick 1,600 km drive saw the Landcruiser in our possession. But the drive to Innamincka and the dash to the dealer weren’t without awe and wonder.

Heading west from Cummumulla we passed through Eulo, the site of Music in the Mulga, passing several travellers who had been to the festival. Once past Thargomindah we had to cross the Grey Range, a massive climb, with a nose bleed elevation of 190m. It is so flat out here that to see any hill is quite exciting. With the Range behind us we then crossed the vast flat plains of the Channel Country, through the Strzelecki Desert, with its labyrinth of shallow creeks and waterways that spread out across the landscape, depositing waters widely across the region from rains that fall further north. The entire region was so much greener than we’ve seen it in the past.

After spending a few days with Steve and Deb in Innamincka, we headed back east back across the Grey Range, through Thargomindah, Eulo and Cunnamulla, then on to St George before heading south to cross the Qld/NSW border at Mungendi, then through Moree, Narrabri, Gunnedah, Murrurundi, Muswellbrook and on to Newcastle. Some of these towns deserve more than just a fleeting glance, so we plan to return soon. We took 5 days to travel the 1,600 km to Newcastle, stopping at some wonderful campsites along the way. At one I noticed a tyre on Blake was scrubbing out badly so we had to jack up one side, remove both wheels and check the wheel alignment before replacing the damaged tyre and heading off. We could find no issues with the alignment and the replaced tyre is doing fine.

We hope to recommence our Queensland adventure within a week, as soon as we make enough modifications to the Landcruiser to enable us to travel.

The water tower in Cunnamulla, depicting local children

Grey Range, west of Thargomindah. Not a large mountain range by any stretch of the imagination, but an exciting relief from an otherwise horizontal landscape. We were pleased to see so much green in the landscape.

Our beautiful remote and desolate campsite at the turnoff to Innamincka in the middle of Channel Country. We love the outback.

More of the outback’s horizontal landscape and what the Queenslanders call “jump-ups”, being flat-top mountains, or mesas, that are all that remain of the floor of the ancient inland sea.

Our camp at the Innamincka Town Common adjacent to the swollen Cooper Creek. Maybe we’ll get back there another time for a paddle!

One of several morning tea and lunch stops on our return to Newcastle and Sydney. Beautiful country!!

Lake Bindegolly bush camp adjacent to the Lake Bindegolly National Park between Thargomindah and Cunnamulla. The diverse 14,000ha national park contains a string of lakes and also has samphire flats, claypans, sand dunes, hard and soft red mulga country, gidgee woodlands, and Eremophila shrublands. The park was established in 1991 to protect the Acacia ammophila tree which grows along the sand dunes fringing the eastern side of the lakes. This is one of only two known populations of this gnarled tree which is threatened with extinction. A beautiful peaceful location, with campsites several hundred metres apart, we could have stayed here for several days. It did provide a nice relaxing environment in which to change Blake’s tyre and check the wheel alignment.

Quirky Eulo, and the Thallon silo art at which Carol made friends with a local sheep.

Our final camp before reaching Newcastle. Square Bush rest area, 35 km north of Quirindi. Despite it being just off the Kamilaroi Highway if offered a quiet and picturesque overnight stop.

Having placed a deposit on the Landcruiser we decided to stay overnight at Mannering Park, rather than heading home in the late afternoon/evening. We liked the location so much we decided to stay for an extra night which gave us the opportunity to finally put the kayak in some water, the first and only time on this 3,700km journey.

The new Henry (well, second hand, really). The jury is still out on the selection of a name.

Music in the Mulga

18 May 2021

A 4-day festival of country music in southwest Queensland on Wandilla Station near Eulo. It’s also the site of a BOG (Bushtracker Owners Group) Mini Muster. We made this the start of a 10-week sojourn through outback Queensland. However, we started our preparation several weeks earlier.

Having spent the last 6 months at home in our unit in Pennant Hills, we needed to do a “shake-down” run to make sure everything on the van still worked, and that we remembered how to pack, operate and tow it. So the plan was to head to Canberra with Bob and Jane for a week. The day before departure Henry (Ford) decided he didn’t want to go and loosened a plate on his gearbox. Drivable, but not able to tow, we had to ditch our Canberra plans and be car-less for 6 days before we could get the mechanic to look at it. Easy fix, mechanics error from a recent gearbox repair, but frustrating none the less. Fast forward 5 weeks, with the car repaired, we headed off for 3 days with Little Pete for his first caravanning adventure all the way to Lane Cove National Park. A successful and fun time, then off the Hartley on the western side of the Blue Mountains for 3 nights with Bob and Jane. A great location, being on private property, camped next to Cox’s Creek at Glenroy Cottages and Campground. We had the place virtually to ourselves, with frosty sub-zero mornings and clear, cool days. As expected, we’d failed to pack several items, so a list was started to ensure everything was included for Queensland. A week back home, before hitching up again on 5^th May for Queensland.

First stop was Ron and Sue’s property “Alicudi” in Orange. It was great to catch up over the 2 days before continuing on. However, as there had been another Covid outbreak in Sydney whilst we were in Sydney, we decided to take a Covid test in Orange in case Queensland restricted access, and also to appease any concerns from other BOG members. Results negative….good to go!

A few more days drive and we arrived at Werai Park Station, a 50,000 acre property just 30km from the Music in the Mulga site, owned by BOG members Ian and Sheryl, who invited BOGGERS to stay for a few days before moving on mass to the music festival and BOG mini muster.

Music in the Mulga was all you could expect from an outback country music festival; hundreds of caravans, lots of red dirt, food vendors, walk-up try-hard musicians throughout the days, and some great headline acts during the main concerts. Plus yabbie races, charity auctions, Fashions in the Field and more.

Unfortunately, on the short drive between Werrai Park and Wandilla stations, the simple gearbox “repair” done 3 weeks ago came unstuck, and we lost 1^st, 2^nd and reverse gears. Not good when towing. Fortunately, with only a few km to go, and no hills, we made it to our camp spot with the other Bushtrackers, being given a drive-through location so as not to have to reverse.

We were towed back to Cunnamulla on the Monday after the music festival, and Henry was ready by Tuesday morning (today).

A great 3 days with little Pete at Lane Cove National Park

Our campsite with Bob and Jane near Hartley on Cox’s Creek.

Bob contemplating life, and four old farts with their nana rugs, sitting around the campfire. Morning temperatures were sub-zero!

Historic Hartley, at the base of the western side of the Blue Mountains.

St Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church, completed in 1848. The adjoining Presbytery was completed in the late 1850s.

A week and a half back home after Hartley, we were ready for our 10 weeks in Qld’s outback. First stop, Orange, at Alicudi for 2 nights, camped under the watchful eye of the lovely Lilly.
Then our first outback free camp at Girilambone, just north of Nyngan.

The landscape is much greener than it was when we were out here a few years ago (yes, that’s green).
Silo art in Bourke.

Ford’s Bridge, on the Warrego River, just 180km before we reach Werai Station to gather with Bushtrackers.
There’s not much at Ford’s Bridge, just a pub, a few run-down houses and a giant yabby, oh, and a bridge.

Queensland is CLOSED. Well, that’s what we though as we approached the border. This is the entrance gate through the dog fence at the NSW/QLD border town of Hungerford. A further 70 km and we reach the Werai Park gate.

Our campsite on Werai Park Station, overlooking the wetlands.

BOG activities on the Station included a tag-along tour across the station to set yabby traps in various dams, a BBQ lunch and happy hour around the campfire every night.

The following day I sat on the dog box of one of the shooting trucks as we went out to clean a few of the station’s drinking troughs. We adopted Council work protocols; one working, 20 others watching.

Music in the Mulga, including entertainment by Innocent Eve, Simply Bushed, The Sweet Jelly Rolls and many more.

BOGGERS at Music in the Mulga. There were 30 Bushtrackers enjoying the BOG Muster. (drone pics courtesy of Wade Eastburn and Paul Matthews).

Fun and frivolity at Music in the Mulga. Some of the many “Fashions of the Field” entrants, including the winner “Dust Storm”.

No fun and frivolity here!
Loading up for the tow to Cunnamulla.

Escape and Dig In

Friday 3 April 2020

It is unfortunate that we had to cut short our time in WA from a planned 4 months to just 2 weeks. With the knowledge that the SA border was “closed”, we initially decided to stick it out in WA for the 4 months, finding somewhere to bunker down on the mid-west coast, close to a regional centre and a beach. However, as time progressed, the possibility of being ejected from WA grew, along with the possibility that we may not be able to get back into NSW, and the likelihood was growing daily. The night before the Bushtracker WA mini-muster was due to commence we made the decision to ESCAPE WA and head back east. The SA police cleared up some uncertainty for us regarding self-isolation, as we were deemed exempt by being essential travellers, just passing through SA. Smart move, as it only takes 2 days to cross the state, rather than self-isolating for 2 weeks there.

We left Albany on the 25th March for the 4,200 km journey to Lismore where we decided we’d sit out the pandemic on Nicole and James’ back yard. The journey took 9 days, averaging close to 500 km per day, with our longest drive being 661km.

Our 4 days in Albany were wonderful. Having bumped into Bushtracker friends in Ravensthorpe who were also on their way to the mini-muster, we joined up again in Albany and camped together for those 4 days. Great company and lots of laughs, it was sad to leave Brian and Margot who had decided to sit out the pandemic in WA.

Our journey is now effectively over. Whilst there still remains a lot of WA to see, we now don’t expect to get back there for a few years. Goodness knows how long we’ll all be restricted in travel, and besides, we’ll be in Lismore until at least August, with the pending birth of grandchild #3 in July. Following that we’ll begin to plan our tree-change and settle down somewhere in regional NSW. Only once we’re settled in a new location will we make plans to continue our travels.

Thanks for following us throughout our adventure. We hope you’ve enjoyed it. We certainly have. We’ve met some wonderful people, many of whom we now call friends who we’ll keep in touch with, seen amazing places, marvelled at Australia’s diverse landscapes, swum and paddled in iconic locations, climbed hills and mountains for spectacular views, enjoyed the peace and serenity of the Australian outback and the grandeur of its coastline. This is a marvellous country…. be sure to explore it thoroughly.

Following the photos are some statistics of our journey, for those who are interested.

The Gap on Albany’s southern coastline. Built to provide safe and breathtaking views over the crashing Southern Ocean, a cantilevered platform was constructed using 5 slender high strength stainless steel beams bolted into the rock and stretching out over, and 37m above, the water.

We adored Albany’s beaches, township, surroundings, buildings and architecture. Crystal clear waters abound, and if you find a sheltered area out of the wind…. great swimming.
After 178 years of whaling at Albany, the whaling station closed on 21 November 1978, Australia’s last operating whaling station. Now a tourist attraction, it closed again on 23 March 2020 in response to Covid-19, so we could only view it from outside.

Albany was the launching place of the first contingent of soldiers and horses destined for Europe in WWI. The First Convoy of 38 ships departed from Albany on 1 November 1914. Two months later the Second Convoy of 19 ships followed, departing on 31 December. The National Anzac Centre honours those soldiers. Unfortunately this centre was also closed.

Darrel Radcliffe is a chainsaw carver in Albany who has opened his property to allow visitors to drive through and marvel at his amazing sculptures

Exercising social distancing, Blake, and Brian and Margot’s Bushtracker had a relaxing few days at the Albany Rifle Club. Brian and Margot carry a 1990s Land Rover Defender ute with them on their journey; Quirky silo art at the Albany Port.

Our journey home, travelling every day to be sure we reached Lismore before more severe travel restrictions are imposed. Sunset at the little town of Frederick; fuelling up at the Nullarbor Roadhouse; the final campsite of our 3-year journey, at the Swan Brook rest area near Glen Innes NSW

Digging in at Lismore. Because of the slope on the property, James and I dug trenches for Blake to sit level without the front of the van having to sit 2 m off the ground.

Planned vs actual route for Year 4 (2020)

Our entire trip, plus our long service leave trip of 2015

Statistics of the journey:

Duration of the journey: 3 years, 5 months, 2 days

Total distance travelled by Henry: 105,475 km

Total combined distance travelled by Jake and Blake: 61,603 km

Longest stay at one location (excluding house sits and Sydney/Lismore): Island Bend (Snowy Mtns) 12 nights, Birdsville (12 nights)

Number of times we moved house (van): 320

Favourite locations: Tasmania’s north coast; Albany WA; Middleton Qld (but so many more)

Nullus arbor

Sunday, 22 March 2020

Latin for “no trees”, nullus arbor, or “Nullarbor”, is a fitting name for the vast limestone plain that stretches 1,200 km, from Yalata SA (200km west of Ceduna) in the east to Norseman WA in the west.

Leaving Sydney on 6 March we headed southwest through Goulburn and Wagga Wagga then west towards Mildura taking just over 2 days to reach South Australia. One word describing the scenery through the Southern Highlands, past Goulburn and Yass is “green”. This coloration started to diminish as we continued west through Wagga Wagga and Narrandera, and by the time we reached the Hay plains west of Hay, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d received no rain.

We reached the eastern edge of the Nullarbor Plain 5 days after leaving Sydney and crossed it over the next four days, with one of those days being a rest day before reaching Norseman in the central south of WA, which is the western end of the Nullarbor. At that point we headed south to WA’s southern coastline to explore as we make our way west towards Walpole for the Bushtracker mini-muster next week.

After nearly three and a half years on the road it is nice to finally reach WA, the last state to explore. We’ll only see a portion of the state this journey as we will be returning to Lismore in July for the birth of Nicole’s second child, provided the borders are open!!!