Cattai, Capertee and Mudgee

Cattai National Park

21 – 22 October 2015

After a thorough induction into its use, we picked up our brand new camper trailer and headed up the Windsor Road. I have never towed before so was very nervous about that, not to mention the Sydney traffic. We successfully negotiated our way to Windsor and then along the Wiseman’s Ferry Road to the Cattai National Park. We discovered a beautiful spot, but one that we imagine would be very popular on weekends and school holidays.  There are flush toilets and hot showers, and it’s not really far from the city, so the $23 per night, plus $8 per day park entry fee is probably justified. There was also bulk rubbish bins provided so we didn’t have to carry our scraps out with us.

We picked a spot beside the creek and set up the camper. We managed to get it set up in what was a reasonable time for beginners and only had to refer to the instructions a couple of times. Rain was forecast, and the prediction was accurate. We found the new accommodation to be more than adequate in the rain that fell in the evening and during the night.

View from our trailer.

Our camp spot was right on the river - very peaceful except for the occasional water skier!

Our first night in the camper trailer

More intermittent showers persisted while we packed up – again a reasonably smooth process for newbies. We were on the road again just before 10am, headed for Capertee National Park.

Capertee National Park

22 – 24 October 2015

We drove back through Windsor, then on to Richmond and up the Bells Line of Road (will have to check how it got its name – it has always fascinated me). We stopped for coffee at Bilpin, where there are a number of roadside cafes and shops selling local apples and apple products. We probably would have had room, but had not yet rearranged all our gear properly into the camper trailer, so didn’t buy any local produce.

Mick had read about a bird spot so we drove down the road at Pierce’s Pass to have a look for the Rockwarbler. The road was challenging but the picnic spot was nice, and Mick was rewarded with a Pilotbird sighting, but no great photos.

The beauty and variety of flowering plants around the picnic area could not be ignored.

The Rockwarbler is the only bird endemic to NSW and has a very limited range. It is only found around sandstone outcrops... at least that's what I've read.  The last time we came through its range, an east coast low prevented us from chasing them so this time I'm hoping to tick one off and maybe get a good pic.

This is a top spot for lunch or a cuppa. No Rockwarbler for me despite it looking like the right habitat. There was lots of other interesting stuff to look at like wild flowers and sandstone outcrops. There were a few birds about such as the ubiquitous Eastern yellow robin and Grey fantail as well as Golden whistlers, New Holland honeyeater, Eastern spinebill and Pilotbirds. There were some bird calls I couldn't recognise, which was quite frustrating as we couldn't stay long enough to sort them out. Mick.

Waratah

Isopogon

New Holland honeyeater

Eastern spinebill

We drove through Lithgow where we stopped at the local Bunnings (hardware store) for a couple of things we needed, then on towards Mudgee. Turning off the Castlereagh Highway we drove through Capertee village and then turned off towards the national park. Some of the road was sealed, and some was gravel, and part of it was extremely rough – even though described as suitable for 2WD vehicles, except when flooded. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to do it is a sedan – I think high clearance is a must.

We were welcomed to the camping area by a wet Welcome Swallow.

You cannot enter the park without a booking. I had called the Mudgee National Parks office a few days earlier, paid our fees ($6 per person per night) and was given the gate access code.  We were a little surprised to find the camp ground is really just a paddock, with a single long drop toilet, not in the bush as we had expected. It was, however, very peaceful and quite beautiful. There were kangaroos in the top paddock, and lots of wombat holes.

Wombat hole

Wallaroo

We had rain, on and off for most of our journey, and had to wait for a break to set up the camp, which we managed with only one look at the instructions this time. Think we are getting the hang of it! A cold night was predicted so we dug out the warmies and settled in for a quiet evening with only the stars (and maybe wombats) for company.

Capertee Valley Lookout

Capertee National Park campground - we had it all to ourselves

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and jumped in the car to head towards a walk that promised lots of birds. We found the lookout which meant we had gone too far! The view over that valley was beautiful so we were glad we had come this way. We backtracked and found the Ullumbra Track which wound its way beside the creek. We had missed it because the National Parks information brochure promised a permanent water course – which was dry as a bone! It was a nice kilometre or so walk along the creek bank with lots of birds around, as promised. After our walk we made our way back to camp for a cuppa and lunch. After an afternoon rest we jumped in the car and drove towards the park gate in search of more promised birds. Not much luck again!

Speckled warbler

Satin flycatcher

Buff-rumped thornbill

Mick met one of the locals - a red bellied black snake

The weather was good so we decided on camp oven veggies and left over rissoles for dinner. It was nice to be able to sit around a campfire – in the fire pit provided of course. Another cold night but we were snug in the camper.

We packed up after breakfast and left Capertee National Park – after a couple of stops looking for birds of course. National Parks had emailed a number of useful documents when we booked, one of which Mick found very interesting – Capertee Valley Bird Trails. We headed out in search of a number of spots promising various sightings. We managed to miss some, but found a some really nice spots, including a community camp ground at Glen Davis (a bit crowded for us) and the beautiful Coorongooba Camp Ground in Wollemi National Park. With spectacular views of the canyon, we filed that one away for future reference.

Diamond firetail

On to Mudgee and a caravan park for a couple of nights.

Mudgee

24 – 28 October 2015

We found a nice spot in a caravan park just out of town, late in the afternoon and settled in for the night. In the morning we did our housekeeping – washing, shopping and rearranging things.

A female Red-rumped parrot by her nest hollow.

Musk lorikeets are common in the gum trees around the park. These ones are feeding on lerps.

m

We made the decision to stay an extra couple of days as we had some business to do for which we needed to be available by phone, and also because there are a number of day trips to local birding spots – pointed out by the very helpful volunteer (and local birder) at the Visitor Information Centre. Mudgee is a small country town – but is busy on a Sunday with cafes, wineries and restaurants doing a roaring trade.

We ventured out to Putta Bucca Wetland for a look - very hot and so many flies! This used to be the part of the sewerage treatment plant and is now a wetland with a walking tracks and bird hides. Mick spent a good bit of time trying to get the reed warbler - but it wouldn't sit still for long.

Great place, we saw Azure kingfisher, Dusky woodswallow, Eastern Rosella, Black-winged stilt, Tree martins and more!

I did manage a Reed warbler shot, there are so many around here and they are presently very active and vocal.

Later in the afternoon, we were treated to an afternoon storm.

On Monday morning we headed out to visit Gulgong – a heritage town founded on gold. It’s less than ½ hour drive from Mudgee through rolling hills and wine country. We arrived and made our way to one of the many cafes for morning tea. This tiny town has preserved much of its history in its lovely old buildings. Locals are friendly and happy to have a chat about their town. There is a small museum but we decided to save that till next time.

Wonderful old buildings have survived since the gold rush and are being slowly restored by the community.

Fancy oods were a thing back then apparently.

It was a nice morning out.

We drove back to Mudgee along the “tourist route” – Henry Lawson Way. Again, rolling hills and wineries. As we arrived back at camp, we noticed another black sky in the near distance. A check of the BoM weather radar revealed another storm, bigger and nastier than the one the previous day, and a severe thunderstorm warning to go with it – large hailstones, heavy rainfall and damaging winds! We didn’t have time to do much preparation, so we just had to sit in the camper and wait it out. Fortunately the hail didn’t eventuate and the wind gave a few strong gusts, but caused no damage. The storm didn’t last long, and it did cool things down a bit.

More wind and some rain overnight, and a very cloudy sky in the morning. We braved the cold and wind and headed off to Munghorn Gap Reserve, hoping to spot some more birds. The sky cleared a little and we ventured out along a short walk. It's a nice picnic spot with a pit toilet, picnic tables and BBQs. It would have been nice to spend some time there if the weather had been better - and only 1/2 hour drive from Mudgee.

Once back in town we had a coffee at the brewery (true!) and then a walk along the river. We discovered that the elusive Reed warbler lives there too so of course Mick was happy to return after lunch.

Usually hard to see, the Reed warblers weren't shy at this location.

 Dusky moorhen

It's a shame the weather has been so variable - hot, cold, sunny, windy and rainy. There are lots of nice spots around here that would have been worth a visit, but not great in the rain.