Cobar
6 – 7 October 2019
It was still hot – very hot – but
we had arranged to meet up with Bronwyn and John, and Michael and Tanya in Cobar so we
had to move on from Bourke. The weather forecast was for 40°,
strong winds and dusty conditions so we weren’t looking forward spending the
day waiting for the others.
We took our time packing up and
left our air conditioned cabin as late as we could, then travelled south.
Because it took less than two hours to get to Cobar, we were checked in and set
up in the caravan park by lunchtime. We spent much of the afternoon sheltering
from the sun and wind in the camp kitchen – but there was no escaping the heat.
Fortunately there was a forecast drop in temperature overnight to look forward
to.
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| Not a great photo... I put some water out for the Apostlebirds and they were onto it immediately. |
We made the decision that dinner
at the local club would be in order – to escape the heat and also as a nice way
to start the next leg of the trip with our travelling companions. They didn’t
arrive until much later in the day, but they happily agreed to our plan. The
Cobar Bowling and Golf Club has the obligatory Chinese Restaurant which served generous
sized meals. A few drinks completed the picture. By the time we left, the
temperature had dropped slightly and continued to drop throughout the night.
The predicted temperatures for the next few days were much more manageable.
The morning was much more
pleasant than the previous few days. We set about packing up and heading off –
looking forward to travelling with family and friends.
Paroo – Darling National Park – Coach and Horses Campground
7 – 8 October 2019
Paroo – Darling National Park was
to be our next stop, so after a morning discussion about travelling routes we
all packed up and set off to refuel and restock. We were the first to get on
the road west and made our lunch stop at MacCullochs Range Rest Area. The
others arrived while we were there and stopped to have a chat. There were toilets and
sheltered picnic tables – and lots of flies. We knew we would have to get used
to that, but it’s never easy.
Back on the road towards
Wilcannia, with Coach and Horses Campground our destination. The turn-off is a
few kilometres before you get to Wilcannia, then on to an unsealed road that we
discovered goes through to Bourke. We could have stayed an extra night there (and
enjoyed the pool and air conditioning) and driven straight to Coach and Horses!
Many of the reviews of this
campground that I had read mentioned being the only, or almost the only, ones
there so we were surprised to see another vehicle ahead of us as we drove in
close behind Bronwyn and John. We selected a site that allowed us all to “put
the wagons in a circle” and have a view of what was left of the Darling River.
We thought Mick and Tanya were just behind us so when they hadn’t arrived after
some time we discussed the possibilities. It turned out they had missed the turn-off
and driven in to Wilcannia before realising their mistake. It really does pay
to consult a paper map as well as a GPS and a mapping app before setting off.
We have learned this the hard way too.
We set off for White Cliffs in
the morning, establish a routine whereby we left early and the others left
later – sometimes much later.
Mutawintji National Park – Homestead Creek Campground
8 – 10 October 2019
After leaving Paroo – Darling
National Park, and driving back down the road we had come along the day before,
we drove through Wilcannia hoping to find a café but there was nothing open. We
continued on the White Cliffs where we discovered the café that also houses an
opal shop and underground tour was closed. There was a very nasty wind blowing
so we had a bit of a look around and found White Cliffs to be very unappealing.
The only other opal shop we could find was also closed – curious given that
White Cliffs is all about opals. The rest of the gang arrived just as we had
decided to retreat to the only place open for a burger for lunch. Even the pub
wasn’t open until later in the day. We all agreed that there really wasn’t any
point in staying so we set off after lunch for
Mutawintji National Park. The
road is unsealed for most of the way.
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| The road takes you through some interesting country. Hear we drove through white gibber plains. |
Mutawintji National Park is home
to the Malyankapa and Pandjikali people who still use the park today for
important gatherings. Within the ranges there are many examples of rock
engravings, stencils and paintings. There is a park entry fee ($8 per car) as
well as a modest nightly camping fee ($6 per person per night). Because we knew
we would be visiting a number of parks with entry fees we had purchased a
Country Parks Pass prior to this visit so only had to pay the camping fee at
the self-registration station. Homestead Creek Campground is well resourced
with a covered picnic area, BBQs, toilets and hot showers. The real bonus are
the fire pits dotted around the campground which were very welcome on the cold
nights.
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| Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater. In the campground a dripping tap with a puddle at its base attracts birds to drink and bathe. |
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| Galah. |
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| A male Mulga Parrot dries off after a wash. |
We arrived well ahead of the
others and set up and settled in for a two night stay. There are a number of
walks and drives within the park so we knew there would be plenty to keep us
occupied. The firewood we brought with us was put to use as the temperature
dropped with the sun. There’s nothing quite like a few drinks and laughs around
the campfire with good company.
In the morning Mick and I set off
for the short drive to the Mutawintji Gorge to tackle the 6km return Gorge
Walk. It is rated as an Easy – Class 3 walk but there is some scrambling over
rocks at the end. It was quite a hot day so sunscreen, hats and water bottles
were essential. It starts in rangeland country and finishes at a rock pool
which made a lovely spot for a rest and a snack. Along the way we saw some art
sites as the track meandered alongside the creek. We also noticed the damage
done to the vegetation by the increasing number of feral goats.
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| Hand paintings in an overhang close to the gorge. |
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| Bronwyn and John on the Thaaklatjika Mingkana Walk. |
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| Thaaklatjika – Wright’s Cave |
We had hoped to be able to engage
a guide to take us to the Mutawintji Historic Site to which access is
restricted, but there wasn’t one available at the time of our visit. I guess
that’s a good reason to return one day.
Once again we set off first in
the morning to drive to Broken Hill to restock and fuel up, before continuing
on the Menindee.
Menindee
10 – 11 October 2019
We travelled along the unsealed
road back to the turn-off then towards Broken Hill. Once we reached the bitumen
we were waved over by a car overtaking us. We stopped, and they stopped ahead of
us to tell us that something was leaking. It turned out that the cap on the
water tank had been broken (probably by a rock on the dirt road). We had lost
all our water and the cap. Lucky we were on our way into Broken Hill where we
had planned on refilling the tank anyway. We found a plumbing supplier on our
way in and replaced the plastic cap with a new metal one.
We parked at the car park
opposite the
visitor information centre and went in for a coffee. This is one
of the best ViCs we have visited. It’s not only the visitor centre, but also
the bus transit centre. There are showers and toilets as well as the café. You
can refill your water tanks there too. Across the road there is a dump point
and ample parking for long vehicles adjacent to a small park. It’s just off the
main street so it is possible to do as we did, and park there while we went exploring.
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| Opposite the information centre in Broken Hill. |
After a picnic lunch in the park
we walked up the street to the
Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum which
houses an art gallery. The current exhibition was Paul Harmon’s “Watermarks”.
This photographic exhibition highlighted the story of water and country in the
Murray-Darling Basin. The aerial images were all the more fascinating because
we had just driven through parts of this very landscape.
We then refilled the water tank,
refuelled and picked up some groceries before heading off towards Menindee and
the caravan park on the Menindee Lakes.
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| Sunset at Menindee Lakes. |
We had absolute water frontage and were treated to a beautiful
sunset to go with a pre-dinner drink or two. Later we had a fire to sit
around to keep the cold at bay. Our only complaint would be the long walk to the loo, especially after the fore mentioned drinks.
The morning was fine and clear and I got a couple of bird in flight shots of a Caspian Tern. I thought the ducks and coots would be more conditioned to having people around but they kept their distance. Mick
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| A Caspian Tern hunting over the lake. |
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| They must have been up late doing pelican stuff. |
We bought some groceries in Menindee before heading for Kinchega National Park. Not far from the turn off, we stopped to look at the grave of Dost Mahomet, a camel driver from the Burke & Wills expedition.
Kinchega National Park – Campsite 11
11 – 13 October 2019
Kinchega National Park is a short
drive from Menindee and has a park entry fee of $8 per vehicle per day. We had
our parks pass so only had to pay for our two nights camping fee - $6 per
person per night. It was still early so we drove down to the old woolshed which
was fascinating. Built in 1875 of river red gum and corrugated iron, much of the
original fitout remains. Despite the nearly 50 years since it was last used to
shear sheep you can still smell the lanolin.
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| Western Red Kangaroos on the way to the woolshed. |
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| Out the front of the woolshed. |
After a good look around there we
set off on the Kinchega Homestead Billabong Walk. This 2.3km, grade 3 loop walk
provided more information about the pastoral heritage and Aboriginal culture of
this location. The walk really highlighted how dry the country has become, with
very little water in the billabongs and river.
The rest of the day was spent
relaxing and enjoying the peaceful surrounds – except for the guy on the jet
ski who felt the need to blast past our campsite a couple of times. The keen
photographers in our party (Mick, Michael and John) spent lot of time with
cameras in front of their faces. It was hard to resist in such a spot.
After a short stop in Menindee
for coffee, we were off again on the road to Mungo National Park. We had
decided to spend our first night just outside the park at Mungo Lodge, then
have a few nights in the National Park.
Mungo Lodge
13 – 14 October 2019
We left Menindee bound for our
primary destination – Lake Mungo, driving south towards Poonacarie where we
stopped for a picnic lunch in the park. After lunch we drove down to the old
wharf precinct and were again stunned by the state of the Darling River. Where
once there was another thriving river port, there is now little more than a
couple of puddles. It’s not just the drought that has caused this, it is years
of mismanagement of this vital water resource by successive governments bowing
to the wishes of big business.
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| Seriously low. |
From Pooncarie we continued
south, following the Darling River turned off to Mungo National Park. The route
to the park is well signposted so it doesn’t matter if the GPS is a little
confused – as ours often is. We drove through the park and on to Mungo Lodge,
just outside the entrance is you are travelling via Wentworth (which is the
route most visitors use).
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| On the way into the park I saw a mixed flock of Crimson Chats, Southern Whiteface and a Hooded Robin. |
At
Mungo Lodge there is the usual
restaurant/café/bar as well as accommodation and camping out the back. There
are no powered sites, but that wasn’t a problem for us. We found a shady spot
with room nearby for the two small motorhomes and settled in for a relaxing
afternoon. After 2 nights in a national park with limited facilities we were
all looking forward to a hot shower but due to the current lack of water,
guests were asked to limit showers to 1 minute. Yes, it is possible if you turn
the water off between getting wet, soaping up and rinsing off.
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| A Red-capped Robin close to camp. |
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| I saw a small flock of Southern Whiteface as well as some Mulga and Ringneck Parrots around the campground. |
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| One of the many scenic flights takes off in the morning. |
Bronwyn and John had chosen this
location so they could have dinner at the lodge to celebrate an anniversary –
and the rest of us just invited ourselves along. They didn’t seem to mind us
muscling in on their romantic evening. We had to order our meals during the
afternoon, and arrived in time to enjoy a drink before a very nice dinner. We
finished off with some more drinks back at the campground.
In the morning we only has a short
drive of about 10 kilometres to get to the Mungo Visitor Centre where we would
pay our camping fee for the next three nights. We didn’t need to pay the park
entry fee as we had our Country Parks Pass.
Mungo National Park – Main Camp
14 – 15 October 2019
The
Mungo Visitor Centre includes
the Mungo Woolshed, Meeting Place and Shearers Quarters accommodation. It is
also the starting point for a number of walks.
Mungo National Park is part of
the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area and is the traditional country
of the Paakantji (from the west), Ngyiampaa (from the north) and Mutthi Mutthi
(from the south)). Comprehensive interpretative information is available
throughout the park, detailing the Aboriginal occupation and pastoral history
of the area.
We spent some time having a look
at the Visitor Centre displays then went outside to the Meeting Place, with its
fascinating re-creation of part of the human tracks that were re-discovered in
2003. This frozen moment in time from 20 000 years ago records the activity of
some members of a family and a group of hunters. It is amazing how the tracks were
interpreted and well worth spending some time here.
One of the most well-known and
accessible features of Lake Mungo,
Walls of China, can be viewed from a
platform but to get a close up view,
visitors need to join an Aboriginal Discovery Tour. The cost of the tour
was $50 (adult) and $35 (concession). We booked to join a tour in the
afternoon, then drove the (approximately) 5 kilometres to
Main Camp. Again we
chose a shady site, with room nearby for our travelling companions.
After lunch we returned to the
Visitor Centre and joined a small group for the tour. Starting at the Visitor
Centre, we followed our guide Ranger Lance, by car to the Walls of China
lookout carpark. From there we walked to the viewing platform, then beyond the
gate onto the walls themselves. Access is restricted to preserve the area and
visitors are asked to respect the wishes of the traditional owners. Going with
a guide allowed us to access the restricted area as well as to hear the stories
and gain an insight into the significance of the area. It was a very hot
afternoon with a long trek up the sand dune so sturdy boots, hat, water and
sunscreen were all essential. But it was so worth it. On the lunettes we saw
evidence of Aboriginal occupation going back tens of thousands of years.
Mungo National Park – Belah Camp
15 – 16 October 2019
Before setting off for
Belah Camp we drove back to the Visitor Centre to take the Foreshore Walk. This 2.5
kilometre medium difficulty walk follows markers across the ancient shoreline
and eventually loops back around along the vegetated dune crest. There wasn’t
much bird life, probably due to the heat and lack of water, but it was another
interesting Mungo activity.
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| The Foreshore Walk |
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| A Shingleback on the the Foreshore Walk. |
The
Mungo Track is a 70 kilometre
loop that takes in a variety of landscapes, lookouts, heritage features and
short walks. Self-guided tour leaflets are available at the Visitor Centre
where the tour begins. The accompanying notes are comprehensive, but we missed
many of the markers along the way. Because we had been there the previous day,
we didn’t stop at The Walls Lookout. Our first stop was Red Top Lookout which
affords fabulous views of the lunettes with their almost lunar looking
formations. This was a great spot to take lots of photos.
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| The view from Red Top Lookout |
From Red Top Lookout, the track
becomes a one way drive. Although unsealed, we found the road to be in
reasonable condition at the time of our visit. Due to the number of cars parked
and lack of parking for the camper trailer we didn’t stop at the next spot –
Rosewood Rest – but it looked like it could have been a nice location for a
picnic. Our next stop was Mallee Stop – again a good place to have a break,
then we continued on to Belah Camp, our destination for the night.
The campground was completely
empty so we had the run of the place until our travelling companions arrived
later in the afternoon. We found a nice shady spot and had time to relax and
reflect on the amazing sights we had seen. As it turned out, our little group
of three vehicles were the only ones at Belah Campground that night! Belah
Campround is much more basic than Main Camp. Although the NSW National Parks
website indicates it is suitable for tents and “camping beside my vehicle”
there are actually sites suitable for camper trailers and small motorhomes.
After our night in the Mallee, we
set off to traverse the remainder of the Mungo Track.
Mungo National Park – Main Camp
16 – 17 October 2019
Our first stop on the second part
of the Mungo Track was Round Tank – a water point and the remains of a goat
trap. We didn’t stay long, but set off again for Paradise Tank. Another water
point, this one was very promising in terms of bird photography. Mick set up
with his “cloak of invisibility” – a portable bird hide – and settled in for
some serious snaps. Bronwyn and John called in and stopped for a chat – and to
take some photos too.
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| An unexpected bonus bird... male Pied Honeyeater. |
From Vigar’s Well we drove back
to the main track and across the Mungo Lunette, by the western shore of Lake
Mungo. The final stop for us was the old Zanci Homestead site. This day use
area is home to a number of interesting relics of the pastoral days including a
dugout built to protect the owners and their provisions from the extreme summer
heat.
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| Christie emerges from the cool dugout. |
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| They don't build em like that any more. |
On our return to the Visitor
Centre we had another look around, including a good look at the Mungo Woolshed.
We also discovered that there are hot showers which park visitors can use –
provided you have paid your park entry fee. As there are no showers in the
campgrounds, we decided to take advantage of this facility. Once again, a
really quick wash, but oh, so welcome after a couple of hot and dusty days.
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| Mungo Woolshed. |
This was to be our last night
“out west” and we all agreed it had been an amazing experience. We had
travelled to remote and isolated places we’d never been to before, and which we
would like to visit again one day. Of course we finished the evening with our
customary pre-dinner drinks and after dinner chinwag.
Setting off for Balranald in the
morning, Michael and Tanya decided to go via Mildura as they weren’t sure they
had enough fuel to get to Balranald. Despite the great facilities at Mungo
Lodge, there are no fuel sales. Visitors are advised to be fully
self-sufficient – food, water and fuel.
Hay
17 – 18 October 2019
We had planned to stay in
Balranald, but when we stopped there for lunch, there was a ferocious wind
blowing so we tried to get a cabin in the caravan park. Unfortunately, all the
cabins were occupied by road workers. We decided to press on to Hay instead
leaving our travelling companions to stay in Balranald. It was still really
windy when we arrived in Hay so we were glad we had chosen to stay in a cabin
for the night. The caravan park was fairly basic, and not in the prettiest
location, but there is a pub just next door.
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| Hay in Hay. |
We took advantage of being able
to walk to the pub for dinner and enjoyed a great meal and a few drinks. In the
morning we packed up and drove into town where there is a large car park on the
main street suitable for trailers and motor homes. We had a poke around the
shops, stopped for a coffee and picked up some groceries. We then drove down to
have a look at a free council campground down by the river at Bushy Bay Reserve.
It looked like a nice spot and one to keep in mind for the future.
Back on the road we fuelled up
and saw yet another truck laden with hay - in Hay! Just had to take a photo
even though it was partially obscured.
West Wyalong
18 – 19 October 2019
The tour group had decided on
West Wyalong for a night before Mick and Tanya had to peel off to get back
home, so that was where we headed too. We stopped for lunch in the park at
Goolgowi where Bronwyn and John caught up with us. We left them there and drove
on to West Wyalong.
We checked out a free camp just
the other side of town, but decided on the caravan park instead as the
campground was right on the highway and had the potential to be very noisy
during the night. The caravan park was away from the highway and nice and
quiet. Once again we enjoyed a quite evening with “the gang” on what would
definitely be our last night together as a touring group.
In the morning we experienced our
third spot of trouble – who says trouble comes in threes? While filling up the
water tank Mick noticed the wheel on the trailer had a good bit of sideways
movement in it. We had no idea how long it had been like that so felt it was
best to have it checked out. We called into a motor parts supply store and asked about
mechanics – it was a Saturday morning – and were told the local Toyota workshop
was open, so off we went to see what we could do. Once again we experienced the
same great service we have had at Toyota dealerships throughout the country.
We went for a walk up the main
street, and to have a coffee, while the mechanic assessed the situation. By the
time we returned he had established that the problem was with the bearings –
which had been replaced during a pre-trip service – and was easily and quickly
fixed. The other wheel was ok and there was no signs of damage. He had us back
on the road in no time. (When we returned home to Townsville we were reimbursed
for the cost of the repair by the Toyota dealership - who are also Cub dealers - who had carried out the
service.)
It was still early so we decided
to join Bronwyn and John in Canowindra for the night. This would be the first
time they reached camp ahead of us!
Canowindra
19 – 20 October 2019
We drove to Canowindra via Forbes
and stopped for lunch in Eugowra. There is a nice picnic spot as you drive in
to town, but there isn’t much parking. Fortunately for us it wasn’t busy.
Bronwyn and John had travelled via Cowra with a stop at the local showgrounds
markets.
By the time we arrived, they had
chosen a couple of spots and set up in the small council-run caravan park. It’s
quite a pretty spot, but it was very windy again. We should be used to it by
now. We decided to explore the town and found lots of interesting shops
including one selling all sorts of gourmet foods. Who could resist some
chocolate and chutney? We don’t buy souvenirs, but we do buy lots of local
produce. We had a coffee in a nice café, then headed down to the Age of Fishes
Museum. What a surprise this was!
The Age of Fishes Museum
showcases the geological and evolutionary history of the area and includes
heaps of information displays about the fossilised fish remains found when
council workers were doing excavation works on the road just out of town.
Fortunately, one of them noticed the interesting rocks being dug up and the
area was preserved. We visited late in the day and didn’t really allow
ourselves enough time to view this amazing display. We were expecting something
small and local, and were blown away by the extent of the displays we saw. We’ll
definitely have to come back some time in the future.
In the morning we said a final farewell
to Bronwyn and John as they headed home to Sydney, while we started making our
way home to Townsville, with just a few detours along the way. Our first detour
was to Cowra because someone in Canowindra had told Mick about some birds in
the park there – so of course we had to go and check them out.
