Wollemi National Park – Ganguddy (formerly Dunns Swamp) Campground
20 – 22 October 2019
We fuelled up and left Canowindra
to backtrack slightly to Cowra. Mick had been told about some parrots in the
park near the river so that was where we headed. Nice park, lots of green
grass, nice walkway and oh – there were the birds as promised! This turned out
to be quite a long stop as Mick spent most of the morning lying on the grass
with the camera. We walked across the road to have lunch at Macca’s and I
checked out the Visitor Information Centre while Mick took a few more photos.
This ViC is in a great location, with long vehicle parking across the road, the
park as well as a café and Macca’s. Very convenient.
We eventually decided it was time
to move on so set the GPS to take us to
Ganguddy – Dunn’s Swamp in Wollemi
National Park. Unfortunately the GPS had no idea – but we did, as we had been
there before. We drove through Blayney then Bathurst before taking a minor road
through Sofala and on to Ilford. From there we went on to Kandos, and the road
into the National Park. The last section is quite steep and windy, but it’s
worth it.
Leaving Ganguddy we weren’t sure
where we would stop next so we drove via Windemere Dam to have a look at the
caravan park there. We decided against staying, and continued on into Mudgee
instead.
Mudgee
22 – 24 October 2019
We returned to the caravan park
we had stayed in before, opting for two nights so we could have a “town day”
after being in smaller places for a while. We caught up on the washing and even
took the car in to the car wash in the afternoon.
Mudgee is a very pretty town,
with lots of good shops and cafes. We spent the morning browsing the shops and
sampling the goodies in one of the many cafes. After lunch we ventured out to
check out the local honey and cheese shops.
Mudgee Honey Haven is just out of
town on the road to Gulgong and sells all things honey – including mead. You
can sample all the different honeys and meads before making your mind up what
to buy. We purchased a jar of “Mudgee Honey” – it seemed appropriate. From
there it was on to the
High Valley Cheese Shop a little way out of town on the
alternate route to Gulgong. Again we sampled the delicious cheeses before
deciding on some Tomato Fetta (a delicious Persian Style), Colly Blue (a very
mild blue) and a Brie. Yum!
On leaving Mudgee we headed
towards Inverell, but wanted to keep our options open for an overnight stop
along the way. We stopped for coffee in Coolah and continued across country on
some minor roads, getting a little lost along the way thanks to the GPS.
Copeton Dam
24 – 26 October 2019
Despite the best efforts of the
GPS we eventually found our way to Breeza where we stopped for a picnic lunch
at Ben Hall’s Wall picnic area. A mural commemorates the birth of the
bushranger whose parents lived in the area. There are toilets, picnic tables
and a playground as well as easy parking for trailers at this convenient stop.
From there we drove on through
Gunnedah and on to Manilla, then on through Barraba and Bingara. Mick had
visited Copeton Dam with his bird-photographer friend, Ian, on a previous stay
in Inverell so that seemed like a good place to stay. There was hardly anyone
there so we had a nice quiet spot not far from what little water there was.
Mick contacted Ian, who arranged to come out early in the morning to take him to a likely spot.
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| Eastern Rosella |
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| Having a drink. |
Being a Friday, a few more
campers started to roll in during the afternoon, but it was still quiet and
relaxing. Mick made another early start to chase some birds and we still had
plenty of time to get packed up and on our way for the half hour drive into
Inverell.
Inverell
26 – 28 October 2019
There were storms forecast and
the weather was hot and windy, so we decided to treat ourselves to a couple of
nights in a cabin again. The caravan park managers were happy to accommodate us and
allowed us to park the camper trailer on a camping site close to the cabin.
We had arranged to visit Ian and
Judy for drinks so we did some shopping before heading off to their place. We
could see the storm clouds brewing but it didn’t amount to much. Inverell, like
much of the country, was in the grip of a serious drought and any rain would
have been welcome. We were aware of some bushfires in this part of New South
Wales and the fire bans that were being imposed. So early in the season – no
yet summer – it did not bode well.
Again, Ian and Mick ventured out
for an early morning session with the cameras while I pottered around at home
catching up on some washing and tidying the car. Ian is very generous with his
time, and has shared some of his best spots with Mick.
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| Double-barred Finch |
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| Female Eastern Rosella |
The caravan park is on the
Macintyre River – which was dry at the time of our visit – so late in the
afternoon, as the temperature started to drop, we went for a walk along the
pathway that follows the river all the way into town.
We did most of our packing up
during the evening as Mick wanted one last chance to visit the small weir near
the shops. There is convenient long vehicle parking adjacent to the parkland.
Mick and Ian had another session with the cameras and then we enjoyed
morning tea together before we hit the road again.
New England National Park – Thungutti Campground
28 – 29 October 2019
After so long in some of the
driest parts of the country we felt the need to head for the coast for a few
days at least. We discovered a national park on the route we wanted to take so
we booked online and set off for T
hungutti Campground in New England National
Park. We left Inverell and drove through Gilgai to Guyra where we stopped for a
picnic lunch in a park. From there it was on towards Ebor and then the turnoff
to the national park.
Online bookings are essential for
the numbered campsites in this national park. We had chosen one of only a few
sites suitable for a camper trailer and found it to be a good size for us.
There are other sites that are “walk in” onto the grassy areas. Although there
are fire pits, a total fire ban meant we weren’t able to use them. There’s also
a covered BBQ area, picnic tables and toilets.
Late in the afternoon a mist
started to come in, and of course the temperature dropped. Eventually a misty
rain started to fall and we retreated into the camper trailer. The rain became
heavier throughout the night and the temperature dropped significantly to low single digits, but we were snug inside with extra bedding.
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| Mist coming in. |
In the morning a conversation
with the neighbour, also camped in a camper trailer, revealed that the weather
overnight was completely different to the glorious conditions of the previous
two days since they arrived at the campsite. Looks like we must have brought that
bit of dismal weather with us. The
morning however was quite clear so we packed up and set off to do one of the
walks that start at the campground.
We chose the Tea Tree Falls Walk
which is a 2 kilometre (one way) easy grade walk. In the end we didn’t go all
the way to the falls as someone kept stopping to take photos of birds along the
way. It was a nice walk though. We turned around about halfway to the falls as
we were conscious of the need to leave our camp spot which had only been booked
for one night.
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| A Superb Fairywren warms up in the early morning sun. |
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| A White-browed Scrubwren on the walk. |
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| Ian told us there were Rose Robins in the area. |
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| We heard and saw lots of Brown Thornbills. |
On our way into the park the day
before we had noticed a trout farm, with a sign advertising smoked trout, so we
stopped on our way out and purchased a small, expensive (but ultimately very
delicious) piece for a later dinner. Back on to the main road and we set our
sights on a couple of days on the coast.
Red Rock
29 – 31 October 2019
After leaving New England
National Park we drove back through Ebor and down the Waterfall Way towards Dorrigo
where we stopped for lunch in a nice café. We also visited the information
centre to find out about parking at
Dorrigo National Park Rainforest Centre. It
was suggested that we also visit Dangar Falls which are just out of town.
We took the advice and made a
short stop to enjoy the view of the waterfall, then continued on to the Rainforest
Centre. Again Mick was hoping to see some particular birds, and this was
another place we had been wanting to get to for some time. There is parking for
long vehicles, as well as a café, shop and all the usual interpretative
information. A number of walks leave from the visitor centre, including the
Skywalk Boardwalk. There is also a large picnic area a short 1 kilometre drive
from the visitor centre. After seeing the magnificent views from the skywalk,
we spent some time wandering the interconnecting tracks, ending up at The Glade
Picnic Area. Dorrigo National Park is part of the
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia and entry to the Rainforest Centre is by donation.
From there we continued on to
Bellingen where we stopped again to have a look in the interesting shops and
galleries along the main street. Continuing on we reached the Pacific Highway
and turned north, driving through Coffs Harbour (way too busy) and then turning
off to Red Rock.
We had visited Red Rock a few
years before and liked the look of the place so we wanted to come back and stay
for a couple of nights. We checked into the caravan park which is nestled
between the beach and river. We were aware of a bushfire nearby and could see
the smoke in the distance. During our two night stay the smoke became thicker
and blanketed the caravan park during the evenings. By this stage there were
numerous bushfires throughout much of northern New South Wales.
Red Rock turned out to be the
perfect beach break. This is a beautiful spot, but with a terrible history.
This is Gumbaynggirr country, and in the 1880’s Red Rock, also known as
Blood Rock, was the site of a massacre when Europeans are said to have chased
Gumbaynggirr people from their camp on the river, to the headland where many
lost their lives. A small memorial plaque is set adjacent to the pathway. It is
regarded as a sacred place, and I felt the sadness there.
During our two days at Red Rock we
walked on the beach, climbed the pathway to the top of headland, as well as walking
the coastal track that follows the southern bank of the Corindi River and loops
around through the residential area.
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| A very unpopular bird - the Noisy Miner. |
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| Little Friarbird |
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| Smoke |
Evans Head
31 October – 1 November 2019
We drove on up the Pacific
Highway and could see evidence of active bushfires. We made good use of the
“
Fires Near Me” app to ensure we weren’t putting ourselves in a risky
situation. We arrived at Evans Head and found a nice, but huge, caravan park on
the beach. We spent the afternoon checking out the town and walking on the
beach and the path along the Evans River. This is “big river” country and the
Evans River is a tributary of the mighty Richmond River. It was nice to see
rivers flowing after so long in such dry country.
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| Masked Lapwing. Lots of chicks around at this time of the year. |
We visited the local Surf Life
Saving club for dinner with a lovely view of the ocean. We don’t eat out a lot,
usually only when we can walk to the venue. To get to this club we just had to
walk through the back gate near our site and across the carpark. No need to
drive!
Once again there was smoke in the
air even though there had been a very light shower of rain in the early hours
of the morning. It was just enough to dampen the canvas but not enough to have
any effect on the bushfires nearby. We had to wait for the sun to dry the
camper trailer tent before we could pack up. It didn’t take too long and we hit
the road again at check-out time of 10:00am.
Tenterfield
1 – 3 November 2019
We were headed to Tenterfield for
another opportunity to photograph birds. Mick’s friend Ian, had arranged for
him to meet another bird photographer friend there. We drove inland from
Woodburn, through Coraki, and on to Casino. We continued on and decided on a
picnic area a short distance from Tenterfield
for a late lunch.
As we drove along the Bruxner
Highway we could see the stark evidence of the devastating fires that had
occurred there in late September. Blackened trees lined both sides of the
highway. We weren’t sure what we would find in the Girard State Forest, but we
turned in anyway. Amazingly the surrounding area was all blackened with the
green grassy picnic area and campground sitting untouched. It must have acted
as a fire break.
We settled in to the caravan park
and went for a drive to try to locate the entrance road to the bird watching
spot where Mick would meet Rosco sometime over the next two days. We found it
easily following Ian’s directions. On our return to the caravan park, Mick
called Rosco who was actually at the spot so he headed off to join him for a
late afternoon session with the cameras.
That afternoon we set up at a water point and photographed a good variety of birds. There were lots of Diamond Firetails and Red-rumped Parrots along with Crimson and Eastern Rosellas all in nice light. The next morning we were hoping for the return of Crested-Shrike-tits and Red-winged Parrots that Rosco had seen the morning before. A female Crested-Shrike-tit came in but no Red-wings. It was still a fun session though the light wasn't as good as the previous afternoon. Mick
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| Male Red-rumped Parrot. |
Mick and Rosco were joined on
their early morning session by Ian, who had driven to Tenterfield from
Inverell. All in all it was a very successful visit, with two amazingly generous
friends. I joined them later for morning tea in town. After the others had left
to return to their homes, Mick and I had a wander along the main street and did
a spot of shopping before returning to our temporary home.
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| Another highlight of the trip for me was getting a decent shot of a Crested Shrike-tit. Female. |
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| Noisy Friarfird |
On our arrival at the caravan
park we had been handed a package of local information, including a brochure
detailing some nice local drives. We decided to see the sites so chose the
Mount
Mackenzie Scenic Drive.
This drive takes in the spectacular granite outcrop for which the area is well
known (have you heard of the “granite belt”?). It takes in
Doctors Nose, Small Bald Rock, Mole River
District and Draining Rock. The views are amazing and we couldn’t resist
stopping often to take photos and enjoy the surrounds. The Mount Mackenzie
lookout is 1298m above sea level.
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| The country was tinder dry and in some parts feed was scarce. On one property sheep approached the car looking for hay. |
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| Lots of photo opportunities along the way. |
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| Tenterfield from Mount Mackenzie
lookout. |
Tenterfield is a lovely place to stay with lots to see and do in the
area, but its altitude means the nights can be very cold, even at this time of
year. We knew this would probably be the last chance we would have to enjoy
some cooler weather before we returned to Queensland and made our way north.
We set off in the morning with no clear plan on where we would get to. We
had initially planned on driving straight up the New England Highway towards Stanthorpe,
but we decided against it as we had driven that way before. We wanted to try a
different road so we set off to the Bruxner Highway, heading west.
Rolleston
3 – 4 November 2019
Heading west along the Bruxner
Highway, the road is a bit windy, but there was hardly any traffic. For part of
the way it follows the Dumaresq River, which forms part of the border between
New South Wales and Queensland. We eventually crossed the border at
Goondoowindi and turned back our clocks – New South Wales had been on Daylight
Savings Time while Queensland doesn’t partake in such nonsense.
Back onto “real time” we went looking
for a coffee shop, but couldn’t find anything open – Sunday doesn’t appear to
be a big trading day in Goondoowindi. There was, however, good parking for long
vehicles one street back from the main street. We located the local Maccas on the way out of town, which also had long vehicle parking and had our coffee there. We fuelled up and
set off again – now we really felt like we were on our way home.
We took the Leichhardt Highway towards
Moonie where we stopped for lunch in a small park adjacent to the Visitor
Information Centre. From there we continued north to The Gums, then turned
westward towards Surat. We were then onto the Carnarvon Highway and starting to
consider where we might stay for the night. Looking on Wikicamps for somewhere
that had good reviews, we really only needed an “overnighter” so we decided to
continue on as far as we could. That turned out to be Rolleston.
By the time we reached Rolleston
we had been on the road for over 9 hours but we had gained an hour with the change
of time zone. We don’t usually travel for that long in any one day, but we took
turns at driving and had a few breaks along the way. When we arrived at the
caravan park it was still really hot but the sun was starting to go down so we
hoped the temperature would start to drop – it didn’t. Welcome to Queensland!
We laughed about having to use
the fan throughout the night when we had needed to use the heater on the previous
one. What a difference a day (and about 830km) makes. Anyway, we decided we
would make an early start with a view to maybe driving the rest of the way home.
The sun was starting to rise when we awoke and I checked the time – almost 6:00am.
We showered, had breakfast, packed up and set off. Shortly thereafter I realised
the small travel clock I use in the camper trailer was the one clock that I
hadn’t reset. Yes, we had risen at 5:00am, not 6:00am. Oops!
Charters Towers
4 – 5 November 2019
After our unplanned early start
we stopped to refuel and have a coffee in Emerald. When we reached Clermont we
turned off the highway to take a break at Hood’s Lagoon. This is a really nice
spot – lots of easy parking, walking paths along both sides of the lagoon and
usually heaps of birds. We have make this a regular stop.
From Clermont we continued north
onto the Gregory Developmental Road towards Charters Towers. We made our lunch
stop at Belyando Crossing, escaping the heat in the café at the roadhouse. By this
stage we were starting to feel the effects of our long drive the previous day
as well as our unexpected early start.
Along the way to Charters Towers
we decided that one more night away from home was in order. We were both tired,
and if we had continued on to Townsville, we would have arrived late in the afternoon
and really would not have had the energy to do any of the unpacking that would
have been necessary.
We chose a caravan park with lots
of shade and a great swimming pool – and shouted ourselves a cabin for the
night. We were able to drive through beside the cabin without having to unhook
the trailer. We spent the rest of the afternoon bobbing around in the pool and
enjoying being out of the heat. We knew we would have a long, hot day of work
ahead getting the car and camper trailer unpacked, and everything cleaned,
sorted, tidied and repacked when we finally made it home.
Townsville – Home at Last
5 November 2019
We travelled the last 135
kilometres to home, arriving in time for morning tea before facing the task
ahead of us.
The Stats:
Distance travelled - just over 7 000km
States – Queensland and New South Wales
Nights away from home – 38
National Parks - 11 nights
Paroo – Darling National Park –
Coach and Horses Campground (1 night)
Mutawintji National Park –
Homestead Creek Campground (2 nights)
Kinchega National Park – Site 11
(2 nights)
Mungo National Park – Main Camp, (2
nights) Belah Camp (1 night)
Wollemi National Park – Ganguddy Campground
(2 nights)
New England National Park –
Thungutti Campground (1 night)
Dorrigo National Park –
Rainforest Centre (day visit)
Reserves
Kooroorinya Falls Nature Reserve
(1 night)
Girard State Forest (day visit)
Wildlife Sanctuaries
Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary (3
nights)
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