Blog 50 - 18th September to 1st October 2014

We are up to 50 blogs, and in this one, we will cross over 18 months since we left home in March 2013 - what a trip!!!!

Thursday 18th September - another cold night (why did we come south so early???) and a cool morning too. We decide to go to the Siding Springs observatory and have a look around. The views from the top of the mountain are awesome. We wander through the info exhibit, which just confuses us with way too much info about the sky above. So we venture up to the viewing platform in the telescope itself, and the inside is like a massive factory, with equipment everywhere. The lens itself weighs over 11 tonnes - very impressive.

From here we drive to Whitegum lookout and get a great view over all of the mountains around the area - if you look close, you can see the Breadknife.

Back to camp for a relaxing afternoon. We get the fire going again, and sit around trying to stay warm into the night.

Friday 19th September - we decide to leave the Warrumbungles and head back into town for a wander around, some lunch, and also to restock the pantry. Then we head south to stay at Binnaway, hoping to find a nice spot to meet Gina tomorrow, and watch the footy tonight. A nice spot besides the river, but you cannot have fires, and with a bitterly cold night, we have a quick dinner and walk down to the pub to watch the game. The Roosters win in a nail-biter by 1 point. We walk back to camp, teeth chattering in the cold evening air.

Saturday 20th September - after another very cold night and morning, we decide that we NEED to be able to have a fire tonight, so we decide to move camp a bit further down the road to Medooran, where there is a rest area again besides the river, but you can have fires. We let Gina know where we are, and go for a wander around town and to get some lunch. Back at camp, we stoke up the fire as the sun goes down (we gathered lots of wood before setting up camp) and cook dinner, then retire to the fire to stay warm. Gina and her grand-daughter Chloe arrive about 9PM and we have a few drinks and catch up on the goss since we last left her in March at Aireys Inlet on the Great Ocean Rd in Victoria.

Sunday 21st September - Chloe makes us all bacon and eggs for breakfast, and then we head off to Mt Coolah NP. The drive up the mountain is magic, with views out over the surrounding country breathtaking. We drop the trailer at The Barracks campsite, and drive out to explore some of the area before lunch. First stop is a short walk to Rocky Creek falls,

and then a short drive further north to the Pinnacles lookout, where we do another walk to the rocky outcrop at the end for spectacular views over the valleys and back towards the Warrumbungles.

Back to camp for some lunch and to set-up. The girls go for a bushwalk to see the grass trees,

whilst I collect some wood for tonights fire and roast dinner.

Lots of kangaroos around the campsite, some with joeys.

Monday 22nd September - Gina and Chloe leave this morning, to continue their trip to Bundaberg, and we decide to have a liesurely day around camp, making the most of this magic place, and doing some reading and sewing (me and her).

Tuesday 23rd September - we pack and drive back down the mountain into the town of Coolah. We get a call from Alan and Joy, and we arrange to meet them at Gulgong at the showgrounds. So after a coffee, we leave town to drive the 70-odd km's down the highway to meet our friends who we last saw in Darwin. We set-up camp and head for the showers (been a few days since a hot shower), and they arrive mid-afternoon. We all decide to head into town and have a wander around the historic shops and narrow streets - also used to be on the old $10 note with Henry Lawson.

Then up to Flirtation Hill lookout, where we enjoy a beer and catch-up on where they have been in the last few months (over into WA and part-way down the coast, before a very quick trip back east).

Back to camp, some pre-dinner snacks and drinks, then dinner, and after a game of Sequence - good fun.

Wednesday 24th September - we all decide to spend the day visiting Mudgee, so drive the short distance down the highway. First stop is the Honey Haven for some tastings and some mead. Lunch at a Thai restaurant, and then to a distillery for some vodka tastings, then another winery to sample some ports. After a big lunch, we have a light dinner, and then another game of Sequence with lots of chatting.

Thursday 25th September - after rain overnight, and some more just before packing up, we say goodbye to Alan and Joy (who are heading north), and we drive to Dubbo, stopping in at several art galleries (including Bill O'Shea who we chat to for a long time). From here to Parkes, where we book into the Spicers caravan park - a bargain at $10 per night unpowered and great facilities. Another cold night.

Friday 26th September - up early to take the Triton to the auto electricians to find out why the trailer brakes are not working - all good with the car, turns out it is in the trailer somewhere. We go to the info centre, which is also the Elvis museum and a car museum too. We wander around looking at things that have a very faint link to Elvis, including one of his studded jumpsuits.

Then to the car museum for a look. A walk along the main street in town, then get some supplies for lunch, which we have back at camp. A quick walk to the top of the hill to see the war memorial and to get some sunset photos.

After dinner, we drive into town to the Leagues Club to watch the Roosters play the Bunnies - a bad loss and we are out of the comp for 2014.

Saturday 27th September - Di goes for a walk before breakfast, then we drive out to "The Dish" about 30km's north of town. Quickly through the shop, then a 3D movie about the planets, galaxy, and the telescope. We venture outside to look at the dish - massive - and wait for it to be rotated.

Just as we finish our coffees, it fires up and rotates 90 degrees - very cool to see, as it weighs 300 tonnes. And a chance for some silly photos.

Back to town for a Pizza Hut lunch (pretty crap) (with Henry in the background)

and then watch the Swans play Hawthorn - another loss for my team. Then dinner and we watch the 2nd football final around the fire - another loss for the Panthers to the Dogs - not a good weekend for my tipping.

Sunday 28th September - we leave Parkes, heading for Forbes.

Stop first at the info centre, then the art gallery (closed), and then the motor museum, which is privately owned, and has a vast array of old and new vehicles. We get a tour from the owners son, who points out the features of each car. The nicest is an old Ford convertible.

Then lunch down by the lake, before we head east to Nangar NP for the night. We stop at Dripping Rock for a look, and collect some firewood. Then back to camp to set-up.

Monday 29th September - after a bacon and eggs brekkie, we drive 15km's along the track to the Mt Nangar lookout, where you can see Mt Canobolos off in the distance.

A magic view over the surrounding farm lands, with lots of canola in blooms of gold. We ring Daz and Kaz from the lookout, and arrange to catch-up with them tomorrow for lunch. Back to camp for lunch, where I read and Di does some drawings.

Tuesday 30th September - we leave Nangar NP and drive the 70-odd km's to Orange, stopping in at Woolies to restock the pantry. Then to the Smiths, who have decided to cook a bbq for lunch. Both Noah and Chloe have grown heaps in the 18 months we have been away - it is great to see some familiar faces. We drive a bit further down the road to set-up camp at Carcoar Dam - some great views and a really pretty spot.

We go for a walk down the road to the dam wall before a light dinner - another big lunch.

Wednesday 1st October - bloody freezing this morning, so of course Di wants to go for a walk before breakfast. We wander up the road, with the wind freezing our fingers and faces. Back to camp for brekkie, before we pack and drive to Cowra. Again, we stop at the info centre, and watch a hologram movie about the WWII breakout. From here to the Regional art gallery, where there is a photographic exhibit of portraits - quite interesting. Then the plan was to walk around the Japanese gardens, but the $15pp entry fee put us off. From here to Grenfell, another old town famous for Henry Lawson.

We walk along the main street, have some lunch, and then visit the art gallery and chat with the lady there for a long time. From here to Young, where we book into a caravan park and hit the showers (been a few days since the last one). Then a nice dinner in the camp kitchen before some TV.

From here we are going to attend the Suzuki 4WD Club Zukana down at River Island retreat outside of Mittagong, and then spend a few more days exploring before we finish our big adventure by driving back into Sydney - it HAD to finally come to an end - more of that in the next blog.

More to come soon.

Di and Hammo