We finally left home on Thursday 12th April and and started our trip north with the final destination being Cape York Peninsula via some volunteer work on one or two outback stations in western Queensland courtesy of Outback Links, Frontier Services if things work out. We even did a short First Aid Course to brush up on skills we learnt far too many years ago, just in case, since medical help is not always on hand just when you need it in some remote areas.
So Illford (413) near Lithgow was our first night stop. It was a lovely quiet spot being about 450m from the highway & it even had flushing toilets. A cold snap has moved in and the overnight temperature dropped down to 4o. .... Jolly cold! The day temperatures are an absolutely lovely 26o. We came to love free camping on our previous trip as not only do we save some money, but generally speaking, the people are so much friendlier and frequently you are in some very nice areas and certainly ‘closer to nature’ in these free camp areas.
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| Just one of the beautiful stained glass windows at the historic Mudgee Anglican Church |
We had hoped to camp in Mudgee for the weekend, but unknown to us there was a Canassist Festival on this same weekend and the showground was all booked out, so we just stopped & shopped for some water proof boots for me and a short walk around town before moving on then to Gulgong, which had a lovely park (with a BBQ & kid’s playground) close to town where we stopped and had lunch. Lo and behold we met some people who live in the same suburb as ourselves and they were visiting someone who was in the same class as our eldest son... small world!
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| Sunrise at Mendooran |
After a leisurely lunch, we headed off to Mendooran (443) which has a large free camp ground along the banks of the Castlereagh River. We decided to stay here for 2 nights. The worst thing about this place is the Khaki Weed is very prickly and sticks to your shoes, tyres etc. No walking around the place barefoot, even the dogs are not immune to the seed heads of this horrible weed.
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| The chraming Royal Hotel in Mendooran |
The local pub was having a re-opening night with a live band, so we decided to go along and join in the festivities. The fire buckets outside, where the band had set up, were very welcome with the temperature dropping down to 8o overnight, that four degrees warmer makes a huge difference.
After seeing the car poking out of a local garage wall, we thought we had better walk home !
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| WHOOPS! Just take care driving home! |
· (The numbers in brackets refer to numbers designated to camps/rest areas as recorded in the Camps 6 Australia Wide)
Very, very nice start to your blog to be sure. Tried to match up your Camps 6 Australia Wide camp numbers with my Camps 3 edition, but no luck. I should still be able to work out where you are from what I've got. Camps 3 gives the Mendooran Rest Area a tick, which means the author liked it. Pity you missed the Mendooran Show early April. Country shows are great. Weather here is horrible, but I think you are doing much better. Have fun and keep safe. You can drive along happily for hours and all of a sudden find yourself in a situation you don't like. John V.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I saw you leaving town. I was in Bellvue Road at 10:38 on the 12th waiting for the lights to change and a Robiebago went through the crossing in front of me.
I have subscribed to your posts and am looking forward to following your trip in the Robbiebago. It just sounds fantastic! Have a great time!!
ReplyDeleteLindy
Nice Article. First Aid is really important to everyone. It can save life and it also promote recovery. If you want to learn more, you can visit: First Aid Course Perth
ReplyDelete