Tuesday 19 June 2012
Days 78 to 86: All good things must come to an end - Canberra, Cargo, Dubbo and homeward bound.
In the final few days of our trip we've spent time with family and had the odd excursion.
We drove to Canberra via Cooma. This is a pretty drive on which we spotted our first snow caps. There is a great lookout just a few kilometres along the Cooma Jindabyne road at Mt Gladstone. It is a good road to the top and you get views of the mountains.
In Canberra we took to time to visit the War Memorial and after 3 hours we still hadn't seen it all in depth. This memorial has to be the highlight of any trip to Canberra and don't miss the shows in the World War 2 area. The way they use video, lighting and the exhibits to give you a sense of bombing raids and aerial combat is really well done. Both old and the new parliament houses are also worth a visit. The views from Black Mountain Tower and Mt Ainslie are excellent. Of all the places we saw in Canberra, only Black Mountain Tower and old parliament house had an entry fee.
Whilst in Cargo we drove into Orange and stocked up on local products at a 'Slice of Orange' before driving to the top of Mt Canobolas for the views. We took the long way back to Cargo driving past properties still in the family and reminiscing about properties that have been sold on.
On a very rainy Saturday in Cargo we decided to go help the local ladies in the canteen at the rugby league game. We can happily say that Cargo beat Condoblin 48 to 32 and we didn't have any disgruntled customers.
We arrived in Dubbo in time for lunch on Sunday but not before stopping at the gelati factory in Molong for coffee and gelati (of course). On Sunday afternoon we hired a zebra striped buggy to tour around the Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The best thing about the ticket is that it lasts for 2 days so we were able to head back on Monday morning to catch the animals we didn't see clearly (or close up) the previous afternoon. We did the second trip around the zoo in the motorhome with no problem as the roads accommodate tour buses.
Following the trip to the zoo we headed straight to Tamworth via Coonabarrabran and Gunnedah. The bakery in Coonabarabran has great bread and Gunnedah is famous for being the birthplace of Dorothea Mackellar ... how we love a sunburnt country.
This morning we drove by some of the country music sights in Tamworth before heading up the Moonby Range onto the New England Tableland. The Moonby Range has a great lookout and can be accessed from the north and southbound lanes. It is best to visit this lookout in the morning or early afternoon to avoid looking into the sun. We also stopped in Tenterfield to see the Tenterfield Saddlery of Peter Allen fame and finally arrived in Stanthorpe on dusk.
Tomorrow we head for home and normality. Barbara has to go back to work and Chris will start planning the next trip. Before signing off this time we want to thank the family members who hosted us the past few days: Melena, Andrew and Ginevra, John and Peter, Butch and Beverly and Pauline and Peter.
A selection of our insights post trip follows:
Most useful gadget - The double walled Thermos water bottle which held ice and water all day (Barbara); a laptop (Christine)
Most useful clothing/accessory - back pack (Barbara); padded vest (Christine)
Best tip - research before you leave and visit information centres on the way (Barbara); don't forget your laptop (Christine)
Best day tour - they were all good and worth the money, but if we have to pick favourites ... Skytrek tour of the Flinders Ranges and every tour taken in Coober Pedy (Barbara); the Harry Nanya tour to Mungo National Park and the Seal Cruise and Penguin Parade at Phillip Island (Christine)
Worst place visited - we are both agreed there were none.
Best place visted - we can't pick just one but it is safe to say that the wild, remote, quirky and beautiful places were a hit and we tried to stay clear of the big cities.
So after 16,000 kilometres, countless litres of diesel and footsteps, thousands of photographs and one heck of a good time it is goodbye from Barbara and till we meet in print again from Christine.
We drove to Canberra via Cooma. This is a pretty drive on which we spotted our first snow caps. There is a great lookout just a few kilometres along the Cooma Jindabyne road at Mt Gladstone. It is a good road to the top and you get views of the mountains.
In Canberra we took to time to visit the War Memorial and after 3 hours we still hadn't seen it all in depth. This memorial has to be the highlight of any trip to Canberra and don't miss the shows in the World War 2 area. The way they use video, lighting and the exhibits to give you a sense of bombing raids and aerial combat is really well done. Both old and the new parliament houses are also worth a visit. The views from Black Mountain Tower and Mt Ainslie are excellent. Of all the places we saw in Canberra, only Black Mountain Tower and old parliament house had an entry fee.
Whilst in Cargo we drove into Orange and stocked up on local products at a 'Slice of Orange' before driving to the top of Mt Canobolas for the views. We took the long way back to Cargo driving past properties still in the family and reminiscing about properties that have been sold on.
On a very rainy Saturday in Cargo we decided to go help the local ladies in the canteen at the rugby league game. We can happily say that Cargo beat Condoblin 48 to 32 and we didn't have any disgruntled customers.
We arrived in Dubbo in time for lunch on Sunday but not before stopping at the gelati factory in Molong for coffee and gelati (of course). On Sunday afternoon we hired a zebra striped buggy to tour around the Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The best thing about the ticket is that it lasts for 2 days so we were able to head back on Monday morning to catch the animals we didn't see clearly (or close up) the previous afternoon. We did the second trip around the zoo in the motorhome with no problem as the roads accommodate tour buses.
Following the trip to the zoo we headed straight to Tamworth via Coonabarrabran and Gunnedah. The bakery in Coonabarabran has great bread and Gunnedah is famous for being the birthplace of Dorothea Mackellar ... how we love a sunburnt country.
This morning we drove by some of the country music sights in Tamworth before heading up the Moonby Range onto the New England Tableland. The Moonby Range has a great lookout and can be accessed from the north and southbound lanes. It is best to visit this lookout in the morning or early afternoon to avoid looking into the sun. We also stopped in Tenterfield to see the Tenterfield Saddlery of Peter Allen fame and finally arrived in Stanthorpe on dusk.
Tomorrow we head for home and normality. Barbara has to go back to work and Chris will start planning the next trip. Before signing off this time we want to thank the family members who hosted us the past few days: Melena, Andrew and Ginevra, John and Peter, Butch and Beverly and Pauline and Peter.
A selection of our insights post trip follows:
Most useful gadget - The double walled Thermos water bottle which held ice and water all day (Barbara); a laptop (Christine)
Most useful clothing/accessory - back pack (Barbara); padded vest (Christine)
Best tip - research before you leave and visit information centres on the way (Barbara); don't forget your laptop (Christine)
Best day tour - they were all good and worth the money, but if we have to pick favourites ... Skytrek tour of the Flinders Ranges and every tour taken in Coober Pedy (Barbara); the Harry Nanya tour to Mungo National Park and the Seal Cruise and Penguin Parade at Phillip Island (Christine)
Worst place visited - we are both agreed there were none.
Best place visted - we can't pick just one but it is safe to say that the wild, remote, quirky and beautiful places were a hit and we tried to stay clear of the big cities.
So after 16,000 kilometres, countless litres of diesel and footsteps, thousands of photographs and one heck of a good time it is goodbye from Barbara and till we meet in print again from Christine.
Monday 18 June 2012
Sunday 17 June 2012
Saturday 16 June 2012
Friday 15 June 2012
Thursday 14 June 2012
Tuesday 12 June 2012
Monday 11 June 2012
Sunday 10 June 2012
Days 68 to 77: Blue skies shining at the beginning and end, with a whole lot of grey in between - Wilsons Promontory, Yarram, Lakes Entrance and Tathra
The first day of winter was more like a clear spring day in Tidal River, perfect for a stroll along Norman Beach and a climb up to Norman Point. The round trip was about 5 klm and not too strenuous. The best thing about the walk was it started and finished at the camp ground and therefore no driving was required. The pictures on the blog show how lovely the day was. In the afternoon we walked to the footbridge over Tidal River, with Barbara being more athletic and continuing on towards Squeaky Bay. Christine spent the time admiring the reflections at Tidal River and watching a wombat graze on the far bank.
The nights were always interesting in the Tidal River campground at Wilsons Promontory because of the wild life sightings whilst walking to the bathroom - wombats, possums, a wallaby, a deer and several rabbits. During the day it was the bird life that impressed with crimson rosellas abounding.
On Saturday we said goodbye to the Prom and headed towards Yarram with a coffee stop at the quaint village of Fish Creek, lunch at Agnes Falls and the afternoon touring through the lush green hills of South Gippsland.
On Sunday the good weather disappeared and the rain set in. Despite the weather we still drove up through the mountain ash and tree fern forest of the Tarra Valley up to Tarra Bulga National Park, though we did wimp out on taking long walks. The rain did stop enough for us to walk down to the suspension bridge. After a lunch stop at Taralgon we took the long way back to Yarram. At times the mist was so thick visibility was very low - we couldn't see the massive stacks at the power station until we were almost on top of them!
The rain was still there on Monday when we woke, putting a "dampener" on our drive through to Lakes Entrance. The rivers had spread over the flood plains in Sale and we commented that it wouldn't be long before the highway was cut. A call into the tourist information centre at Bairnsdale was followed by a visit to the adjacent St Marys Church to see the painted ceilings and a drive down to the silt jetties of the Mitchell River near Paynesville. These jetties are second only to those made by the Missisippi River. They are about 11 klm long and pictures from the air show the jetties outlining the shape of the river as it flows into the lake. We drove to the end of one of the jetties and I would not recommend this drive unless some serious work is done to fix the potholes. We had to go to the end before we could get a turning circle for the 7.7m long motorhome. It took us over an hour to make the return trip! It was a relief to get back on the sealed road into Lakes Entrance.
The rain continued overnight and the wind really kicked in. The motorhome was rocking in the big gusts that come through every 5 to 10 minutes - a low had developed off the coast and was sending its full force Gippsland way. Places we had driven the past few days were isolated with flood waters - Yarram, Rosedale, Tarra Valley Grand, Grand Ridge Drive, Taralgon, Bairnsdale and Paynesville. We were lucky to see them when we did, and luckier still to be isolated in Lakes Entrance where the floods were very minor. We got to see the military sandbagging and the media film crews sitting around waiting for the floods to occur in Lakes Entrance with the king tides. They, thankfully, weren't in luck this time.
We ended up staying in Lake Entrance for 3 days and 4 nights. We couldn't get out on a lakes cruise, a walk along the beach was like being sandblasted (on Tuesday at least) and we got to know many of the shops, coffee places and restaurants in town! The Princes Highway north was blocked by downed trees and landslips from Orbost to Genoa. It was Thursday evening before it reopened.
On Friday we finally headed north into New South Wales and with each mile we drove, the weather got better. We wanted to stay in Mallacoota before heading into New South Wales, but it was flood affected and so we had to bypass it. Our first stop was Ben Boyd national park, just south of Eden, to see Boyd's Tower and Red Point. Our lunch stop was the Eden lookout over Two Fold Bay. Photos can't do the bay justice - it is very big.
From Eden we headed through Merimbula, a pretty town, onto Tathra. What can we say about Tathra other than we love it and just look at the pictures. It is a quiet little place on a big sweep of beach. It has a wonderful old steamer wharf, great oysters and a tiny harbour where you can watch the boats come in through a narrow gap in the rocky headlands.
On Saturday we took the tourist drive from Tathra to Bega to Central Tilba to Bermagui then back to Tathra. The weather was glorious, Bega was lush and green, Tilba is a National Trust listed town full of wonderful old wooden buildings and interestings shops and Bermagui is beautiful. We were unprepared for the long weekend crowds at Tilba and we couldn't find a long term parking spot for the motorhome - but we did manage to stop long enough to get some cheese from the ABC Cheese Factory and a pie from the bakery. We spent most of the afternnon in Bermagui, driving around lookouts, eating Gelati (the shop near the tourist inforation centre has great gelati) and generally relaxing before quickly catching up with some cousins of Christine's at the marina before heading back to Tathra.
Today we spent the morning in Tathra and the afternoon driving north to catch the scenery we didn't see last night on the drive back from Bermagui. It was another bright day and we even wore Tshirts for much of the day. It was almost like a winter's day in Queensland!
We've really loved the weather and the scenery here as well as the lack of crowds, however, we will be saying goodbye tomorrow as we head off to Canberra.
The nights were always interesting in the Tidal River campground at Wilsons Promontory because of the wild life sightings whilst walking to the bathroom - wombats, possums, a wallaby, a deer and several rabbits. During the day it was the bird life that impressed with crimson rosellas abounding.
On Saturday we said goodbye to the Prom and headed towards Yarram with a coffee stop at the quaint village of Fish Creek, lunch at Agnes Falls and the afternoon touring through the lush green hills of South Gippsland.
On Sunday the good weather disappeared and the rain set in. Despite the weather we still drove up through the mountain ash and tree fern forest of the Tarra Valley up to Tarra Bulga National Park, though we did wimp out on taking long walks. The rain did stop enough for us to walk down to the suspension bridge. After a lunch stop at Taralgon we took the long way back to Yarram. At times the mist was so thick visibility was very low - we couldn't see the massive stacks at the power station until we were almost on top of them!
The rain was still there on Monday when we woke, putting a "dampener" on our drive through to Lakes Entrance. The rivers had spread over the flood plains in Sale and we commented that it wouldn't be long before the highway was cut. A call into the tourist information centre at Bairnsdale was followed by a visit to the adjacent St Marys Church to see the painted ceilings and a drive down to the silt jetties of the Mitchell River near Paynesville. These jetties are second only to those made by the Missisippi River. They are about 11 klm long and pictures from the air show the jetties outlining the shape of the river as it flows into the lake. We drove to the end of one of the jetties and I would not recommend this drive unless some serious work is done to fix the potholes. We had to go to the end before we could get a turning circle for the 7.7m long motorhome. It took us over an hour to make the return trip! It was a relief to get back on the sealed road into Lakes Entrance.
The rain continued overnight and the wind really kicked in. The motorhome was rocking in the big gusts that come through every 5 to 10 minutes - a low had developed off the coast and was sending its full force Gippsland way. Places we had driven the past few days were isolated with flood waters - Yarram, Rosedale, Tarra Valley Grand, Grand Ridge Drive, Taralgon, Bairnsdale and Paynesville. We were lucky to see them when we did, and luckier still to be isolated in Lakes Entrance where the floods were very minor. We got to see the military sandbagging and the media film crews sitting around waiting for the floods to occur in Lakes Entrance with the king tides. They, thankfully, weren't in luck this time.
We ended up staying in Lake Entrance for 3 days and 4 nights. We couldn't get out on a lakes cruise, a walk along the beach was like being sandblasted (on Tuesday at least) and we got to know many of the shops, coffee places and restaurants in town! The Princes Highway north was blocked by downed trees and landslips from Orbost to Genoa. It was Thursday evening before it reopened.
On Friday we finally headed north into New South Wales and with each mile we drove, the weather got better. We wanted to stay in Mallacoota before heading into New South Wales, but it was flood affected and so we had to bypass it. Our first stop was Ben Boyd national park, just south of Eden, to see Boyd's Tower and Red Point. Our lunch stop was the Eden lookout over Two Fold Bay. Photos can't do the bay justice - it is very big.
From Eden we headed through Merimbula, a pretty town, onto Tathra. What can we say about Tathra other than we love it and just look at the pictures. It is a quiet little place on a big sweep of beach. It has a wonderful old steamer wharf, great oysters and a tiny harbour where you can watch the boats come in through a narrow gap in the rocky headlands.
On Saturday we took the tourist drive from Tathra to Bega to Central Tilba to Bermagui then back to Tathra. The weather was glorious, Bega was lush and green, Tilba is a National Trust listed town full of wonderful old wooden buildings and interestings shops and Bermagui is beautiful. We were unprepared for the long weekend crowds at Tilba and we couldn't find a long term parking spot for the motorhome - but we did manage to stop long enough to get some cheese from the ABC Cheese Factory and a pie from the bakery. We spent most of the afternnon in Bermagui, driving around lookouts, eating Gelati (the shop near the tourist inforation centre has great gelati) and generally relaxing before quickly catching up with some cousins of Christine's at the marina before heading back to Tathra.
Today we spent the morning in Tathra and the afternoon driving north to catch the scenery we didn't see last night on the drive back from Bermagui. It was another bright day and we even wore Tshirts for much of the day. It was almost like a winter's day in Queensland!
We've really loved the weather and the scenery here as well as the lack of crowds, however, we will be saying goodbye tomorrow as we head off to Canberra.
Saturday 9 June 2012
Friday 8 June 2012
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