Set of after breakfast and farewell to Braden. Next time, we should stay longer and sample Bradens cooking, two nights exhausted the eat out places! We have to set off without the rear view camera as one of Bradens dogs, we suspect Doc, has eaten through both ends of the Wozza cable connecting the caravan to the Patrol.
So, headed back towards Walgett and the Highway. A quick stop at Stanley, just south of the Ridge and admired the metal art, a huge metal emu, made out of car parts, some of which looked a bit VWish.
Next stop was at the Information Centre at Darrinbandi, which was closed for lunch. So, taking the hint we retreated back to the van and had our lunch.
After lunch, a bit of a town walk but not much to look at so that didn’t take long. We found the Police Station, wanting to ask for road conditions to Bollon but they must have been at lunch too. Eventually, we found someone at the Information Centre who thought the road we planned was good. Going to Bollon directly meant about 40kms of gravel but would save about 100kms going via St George. We fuelled up at the local service station but no LPG and it sounds like there won’t be any for some time.
 |
| Collarenibri to Thargomindah (627kms) |
In the event, we did take the shortcut and found most of it brand newly sealed except about thirty kms in three sections and this well graded and wide.
At Bollon, we found a lovely camp down by the Wallam Creek where about twenty other vans had beaten us to the best sites. Our first power free night and we discovered that the inverter had “gone to god”. We did enjoy a pleasant afternoon and evening, with a great sunset, this time with clouds and a pair of Brolgas in the paddock, behind us.
After dinner, I spent a half hour or so trying to splice together the camera cable, with success, now we wait to see if it will hold together without soldered joins.
Day 11—Friday, 5th July
In the morning we were amused to see a mob of sheep, and drover on motorbike, slowly drift through the camp area.
Off again heading west now toward Cunnamulla. The road quite flat in places with some gentle slopes, not much fencing, with cattle, sheep and lots of goats, which we guessed are feral. We’re now entering Kite country and can see them floating lazily overhead, very seldom not in view. And crows, lots of them, attracted to the highway by the roadkill.
Only a relatively short drive today, reaching Cunnamulla just after noon. Checked into the caravan park, It turned out to be the final day of a big school football carnival, so the park was busy but I had booked ahead, so no problem. Later though and unbooked it may have been a problem Then we discovered that Cunnamulla boasts a second CP. After lunch, a walk into town and a visit to the Info Centre, The Cunnamulla Fella Centre. A very well laid out museum here which we enjoyed greatly, including an artesian time tunnel, taking you back 50 million years. Back at the park we were invited to take happy hour at the park campfire where we met a half dozen other pairs of travellers. TV reception has been patchy since leaving Dubbo and here was no diffrence with only a few digital channels. No footy. Then, a flash of inspiration, tried tuning analogue and came up with channel seven which was showing Pies and Blues, only just watchable. Two of the digital channels were 7mate and seven2 but no seven, except the analogue which will be switched off at monthe end. For the record, the Pies won well.
Day 12—Saturday, 6th July
Packed up and got ready to go but took the time to take a walk to a nearby lookout, high on a sand dune. The dune is obviously used by local kids for sand skiing, there were bits and pieces of cardboard lying about, even a couple of pieces of masonite. Could be fun but us oldies not tempted. Just getting up there was a challenge.
Back to the park and pulled out, making for the Info Centre and a photo shoot of Cunnamulla Fella sitting on his swag. Couldn’t shoot yesterday for all the kids climbing all over him. Since we had another short drive today, we decided to find the Allan Tannock Weir, about 7kms out of town along the Warrego River. On the waym we noticed the second CP, right on the rivers edge. Finally, decided to fuel up, which hopefully we see us through to Longreach.
Once on the way, more of the same, unfenced paddocks, with cattle here and there, plenty of sheep, not so many goats. Back at Darrinbandi, we’d spotted a quad storey road train, full of goats. Maybe they were from these parts.
Had lunch at Eulo and a walk around town. Everybody sells opals hereabouts, not surprising, since it’s old opal country. On the way out of town at the Paroo River crossing, we discovered why we’d had Eulo to ourselves, everybody was parked by the river, some looked a bit long term too.
Arriving at Thargomindah, we lucked the last powered site and took a two night stay. The telly tonight in this part of the country, dominated by rugby, the Wallabies v The Lions and then NRL. Unhappily, we couldn’t watch, our telly seems to have gone to god. No connection to one gone to god inverter. Ah well, nuts.
No comments:
Post a Comment