ACT and NSW camping

Back from the holiday break

2012-01-02T21:40:00.001+11:00

Well we have arrived back from a couple of weeks of traveling. In the next couple of weeks I'll tell the story and put up some of the photos we took. Short version is that we went to visit the relatives on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. About 1200km away. The plan was to camp at Coolah Tops National Park, New South Wales and then Boomi, New South Wales, then a few nights up on the coast... The plan was then to go for a couple of nights on Bribie Island, Queensland before having a bush Christmas and making our way back home for New Year's Eve. It didn't quite go to plan... I'm getting ready to go to the day job, but when I have time over the next couple of weekends I'll tell the story and reveal what happened.

Back to Paddy's River Dam

2011-11-05T08:56:00.000+11:00

If you have been reading the Blog since it's beginning you will have seen that we like the High Country and we like to camp where there is water. Sometimes for a swim, sometimes for a bit of a fish. After the trip up north to visit the rellies we set sail south. Having a few more days before returning to work we decided to load up some fishing gear and the surf ski and head for Paddy's River Dam for a couple of days. Spot of fishing, a swim and a bit of a paddle around...

Paddy's River Dam was constructed in 1936 to provide a reliable water source for the power house at Tumbarrumba. These days it ismainly a recreational dam, stocked with trout. This is bush camping at its best; a couple of pit toilets, a picnic table and some fireplaces. Better than that, being State Forest, it is pet friendly so you can take a dog, or as was the case when we were there a horse.

The drive in is pretty straight foward. We were in H4 in the Disco, the earlier rains had washed away some of the surfaces and there were ruts. There was even a tree across the road!

The tree may well be gone by now - it was a couple of months ago... In any event we found a track around it and continued on our way. If you have been in there and know please leave a comment...

The last little bit of road in has a small creek crossing and not too far from the turn off to the campsites was a bit of mud.

A little bit of care needed, or there was a chicken track around it!

It didn't take us long to get in to the campsite and get ourselves set up.

With the campfire lit and dinner in the camp oven there was only one thing left to do on the first day...

Some people call this fishing. I call it standing in water killing time and relaxing. Didn't have anything to do with fish on the days we were there. Still as the saying goes, the worst day fishing...

There are other things to do. Hume and Hovell trekked through here during their 1824 expedition to Port Phillip. There is a signposted heratige walking trail from Yass to Albury and Paddy's River Dam is one of the few vehicle accessible campsites along the trail. There are signs around to show you where to go and most of the local visitor information centres nearby have information about the trail and the expedition.

The scenery in the area is fantastic, the tracks through Bago State Forest are well signposted and we had no problem finding our way around using the GPS, all of the trails were on the maps we were using.

Access: It is accessible by 4WD. It's easy in the dry, but very ordinary in the wet...
Toilets: Yes - long drop.
Showers: No.
Water: Yes.
Shop: No.
Campfires: Yes - subject to firebans.
Pets: Yes.

Cost: Free.

GPS: S35 42.9759, E148 10.0049

Back in business

2011-10-30T19:57:00.000+11:00

After a while away doing other stuff I am back in business with some of the camping we have done while we were invisible. So some pics, some words and some fun along the way...

At Christmas time 2010 we set sail to visit family in northern NSW and had a couple of days in the bush on the way up.

Our site of choice this time, mainly because we didn't have the dog with us, was Warrabah National Park.

Entry to Park

We had a fair sort of tour on the black top to get to the closest main town, Tamworth, which is about 80km away. Near Manilla we turned on to Namoi River Road and followed that to the picnic area and campground.

Road in to Warrabah NP

It's a nicely set up park with composting toilets and picnic tables in the camping area. The road in is unsealed but usually in good condition and is an easy drive for a 2WD.

Info sign

The entry sign also has an 'honesty box' set up so you can pay the $5/adult $3/child camping fee. The signage also shows where you can camp and has the usual interpretive information about the park.

The Namoi was in spectacular flow. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas in 2010 and there had been some significant rains breaking the droughts and filling up the rivers.

There were a couple of freshwater shrimp to be had in the shallow pools.

There are some 4WD tracks near the campsites

Which are well set up...

They just need someone to set up and enjoy...

We had a couple of very enjoyable days in Warrabah NP. A little 4WD-ing, lots of eating, sleeping and relaxing. Even a spot of fishing and swimming. Do I recommend this one? Yes and No. It's a National Park so dogs are not welcome and there is a charge. I don't like that... On the up side we seemed to have had the entire park to ourselves. Didn't catch anything, but enjoyed the couple of days before heading off up the road towards Grafton.

On the way up we decided to take a slightly different way, wanting to see a convict hand cut tunnel.

Impressive huh?

Next week - we returned home and then set off to Paddy's River Dam for a couple of days... Swing back this way for a look.

Still busy

2011-06-17T23:20:00.000+10:00

As you can see life has been really busy and I've still not had time to do a decent update... I will soon - I hope.

We have done a few cool things like a Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, and we are heading back up to Sydney for a 40th again soon.

Part of the reason that I have been busy is I am slowly getting the Land Rover ready for our next big trip. Recently I have replaced the rear shock absorbers, and a universal joint, rewired part of the fuel gauge, done a quick patch up on the tacho sender and un-jammed the trip meter!

Shortly we are off on holidays to Norfolk Island, and then we are hoping to be able to go on the Lightning Ridge Police Bush Safari ( http://www.lrpbs.org.au ) if you are interested in checking out the details... Having all these little (and not so little) things fixed up is a good thing, particularly as we are planning that trip! It's a big enough drive to get to the starting point, much less the going from Lightning Ridge to the Gulf Country.

So, spare me some time and I'll get the November to February pics and stories up soon - promise. Maybe even some of the trip to Norfolk Island.

We won't be camping ourselves for a couple of months yet - way to cold down here at the moment and a fair number of our favourite campsites are closed until the October long weekend. Half your luck if you are in a warmer part of the world than I, and are still in camping season.

Making a come back

2011-03-14T08:20:00.000+11:00

Other things have overtaken updating the blog recently. Some good, some bad - all a part of living life I guess.

We haven't been off in the tent for a while now but have been around doing some interesting things outside of camping... I have had three of my musical fantasies fulfilled recently.

John Williamson and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra late last year was an amazing show and we had fantastic tickets.

Then Jimmy Buffett came to Sydney so another run up the Hume Highway to see what was the most amazing show I have ever experienced...

The Alan Jackson popped into Australia for a visit. We saw him at CMC Rocks the Hunter - a 6 hour drive for a two day music festival with Mr Jackson headlining.

At the moment the main computer that I use for photos etc is playing up. I'll get it sorted shortly and share some of the fun.

Hopefully we can get up some posts about the last couple of camps we did in November/December, complete with photos and GPS Coordinates and I'm back on track.

Catch you soon.

Queensland floods 2011

2011-01-15T07:42:00.000+11:00

I know that it's been a while since I last posted. Both personally and professionally it's been a busy time lately.

And we haven't been camping much - rain has slowed things down.

Over the Christmas break we managed to get away and spend some time camping near the small town of Manilla and visited friends and family near Grafton.

Over the past week or so we have watched as Grafton was isolated by flood waters and the surrounding villages and towns were evacuated. We also watched Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Brisbane severely impacted by floodwaters.

If you have happened across here from those areas please know our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

If you have happened across here from an area that isn't impacted as badly and would like to help there are appeals which you can donate to. The main one seems to be http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html If you have a spare few dollars please visit and help out. We are 1000+ kilometers away so we can't help out physically so the best thing we could do is make a donation and I would encourage you to chip in as well.

If you would like to leave a message of support I have opened up the comment facility on this page. I'll leave the messages on line for people to have a look at.

I'll get to the camping stuff in my next post, once I have had some time to download the photos!

Stay safe...

Is it camping season yet?

2010-10-09T09:01:00.000+11:00

I'll have to admit that I am a bit of a 'fair weather' camper. Especially if we are going for a weekend close to home. I mean - if it's a campsite a couple of hours from here and the forecast is rain, extreme cold or high winds then we put it off until a weekend with a better forecast.

In this region over the past few months the forecasts have generally been cold, a bit wet and occasionally windy - sometimes all three.

We were hoping to get away last weekend as we both had a three day weekend. The weather blew in and we decided a picnic was the way to go and we ended up helping out at one of the local driver reviver stops on the Hume Highway instead.

Daylight savings has started which usually means that the weather starts to warm up, the wind starts to drop we are looking forward to some camps away for weekends.

I'm keen to get the 4WD in to 4WD for a bit of an explore, try out the new navigator, and the gold pans that we bought in the off season.

So, over the next few months I should be back with some new photos, GPS coordinates and descriptions of some campsites we have spent a couple of nights in.

4WD touring - what worked - what didn't

2010-08-08T07:50:00.000+10:00

Well after being back from our trip for so long I have had a chance to consider what worked for us and what didn't.

A bit of background - the 4WD is a fairly standard 1994 Landrover Discovery. No lift or lockers. It had a snorkel, bullbar and dual battery set up when I bought it. It has travelled 335000km or so. The head was replaced after I bought it as it had been overheated and cracked.

The roof racks and basket are and add on that I did. We found that we can up some stuff up there that is light and bulky, like a second spare tyre, the portaloo and other stuff we dont use every night. I attached an old curtain rod along the basket with the intention of using it to set up our tarp - maybe for morning tea and lunch stops. Didn't get used for that once! We did use it to attach the 12V LED 'UFO' camping lights to a couple of times.

Before we set off I fitted a set of driving lights to the bullbar. I wanted them on when we went down to the Snowys when we knew we would be travelling from Thredbo to Jindbyne at night. They actually came in very handy when we found ourselves arriving late at Noccundra. The extra light is actually very noticable when you don't know the road.

The winch didn't get used at all - and still hasn't been used in anger. There are a lot of forum posts about 4WD winches and buying reputable brands. I'm not getting into that debate here, but mine is a 'cheapy' and it works. I do run it in and out to make sure all is well before I head off road.

Similarly the farily standard AT tyres that are on there worked well. Admittedly we weren't travelling on any 'hardcore' 4WD tracks. But they coped with the outback conditions and got a run on sand. I bought a medium duty air compressor wheich worked to pump up a fellow travellers camper trailer tyre and reinflate mine after a driving on the corrugated outback roads and on the beach. What I need to invest in is a deflator. The old 'key and gauge' method is a bit tedious.

A valuable lesson was learned. Have basic spares. I had had the car serviced a couple of days before we left, but the fanbelt still frayed. Worthwhile having the appropriate belts in the car - would have saved us about a day. Had a fuel filter - didn't use it. Also had oil and coolant - didn't use it. Seems the only thing we needed was what we didn't have.

I was told to take WD-40, cable ties and 'gaffa tape.' I did and used all three.

I installed a UHF CB on day one from this 4WD's predecessor. I found it to be worthwhile. Nice to be able to hear about road hazards from fellow travellers. Also nice to be able to give and get advice while on the road.

The dual battery setup run our trusty three way fridge and powered all of our other stuff while we were away. I like it. It was in the vehicle when I bought it and is becoming a bit old and unreliable. Doesn't charge when the lights are on. Having a look at that to see what the go is!

The navigator that we use is great. It runs OziExplorer software and as a result we knew where we were right the way along the trip. The only issue was when the plug vibrated out of the socket and I though we had killed it. After I plugged it back in it worked like a treat!

Our dome tent was a treat. If you read back through our Snowy Mountain Trip you will see how we came to acquire it. In all honesty it has been a bit of a blessing really. It is quicker and easier to set up that the old tent, and packs away a bit smaller.

All in all we tool a lot of stuff that we didn't use, but could have! I would take it all again.

If you have tips or comments feel free to either post them on the blog using the comment button or send me an email to nswcamper@hotmail.com

Stay safe!

The journey home begins - Grafton to Tia Falls

2010-07-25T18:01:00.000+10:00

Firstly, an apology to all who have called by hoping for something new and interesting to look at. I would have to acknowledge that I have been both busy and slack. Work has been a tad on the hectic side and I have been away from home a bit recently. Work travel won't get a mention here.

What will is the last segment of our Easter adventure. We set of from my family and headed with all good intentions to Waterfall Way. We were to meet other relatives at Tia Falls in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. What should have taken us about 4 hours or so turned into a bit of an adventure.

Our first stop was at a little town called Ebor. Well actually we passed through the township and turned into the Ebor Falls parking lot for a look. The upper falls are about 200m from the road. They are spectacular and worth a stop. There are also toilet facilities and a fairly informative information board. The lower falls are a further short drive and then a walk away.

I started the 4WD and a funny noise came from under the bonnet! We drove to the lower falls car park and switched off to have a look. The 'serpentine' belt had come adrift, broken the air-con belt and made a general mess under the bonnet. After some cutting and maneuvering I got the belt clear and the vehicle was driveable so we went back to Ebor town and rang for the NRMA service number.

The spare that I didn't think to pack was serpentine belt. I wasn't sure that we could make it to Armidale, the nearest town with the facilities I was likely to need to we decided to sit and wait for the NRMA to rescue us.

When he arrived he didn't have a belt that could rescue us so we agreed that the best bet was to get us to Armidale, we could have the vehicle repaired and continue on the following day. And that is pretty much how the day panned out for us. The NRMA chap loaded us onto the tow truck, took us to a repairer, we dropped the car off, then he took us to the hotel, which the NRMA had arranged for us. All part of the NRMA premium service, which we are glad we paid.

The next morning we collected the 4WD, checked out of the hotel, and headed off to the campsite where we planned to have a couple of nights before heading back to home.

I guess I should really say thanks to the Dorrigo NRMA, Armidale NRMA authorised repairer, and the local hotel.

Leaving Armidale we headed for Walcha and turned off and headed for the campsite. As we were travelling we took a call from our rellies, assured them we would be there in a short while, and in a short while we were.

We spent a couple of days exploring this area. As it is a part of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park it isn't pet friendly. There are drop toilets in the camping are but there is no water. As you can see fires are permitted and there is firewood provided. Not bad for the princely sum of zero.

And there are lots of things to do and sights to see. The Tia Falls are worth a look.

Tia Falls

As are the other local falls...

And the gorge...

We settled in for our first night, to wake to a nice morning the next morning. We took the newly repaired 4WD for a bit of a drive through some well maintained fire trails in the area.

We came across this interesting bridge, all constructed from logs, with earth over the top:

Interesting bridge

We even cleared some timber off the trail...

We settled down back at the campsite, lit the fire and had a camp oven roast and a watched the fire burn down.

The final campfire - always a sad thing

So that is my final installment in the Outback 2010 series. Next week I will do a post on lessons learned from the trip, and the statistics - fuel, costs, what we would do again, what we wouldn't - that sort of thing.

My final pic in this series is a classic. We followed a walking track at Tia and after walking around the rim of the gorge we came across this...

See ya...

Grafton and Surrounds

2010-06-14T09:31:00.000+10:00

A bit of a change of style this week...

We had arrived at Moree and had a good soak and a sleep in a proper bed after more than a few nights in the tent. With the gear clean we were about to go down toward the coast at Grafton and spend some time with family. We didn't really have much of a plan other than doing some roof rack repairs.

On the way down we did find a campground called Cranky Rock that we called into for a look. Located between Warialda and Inverell, legend has it that a cranky Chinese man, having murdered a woman in Warialda was being chased by police and jumped from the rock. Later the area was to become a picnic spot popular with the Warialda locals, and then a campground.

Cranky Rock

Further down the road we passed through Inverell and we arrived late in the day to stay with family.

I won't be boring with the details, but we pulled the roof basket and the racks off the Discovery and replaced them all. As I re-installed the racks I used a thread locking glue so the nuts wouldn't come loose. I didn't on the basket as it makes an awful hum when empty... We also took the opportunity to catch up on email and make a few phone calls.

Then we decided - time to take the 4WD back off road. We had heard that it is possible to drive from Wooli to Brooms Head, through National Park and State Forest - so we were off.

We found a beach!

And had some fun in the sand...

After dropping the air pressure

What we actually did was drive along the beach from Minnie Water to Sandon Village. For the campers there is low cost camping virtually on the beach at Minnie Water. It's National Park so it's their rules... There was no real reason for us to go to the Village other than to have a quick (10km or so) drive on the beach. It is a pretty little village with no public facilities nor a shop. Interestingly we were quite close to Brooms Head, but there is no way for the vehicle to get across the river so we turned back for Minnie Water.

We aired the tyres up a bit and headed into the coastal forests for the drive across to Booms Head for some lunch and a swim... It's an amazing drive and we didn't take enough photos. There are a few water crossings that were all shallow.

Water crossing between Minnie Water and Brooms Head

So after some fairly easy 4WD-ing we arrived back on to a good dirt road, which joined up with the main road into Brooms Head.

Dirt road to the Pacific Ocean

After lunch, and a swim we drove into Maclean and bought some prawns for dinner. We then returned to home base and planned the next outing.

A family trip up into the mountains was our next mission. We visited Dorrigo and the famous Dangar Falls. Why famous? Mainly because they are often confused with the other Dangar Falls near Armidale...

Dangar Falls, Dorrigo NSW

After settling back into a normal bed for the last night we were ready to head back out onto the road. The roof rack gear was set up properly, the car had been checked for water and oil, and we had contacted the folks we were to camp with and arranged to meet the at Tia Falls in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

Day 6 - Bollon to Moree

2010-06-06T15:25:00.000+10:00

The campsite in Bollon was such a treat we decided that we shouldn't leave too early.

We had a few things we wanted to do - cleaning of some gear, repacking the back of the 4WD, sorting out the fridge all sprung to mind.

Does camping get any better

Once we had had breakfast and had a tidy up we packed up our campsite and set off for Moree...

The plan was to travel across to St George, have a break there, head for a border crossing into NSW at Mungindi which would see us about 120km or so from the next stop. The plan was to overnight in Moree before heading to stay with family near Grafton the following day. We picked Moree mainly because on another adventure we stayed in town and spent some time soaking in the thermal pools. It sounded pretty appealing.

After another go in the free showers in Bollon we were on the road again. About an hour or so later we came into St George. With about 2500 residents St George had recently been flooded. We stopped and had a quick look around. While some of the damage had been repaired there was still evidence that there was more work to be done.

Flood damage and debris at a playground in St George

I wandered past the debris on the riverbank park to the vantage point on the Balonne River where there is a sign explaining how the town got it's name...

The story of how St George got it's name

Then was the uniquely Australian sight; a road train rumbling through town.

Road train in St George

And for those who were wondering Major Thomas Mitchell, aside from being a famous explorer, is the fellow who has the famous cockatoo named for him, along with the Mitchell Highway as is a town and even an electorate!

After a very enjoyable break we set out for Mungindi. Again we were on the road for an hour or so when we reached town in time for lunch. Mungindi is interesting, if only for the fact that it is the only border town in the Southern Hemisphere that has the same name on both sides of the border! The do a pretty good pie and a fair cup of coffee in the cafe on the NSW side of the border.

Back on the road we drove through cotton fields and rainstorms to Moree, arriving in the mid afternoon. We settled into a cabin at the caravan park in town. We wanted to keep the tent dry. And spend some quality time in the thermal pools before the drop down to Grafton the next day.

Day 5 - Noccundra to Bollen

2010-05-16T22:06:00.000+10:00

We woke at Noccundra and were able to have a look around at the place where we camped - it had been dark when we arrived and we had set up the tent using what looked like a big car park light.

The pub is Noccundra

We weren't in a real hurry to get away, but by the same token there wasn't going to be a lot for us to do. And the flies were terrible. For the first (and last) time during the trip I put a fly net thingy on my hat. With that on I toddled around and took some photos, including some of a brolga in the distance.

Brolga on my camera's maximum zoom

Back at the mostly packed up campsite it was time for a shower, which meant showering in front of an audience!

Shower buddy in the female facilities

And in the males!

There are a couple of options for camping in Noccundra - you can set up at the pub as we did and for $10 a night you can have a hot shower and a flushing toilet. Across the road from the pub there is a free unserviced camp spot. You can camp there free and make a gold coin donation for the use of the pubs shower and toilet block.

I had a couple of vehicle issues bothering me. Neither all that problematic but while we were in civilization I thought we should seek some advice. The corrugations and general roughness of the days driving to get to Noccundra had vibrated a 'leg' of my roof rack off the gutter mount point. I had refitted new nut and spring washers but I wanted to do the entire set. A thumb-wheel had also vibrated off one of the roof basket retainers and I needed to replace the complete nut and bolt set. Finally, the drivers side door had stopped opening. I had to climb from the passenger side and fiddle with the handle for a bit and it finally released. I wasn't sure whether to pull the door apart or not but I did give it a good long squirt with WD-40, which washed the red dust out, and the door started working again!

So a couple of 4WD-ing tips about vehicle preparation:

Fit spring washers and consider thread locking glue on aftermarket parts;
Carry WD-40
Carry some spare nuts, bolts, spring washers, gaffa tape and cable ties.

With the 'damage' made good, for the time being we set forth, and planned to have a brekky stop at Thargomindah and try for some nuts and bolts there. It's about 120km from Noccundra to Thargomindah and it's all sealed road. We hit the town fairly early and settled for a coffee and breakfast at the roadhouse. The roadhouse is a great place for all sorts of supplies for travelers in the area. Thargomindah is one of the first countries in the world to use hydro power generation. There is a museum in town which illustrates the way it is/was done. After breakfast I bought some nuts and bolts, and replaced the questionable ones on the roof rack and we set off for Cunnamulla.

Cunnamulla is about 200km further along so we planned to stop, have lunch and find somewhere to camp for the night. With a population of over 1000 it is one of the bigger centres that we had been through during the week. We traveled past the Lake Bindegolly National Park on the way in. The rains had 'filled' the lake system and the signs were worth the stop!

And

Anyways - after about 2 hours we reached Cunnamulla, refuelled and had lunch in the park alongside the tourist information centre.

Ok - by now most of the regular readers will know that I am a country music fan. Every country music artist and fan in Australia has been influenced in some way by the late Slim Dusty, and one of his close friends and fellow songwriter and performer Stan Coster. One Coster's biggest hits as a songwriter was his tribute to the ringers on the stations in the outback - Cunnamulla Fella. It was recorded by Slim Dusty, and later a variety of artists including Lee Kernaghan and even the Screaming Jets!! The statue in town is a double size version of a ringer with his swag.

Now you know who he is!!

After seeking advice from the visitor information centre we set off for a campsite we had been told about at a town called Bollon. After a couple of more hours on the road we located the little town and after a quick stop in the town we were directed to the campsite.

Kudos is due here - firstly to the folks at Cunnamulla for putting us on to it. I was a bit surprised that they encouraged us to leave town. Secondly kudos to the township or council or whoever is responsible for the campground. Located on the river, it is free, pet friendly, there are fire places and plenty of shady sites. In town, in a park opposite the local pub there are public flush toilets and free hot showers.

We found ourselves a site, set up for the night and then drove back into town for a very nice hot shower.

Back at the campsite we had some dinner and settled in to work out our next few days. We decided to make a late start, clean our gear, and head a bit further across Queensland then head south into NSW. All up I was happy enough to watch the fire burn down and the stars shine down from above.

Day 4 - Tibooburra, Cameron Corner and Noccundra

2010-05-09T17:36:00.000+10:00

Having made it up to Tibooburra we were really about to start the adventure. We had planned on camping in Sturt National Park but being off tourist season things didn't go our way. Deadhorse Gully had a rather large resident snake, so we decided quite quickly not to camp there. The recent rains had closed a number of the roads in Sturt so we visited the other campsite that we could access. It was overgrown with weeds so we decided that the caravan park was the quickest easiest way to go.

The people of Tibooburra are also worth a mention. The were all friendly and helpful. We had a burger and a chat in the Corner Country Store and got some good advice about the local road conditions and were told that our plans needed revising. The folks at the pub also hold the key to public showers and the laundry facilities at the motel across the road so we decided to was some clothes. While that was happening we walked through town to the Sturt memorial park, complete with a replica of the whaler that his exploration team carried in case the found the inland sea they were looking for. It is definitely worth a visit.

Moving the other direction through town we came across the Tibooburra Outback School of the Air. Given some of the vast distances between, well... things, in the NSW Outback some of the children don't travel to school, they receive interactive lessons over the 'airwaves'. It was actually a Sunday, so we were unable to see a lesson in progress. According to their website there are the only dual mode school where students from the township attend the school and the folks on the surrounding properties attend via the satellite communication setup, which replaced the HF radio in 2004.

If you visit corner country it is worth a look. If you can't make it there the website is fascinating. http://www.tibooburra-d.schools.nsw.edu.au/index.htm

Anyway we broke camp at a fairly leisurely pace, had a shower in the caravan parks shower block and were ready to set off. I mention it because of the frogs. I have never seen that many of the little critters in one place at one time. Apparently leaving the light on after sundown attracts insects, which in turn attracts frogs. We also took the opportunity to again check the car before we left and top off our water and fuel.

We were really heading into the remote outback!

The drive to Cameron Corner is about 120km. Turning off the Silver City Highway you get the feeling that the adventure is about to begin.

A typical outback road condition sign

Heading toward Cameron Corner the road was in fairly good condition. My initial thought was that a grader had been through and smoothed the road somewhat.

After a short while we came across water again. Interestingly there were a number of tracks past this 'lake' which is indicative of the water not always being as high as it was. It probably also indicates that there was more water not that long before we passed through.

Roadside lake between Tibooburra and Cameron Corner

The lakes were to become a little more important to us as the day went by.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the Corner...

Border crossing into the Queensland.

OK - what first. To explain for those who have never been there - this is the point where the borders of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia meet. It is named for the NSW Surveyor John Brewer Cameron who surveyed the NSW/Qld border, and marked the corner with a post in 1880.

The corner marker - not the original

There is a shop at the corner that does food, friendly chat and advice on local conditions. You can also camp either at the store or across the road from it. If you camp at the store there is a nominal that covers the use of the facilities. If you are in the store look up - on the ceiling you will find cash - donations to a charity - usually the Royal Flying Doctor's Service. We had a bit of a chat and sought some advice about the best way to continue our travels.

The other thing here is the famous dingo (native dog) fence. Work started in 1880 and finished in 1885, it runs from about Dalby, Queensland to Nundroo, South Australia. It is the worlds longest fence, running for 5614km. The intent of the fence is to keep the dingo clear of the fertile sheep growing regions. There are a limited number of gates where you can get through the fence. The fence is maintained and if you are near it you are asked to shut the gates and not to climb on the fence.

The fence and a don't climb sign

With the obligatory photos taken and the advice from the folks in the Corner Store ringing in our ears we set off. We had intended originally to have a bit of a look around and then head for Bourke from Tibooburra, We know that the road was closed so the advice was head into Queensland for a bit, and then cross in to NSW above Moree. We were happy to take the advice.

The first piece was that there would be some puddles to drive around. The second was always use the track around the puddle - don't try and drive through.

An outback puddle blocks the road

The track around to the left.

We thought that we had the Outback travel thing under control - using the tracks around was not too bad until...

We actually considered turning around because we couldn't find a track. As we drove back towards Cameron Corner we did spot some flattened grass. We could continue. For the first time in the trip we were in four wheel drive and doing some, literally, off road driving. After about 20 minutes of driving through long grass with on loose sand we found our way back on to the road.

The track around - easy to see how we missed it

We were feeling pretty good at this stage, cruising along the track towards Noccundra when we came across the next challenge of the day...

The road had pretty much been washed away

I had been bogged - mainly as a result of not being in true 4WD, and losing momentum in the soft bulldust. We engaged 4WD backed out, picked a different line...

I wasn't the only one through here

On the 'other side' we met another couple who had intended to travel to Cameron Corner but didn't fancy their chances after we had a bit of a chat about the road conditions they had ahead. We continued on, feeling pretty good about ourselves. We passed through more bulldust, around more puddles, through some boggy mud until we finally hit a well formed graded road, where there was a fairly big sign showing us our options.

In the background it's pretty easy to see the stormclouds were forming, so we continued on. We decided against a bush camp. We had been told of a nice free riverside spot, but the chance of being unable to move after the rain inspired us to push on to Noccundra.

We arrived there to find a campgound beside the pub with hot and cold running water. We set up camp and cooked dinner, and were in bed fairly early. Although we travelled less than 400km for the day we were exhausted - mainly from the fun we had had!

Day 3 - White Cliffs to Tibooburra

2010-04-26T08:52:00.000+10:00

After breakfast, loading the car and some goodbyes to the folks who had also stayed at the underground accommodation we decided to have a drive through the opal mines and head north west for Tibooburra.

We drove through discussing what life must have been like when opal was first discovered, before electricity was reliably generated, before the roads were good enough to ensure regular supplies were available... We decided that it must have been a tough life. Heading out onto the main road we had our first experience of driving in the outback proper.

Typical red dirt outback road

The locals in White Cliffs told us that some of the roads had been closed as a result of flood waters coming through but the roads to Tibooburra were open and in fairly good condition. All the way through they were. However there was evidence at the side of the road that the waters had been through. We stopped to have a look. Fortunately no other vehicles were about.

The creek bed makes it easy to see the power of the water that had flowed through. Interestingly we saw no water for miles and miles, until we reached the Silver City Highway.

The locals told us that what is now green is usually red dust, but for the rains and the flooding.

The other thing that we had to adapt to was the vastness and remoteness of where we were.

The Discovery looks tiny in the Australian Outback

After a while we reached the Silver City Highway junction, where we found, intriguingly, what we called the tool tree.

Anyone have any idea why it's there?

The Silver City highway runs from Buronga on the NSW/Vic border to the Warri Gate north of Tibooburra. Departing from Buronga on the New South Wales Victoria border it snakes it's way north, through Wentworth to Broken Hill. Apparently it is sealed south of Broken Hill, and there are sealed parts between Broken Hill and the Warri Gate, but not many...

It didn't take us long before we came across the roadside Patterson Lake and Salt Lake. These were almost literally roadside lakes and after a couple of hours on red dirt roads were not expecting to see so much water.

Outback roadside lake

We returned to the highway and decided to head to Tibooburra, have some lunch, organise accommodation for the night and check out the road conditions to Cameron Corner. The Silver City Highway changed from sealed bitumen to good dirt to quite corrugated sections.

Corrugations of the Silver City Highway

The black 'spots' are locust

Our next stop was the 'ghost town' of Milparinka. When gold was discovered in the region in the 1870's there was a 'rush' to Milparinka, but gold wasn't found there but nevertheless the town developed as an administrative centre with banks, shops, pubs, a newspaper, police station and even a court house. As the township was progressively abandoned a local community group has restored the historical buildings, which were open and 'manned' when we arrived.

Milparinka Visitor Information Centre

Note the chair and cup of the volunteer

We enjoyed our stop and look through the buildings and in particular the friendly chap at the visitor information centre, and with some regret we left.

It didn't take long before we arrived in Tibooburra.

Advice in town was to head into Sturt National Park to camp but we eventually took a drive through the open part of the park and settled in for the night at a caravan park.

It hadn't been a long day but we had seen some amazing territory, and we were as ready as we could be for the adventure across to Cameron Corner.

Outback Day 2 - Nyngan to White Cliffs

2010-04-25T08:49:00.001+10:00

I guess these posts will be as much about the journey as about 4WD-ing and camping. Especially last week's post and this week's post.

Our intention was to leave Nyngan fairly early and make haste along the Barrier Highway to about Wilcannia. Mostly not a long drive (about 400km) and on a sealed highway we thought that we would set off fairly early, arrive and set up camp fairly early and explore the area.

It didn't take much driving down the highway before we definitely got the feeling that we were heading in to the outback. The Barrier Highway has a number of little roadside rest stops and we pulled up at one for a look.

The red dirt and the trees are typical of this part of the outback, and the facilities were well maintained.

After an hour or so we arrived at Cobar. A town built on mining (copper was discovered in 1870) the it is worth stopping and having a look at the visitor centre, which houses a museum. It is also worth a drive to have a look at the new mine. Doesn't matter what you think of mining, the scale of the operations is always somehow impressive. One of the other things that Cobar is 'known' for is being the home of the pub with the longest iron lace veranda in NSW.

After a bit of a look through town we continued toward Wilcannia and stopped for lunch at another roadside rest area. As planned we arrived in Wilcannia after a couple of hours on the road. Being on the Darling River Wilcannia was once a thriving inland port, complete with riverboats. Apparently paddlesteamers were preferred due to their draft and the variable, but usually shallow depth of the river.

When we arrived it was still fairly early so we decided to 'turn right' and head north to the former opal mining settlement of White Cliffs.

We had checked earlier, and at the junction of the road there was no indication that the road was closed, so we set off to look for accommodation in the locality. Ultimately we chose to stay at underground accommodation in White Cliffs. There are two places you can stay at, the Underground Motel and the Underground B&B. It is a unique experience and although unplanned I enjoyed it a great deal. There are only a couple of places in Australia where you can spend the night underground so we enjoyed the stay greatly.

The entry to our accommodation

Particularly the view from the roof at sunset.

Outback sunset 1 - White Cliffs

Outback sunset 2 - White Cliffs

We didn't camp at White Cliffs as such but we did learn two important things - bring the 240V cord for the fridge...

Note the fridge on gas in the car park

We had also driven through a locust plague. It is worthwhile checking your vehicle's airbox, particularly if you have a snorkel fitted. I emptied the locusts from mine in Nyngan and again in White Cliffs. I think the snorkel was acting like a bit of a vacuum cleaner when driving through the swarms.

Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I shall try and get another post up, from White Cliffs to Tibooburra...

We are back from the outback - summary and Day 1

2010-04-17T08:47:00.000+10:00

I mentioned in earlier posts that we were heading off for a two week trip through outback New South Wales. Well after about 4800 kilometers of driving we have made it home. Over the next couple of weeks I will post some of the photos and some of the stories of the trip. There were some great 'lessons learned' for future remote area travel and I'll share those as we go along.

For the folks who regularly read the blog you will know (sort of) that our intention was to travel to Cameron Corner, where New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia meet. (Yes - you did read that correctly!) We were then planning to head to Tibooburra, then across to Bourke via Wanaaring. The recent flooding in the region however put paid to that plan and we decided to head up to the Noccundra Hotel and across the 'bottom' of Queensland, to Moree then toward the coast at Grafton to meet up with family before heading south for home.

We had an absolute blast - from the slopes and plains around where we live to the red dust of the outback, lakes that are normally dry, roads that have washed away, roads closed due to flood waters or flood damage, the desert, the coast, a beach, some mountains and some waterfalls, the trip had it all.

Our first two days saw us put some serious distance between us and home.

Night 1 we spent at Nyngan - from our place the route took us through Forbes, Trundle and Tottenham. Ultimately we had traveled some 460-odd kilometers and had positioned ourselves at the junction of the Mitchell and Barrier Highways. We set up at a caravan park and were due to head off the next morning into the outback!

Interesting stories are revealed as you pass through these townships - Forbes is said to be named after Sir Francis Forbes, the first Chief Justice of the New South Wales Supreme Court. The story goes that the name was supposed to go to Hill End, near Mudgee, but a government administrative error meant that the declaration was made for the current Forbes. I don't think Sir Francis will be too bothered - Hill End is now a 'historical site' according to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service - Forbes is a township of some 8000+ people.

Trundle - population about 400 boasts the pub with the second longest balcony in NSW - more on this later.

Then there was Tottenham - population about the same as Trundle, where 33km west nor-west of the town is the geographical centre of New South Wales.

We arrived at the van park in Nyngan and settled in for the night - excited about the prospect of heading into the outback proper the following day.

The Bogan River, Nyngan

Campsite - Night 1 - Nyngan

Next time I get a chance - day/night 2 - Nyngan to White Cliffs...

Away for a couple of weeks

2010-04-02T06:51:00.000+11:00

Today we leave for our trip into the outback. We are headed to the far north west corner of New South Wales and looking forward to seeing the outback for the first time.

One we get back I will post the story and pics - it should be great.

Have a happy easter and travel safe.

NSWCamper

The planning begins

2010-03-20T08:35:00.000+11:00

Well

We have been at home for a few weekends now looking after stuff that needs doing. The chooks will be moving into their new house today, the lawn needs mowing and my home office (where I write this) needs a good tidy up. Tonight we are off to a 21st birthday party and tomorrow I'm playing music in the morning.

We are planning our Easter break. Currently we are both taking some time off work after the Easter celebration and the plan is to head to Cameron's Corner, then across to the coast of northern NSW. So a few things are happening in the intervening couple of weeks. The 4WD is going in for a 'proper' service. With a bit of luck the winch I have just bought will arrive for installation next weekend.

So a busy couple of weekends before we head off for a bit of an adventure.

The planning part is fairly fun as well. I like maps and I am learning to plan trips using my 4WD GPS.

So the next part of the project for us is to decide which way to go so we have some sort of rough plan. We probably wont get into too much planning details as we can stay pretty much anywhere with our set up. My only concern is the flooding and potential road closures up in the far north west.

Wish us luck in getting everything planned.

Lowden Waterwheel - Pet Friendly, Free, Basic Campsite

2010-03-13T07:32:00.003+11:00

A couple of weeks back we went on a 'meet the members' drive with a 4WD club. We were invited by the folks we had met at the Queanbeyan 4WD Spectacular, and when we found out that the drive was to Lowden Waterwheel I was keen to go for a trip. We had been for a drive through the area a while back and I was confident that the trails through there were well within my capability and I wasn't going to damage the vehicle!

We met up with the folks and had a quick stop on the edge of the park to air the tyres down.

A fair line up of 4WD's

The drive took us through parts of both Talaganda State Forest and Talaganda National Park and it's conservation area. It is a fairly straight forward drive and there should really be no need to go into 4WD for the vast majority of the tracks unless you have hit some untoward weather.

Having traversed some interesting country side we made our way to the Waterwheel where there is a picnic area and a walk in style campsite with limited facilities.

The entry sign

There really is a waterwheel there

There is a bit of history behind the waterwheel. There is a sign there that indicates that the wheel has recently been restored but was originally built in Queanbeyan and in 1952 it was installed at it's present site which, at the time, was the site of a logging camp. Beyond the picnic area is a small pond which feeds water to the wheel. During it's time it was connected to a generator which powered the logging camp, and interestingly was used to charge truck batteries.

I'll have to admit I was a bit slack when it came to taking pictures of the campsite, and the 4WD club had parked vehicles in the area (apparently with permission of State Forests.) It is a walk in from the nearby car park. When I say walk in - a couple of meters rather than hundreds. There are fire pits and sheltered tables there and a mens and ladies long drop toilet. Someone has thoughtfully installed solar garden lights up to the loo from the campsite. Drinking water is also available at the site.

OK - the usual camping stuff...
Access: It is accessible by 2WD.
Toilets: Yes - long drop.
Showers: No.
Water: Yes.
Shop: No - drive to Queanbeyan or Braidwood.
Campfires: Yes - subject to firebans.
Pets: Yes.

Cost: Free.

GPS: S35 30.5324, E149 36.1758

Jindabyne - CMC Rocks the Snowys - camping in the rain

2010-03-08T10:15:00.000+11:00

Well it's becoming a tradition for us. The Canberra Day long weekend seems to coincide with the one of the newest festivals in country music. It's called CMC Rocks the Snowys and so far we have been to all three!

There are probably a few country music haters who will read this, and I don't intend to review the festival, but I will knock the camping stuff out of the way quickly. For each of the festivals we have camped in Jindabyne. When I say camp I mean we set up the tent in a caravan park, spend the weekend at the festival and sleep in the tent. The festival is at Friday Flat, close to Thredbo, but Jindabyne is in my opinion a better place to camp for this sort of stay. The last couple of years have been picture perfect high country days, hot and sunny during the day and clear and cold at night. It is generally a couple of degrees warmer at night at Jindabyne's lower elevation. This year it didn't matter as much - it varied between overcast and pouring rain during the days, and the cloud cover seems to keep the place a few degrees warmer. It's also pretty nice to get back to the park, have a hot shower and generally warm up. The camp kitchen speeds things a long a bit as well.

We drove away from an overcast day in Yass and Canberra and into rain as we headed south along the Monaro Highway. We arrived in Jindabyne in the rain and had some lunch, set up the campsite, and went up to the festival. And it rained, and rained, and rained, and rained, and rained...

It was still raining when we got back to camp at about 10pm. We changed and went to bed, impressed that the new dome tent hadn't leaked.

The next morning it cleared up, and stayed fine all day and night for the festival, and while we didn't stay till stumps it was a great gig. Some of the artists we had seen before so we took a bit of a break to visit Thredbo Village, take a chairlift up the mountain, and have a bobsled ride! We went back to the festival, saw the international and 'big' artists, and then returned to the campsite thinkng 'cool - won't have to pack up in the rain!'

WRONG - next morning we were woken by thunder, and rain. Now I don't really mind setting up in the rain but I am not a fan of packing up in the rain and putting wet tents and other gear into the car. But we did, and we got home safely!

So add two more nights in the tent for 2010!

And for those who want to know...

We got to see all of these guys!

Phil Vassar (USA) - very cool
Lee Kernaghan - only saw part of the show
Kasey Chambers - fantastic - my pick of the weekend, mainly because Bill Chambers and Shane Nicholson were in the band
Guy Sebastian - he was on too late and it was too wet and we had gone back to camp
Jack Ingram (USA) - I liked this guy
Nanci Griffith (USA) - a bit folksy for me - but cool
Doc Walker (CAN) - these guys are very cool, and a lot of fun, if you get the chance to see them you should go
Adam Harvey - an early show that was as good as ususal
Steve Forde - not as good as he usually is - sounded unwell
Richard Clapton - now here is a way cool fella
Tania Kernaghan - saw the end - never really been a fan
Sinead Burgess - not really a fan
Peter McWhirter - cool
Dan Sultan - cool
Mike Carr - one of the best writers and performers in the genre
Kirsty Lee Akers - not a fan
Paul Greene - one of the best performers of the weekend and a nice bloke to boot - see him if you can
Wilson Pickers - missed them
Jetty Road - cool
Amber Lawrence - one of the best female artists in Australia at the moment, and an independent
Mark Wells - missed him
Victoria Baillie - liked her
The Harrisons - new to me and they are a duo to watch
BusbyMarou - they were good - but the gig was cut short - would like to see more of them!

I know that's a big list but we were there for a lot of hours... These guys make a living off selling tickets to their shows. They don't make much off CD sales. If they come to where you are at give them a go.

Back to the High Country - Paddy's River Dam, Free Pet Friendly Campsite

2010-02-22T22:48:00.001+11:00

I had commitments Sunday morning so we couldn't camp overnight Saturday night, but we went for a bit of a drive. I had had a particularly 'average' week at work so we decided the best cure is go bush!

We hit the highway heading south with lunch and snacks, and no real plan. We went south to Tarcutta, NSW where the trucker memorial wall is located. Tarcutta is near enough to halfway between Sydney and Melbourne on the Hume Highway so it is a fitting location for a memorial for the truckers killed on the job. If you are a regular traveler on Australia's major highways, you will no doubt have a great deal of respect for the professional drivers who haul the stuff that we eat, drink, read, play with... If you are passing through Tarcutta stop and pay your respects, we did. If you are not down this way - http://www.tarcuttamemorial.com/ will get you there.

We turned off the highway and drove across to the small town of Tumbarumba. Established on the site of a Hume and Hovell camp, it was originally a gold mining town, now a Snowy Hydro town and hub town for the local agricultural industries.

Turning north out of town we headed into Bago State Forest.

Brumbies and foal

As soon as you see brumbies you can be assured you are in for a nice trip.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the dam and campsite. I should point out that there is a creek crossing on the way in to the dam camping area. My standard 4WD did it easily. It would be wise to check depth after rain and during snow melts.

The campsites are basic, there are firepits, some toilets and picnic tables. That said it is high country bush camping paradise.

Idyllic really isn't it?

Rustic mountain loo

We left the area thinking that a return visit would be worthwhile!

We left intending to head for home but as happens we saw a sign indicating we were 10km from a waterfall - so off we went.

Part of the falls

And the view

We decided to head out of the mountains - via Talbingo and past Tumut No 3 power station.

There is water in the pipes,

being turn into electricity

OK - some camping stuff...
Access: Sites at Paddy's River Dam are 4WD access due to the river crossing.
Toilets: Some - long drop.
Showers: No.
Water: No - treat dam water before drinking.
Shop: No - drive to Talbingo or Batlow.
Campfires: Yes - subject to firebans.
Pets: Yes - No posted restrictions
Cost: Free.
GPS: 35 42.9759S 148 10.0049E

Australia Day Weekend - Part 3 - Willis, Victoria to Dalgety

2010-02-14T20:08:00.000+11:00

This will be the final real installment of this camping trip. As I write this it is a dark and rainy morning in Yass, and yesterday was a dark and rainy day as well. We spent the day away from home yesterday, at the Queanbeyan 4WD Spectacular. We arrived before the rain set in proper and were able to have a good look around.

Enjoyed it immensely - kudos to the organisers for a job well done.

As our broken tent had thrown what passes for planning out the window we had a swim in the 'mighty' Snowy River after we had set up the campsite and over dinner we had a talk about the plans for the next day. After a bit of trolling through the maps and guidebooks we decided that we would head to Seldom Seen, the Mackillop's Bridge and Delegate River where we would leave the dirt and Victoria, for the drive to Dalgety, where we wanted to go Platypus spotting.

The maps showed a place called Suggan Buggan as the first town we would pass through and they indicated that there is an historical school house in town. The history surrounding the school is a bit foggy in my mind, but it seems that the schoolhouse was built by the station owner Edward O'Rourke in 1865. O'Rourke apparently had 13 children!

The school is worth a look, and the apples for sale in bags, hanging on the fence were great. However that was the only thing for sale in Suggan Bugan.

Exterior of the historic school

There is camping at Suggan Buggan on the river. It looked like there were toilets at the site as we drove by.

We hit the tar briefly south of Suggan Buggan as we headed for the Seldom Seen Roadhouse - which we have now seen!

The Seldom Seen Roadhouse fell victim to the 2003 bushfies, and the business was burned to the ground! The owner and his dog survived by taking shelter in the dam. He has since rebuilt. We chatted briefly as the cats, dogs and chooks wandered about.

The driveway

The servo

This is a fairly remote and wild part of the country, and for the business to survive is a testament to the owner. If you are down this way help him out - buy some fuel or supplies from him.

We then headed back north and turned east, off the bitumen again heading past Little River Falls, which were rather dry, and then on to McKillop's Bridge. The road through here, while surrounded by spectacular view, is described on the Parks Victoria website as 'one of Victoria's most precarious roads...' and I agree.

The view

I haven't got a photo that gets the idea across, but the road between Little River Gorge and MacKillop's Bridge is signposted as being unsuitable for semi-trailers and caravans. If you are towing a camper trailer you may have difficulties if you meet an oncoming vehicle as you may have to reverse a considerable distance to a spot where passing is possible.

Little River Gorge is, I'm told, the deepest gorge in Victoria. The road is very close to it and in places single lane, with no guards. If it is wet I would avoid traveling here.

With the most precarious road out of the way we came to MacKillop's Bridge. It is a pretty cool bridge, being about 250m long and about 20m above the waterline of the Snowy River it must have been a feat of engineering to get it built. Actually, it was a feat, the first bridge was 15m above the waterline, and when the Deddick River flooded a few days before the official opening, and the bridge was destroyed.

The area is renowned for it's silver mine, interesting bush walks and 4WD tracks, so again I think worth a return trip.

Approaching the bridge

Crossing the bridge

In a fairly short period of time the road improved markedly...

We passed through Deddick township ...

That's about it

We followed the Deddick River cross country until we joined the main road which took us back to NSW and then up to the township of Dalgety.

We intended visiting friends in Dalgety, but when they were not home we decided to set up at the local caravan park. I have decided against 'reviewing' caravan parks, but this one was cheap, cheerful and after a quick dip in the Snowy River we were more than happy to make use of the shower block. After three days without a shower we were fairly keen for a bit of a clean up.

And a cuppa

Kudos to the chaps in the Dalgety pub who fed and watered us that night while we waited for our friends to return.

When they did they took us to the Snowy River and we spotted the elusive Platypus, just on dusk.

The next morning we had a fairly standard pack up the gear and head for home. This time it was a drive up the Monaro Highway, through Cooma, Canberra and then on to Yass.

So there in a nutshell is the way we spent Australia Day and the few days before it.

Australia Day Weekend - Part 2 - Three Mile Dam to Willis, Victoria

2010-02-06T09:10:00.000+11:00

Spending the night in the broken tent wasn't as bad as we thought, but during the evening at Three Mile Dam we decided that we should go to a camping store and either replace the broken part or buy a new tent. Before we did that we wanted to head to Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia.

We set off through the Mt Selwyn snowfields, which looked to be pretty much deserted as we drove through, and onto a well maintained gravel road to 'shortcut' to Caramurra. Shortly we arrived in the country's highest permanently settled township. There are limited supplies available here, such as fuel, a small general store etc. The were all shut - it was early on a Sunday morning. There are some amazing photos of the Snowy Mountains Scheme in the General Store. It is definitely worth a look if you are in the area.

It's a pretty place

Cabramurra from the lookout

After a brief look through the town we decided to head for Jindabyne. This meant a cross country run to Khancobin and then along the Alpine Way and passing through Thredbo. It's a sealed road most of the way but there are some steep climbs as you go along. You get to see a fair bit of the infrastructure that is the Snowy Mountains Scheme on the drive from Cabramurra the Thredbo side of Khancobin. There are dams, ponds, spillways, pipework and things that look like spaceships that make up the scheme. We stopped at Khancobin for a some morning tea and then headed along the Alpine Way.

We ventured into the Geehi campsite on the way in. It is a free camp once you pay the relevant National Park use fee. There are toilets and water available and there are no marked sites. Your campsite will be located alongside the delightfully named Swampy Plains River.

Moving on we the visited the Tom Groggin campsite, a little closer to Thredbo. It's on the banks of the Murray River and has toilets, water and fire pits. If you are in a 4WD you can ford the Murray into Victoria and visit some fairly remote high country along the Davies Plain Track to the Davies Plain Hut.

The mighty Murray River

at Tom Groggin

We then continued on though Thredbo and into Jindabyne where we had a couple of calls to make, and some business to do before a fairly high speed (relatively speaking) drive into Cooma where we replaced the tent then returned to Jindabyne to set off for the next part of the trip.

Our original plan was to drive to Buchan Caves. The time we took to replace the tent ruled this out so we didn't really have a plan. I had read about the Customs station that once existed on the New South Wales - Victoria border so we set out for the campsite nearby.

To get there we turned onto Barry Way and set off. This road is amazing and if you get the opportunity to drive it, do it in the dry - it would be extremely slipper when wet, and take lots of photos. It is definitely worth a stop at the Wallace Craigie Lookout.

The lookout

The lookout has some informative boards that describe the Snowy River and the bushfires that burnt though the area in 2003. There are also toilets there.

View from the lookout

The road from there continues down to the Snowy River and you follow it right down to the border. It is suitable for 2WD vehicles but caution would be advisable. It is fairly narrow and at times there are some steep and deep dropoffs.

In NSW there are many little campsites between Barry Way and the River. Some have toilets, most don't. Most appeared to be fairly small, suitable for a couple of tents.

Continuing on we eventually hit the border...

The border crossing at Willis

It is actually not far from the border at Willis, NSW to the campsite at Willis, Vic

The campsite at Willis, Vic is a bit place with toilets only. The campsites are located on the banks of the old 'mighty' Snowy River, not the edge of the current Snowy River, which receives about 1% of it's original flow.

We set up camp in the dedicated school group are - school holidays were still on so we thought we would be safe.

Our campsite

Road in the campground

The Snowy River at Willis Campground

Fire pit at Willis.

OK - some camping stuff...
Access: Willis is 2WD accessible.
Toilets: Long drop.
Showers: No.
Water: No.
Shop: No - drive to Jindabyne in NSWor Seldom Seen in Vic (limited supplies.)
Campfires: Yes - subject to firebans.
Pets: Nope - Parks Victora
Cost: Free.
GPS: Latitude 36° 53′ 18.852"S Longitude 148° 25′ 17.832"E

The third day will be the trip from Willis along the Deddick Track to Dalgety in NSW. I'll get to that soon!

Australia Day Weekend - Part 1 - Home to Three Mile Dam

2010-01-30T10:11:00.000+11:00

Our Australia Day weekend trip was a fantastic tour through some of the NSW and Victorian High Country. We did camp for three nights, all three nights were low cost but none were pet friendly. The other thing that was a bit different this time was 'the road less traveled' aspect of the break.

We covered about 1000km in the four days away from home, and the vast majority of it was on unsealed road and four wheel drive tracks. The first day out we traveled from Yass to Wee Jasper the usual was, but headed into the Brinabella Ranges and then crossed in to Kosciusko National Park. Our starting point was the probably unfortunately named Broken Cart Trail.

Our first 'waypoint' was to be Blue Water Holes some 26km into the park.

The trail in is a 4WD recommended trail. We struck out along the trail, looking for the famous brumbies. I was surprised when we spotted two, close to the trail, and we stopped the car for a short while to try and get a couple of photos. Interestingly the brumbies were extremely shy and nervous while we were stopped. We didn't get out of the vehicle to avoid them bolting, but the kept a cautious distance. The edged away from us, and we decided to push on. I was surprised that I did get a couple of really good pics.

Snowy Mountain brumby

Pushing on we were keen to have a look at Blue Water Hole and Coolamine Homestead. Both are located on the Blue Water Hole Fire Trail, which runs off Long Plain Road. Broken Cart Trail joins Long Plain Road and everything is well signposted.

The first stop was to be the Homestead. Throughout the High Country there are a number of historic huts and houses. Many have been restored and provide valuable insights into early life in the High Country. When I was researching the trip there was a fair bit of information available about the Homestead, and one thing that had me keen to visit was the newspaper on the walls. I had read that the paper was beginning to deteriorate, and in some places it had been covered with Perspex.

When we arrived at the Homestead I was fairly surprised that it is actually a small complex of buildings that were used to run the cattle station. The 'ruins' of the cattle yards are also a part of the complex. We wandered through the complex and came away from the buildings with a real respect for the High Country pioneers.

As an aside the newspaper is deteriorating, much of it is dated 1930 to 1939. If you are keen to see it you should consider visiting the locality sooner rather than later. I should also point out that you cannot camp in the the area of the homestead. There are however, other campsites nearby.

The complex

Stock yards

Newspaper as wallpaper, protected by perspex

Back in the vehicle and along the fire trail a bit further there are a number of small campgrounds - all of which had fairly new looking composting toilets.

We arrived at Blue Water Holes mid-morning as groups of campers were having morning tea and others were heading off into the limestone caves that the area is known for. There are apparently five caves open to the public without a permit.

Rock formations at Blue Water Holes

OK - it looks 'bluer' when you are there.

We will revisit the area at some stage in the future... The campground has a composting toilet, but is relatively small. I didn't check for water but would suggest that it would be safer to take your own. It also looked like a real family spot, lots of kids and teens about.

We left the campground and continued along Long Plain Road out of the park onto the Snowy Mountains Highway. After a short run up the highway we found the turn off to Yarangobilly Caves. This was our planned lunch stop. We briefly called into the visitor centre and paid the $3 park use fee and set off for the thermal pool for a quick dip. Worth the $3 - but beware 10 minute walk in 20 minute walk out. It's a fairly big hill.

The thermal pool

There are caves in the area and some are self-guided - meaning that there is no additional cost to visit them. That makes the $3 park use fee a bit of a bargain.

We packed the wet clothes and the remnants of lunch up and set of for the next part of the trip - a short trek from Yarrangobilly Village to Three Mile Dam camping area via Lobbs Hole. The track was again a 4WD recommended track and a fun drive, if steep in places.

Spectacular view from the 4WD

The trail then dropped to Lobs Hole (also called Ravine) where we needed to cross the Yarrangobilly River.

Yarrangobilly River crossing

The water was clear, about knee deep - on my standard Land Rover Discovery it came to about the bottom of the doors. We parked up and walked back to the crossing. The water was warm and there were plenty of campers around. The river bed was smooth rock, making it an easy crossing for most standard 4WD and even AWD vehicles.

Both gold and copper were mined in the area and the Kiandra residents apparently used to shelter in the area during winter. There are partial ruins of the hotel near the river crossing.

Mud ruins at Lobs Hole

We then set off again for the last part of the trip - an 800m climb back to the Link Road and the entry to the Three Mile Dam Camping area.

Three Mile Dam was built in 1882 to provide water for sluicing at the New Chum Hill gold mine. The dam is still there as are some of the ruins. We set up for the night and managed, in the breeze to break a part of the tent!

The campsite

Broken tent

So that was day 1 - lots of dirt driving and some frustration at the end of the day with a broken tent fitting. We called it a night.

OK - some camping stuff...
Access: 2WD - a few not.
Toilets: Some - long drop.
Showers: No.
Water: No.
Shop: No - drive to Talbingo.
Campfires: Yes - subject to firebans.
Pets: No - Part of Kosciusko National Park
Cost: Free.

GPS: 35.88638S 148.4527E

Australia Day Weekend - a summary

2010-01-28T06:59:00.000+11:00

It was a camping weekend to remember...

We saw kangaroos, platypus and brumbies in the wild.

We saw ghost towns, historic huts, ruins and modern towns, including Australia's highest.

We traveled along the once mighty Snowy River, and the Deddick River.

We broke our trusty tent and had to to a mercy dash to a town to buy a new one!

During all of this we camped a couple of times and took some photos. This weekend I shall start the tale of our adventure. It's a bit of a campsite review as normal, but also a bit of a 'road less travelled' story.