About Kevin & Ruth Sheather

We are both parents, and grand parents, and will never see 70 again and recently cellebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. Ruth has retired and Kevin has done so partially but with an arrangement that allows extensive periods of travel in out Coromal Magnum off road pop top caravan towed by a 2001 3 litre turbo diesel Holden Jackaroo. We love the outback with its rugged scenary and wide open spaces but are a bit constrained by the need for regular internet to meet work committments. But we love the coastal areas as well. The purpose of this blog site is to keep interested people informed of our travels. We report in as often as we reasonably are able with recent doings. So stand by. The next trip is never too far off.

A Short Northern Safari – The Dinosaur Triangle

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

The road to Hughenden through Homestead

There were things to see in Charters Towers but we treated it as an overnight stop. For time reasons we departed the next morning for Hughenden. The road, again, lead through grazing country, with cattle in evidence from time to time. We passed through the small towns of Homestead, Pentland, Torrens Creek and Prairie. At least some of these towns owe their existence to the original cattle station of which they were part. Their common feature is that they all have a pub.

There are a lot of cattle stations down this road.

Hughenden is the administrative centre of the Flinders Shire and is on the Flinders River which runs into the Gulf of Carpentaria. About 100 km east of Hughenden we had passed a sign informing us that we had entered the Lake Eyre catchment but must have passed out of it a bit further on.

Local councils put a great deal of effort into informative roadside material

Hughenden is one corner of the Dinosaur Triangle but is also the main stepping off point for Porcupine Gorge National Park.

Flat terrain near Richmond

We had planned to spend one night at Hughenden and then a night at Porcupine Gorge but the caravan sites at the camping area were all booked. As there were vacancies the next night we stayed in Hughenden for two nights and took a day trip to Richmond, the second corner of the Dinosaur Triangle, during the intervening day.

The Dinosaurs of Hughenden and Richmond

The land based dinosaur at Hughenden

The Flinders Discovery Centre at Hughenden dispenses visitor information but also houses the dinosaur museum. The establishment is not large but contains a large dinosaur replica made of parts cast from genuine fossilised bones of real dinosaurs. It dominates the building and is supported by displays of information about dinosaurs. The skeleton is made substantially from fossils found around Hughenden but has been supplemented by parts of Muttaburrasaurus, a dinosaur found at nearby Muttaburra.

Part of the display at Hughenden

Dinosaur fossils were first found in the area in 1867, with finds increasing in recent years as interest has grown and governments have allocated more money to research. The dinosaurs on display at Hughenden are land dwelling but at Richmond many marine creatures have been found. The display at Kronosauraus Korner, as the museum at Richmond is named, is based on marine finds. Way back, we are told, this area was at the edge of a huge inland sea.

Kronosauras Korner at Richmond

The main street of Richmond

The Richmond Facility is world class. I think it is quite remarkable for a small town like Richmond that has only about 550 residents. The Pliasaur is undoubtedly the main attraction. It is one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons found anywhere in the World and is magnificently displayed in a gallery named for the station owner who found it on his Marathon Station.

Display at Richmond – note the light show on the wall

Fossilised Bones of Didosaur Head

A general view of the Richmond display

Dinosaurs are a huge subject so I am not about to try to cover scientific detail here. Suffice to say that the whole subject is well and truly covered in the displays in both towns and is a major tourist attraction. I will allow my photographs to demonstrate.

The pride of Richmond museum – the Pliosaur

Another view of the Pliosaur

The council operated caravan park was close to full both nights that we stayed there and was well set out and well managed, with modern and well kept amenities. The standard of such infrastructure is indicative of the effort that councils put into maximising the value of the tourist dollar for their rate payers and residents.

Porcupine Gorge

Sign at the Gorge Lookout

The gorge, well known to wandering grey nomads, is at the end on about 75 km of sealed road. The road is part of the Kennedy Developmental Road that starts at Winton and goes north. It ultimately becomes the Kennedy Highway that leads via the Atherton Tableland to Cairns. A gravel surface starts after Porcupine Gorge but the sealed surface returns further north.

Gorge at the lookout

We arrived at the Gorge just before lunch. By this point in our travels the weather had warmed some and temperatures that day were reaching towards the mid 30s so I was keen to do my planned gorge walk. Ruth had withdrawn from the event due to her knee problems. I had a quick lunch and headed off, equipped with my camera and a bottle of water.

Our camp sight

The walk to the bottom of the gorge from the camping area is about 1.2 kilometres, of which the majority is the climb down. Fortunately there was a cool breeze blowing along the gorge and it kept conditions comfortable. On the way down I met several walkers, most of them senior citizens, making their way back up. I could see by the amount of puffing that most of them were doing that the climb back up would be a bit of a challenge.

The gorge is in a flat landscape

The path lead over rocky steps

The gorge is a huge slash in the quite flat countryside, excavated over the millennia by the now quite modest Porcupine Creek which runs through its 15 km length and continues to run under the road in. Of course, in flood time it would be anything but modest. Because the area was an inland sea the rocks are sedimentary and relatively easily weathered. An inspection of the stone floor of much of the gorge shows clear signs of the continuing process of erosion.

Weathered rock forms the gorge floor

The Pyramid

The stream runs through this part of the gorge, expanding into water holes at various points. Some of the walkers were taking advantage of the pools to take a refreshing dip but most said that the water was very cold. At the lower end of this section of the gorge a geological feature known as The Pyramid stands in the path of the stream and turns it aside to find its way around a couple of turns and on its way. The pyramid is the weathered face of a cliff, named for it’s shape.

Is this a fishing or a swimming hole? But the fish are protected in the National Park

Back at the top looking down

Time to start the climb back up

I took my time climbing back up the incline. It is made up of dirt path with occasional steps and lengthy stairways constructed from the rocks that litter the hillside. The rangers have done a great job with access to the gorge but that doesn’t make the climb on a warm afternoon that much easier. I arrived back at the caravan more than ready for a long cold drink despite emptying my water bottle during the climb.

Discarded walking sticks

We departed next morning for Winton via Hughenden. Winton is the third corner of the Dinosaur Triangle but I will deal with that in the next blog post.

A Short Northern Safari – A Beach, a Gold Town and a Dam

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Hideaway Bay

Our next objective was Hideaway Bay. This quiet sea side corner is about 30 kilometres north of Proserpine on the north western end of the Whitsunday Peninsula, just before the coast swings away into the bay before Bowen. If travelling by sea, that is. It is about 700 road kilometres on from Hervey Bay.

The entrance to the caravan park

And you can relax big time!

We had planned to reach Rockhampton, about 400 km on, the first day but continued a further 100 and stopped in a pleasant roadside park at Marlborough. We easily made Mackay the next day, despite a lengthy chat with some fellow nomads from Tasmania at a rest stop along the way. It was then another 160 km to Hideaway Bay the next day.

Houses at Hideaway Bay – between the sea and the hills

Hideaway Bay is a collection of houses built on the lower slopes of the ranges that run down to the sea. Some are permanently occupied while others are holiday homes, both private and rented. The town has no shops. Its commercial centre is a telephone box. The caravan park is at the entrance to the town. At the other end of Hideaway Bay Road, where the sealed road ends, is a turning circle and what must be one of the best placed picnic shelters in the world.

A well positioned picnic shelter

A gravel road continues from the turning circle and about 5 kilometres further on it passes Cape Gloucester, Gloucester Passage and Gloucester Island. On the western shore of Cape Gloucester two small resorts are located in what must be the most idyllic locations in the Whitsunday area. They are not flash establishments, in fact they are quite basic, but absolutely ooze charm.

Ruth and the view – and a drink

About 8 kilometres away is Dingo Beach which boasts a pub with attached store and fuel pumps and other essentials like bait sales and boat hire. For all else please drive to Proserpine.

Dingo Beach – A stroll at low tide

My “Fantasy Island” – off Dingo Beach

Outrigger boat on Dingo Beach

Clients of the caravan park include grey nomads escaping the rigors of southern winters, those who come for the fishing, including some of the nomads and people passing through, like us.

View from the beach to Gloucester Island

We stayed for three nights and did very little but did visit the beach and took a drive beyond Cape Gloucester to check out the resorts. As we rounded a further point we were surprised to find over 60 yachts, multihulls and power boats, anchored just off shore.

Boats at cnchor off Montes Resort

The Cape Gloucester Eco Resort was quiet but at Montes next door it was all “go”. You see, Montes were hosting the Shag Island Regatta, a charity fund raising event that has become a fixture. That explains all the anchored pleasure craft. We were told that there were many more to come. I’m not sure how it all works but last year they raised $35,000. But I get the impression that the pecking order among participants has more to do with drinking than nautical skills.

Preparing for the revelries at Montes Resort

Neighbours on one side at the caravan park were from Bairnsdale in Victoria. The lady had worked for an Orbost transport company with which I later had a close association so we knew many of the same people. They were also skilled fishing people which yielded a couple of meals of freshly caught sweet lip.

Our next target was the Burdekin Falls Dam. The Burdekin River flows into the Coral Sea after passing between the sugar cane towns of Home Hill and Ayr. My interest is that one of the transport companies for which I was responsible, after our relocation to Brisbane, carried into the sight substantial quantities of the materials used to construct the dam. We also had some heavy cranes on site. I had not visited during construction and have always wanted to see the final construction.

Ravenswood & Burdekin Falls Dam

Our plan had been to shorten the journey by using a mostly dirt and gravel road that cuts across from Ayr to Ravenswood, but when advised that it was in poor condition decided to travel further north before cutting back to the main access road. This meant spending an extra night somewhere, so we checked out a free camp at Giru, just north of Ayr, but finding it to be of a standard somewhere below ordinary we continued on to a park that we had used previously in Townsville’s southern suburbs.

Burdekin Falls Dan – a solid concrete structure

Ruth had previously received notification of a 25% discount sale at Noni B (where she used to work) and with a gift voucher burning a hole in her handbag had been hunting on the their web site, unsuccessfully, for a suitable purchase. Magnanimous Kev, seeing that it was Saturday morning, offered to drive past a Noni B store before we headed out of town.

Google search directed us to a shop that no longer exists but neighbouring traders pointed us in the right direction and a purchase was made. But that was the minor purchase. The more important one was some fresh cooked prawns that we devoured for lunch with fresh bread rolls with lashings of butter – well, margarine actually. I had forgotten that grey nomads had it so good!

The road to Burdekin Falls Dam leaves the Flinders Highway 90 kilometres from Townsville at the tiny village of Mingela, population 20. It is 121 kilometres to the dam from the turn but after 40 of them you reach the fascinating gold mining town of Ravenswood. The town is littered with remnants of its past, located right beside a town of about 500 people and ongoing gold mining activities. There is both an open cut and an underground mine in the area.

The Railway Hotel, Ravenswood

Relics of the town’s gold mining history are everywhere

Like most old gold mining towns its size and success is indicated by the number and quality of pubs. Ravenswood has three two storey hotel buildings two of which still operate and have been licensed for more than 100 years. Mining commenced in 1868 and faded away after a strike in 1912 and the outbreak of WWI. There were 48 pubs at the peak of operations and a population of around 5,000. A railway line came to the town for passengers and gold.

The School of Arts hall is in excellent condition

This is a town where it is possible to investigate much of the history up close. There are many heritage listed buildings and areas, most of which are quite accessible. Just out of town on the road to Ayr is a large white quartz outcrop known as the White Blow. The outcrop is 15 metres high and about 45 metres in diameter. It sits at the peak of a small hill in a conservation park of the same name. It is geologically unique in size and shape.

The White Blow is unique in both shape and size

It is a further 81 kilometres to the dam, through cattle country. The road is of redish bitumen, with painted centre lines and clear verges so that although cattle grids are used to minimise fencing the presence of hazards in the shape of beef cattle are easily seen. An interesting feature is the maze of cattle paths that run beside the road, leading to drinking holes and troughs. Generally the stock seems to stay clear of the road. We only encountered beasts on the road on two occasions although one was a very large hornless bull who refused to move as we scraped by.

Cattle by the road side

The Burdekin Falls Dam is quite a body of water. It dams the river at the head of a series of majestic falls and rapids that disappear from view around the bend in the gorge through which the river flows at this point. The wall is 876 metres in length and contains a spillway 504 metres long and 37 metres above the bed of the river. It has a surface area of 220 km2 and holds 1,860,000 mega litres. Get the picture? By comparison Sydney Harbour holds 500,000 mega litres and has a surface area of 55 km2.

The body of water is known as Lake Dalrymple

There are no controlling gates so when the permanent bypass can no longer handle river flows the excess comes over the spillway. When this happens the road that leads on to Collinsville and the Bowen Basin coal area (it is a back road) is cut. The road, quite uniquely, runs at the foot of the spillway so is inundated as soon as the dam overflows

The road runs along the foot of the spillway

Because of the height of the wall, saddle dams have been built across ravines which would now be inundated with water at flood time. And when it comes to floods this river has some that were large.

The Burdekin Falls start below the dam

Note the picture of the flood marker pole beside the road where the Flinders Highway crosses the Burdekin near Charters Towers and remember that the base if the pole stands above the level of the roadway. This location is well upstream from the dam.

Burdekin River flood levels well upstream from the dam

Railway bridge over the Burdekin River near Charters Towers

The only habitation at the dam is the resident rangers for SunWater and the caravan park that they run. With regularly watered grass, concrete pads for an annex, power, water and sullage it is the best value around at $15 per night for two adults. It has the added advantage of a flock of peacocks in residence, a great variety of visiting birds and regular visits from kangaroos. As a bonus we had a clear night with a magnificent display of stars.

The caravan Park is on the hill above the dam

Peacocks waiting for food

We have moved on to Charters Towers for the night. Our stay in the park coincided with a three course dinner, run as a fund raiser by the local Lions Club. When I asked Ruth if she thought we should participate, her affirmative reply came without much hesitation.

A Short Northern Safari – Watching the Whales

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

The Sheathers are mobile again. Ruth’s knee has responded to physiotherapy and the orthopaedic surgeon has given approval, so we have grasped a brief window of opportunity to get away before commercial responsibilities demand my presence in Brisbane. Then, of course, someone decided to call an election for 7^th September thus reducing the size of the window by a few days.

This trip takes us up the coast, almost to Townsville and then to Charters Towers and around two sides of the Dinosaur Triangle, including Hughenden, Richmond and Winton. Then we plan to move through to Longreach, the gem areas of Sapphire and Rubyvale and finally home.

Because much of the area is very familiar to us we will be driving straight through much of it to reach the areas of interest. It is mainly about these areas that I will blog.

For years we have promised ourselves a whale watching cruise and although we had encountered a couple of whales while sailing in The Whitsunday Islands a few years ago we had never been up “close and personal” with them. So the first two nights of our trip were booked at Hervey Bay with a whale cruise booked on the intervening day.

There they are. just under the water.

It is easy to feel at home in Hervey Bay. God has several waiting rooms in Queensland and Hervey Bay is one of them. But this weekend it was all “Go” as the Whale festival was on. But we didn’t see much of it because while others were parading the streets we were out on the water actually looking at what the shore based folk were celebrating.

Just cruising along.

We sailed on the “Tasman Venture” and are pleased to report that it ventured nowhere near the Tasman. But it did venture to Platypus Bay which is the long sweeping expanse of sheltered water off the west coast at the northern end of Fraser Island. Whales come in to Hervey Bay as part of their breeding pilgrimage from cold Antarctic waters to the warmer waters of the Coral Sea.

Waving a fin.

A strong southerly current runs down the east coast of Australia, often reaching speeds 4 knots and more. The whales have to swim against it as they travel north. I have sailed into that current from Sydney to Brisbane and you certainly know it is there. So it makes sense to me that the whales would turn into Hervey Bay for some respite from the persistent current.

Here is a better view!

There were sufficient of them in the bay for us to find and spend time with three pods, two of two and one pod of three. Once you have two whales you have a pod. There can be more than two in a pod, of course.

They are being cooperative today!

From the first sighting excitement on the boat was obvious. There were around 60 passengers and as soon as the sighting was announced there was a rush to the bow. The Tasman Venture is a substantial catamaran but the shift in human weight caused the bow to drop and the stern to rise but we did not join the whales below the water. But the whales certainly joined us on the surface and gave every indication that we were welcome in their domain.

Another close view.

Pods one and two behaved a little differently at first but then settled into common behaviour patterns. There was much surfacing, venting, rolling and diving and heads popping up to take a look around. The skipper kept moving the boat so that everyone could see but the whales swam from side and from front to back, often swimming right under the boat.

Swimming away from the boat.

Show business folk say that you should always leave your audience wanting more. Well this audience certainly wanted more and wanted it all afternoon. And we got it.

What ever is going on? Whales often take a look like this.

The third pod contained a seasoned showman. He was the largest whale we had seen, probably full grown, and must have been there before as he knew how to please the crowd. Whales have large fins on their sides called pectoral fins. On a large whale they weigh about a tonne. The showman whale repeatedly struck the surface of the water, sending up showers of spray and continued to do it time after time – almost like a child splashing in the bath.

The under side of a whale’s tail.

Top view of the tail.

Then, with sunset approaching, he appeared to lose interest and started swimming away. The skipper, thinking that the show was over, started to open the throttles on the boat. The increased vibration seemed to warn the whale that he was losing his audience because he dived and breached. A breach is when the whale throws their body almost right out of the water. But he continued with his performance completing about ten breaches in succession. It truly was awesome!

The flapping pectoral fin.

Even the crew were impressed. We heard later that other boats had seen more whales than we did but none that we heard of were presented with the show that we had enjoyed.

It was about an hour’s run back to port through the deepening twilight. We watched the sun set over the land and the lights of Hervey Bay become brighter. The crew served

The start of the breach action

drinks and nibblies to help pass the time but there was lots of conversation as passengers discussed what we had witnessed on a rather unique day.

Later, back at the caravan park, we could hear rather loud music and then the even louder explosions of fireworks as the celebrations of the Whale Festival reached their climax.

I took quite a lot of video. AS soon as I have a chance I will put together some material and post it on You Tube.

A Gathering of Angels and War Birds

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Those who read the post about our recent visit to Temora for the Tenth Anniversary of the establishment of Angel Flight in Australia, will recall that the event was held in conjunction with a demonstration day at the Temora Military Museum, during which aircraft dating back to the start of World War II did demonstration flights.

I was in paradise that day. I love aircraft, particularly noisy aircraft and we had plenty of noise that day. I took a great deal of video. This was the point at which the video functions of my camera started to give trouble but I managed to salvage most of the clips. I have now edited them into a video that has been loaded to YouTube so that you can join me in my enjoyment of the marvel of flight and all the noise that goes with it. The link is below. If the link does not respond to clicking with your mouse just paste it into the URL field of your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ua0soHkj80

A few days before, we had spent two days at the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo, where I also took a great deal of video material. I am about to edit it into a series of short videos to upload to YouTube and will post links for you as I progress with that task.

Ruth and I are hoping to get away for another month during the next three months, but that will depend on Ruth’s damaged knee. Physiotherapy has helped but there is still some distance to go. We will keep you posted.

Different Way There … and Back – Post 9

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Day 47 – 13^th May – Castlemaine to Kerang – 165 Km

At this point we deviated from the original plan, which was to turn south to Geelong, drive the Great Ocean Road and then turn north through Western Victoria. This part of the trip was predicated on reasonably warm weather so had been in some doubt since the weather had turned cold a couple of weeks before. But when we saw the forecast for wind, rain and very cold conditions we decided to keep moving north. In this decision Mildura was abandoned as well. We would go to Mungo National park via Balranald.

Once through the ever spreading suburbs of Bendigo the road to Kerang is on the edge of the Murray Valley. This area produces grain in copious quantities. The fields, often trimmed by rows of trees, alternated between last year’s stubble, ploughed awaiting grain and already planted. Many areas have had insufficient rain to plant yet so all eyes are turned to the sky. So were ours as a huge rain storm seemed to follow us for a while, but it crossed our path to the rear. We had heavy rain that night.

A surprise along the way, at our lunch stop, was the town of Serpentine. This small country town was the site of Australia’s very first air race. Four aircraft fought out the battle for first place. A small memorial commemorates the event.

Day 48 – 14^th May – Kerang

Reporting deadlines were due in the next couple of days, so we stayed in Kerang for a second night. It was a good day to stay in the van and work. It was cloudy, windy and cold all day.

Day 49 – 15^th May – Kerang to Griffith – 341 Km

Ruth’s knee continued to give her problems and the need to be constantly climbing into and out of both van and car was awkward and painful. Add to this that the coming couple of weeks of the trip would take us into much rougher country the sensible conclusion was that we should head for home. We decided against a dash and instead decided to make our way north via the Kidman Way.

To put this revised plan into action we started out to the north across the Murray River to Deniliquin, turned east to Finlay and then made our way along the Newell Highway to Jerilderie, where the Kidman Way commences. The Kidman Way, of course, is named in honour of Sir Sydney Kidman, one of Australia’s true beef industry pioneers.

This southern area of NSW is flat grazing country with some agriculture. We travelled through this kind of country until we reached the irrigation area at Coleambally and then Griffith. As we approached Griffith the vineyards and orchards increased and lead into the commercial sprawl which seems to occupy the roadsides into towns of this kind.

We found a parking spot near a grocery store to do some shopping. This activity took us along the main street both going and coming. It has to be one of the longest shopping strips we have seen and one of the busiest as well. We found a caravan park and settled for the night.

The RV parking area at Griffith is right by this attractive canal.

Day 50 – 16^th May – Griffith to Cobar – 366 Km

The day dawned with a heavy fog blanketing everything but soon the sun started poking through with the promise of a better day. The gentle climb out of town took us past more vineyards and orchards but then the country flattened to rich agricultural and grazing land. We passed several large wheat silos with additional grain stored under tarpaulins. Last year must have been a good harvest.

The main town on the way to Cobar is Hillston, a town about which I knew nothing. I joked to Ruth as we left Griffith “If there is a McDonalds at Hillston I’ll have a skinny chino”. There was no McDonalds but as we pulled into a caravan parking space (Hillston is a RV friendly town), to continue the joke, I said “I’ll have fresh scones for morning tea”. I didn’t even get a laugh!

As we got out of the car Ruth said, “Isn’t that a coffee shop over there?” So we were introduced to The Shed on the Lachlan, where we did enjoy a skinny chino and fresh scones with jam and cream. We were a bit early for sausage rolls. They were under construction in the food preparation area behind the counter. The building was in the style of a shed with the river literally at its back door.

The Shed on the Lachlan. The coffee shop at Hillston.

The Lachlan right behind the Shed.

Hillston is a substantial town and is a service centre to grazing and agriculture and cotton production. The cotton harvest has recently finished and large yellow wrapped cylindrical cotton bales were lined up in the fields waiting for transport.

The country through which we travelled as we approached Cobar.

Finally the flat farming lands gave way to low hilly scrub covered country that continued until we reached Cobar. The initially fine day gave way to dark patches of rain clouds which moved in strips across the landscape producing alternatively wet and dry sections of road.

The deep hole of Cobar’s copper mine.

Cobar is a mining town with a very deep hole just outside the town where copper has been extracted. We drove to the look out where we could see to the very bottom of the hole and then drove around some of the back streets of town looking at the miners’ cottages. Most were small, many with clear signs of extension and a substantial proportion probably getting on towards the century mark.

Day 51 – 17^th May – Cobar to Willie Retreat – 235 Km

I have been interested in the Macquarie Marshes since reading about the grief they gave to some of Australia’s early explorers. They stretch from Warren in the south almost to Walgett in the north. A visit had been in our south bound itinerary but got bumped for other activities. Since the area was not too far from our path home we decided to visit for a couple of days and stay at Willie Retreat on Willie Station.

The shearers’ quarters anr the main accommodation building.

To get there we abandoned the Kidman Way at Cobar and turned east to Nyngan. Then we travelled in a north easterly direction for about 110 Km over sealed reads that started at full width but progressively narrowed until just wide enough for one vehicle. We were passed by two and met by only one vehicle in the whole journey. The country was uniformly flat with most trees along water courses and passed station homesteads or roads regularly both sides. We ran out of tar and onto a good dirt road about 10 Km from Willie Retreat. Our lunch stop was by Duck Creek without a single duck in sight.

Willie Retreat is on Willie Station which abuts the southern Macquarie Marshes. The station no longer runs cattle or sheep but Myra Tolhurst, survivor of a partnership with her late husband Philip, runs the Retreat for visitors to the marshes. In the few days before our arrival she played host to a national parks training group who were being taught how to shoot feral animals from a helicopter.

Myra with Patrick the pet pig.

Willie Retreat is not a caravan park but a station stay with facilities suitable for that purpose. Like many such establishment the accommodation is based on the original shearers’ quarters. A bit rough but comfortable and supplemented by a bunk house, on site vans, powered van sites and an extensive camping area.

The station is on a historic road and hosts the remains of a Cobb & Co depot.

Day 52 – 18^th May – Macquarie Marshes

Yesterday’s sunshine was a memory and a cloudy cold day a reality. We made a late start and rewarded ourselves for our lack of application with bacon and eggs for breakfast. We walked around the property greeting the pet emus and examining the edge of the marsh which, at the moment, is more dry land than wet land. It has been dry in this part of NSW for the last year or so.

The Macquarie River near Willie Retreat.

A black winged stilt blocking our way.

After lunch we drove along the dusty Gibson Way that runs through the middle of the marshes. This road is cut when the Macquarie is in flood. The Macquarie River, just 1 Km down the road, is totally dry but as we drove on we found a few places where we could see the marshes as they are in wet conditions. There were lots of water birds but few compared to the number involved in the mass breeding of recent years.

This picture should have contained water and birds.

The road is dirt and was in good condition but a bit dusty. Rain turns it into a quagmire. We decided to drive its full length to the small town of Quambone on the eastern side of the marshes. The sign at the entrance of the town advises that 197 people live in the Quambone district. That would include those residing on station properties.

Quambone claims the smallest library. And it has propper sized books.

As we drove along the main street we noticed great activity around what appeared to be the only shop. We stopped to investigate when we saw a sign that said “Paint today, free lunch tomorrow”. It seems that the previous owner of the shop, which is also the post office, allowed it to almost run to a dead stop. A young couple from Perth have taken it over and are trying to turn it into a general store, coffee shop and take away business. But there is no quick fortune to be made here so getting it up and running was a real challenge.

The working bee at the Quambone store.

Somehow the local Salvation Army rural chaplaincy found about the problem and with the help of a Rotary Club from Canberra set up a project to renovate the building. So a team of workers arrived in town and set to work. The team had to return home on the previous day but the painting had not been completed. So the Salvation Army chaplains (husband and wife) and some volunteer farmers were painting and putting on finishing touches. We contributed by having coffee and cake and posting it on Face Book. We chatted to the helpers. Lovely people all!

Day 53 – 19^th May – Willie Retreat to Lake Keepit – 360 Km

Our journey east crossed our southbound track at Coonamble on the Castlereagh Highway. We left Willie Retreat at about 9.30 am after acquiring a bottle of Willie Retreat honey. River Red Gum flavour!

The first part of the journey retraced our drive of the previous day to Quambone, then to Coonamble, Baradine, Coonabarabran where we stopped to shop and for lunch and finally to Gunnedah and the caravan park overlooking the waters of the dam at Lake Keepit State Park.

It was a very cold night at Lake Keepit, with a minimum of around 0C.

Day 54 – 20^th May – Lake Keepit to Warwick – 476 Km

We had not previously driven the length of Fossickers’ Way so this was a good chance to do so. The track or the day took us through Manilla, Barraba, Warialda, Texas, Inglewood and Warwick.

A slight mishap occurred as we passed through Manilla. The bridge over the Namoi River is narrow. Four vehicles were coming in the opposite direction as we drove onto the bridge. Number three vehicle was a little too close to the centre line of the roadway and hit and destroyed our right hand towing mirror with a frame to hold a towing mirror on his vehicle. So the left hand mirror had to be moved to the right hand side and we finished the trip with only one mirror.

A blue sky welcome to Queensland.

We had started the day under cloudy skies but as we approached the Queensland border the cloud ended in a straight line across the sky and beyond this was clear blue. But it still wasn’t warm. The cold weather is following us, or perhaps it has come on ahead.

Day 55 – 21^st May – Warwick to Home – 239 KM

There was frost on the ground in the caravan park at Warwick. The park manager had remarked, as we booked in the previous evening, that he had lit his fire the day before and did not expect to let it go out until September.

We avoided Cunningham Gap on the Cunningham Highway to miss the road works that are still under way repairing damage caused by the deluge over the area earlier in the year. We took the Clifton to Gatton Road instead. This is a fairly narrow road but is a pleasant drive through a gorge and then through farm lands culminating with the small crops of the fertile Lockyer Valley.

We arrived home at about 11.30 am to commence the inevitable task of unpacking the van and getting back into the routine of daily life.

Ruth has an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning so we will keep that and see where it leads.

Footnote: The doctor prescribed physiotherapy. The first treatment occurred this afternoon

A Different Way there … and Back – Post 8

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Days 36 – 1^st May – Stratford to Lakes Entrance – 90 Km

A short drive had us in the park at Lakes Entrance at lunch time despite having stopped at Bairnsdale to buy some warmer clothes. A bitterly cold wind was blowing from the south and totally negating any influence that the sun was having on the temperature. Two digits required to express the temperature, but only just. Other family members arrived mid afternoon so the catch up has commenced.

Days 37 to 40 – 2^nd to 5th May – Lakes Entrance Area

A day by day description of these days would be like watching paint dry so I will comment only on the highlights.

On Friday (Day 39) the entire party of 6 joined a ferry cruise on the lakes. The objective of the cruise was lunch at the Metung Hotel but with sightseeing, accompanied by a commentary from the skipper, as a bonus. The entire event took about four hours and occurred under clear skies and sunshine. Thursday and Friday were both much better days that the day that we arrived, although the mornings were still very cold. If winter is not actually here it is not far away.

Cormorants crowd a sand bank.

Metung is a small village on a point, or tongue of land that provides one shore of the channel into Lakes King and Victoria, when approaching from Lakes Entrance. Its status as a village is confirmed by the presence of a genuine village green. There are a few businesses. The housing is a mixture of luxury and humble but the overall effect is

The hotel is right by the lake

an attractive one. The hotel is right on the water with its own jetty. We simply moored, disembarked and strolled in for lunch. I think this is how the rich do it!

Parked for lunch

On Saturday we took a lay day and on Sunday (Day 41) we embarked on a two car tour convoy. Quite coincidently Aileen and Colin had friends holidaying in Lakes Entrance, so we invited them to occupy two of the spare seats. We set roughly a triangular course. I like triangular courses. They mean that you don’t have to pass the same point twice.

Mouth of Snowy River

Marlo, a small village at the mouth of the Snowy River, was the first destination. When we did our day trip out of Corryong we were near the source of the Snowy, so it was interesting to be standing on the bank watching it empty into the ocean. A bit further along the coast from here, to the east, is Cape Hicks, the first part of the Australian coast to be sighted by Lt. James Cook in 1772, but we didn’t drive that far.

The day was cold and cloudy, so the shop on the edge of town with a sign that promised hot coffee was irresistible. On a quiet Sunday seven for morning coffee was probably quite acceptable. To reach the coffee shop it was necessary to walk through a fishing tackle shop. There were no customers for bait while we were there but a few more came in for coffee.

On our way into town we had noticed a sign to a side road showing “PS Curlip”, so as we passed the sign on way back we turned in to see what it was all about. Moored in the Brodrib River, just upstream from its junction with the Snowy, was a paddle steamer of about 15 meters, fitted for passengers.

PS Curlip II at her mooring

This is the second PS Curlip. Curlip I was a work boat in the area for many years but was lost in a flood in 1919. In about 2002 locals devised a plan to rebuild the Curlip, and this was done as a community project. The vessel now is used as a cruise boat. Had we been in the area for another week we could have boarded for a Mother’s Day Lunch Cruise. A diary entry for a future visit to the area is appropriate.

We had been told that there was nowhere to eat in Buchan, the next corner of the triangle, so we drove back to Orbost, the larger town in the area, for some lunch before taking on the narrow mountain road to Buchan. Fish and chips and the like seemed appropriate on such a day so we stopped off at Chooky’s Nook. Good food, if a bit fatty. Great chips!

Parked in Orbost’s main street

Many years ago when I worked in the transport industry I had accounting responsibility for a transport operation that we had bought in the town. In those days Orbost was an important bean growing centre, producing hundreds of truck loads of beans for the snap frozen bean market. There is no sign of bean production now but the pastures are dotted with dairy cows.

Even more years ago, I explored much of this part of East Gippsland with a friend, each riding our own Vesper motor scooter. With sleeping bag, tent, clothes and food on the rack at the rear, or in a pack on our back, we travelled the area on long weekends and holidays. It was on one such trip that I first visited Buchan, travelling in from Nowa Nowa and departing along what is now known as the Barry Way, to the north.

So the road in from Orbost was a new experience. Along the 56 Km of this road forest and farm land alternate. On a couple of occasions we broke out of the bush on a hill top to be met by a picturesque valley complete with farm houses, sheds and autumn tintedtrees. The winding road meant that we were proceeding at a steady pace but that added to the charm of the drive. This part of the trip was the highlight of the day.Buchan is a rural centre but its main claim to fame is the limestone caves that are located near the small town. No one in our group was interested in tours of the caves but were keen to visit, or revisit, this quite unique place. The cave administration buildings, the day use area and small caravan park are on the bank of a stream and enclosed by steep hills on either side. The caves are in the hill side on the far side of the stream.

Buchan Caves NP

The area is sheltered by well established Australian natives interspersed by pines and more of the deciduous trees that are responsible for the autumn colours. It is a truly delightful spot. And it was sheltered from the cold wind!

Buchan Town & Valley

The person who told us that there was nowhere to eat in Buchan badly maligned the town. A cafe and a road house both provide meals, but it was too soon after lunch to eat again so we continued on to the small town of Bruthen on the Great Alpine Road, where we invaded another small shop for tea and coffee, before making our way back to Lakes Entrance following the road that runs along the banks of the Tambo River to Swan Reach and from there back to base.

A departing view of the entrance from which the town gets its name

Day 41 – 6^th May – Lakes Entrance to Ringwood North – 307 Km

We left Lakes Entrance in sunshine, experienced cloud and drizzle through the Latrobe Valley and finished in sunshine. We parked the van at the Wantirna Caravan Park, packed three days gear into a plastic bin and shopping bags and drove the remaining few kilometres to our friends place at Ringwood North.

Days 42 to 45 – 7^th to 10^th April – Ringwood North

Thelma and Joe have been friends for almost 50 years. Our families grew up together to a large extent and our youngest daughters remain in contact. We drank much tea and coffee and talked. These pleasant interludes were interspersed with some other activities. Ruth sustained a knee injury early in the trip and as it is still worrying her, she sought medical advice. We also went out to lunch one day. We returned to the van on Friday afternoon ready to depart Melbourne the next day.

Day 46 – 11^th May – Ringwood North to Castlemaine – 149 Km

The first part of the journey was across the suburbs of Melbourne to the Calder Freeway. As we passed through the new suburbs that were country towns when we lived in Melbourne, we were once again reminded of the growth of this southern city. The Calder Freeway runs to Bendigo and passes by Mount Macedon and a sign to Hanging Rock that reminds of a very nice wine and a certain picnic.

We stopped off at Kyneton, now bypassed by the freeway, to top up supplies. Many historic buildings line the main street. I remember them from when the highway passed their doors. It was a very busy day. Kyneton has excellent markets, we are told. If the crowded streets are an indication they must be very good indeed. In the IGA supermarket I spied a familiar face from a TV program. I am still trying to fit a name to the face.

Days 46 – 12^thMay – Castlemaine

Keith and Lynda lived near us at bay side Edithvale where we lived before moving to Queensland. As often happens, Ruth met Lynda at school where our daughter Briony and their son Dean were in the same class. Keith and I were drawn together by a common love of sailing. I used to crew for him in various long distance races on sheltered waterways in Victoria. They now live in Castlemaine in alleged retirement. I say alleged retirement, having heard their activity schedule.

The Giles have a view that they can never loose

A quite day, but as it was Mothers’ Day and our 51^st wedding anniversary we enjoyed lunch at Tog’s Place in Castlemaine. The town’s proximity to Bendigo has provided opportunities to entice citizens of that fair city to drive down and dine. Good eating places abound. We were very satisfied with the meal that we shared.

Lightly Curried Beef Pie

A Different Way There … and Back – Post 7

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Day 31 – 26^th April – Mt Beauty to Mansfield – 200 Km

We made an early start, ground our way up Tawonga Gap, stopped at the lookout at the top and eased down the other side to Bright. We have visited Bright before so we contented ourselves with a slow drive through its tree lined streets. The autumn tints are not as far advanced as in Mt. Beauty but are still most attractive.

Mount Buffalo was the next geographical feature and appeared prominently on our left as we left Bright. It is on the list for a visit some time. The entire area is worth more time but so does much of Australia.

I wonder, as we pass through this former tobacco growing region, why property owners have never removed the drying kilns that seem to be a feature of most properties. Do they think that the anti-smoking movement is just a passing fad?

Tasting Room and Restaurant at Brown Brothers Winery

Our first objective was to visit the Brown Brothers winery at Milawa and perhaps to sample some of the other culinary delights of the Gourmet Trail. Brown Brothers lived up to expectations, perhaps exceeded them. We would like to come back at some time to experience a meal in their epicurean centre. We did become members of their Epicurean Club which is worth 10% on purchases.

We also checked out the cheese shop at the other end of town. Another delightful place where to linger too long would not be good for the waist line. The shop incorporates a bakery and a restaurant. The show cases almost bulge with goodies.

Milawa Cheese Shop cafe area

The rest of the day, until mid afternoon, was spent travelling to Mansfield via Whitfield. This trip involved climbing a mountain range to about 800 metres before descending again into the valley that leads to Mansfield. We made a small detour to Power’s Lookout, where we had lunch. I had not heard of Harry Power but it appears that he terrified the good people around Whitfield back in the days when bush rangers were doing their thing. The detour allowed us to share his view into the King Valley. He was looking out for policemen. We were looking at a tranquil valley.

Harry Power’s view of the King Valley

Day 32 – 27^th April – The Victorian High Country

In recent years, as I have developed my interest in four wheel driving, I have read quite a bit about the Victorian High Country. The High Country covers a substantial part of Victoria from Central Victoria right through to where it joins the NSW Southern Alps at the Snowy Mountains. Mt, Beauty and Mansfield are both part of this region but, from a 4WD point of view, Mansfield is the more popular. The roads into the mountains provide access to a vast selection of mountain roads, bush tracks and camping sites.

We used our day at Mansfield to explore some of this country. We chose the Mt Stirling Circuit because it allowed us to visit the iconic Craig’s Hut, a prop built for the shooting of the film “The Man from Snowy River”. We and a large number of other people!

Telephone Box Junction – the start of the circuit propper. Out to the left .. back to the right.

The circuit road is about 80 Km of mountainous gravel road. Most is winding and narrow. Its main contribution to tourism is the magnificent views that it offers of Victoria’s mountain ranges but it also leads to other roads and tracks. The roads were originally used for carting logs to saw mills and still carry some log trucks at times. But the main users are drivers of SUVs, although in dry weather it is a 2WD road as well.

Most of the road was in good condition but there were some areas of fairly severe corrugations.The only real 4WD track in this drive is the track from the circuit road to Craig’s Hut. This track is narrow and steep and today it was busy. When we arrived at the destination, after giving the Challenger the best work out that it has had to date, the car park was full with more than 30 4WDs of all descriptions.

Part of the crowded car park

There was also a horse riding tour group. The horses tethered to the rail fence around the hut gave the whole scene a sense of authenticity which was offset by the number of people walking around. There was a great deal of movement at this station!

Horses tethered to the fence of Craig’s Hut

Ruth leaning on the back fence of Craig’s Hut

The view from Jim Craig’s back fence

After completing the circuit, we drove up the serpentine road to the Mount Bulla ski village. But it is no village. It is a small city placed at the very summit of a mountain peak that rises to almost 1,700 metres above sea level. Many of the buildings look almost new and additional accommodation is being added now. I don’t like snow very much but I would like to visit there during the snow season just to see what it is like. But I would stay inside by the fire!

A chair lift passes right by houses at Mt Bulla

The view from a Mt Bulla street

Day 33 – 28^th April – Mansfield to Drouin – 270 Km

We left Mansfield in cloudy and cool (well, perhaps cold) weather heading for Drouin in West Gippsland. Drouin is the town where I spent the second half of my teens and where Ruth and I lived for the first two years of married life. My sister Aileen and her husband Colin now live there having moved from their home of the 48 years of their married life at neighbouring town, Longwarry. Aileen and Colin will be joining us at Lakes Entrance but we wanted to see their new house.

The trip was uneventful but interesting. I had no idea of the extent of the wine industry in the Yarra Valley. It reaches out almost to Healesville. The vineyards grow on rolling hillsides on both sides of the highway. Vines in this area have not yet lost their leaves but the foliage has turned an almost uniform shade of yellow that, from a distance, looked like canola fields.

Aileen and Colin have a very nice home. We backed the van into the drive at the side of the house and abandoned it for a bed inside. A very warm and comfortable bed!

Day 34 – 29^th April – Drouin to Stratford – 133 Km

We made a late start after a leisurely breakfast and then morning tea sitting in the sunshine. Our destination is Stratford on Avon. Yes, Victoria has one as well as England. And the town hosts, unsurprisingly, an annual Shakespeare Festival. The caravan park is on the banks of the Avon River and we have another river side site.

We arrived mid afternoon and settled in. And that was it for the day.

Day 35 – 30^th April – Dargo and more High Country.

Many of the mountain roads and tracks that can be accessed from Mansfield can also be reached from Gippsland. One of the most popular entry points is the small alpine town of Dargo. Dargo is a small town, its few houses stretching along the valley through which runs the Dargo River. It’s most famous and prominent building is the Dargo pub, which I am sure has retained its tumble-down appearance for good commercial reasons.

Dargo Hotel

The road from Stratford runs first along the Princes Highway and turns north to traverse flat open farm country, although most of the paddocks were empty with only a few sheep and cattle in evidence. Then the road climbs to about 600 metres above sea level and undulates a bit over two or three timbered mountains before dropping into the Dargo Valley.

Immediately after passing through Dargo the mountains start in earnest. In about 8 Km the road rises to around 1,200 metre and the views are spectacular. This area has numerous roads and tracks. They ascend to the giddy peaks of mountains, run along the spines of alpine ridges and dive into protected valleys where camping areas sprinkled along the river banks.

One of the main rivers is the Wonnangatta, which runs through the mountains accompanied by tracks that lead to historic locations unknown to most people. This was gold rush country and relics of mining history are still there to be seen.

We drove to the top of the mountain above Dargo so that we could claim to have seen the Dargo High Plains, the scene of many years of summer grazing activity as well as timber getting. We also did the first few kilometres of the Crooked River Track that runs beside the Wonnangatta and checked out the Wonnangatta Caravan Park, although it is already closed for the winter. The 4WD season is almost finished for this year. There were few other vehicles on the road and Dargo was very quiet.

Part of the Wonnangatta Caravan Park

I will always be grateful to the pioneers who planted the deciduous trees that so add to the beauty of the scenery with their magnificent colours. The Dargo River near the town is lined with large autumn tinted trees that provide a brilliant backdrop to the town. From the heights of the mountain we looked down into the Dargo River valley, upstream from the town, and there were splashes of gold and scarlet contrasting with the lighter green of the grass and the grey green of the Australian bush.

Autumn colours along the Dargo River

A Different Way There …. and Back – Post 6

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Day 27 – 22^nd April – Temora to Corryong – 270 Km

A cool morning, but not quite as cold as the 2C and 4C of the previous two, greeted us as I took the car for a service. With that chore attended to we left Temora at 11.30 am bound for Corryong via Wagga Wagga and Tumbarumba. The run to Wagga Wagga and then along the Tumbarumba Road to where it crosses the Hume Highway is fairly flat but then its character changes abruptly. From flattish open farm country it changes to mountains covered with forest. The first steep hill starts immediately on the other side of the Hume Highway.

Wagga Wagga was a fuel and lunch stop. It appears to be a prosperous regional city with a great deal of commercial building going on. We found a pleasant little park for our break. Having just come from Temora Aviation Museum we did not stop at the aircraft display at the front of the RAAF base at North Wagga but continued on through the small town of Ladysmith (it made me think of apples) and on, after much climbing and descending, to Tumbarumba.

We had not been to this very pretty town before and were not prepared for the sight of it nestled in its valley and expanding onto the surrounding slopes. We were not able to stop for a photo, as there was nowhere for a caravan to park on the steep descent into the town. You cannot see a town properly unless you spend a bit of time in it. And you often have to retrace your steps to get good photographs.

In the centre of Tumbarumba.

The earlier part of the road to Corryong was again a series of steep climbs and sharp descents with some really choice spots at which we could have camped if arrangements had permitted. There were about four caravans in one clearing beside a creek. We would have loved to join them.

Further along this road we came across a memorial to lost aircraft the Southern Cloud. This aircraft, an Avro 618 Ten, went missing on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne in May 1931 with 6 passengers and a crew of 2. A search failed to find it and its remains were not discovered until 27 years later when a Snowy Mountains Authority employee stumbled upon it. The memorial occupies a site on a hill top beside the road, looking across a valley to the mountain side where the aircraft crashed. A number of display boards tell the story.

The mountains of the crash site behind the sign that tells the story.

Ruth walks among the story boards of the memorial.

From this point on the forest dissipated and deep cleared valleys and rolling hills of farmland commenced. The natural vegetation has been replaces with clumps of deciduous species such as maples and poplars. With autumn well progressed the leaves have turned to the lovely colours that precede their fall. The hills and valleys are dotted with sheep and cattle with scattered farm buildings. Smoke rises from chimneys into the still afternoon air. You can almost feel the warmth of the fire side as you drive past.

Entry to Victoria at Towong

There are many points on the Murray River where you can cross from NSW to Victoria but surely not many as pretty as the crossing at Towong. The river, at this point, is not very wide and the bridge is a simple timber structure, but it has a welcoming appearance that is most attractive. The run from Towong to Corryong is along a valley between grassy hills. Pastures rise from the stream to the crests of hills with a background of tree covered ranges and are dotted with cattle with a few sheep. This town is the nearest of any size to the Snowy Mountain area so it has claimed “The Man from Snowy River” as its own. There are representations of horses and riders all over the place.

Murray River viewed from the Towong bridge.

Day 28 – 23^rd April – Khancoban & the Snowy Mountains

It is not possible to do justice to this area in a day so it was a pity that overnight rain kept us in until about 11.00 am. But the sky started to clear so there seemed a good chance that we would be able to see some mountains instead of cloud. It was midday by the time that we reached Khancoban so we stopped there for lunch, knowing that there was no food to be had before Thredbo, and we certainly were not going that far.

Khancoban Town Centre

We commenced our sightseeing at the Murray No 1 Power Station lookout. You will probably recognise this place. It is the one where the three big white pipes come down the hill carrying the water to drive the turbines and with towers that carry the power lines step up the escarpment like giants. The sun was shining on it so it looked grand.

Murray No 1 Power Station

Towers like giants on the hillside.

The next stop was at Clews Ridge, named in honour of the late Major Clews who was the main surveyor for the Snowy scheme. The well known (to 4WD people) Major Clews dry weather 4WD track starts from here. A little further on is the Geehi Walls mountain range and then Schammell Spur Lookout. From the observation deck of this lookout a sweeping vista of the western face of the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains greets the beholder. The mountain tops were partly lost in cloud and huge banks of mist rose up the mountain sides. The sight was a bit awe inspiring.

Western Fall of Main Range of the Snowy Mountains.

We journeyed on to Geehi camping area where the Alpine Way crosses the Swampy Plains River. We stopped to chat to a fisherman in a motor home who had been trying his luck with trout in the stream. He claimed to have had no luck at all.

Geehi Hut at the camping area

This camping area is the site of huts built many years ago by cattlemen as camps for that part of the year when cattle were grazed in the high country. We saw Geehi Hut where it stands beside the river. It is constructed of river stones set in concrete. This hut has been destroyed by fire but has been restored by NSW National Parks. The hut, and others like it, is left open so they are available as shelter in emergencies. Campers are requested not to use them and this restriction appears to be honoured.

We turned for home, but detoured to the visitors centre at the Murray No 1 power station. It has a very interesting display that sets out the history of the Snowy Scheme and includes a great deal of information for the technically minded. We discovered that there was food to be had past Khancoban, as the visitor centre contains a neat little coffee shop.

Day 29 – 24th April 2013 – Corryong to Mt. Beauty – 161 Km

We changed our minds this morning and changed them back again this afternoon.

The plan had been to travel to Omeo via the Omeo Highway, but while checking road conditions I noticed that a road closure for the Omeo Highway had just been lifted. Snow and rock falls had closed the road in the last few days. After discussions with the police at Tallangatta we decided that prudence ruled it out and that we would have to reach Lakes Entrance via Melbourne.

Plan B became the Bright area. The GPS sent us via Mt. Beauty and the Tawonga Gap. As we drove into Mt. Beauty we saw a sign that said “Omeo 110”. Enquiries produced information that the road is regularly used by caravans so we decided to revert to plan A. So tomorrow we will set off up the road, past Falls Creek ski area, over the Bogong High Plain and on to Omeo.

Murray Valley Highway

The drive this morning has been along the Murray Valley Highway, so it has been another morning of ups and downs as the road traverses the valleys that host the streams that feed the Murray and the hills that separate them.

From the time that we left Tallangatta late morning we have been following the Kiewa River along the Kiewa Valley. The road follows the foot hills on one side of the river with the golden leaves of maples and poplars lining the stream and with the foot hills on the other side rising to the tree line with the ranges of the Victorian Alps in the background. A truly beautiful sight!

Just before reaching Mt Beauty a rest area provides a fine view to Mt Bogong whith a Lions Club sign pointing out that it is the highest peak in Victoria.

We have a sight in the caravan park on the banks of the West Kiewa River. It is a very pretty spot with lush green grass, rippling clear water and autumn tints. If it was a bit warmer we would sit out for longer to enjoy it.

Our view at Mt Beauty Caravan Park

Day 30 – 25^th April 2013 – Falls Creek & the Bogong High Plains

Overnight we changed our minds again. Call it losing one’s nerve, or discretion being the better part of valour, I decided that I did not want to tow the van over an unknown road that has steep climbs, sharp bends and reaches 1,750 meters above sea level. So we decided to stay at Mount Beauty for a second night and do a day trip up the mountain today.

In the 31 Km from Mount Beauty to Falls Creek there is a change in altitude of over 1,500 meters. That means sharp climbs and a winding and, in this case, fairly narrow road. We left town in light overcast weather but about 1 Km below the top we started to encounter mist that became relatively thick cloud by the time we reached the first buildings of the ski resort.

Foggy Falls Creek

There was no view and it was not an occasion for a picnic but a bar/restaurant was open so we became its sole, and I think, its first customers of the day.

Weather conditions in mountains can be quite fickle so we decided to press on to see if Rocky Valley Dam could be seen. The dam was half visible and the fog was performing some amazing tricks above the water. As the wall of the dam, which is also the bridge, was fairly clear of fog we drove on for another 20 Km towards the Omeo Highway intersection. This extra distance gave us a good look at the Bogong High Plains.

Bogong High Plains 1

Bogong High Plains

Bogong High Plains 3

There are a number of walks, or bike rides, some to the sheltering huts that dot the plateau and date back to the days when the area was grazed during the warmer months. Tracks are well marked and often have an information kiosk at the start that gives a variety of relevant information.

At the point at which we turned around to return to Mt Beauty we saw a sign to a camping area just off the road. We went to investigate. One of its purposes was to provide a camping spot for horse riding parties so it had a fenced area to secure horses overnight. Picnic tables were set among the snow gums and there were fire places as well. There was also a wonderful weatherboard toilet which reminded me of the one for which I had to dig holes when a teenager at Bulahdelah.

The Rustic Loo

As we returned to Falls Creek we could see the cloud billowing up over the mountain top, driven by a cold wind that had developed considerable strength by that time. There was nowhere for us to enjoy a sheltered picnic lunch so we headed back down the mountain to the small alpine village of Bogong.

Too cold for lunch here

Bogong is a small town, built by the electricity authorities during the construction of the Kiewa hydro electricity scheme, where the houses have now been sold to individuals. We had driven into the village on our way up the mountain and thought that we were in a ghost town. There was not a person in site at 11.00 in the morning. During our return visit folk were abroad but town businesses, the whole two of them, were closed for the holiday. Even Bogong Jack’s bar and bistro, that bore a sign undertaking to open at 11.30 am 7 days a week, was securely closed.

Autumn colours at Bogong Pondage

The town is built down a steep slope, as alpine villages are, to a pondage on the Kiewa River. There quality tourist facilities have been built. The edge of the pondage is lined with poplars and maples which, rapidly turning to their autumn shades looked spectacular against the green backdrop of the native bush. Under SEC ownership the town was a show place with flowers growing in the garden beds. The flower are long gone under private ownership but a sign remains that says “Please don’t pick the flowers”. No doubt as a memorial to better times now gone – just like the flowers.

A Different Way There …. and Back – Post 5

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Day 21 – 16^th April – North Ryde to Mittagong – 109 Km

Day 22 – 17^th April – Around Southern Highlands

The weather didn’t hold. The rain on the way home from the Blue Mountains continued through the night and into the next morning. I can’t remember the last time that I have had to wear wet weather gear to pack up to leave a caravan park. It was not only wet but cold as well. By the time we reached Mittagong the sun was breaking through but it was still cold. We hope that winter has not arrived.

Autumn tints at Mittagong

The next two days were about visiting relatives and friends. We set up at Mittagong Caravan Park before travelling on to Bowral to visit Ruth’s younger brother and his wife. Wall and Ginny are long term Southern Highlands residents. We had a good “catch up” and an excellent meal.

The next afternoon we visited Cliff and Marion at Burradoo. Ruth and Marion were friends in their teenage years. We have seen them on visits by them or us over the years. It is one of those friendships where each time we meet we simply pick up where we left off last time. We stayed for a bit longer than we had intended so had to make a dash back about 65 Km to Mt. Annan for dinner with Ruth’s youngest sister Dot and her husband Peter and their two beautiful daughters, Deahna and Madison. Another great meal and a very pleasant evening!

Day 23 – 18^th April – Mittagong to Gunning – 131 Km

Our departure from the Southern Highlands marked the end of visiting relatives but we still had one friend to go. My correspondence with Barry Medway started through the ExplorOz.com web site when we both owned Holden Jackaroos. Barry still does. When he heard that we would be passing by he invited us to park our van at his home near Gunning, which is near the better known town of Yass.

We paused at Goulburn to top up supplies and found a park with kerb space to park the van for lunch. In the interests of reporting things “BIG” we paused at the service centre at the southern end of town to see the Big Ram. It dominates the area, dwarfing McDonalds and Subway.

The Big Ram at Goulburn

Barry is a retired farmer who still lives on his farm property. When we arrived he was busy helping his son to prepare several hundred sheep for shipment. We were invited to dinner with Barry and Ros, his wife, and enjoyed another excellent home cooked meal. We spent the evening discussing many issues including travelling remote parts of Australia. They are off on a trip that will include the Great Central Road that runs west from Ayres Rock and The Pilbara.

The farm house is in an elevated position so we were very aware of the freshening westerly wind that moved to the south west and brought with it memories of Victoria.

We left Barry the next morning assisting his son to load the sheep into trucks for a journey that will ultimately lead them to the dinner table. Perhaps your dinner table?

Day 24 – 19^th April – Gunning to Temora – 182 Km

The turn off to Temora is a few kms south of Yass. A service centre is located where the southern entrance to the town leaves the highway which bypasses Yass, as it does Gunning. We refuelled and had morning tea before heading on. The main centre of civilisation on this road is the twin towns of Harden and Murrumburrah that sit cheek by jowl separated only by a small creek. Jointly they represent a substantial community.

Yass at a distance

Temora is larger than I had remembered with a main street lined with older buildings including some that are both stately and colonial. Woolworths and McDonalds are here and even a small branch of Harvey Norman. The many agricultural equipment suppliers confirm that this is a grain area. We drove past many fields of wheat stubble and several silos, most with additional wheat stored under tarpaulins.

Our van is in the Temora Airport Tourist Park which is part of the airport grounds. As we set up for our stay we could keep an eye on arriving small aircraft as they landed and were carefully lined up at the side of the runway. Towards evening a loud roar alerted us to a small jet fighter taking to the skies to give us an appetiser for tomorrow’s main event.

Temora Airport Tourist Park

Day 25 – 20^th April – Temora Military Air Museum

Temora Aviation Museum entrance

We have come to Temora for an Angel Flight Fly/Drive In at the Military Aircraft Museum. For those who don’t know of Angel Flight, it is a charity that organises volunteer private pilots to transport people with health and financial problems (the two often go together) from country areas to the city for treatment. Volunteer drivers (I am one of them) meet the plane at the airport and transport the patient and other family members to the place of treatment. I am called an Earth Angel. Pilots are Air Angels.

Angel Flight has been in existence for 10 years. The Fly/Drive In is a celebration of this mile stone. There are many more pilots than drivers as it is easier to fly to a place like Temora than to drive.

DH-82A Tiger Moth

Ryan STM S2 USA trainer

The museum is worth a visit. It is located on the site of a WWII pilot training base where Tiger Moth bi-planes were used to provide basic training for fighter and bomber pilots. The older of the aircraft date back to WWII but some come from the Vietnam era. All are capable of flight and on a flying day such as this some four or five aircraft will be demonstrated by experienced pilots. The line up for our visit was a Tiger Moth, a Ryan trainer, a Boomerang which was an Australian designed and built fighter, a genuine WWII Spitfire fighter and a Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, a jet fighter produced during the Vietnam war.

CA-13 Boomerang fighter

CA-13 Boomerang in flight

Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII

David Lowy, son of Frank of Westfield shopping centre fame, founded and heavily supports the museum. He is a world class aerobatics pilot and has been a world champion. He flies the Cessna jet fighter. It and the other aircraft are flown to demonstrate their capabilities so there is a great deal of noise and much craning of necks as all eyes are skyward. The sound of the Rolls Royce Merlin V12 engine in the Spitfire was a real treat to an former teenage reader of Biggles books like me.

Cessna A-37B Dragonfly Fighter

Cessna A-37B Dragonfly Fighter in flight

In the evening we attended a dinner at the Temora RSL club, a sort of 10^th birthday callebration. An excellent meal and very few speeches allowed pilots to talk aircraft all night. We Earth Angels and our partners just listened or allowed our attention to wander.If you would like know more about the museum go to www.aviationmuseu.com.au

Day 26 – 21^st April 2013 – Temora

A lay day! Work catch up, washing and some reading and blog writing, of course.

A Different Way There ….. and Back – Post 4

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Kevin & Ruth Sheather

Day 15 – 10^th April – Mudgee to Woodbury – 310 Km

Day 16 – 11^th April – Woodberry

The run to Newcastle was pleasant. The road is good but hilly, so a bit slow towing the van. The coal mines at Ulan seemed larger than last time. We took a morning tea break where the Ulan Cassilis Road meets the Golden Highway and stopped for lunch at a small park in Singleton. We arrived at Woodberry mid-afternoon.

Woodberry is just off the New England Highway, just north of the Hexham Bridge over the Hunter River on the Pacific Highway. Ivan is older than me by about six years and is very active for his age, still caravanning, gardening and wood turning. He recently distinguished himself in the wood turning area by winning this segment at the Newcastle Show.

We spent most of the time just catching up, but he did take us to meet a lady with whom I used to walk, with others, to the Boolambayte School about 65 years ago. The walk was mostly across farm land and bush tracks and was 7 km each way. Neither of us has suffered for the exercise. Indeed, we both should have kept the exercise up! Boolambayte School no longer exists but used to stand by the road now known as The Lakes Way that runs between Bulahdelah and Forster on Lake Wallace.

Ivan and Marjorie (his wife) live just a couple of hundred metres from the main north coast railway line, which is the main coal carrying line from the Hunter Valley coal mines to the Port of Newcastle. Trains of up to four locomotives and 100 wagons ply the line day and night, a train passing every few minutes. Rather interesting sleeping in the caravan in their drive way. But we got enough sleep … between trains.

Day 17 – 12^th April – Woodberry to North Ryde – 146 Km

Ruth has a sister who lives with her husband at Hamlyn Terrace, near Wyong just north of Sydney. We had lunch and a chat, partly about our respective travels. They are more ardent travellers than we are but love to travel by train where possible. Their next trip includes Townsville to Mt. Isa which they are doing now in case the service is closed.

We came on to Sydney after lunch and established ourselves at the Lane Cove River Caravan Park. After setting up, we drove to Erskineville (Ersko to the locals) to see our daughter Briony’s new unit, where she has only been in residence for a short time. After delivering a huge bag of Tupperware that we had been storing she took is for a short stroll to where the action is in King Street for a meal in a noisy pub. But the meal was good, particularly the chips. Then home to the van for a good night’s sleep. I have managed to pick up a cold so my sleep was not so good.

Day 18 – 13^th April 2013 – North Ryde

Briony was busy today so we had a day to do washing and to catch up on some work responsibilities. The weather continues to produce days in mid 20s and cool to cold nights. It is ideal weather for travelling. Long may it last!

Day 19 – 14^th April – Eastern Sydney Coast

The plan was to spend time with Briony. We decided on fish and chips for lunch from the take away at Doyle’s famous sea food restaurant at Watsons Bay. It was a warm day with blue sea and sky so half of Sydney’s population seems to have had the same idea. Not to worry! Let’s drive down the coast until we find a place where we can park. It was a popular beach day and no spot was to be found as we drove past those well known eastern beaches. Finally we gave up and went instead to Eastgardens shopping centre (a big one) where we found a Japanese restaurant and a very tasty and inexpensive meal.

The trip continued south to La Perouse, past Port Botany and onwards until we crossed the Georges River. We turned west returning to Erskineville via the Princes Highway.

La Perouse & Botany Bay Entrance

I’m sorry folks, but as I was driving and there were not many opportunities to park I do not have many photos.

Day 20 – 15^th April – Blue Mountains & Jenolan Caves – 351 Km Round Trip

Briony doesn’t have a car so we asked her if there was anywhere she would like to go that was not readily accessible to her. After overnight consideration she asked “Is Jenolan Caves too far?” As it happened Jenolan had been in our original itinerary but we had cut it out to make some other things fit in.

Caves House at Jenolien

Caves House through Autumn tints

We collected Briony from the Kiss N Ride at North Ryde station and dived into Sydney peak hour traffic. We were travelling in the opposite direction to most of it but it was bad enough. But the worst part was crossing the Blue Mountains. Most of the distance from Penrith has a top speed of 80 kph but there was road works going on in many parts with speeds down to 40 kph in many places. I almost envied explorers Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth.

The result was that the trip out took almost 3½ hours. But we don’t get to have long conversations with our youngest daughter very often and besides, Adam Scott winning the US Masters took up some of the journey.

The Grand Arch leads to the cave entrances

We arrived at the cave precinct at about 11.00 am, booked a mid-day cave tour and went off to have a late morning tea at the Caves House cafeteria. Caves house looks the same as I recall it from our visit on our honeymoon almost 51 years ago.

A good example of a shawl formation

Briony and I did the combined Imperial and Diamond cave tour while Ruth sat it out and continued work on the latest trauma teddy. There are a lot of steps in all the caves. The one we chose had about 500 but even the easy caves have at least 280. Ruth doesn’t feel very confident about dealing with steps these days.

A Pillar formation

The cave was magnificent. The tour was of 90 minutes duration so there was a lot to see. The cave contains several long galleries that are lined with a constant succession of stalagmites, stalactites, columns, shawls and all the other features that are seen in limestone caves. On the lowest level of the cave an underground stream of the purest and clearest water flows beneath the walkways. We were told that divers descend 100 metres in the stream and could go further if they could dive deeper.

Another shawl formation

We emerged none the worse for wear at the conclusion of the tour and went for a late lunch and a much needed cup of coffee. I handled the cave without problem. The cave was a medium standard cave so on that basis I would be prepared to try a difficult cave next visit. Some say that the more difficult caves have the best features.

: More formations from the cave

More shawl formations

More formations from the cave

: More formations from the cave

But a word of warning! If you visit the caves try to avoid a group that contains a shutter happy Japanese tourist who wants to photograph his wife and children against a background of everything. Try even harder to avoid a group that contains two of them.

Three Sisters and storms

Briony had tried to see The Three Sisters at Katoomba a few months ago but they were totally obscured by cloud. To correct that misfortune we decided to visit Echo Point on our way back to Sydney. It was late afternoon by the time we arrived and storms were sweeping over the mountains that are visible from Echo Point, but The Three Sisters were clear of visual obstruction so Briony had a clear view.

Ruth, Briony and the Three Sisters

We were disappointed with the support facilities at Echo Point. They do not do justice to the superb view that Echo Point provides. This place is a true Australian tourist ikon.

We did the Cliff Drive to once again take in the magnificence of the views. Towards the end of the drive we turned off into the Narrow Neck lookout and met a sight that we did not expect. We looked down and there was a small car, complete with P plate, with its bonnet resting against the very last tree that could stop it from going over about a 500 foot precipice.

It is a long way down!

We could not tell if occupants were still in the car and it was far too dangerous to climb down. So we called the police who took details and asked us to wait until someone arrives but called back shortly after to let us know that they knew that the car was there and that a tow had been arranged. It seems unlikely that anyone would have been injured badly but the occupants are some of the luckiest people on earth. Or should that be still on earth?

It was dark by the time we reached the outer suburbs of Sydney and the onset of rain did not help matters. We decided that a quick and easy evening meal was the way to go so just before reaching Briony’s unit we detoured to collect some KFC which we helped Briony demolish. We then returned to the van for a well earned night’s sleep.

Kevin & Ruth Sheather

The Mobilesheathers – exploring Australia

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