South in Winter

In our caravanning days, one rule was that we avoided the south east of Australia during the colder months. Anywhere, south of Brisbane was out of bounds.

The Goondiwindi water pressure tower was near to our motel.

So our decision to visit my siblings in Gippsland was taken with much thought, but finally decided on reluctantly. We have been gone from being residents of Melbourne for more than forty years, so we do not like cold weather at all.

But my one and only sister has recently been moved into care and seemed to be making hard work of it, so we decided to make the trip south. For additional incentive our plans included a call on Ruth’s debilitated younger brother at Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands and to catch up with our younger daughter in Sydney, but only for dinner.

We set off on 1st July via the Warrego Highway  and the Toowoomba Bypass, stopping in  for lunch at Millmerran. Shortly after getting back on the road, we were held up by a tourist having laid their caravan on its side on the shoulder of the road. Problem free from there on. The Gore Highway had been improved since we last used it. Busy too, with trucks and caravans, mostly going towards Toowoomba.

Part of the Goondiwindi CBD
This bridge over the Macintyre River leads to NSW and used to be the main crossing between the two states.
A memorial on the bank of the Macintyre to champion racehorse Gunsynd, known as “THe Goondiwindi Grey”.
Goondiwindi’s main street clock tower.

A mid-afternoon arrival at our Goondiwindi accommodation. The timing allowed me to do an afternoon walk with my camera, through the central town area and to explore the area near the Macintyre River. Goondiwindi is a substantial town with a population of around ten thousand people.

Day two was a run along the Newell Highway with the overnight stop at Coonabarabran. By the time that we booked into our motel the evening chill had set in, so I squibbed on a walk and stayed inside in the warm motel room instead.

As a concession to advancing age we had broken the trip into shorter daily distances. Our third night was at West Wyalong. We took a break in Gilgandra at the historic Coo-ee Heritage and Information Centre, built to commemorate the start of the famous World War 1 recruiting march that commenced in Gilgandra and concluded at the recruiting office in Sydney. Lunch at Parkes, shopping at Forbes and the night at West Wyalong.

The Coo-ee Heritage and Information Centre at Gilgandra.
A muraL at the Coo-ee Centre almost appears to be part of the landscape.
The Edwards River at Deniliquin.

Day four took us further along the Newell Highway until we reached Jerilderie, where we turned left to reach the Cobb Highway at Deniliquin. This town, famous for its annual Utility muster, is on the Edwards River, a tributary of the Murray. Here we were introduced to paddle wheel steamer country, with examples of these historic craft and shallow draft houseboats, moored to the bank or aground on the bank of the river.

With time in hand, we decided to turn into the Barmah National Park, a lake and flood plain area on the Murray, not far from Echuca. It was on our list to visit so the call today saved us returning the next day. It is only about 20 km off the Cobb Highway.

The Deniliquin Ute Muster is held in the town annually.
Cruises of the lakes at Barmah National Park are available.
The Murray River at Barmah National Park.
Remains of River Gun giants of the past.

Barmah is a popular area and offers visitor facilities including a cruise boat for tours of the lake. Campers have ready access to a launching ramp near the camping ground and several hundred meters of shore at which boats can be moored. The entire public area is flood plain and evidence of flooding is everywhere. The forest is dotted with huge river gums, most still standing but some have succumbed to the rigors of nature and are slowly crumbling back to vegetable matter. It is worth a visit if you are in the area.

We reached the sizeable town of Moama, on the northern shore of the Murray, in good time and took the new concrete bridge, opened in 2024, over the river, to our hotel on the edge of the CBD. I had time for a camera walk before settling for the night. The evening light was very gentle on the historic buildings of the railway station where I took my walk.

Railway freight sheds in the evening light.
Grain Silos by the railway line that runs on into NWS.
The Caledonian Hotel-Motel, our residence in Echuca
Houseboats moored to the Victorian bank of the Murray River.
A paddlewheel houseboat

On Saturday morning, day six, we set out initially to find the location of our cruise paddle wheeler. Boating activity is centered on the old port area where the famous high-level wharf, so often seen in photos of the port, is to be found. Two boats were providing paddle wheeler rides, PS Pevensey, which was operating from the old wharf, and PS Canberra that was working from a floating dock a little further down-stream. Both boats were using the same section of the river, virtually taking turns in using the narrow strip of river provided by the low water levels currently in the Murray. The Darling River has had a boost from rains in Queensland but the catchment area for the Murray has received much less rain. It will get a boost from snow melt at the end of winter.

Having located the boarding place, we then went to find the mouth where the Campaspe River joins the Murray. Sadly the road in was only passable to four-wheel drive vehicles. It was a bit too far to walk.

The PS Pevensey, one of the oldest boats on the river.
Houseboats moored near the old river crossing at Echuca
The port precinct is the centre of tourist activity.
High Street, Echuca

We returned to our unit for an early lunch, to make sure that we were in time for boarding at 1.15 PM. During our morning reconnoiter we had established that Ruth would not be able to board, due to the steep angle of the boarding ramp. So we found a parking space that overlooked the boarding area. That was the best that we could do. Mobility limits can be challenging and lead to disappointment at times.

The Old Mill is now home to a restaurant of that name
Echuca’s Old Town Hall.

The cruise lasted an hour. We proceeded up stream to look at the historic wharf structure from the water. Then we turned down stream to retrace our course and paddle our way for about three kilometres. The scenery was mainly exposed river banks and rows of houseboats. Renting a  houseboats is one of the things that tourists do when they visit Echuca. But many boats are privately owned. Some of those were in use, with owners basking in the afternoon sun, sheltered from the wind by the banks of the river.

PS Canberra, pictured at the start of this blog, was launched in Mildura in 1913 as a single deck fishing boat. There was a change of ownership, a second deck added and she became a river cruise boat. Canberra was moved to Echuca in 1966 and has remained there ever since.

I shot video during the cruise. Here it is in edited form.

Rain came in over night and produced intermittent showers for the first hour or so of our trip south to Melbourne and then Warragul. Traffic increased as we approached Seymour and stayed with us much of the way to and beyond Melbourne. The rain did not follow us into Gippsland but the weather was cool for our arrival. We booked into our accommodation and called my sister and my brother to announce our arrival and make arrangements to meet the next day.

A huge mistletoe on a River Red Gum at Barmah National Park

When away from home, conveniences that you take for granted are just not there. Our motel room was too small to spend much time with four adults in it, so we opted for lunch at a shopping centre where we could escape the cold wind, get coffee (tea for Bernard) and food and talk in some degree of comfort.

I should ad that we had been joined by my youngest brother Bernard, who lives on his farm outside of Drouin, and has done for most of his life. We had collected him in Drouin on our way through.

We had headed back towards Melbourne to the Westfield Fountain Gate centre at Narre Warren. This part of Melbourne we know well, but it is so changed. Ruth and I rented a flat near the railway station at Narre Warren about sixty years ago. It was our third home. Our move there had occurred as a consequence of me changing my job from Drouin to North Clayton. We had taken the first step towards becoming city dwellers.

We found a corner table in a food court. But it was a battle, as we were in the middle of Victorian school holidays. But we found shelter and sustenance, so had a good discussion before returning to Warragul and returning Aileen to her residence.

The next day we were joined by my sister-in-law Helen, widow of my younger brother Winston. I had four siblings, three brothers and a sister. Sister was youngest in the family. My elder and younger brothers passed away over recent years, as did my brother-in-law, leaving my only sister a widow.

Round Island off The Nobbies with the ramp to sea level in the foreground.

We collected Aileen and drove to Bernard’s farm where we moved into his larger car. Helen met us along the way. She is like Bernard, a retiring farmer. By retiring I mean that they have both ceased dairy farming and now raise beef as they wind down their level of productive involvement. Even farmers have to give up work some time.

A quick photo at Nobbies Lookout with Round Island in the top left hand corner. From left Aileen, Bernard and Helen. Ruth was smart and stayed in the car.

Our first stop for the day was San Remo. Talk about bleak weather. Even the life long Victorians were trying to avoid it. We gave up on fish and chips for lunch, got back into our cars and crossed the bridge into Phillip Island, continuing to  Cowes, where we found a parking space in front of a suitable eating establishment. Phillip Island Coffee provided shelter, food and coffee. What more could we ask for?

There really isn’t much to do in Cowes on a cold winter day, but knowing how bleak it would be, we still drove out to The Nobbies and experienced the kind of weather that we had anticipated. Just a quick look and a couple of photos and we were back into the cars.

We took a longer way back to Warragul, following the Bass Highway to Wanthaggi where we stopped for coffee and comfort. We then followed the most logical way back to Ripplebrook, the location of Bernard’s farm. Then back to Warragul to deliver Aileen before returning to our motel and turning on the heater.

Standing behind Ruth, from the left, Helen, Bernard, Me, Cousin Kelvin and Aileen.

Wednesday was our last day. Ruth and I joined Aileen for very leisurely coffee at the coffee shop at her residence. We then moved on to The Warragul golf club restaurant where we met again with Helen and Bernard, plus a cousin, Kelvin Sheather, who also lives in the area.

We normally use the golf club for family catch ups and have been doing so for several years. It provides all the facilities that we need for lunch plus a lounge area where we can spend extended time in each other’s company. We went for a bit of a drive around the newer parts of Warragul before saying our farewells to my little sister.

The arcade where the gas company office was located is to the right. The main change since our time there, is the glass roof.

Warragul has grown and matured since our departure. I know its streets intermittently because for about four years I tramped them once a month, reading gas metres, as part of my clerical employment, by first The Colonial Gas Association and later The Gas & Fuel Corporation of Victoria, after a company take over. The office is still there after about sixty five years but is now a coffee shop.

Thursday morning and time to head on back towards home. Catchups planned for Bowral, Sydney and Toronto.

We both felt a bit under the weather from the start. We had developed coughs and congested airways. We didn’t think we had the dreaded Covid, as part of checking into Aileen’s accommodation was facial recognition, including a temperature check. Neither of us had elevated temperatures. We stopped at Morwell for Strepsils to ease throats but continued on to Orbost for our first night. The weather was still very cold and windy.

Boats and Oyster beds at Merimbula, NSW.

Next morning, at Eden, we called at a pharmacy for something to suppress Ruth’s cough and came away with three medications. We stopped for lunch at Merimbula but then made a detour to Bermagui to see if we could spot a coastal rock feature known as the Horses Head. We could see no sign of it where I thought it to be, so we moved on to our motel at Moruya.

We were on full health watch as we were now to within twenty-four hours of our next family call, this one with the most critical health aspects attached. We continued up the coast to Wollongong before turning inland to spend the night at Picton, at a motel on the old Hume Highway. We stopped for lunch at Kiama, along with most of the tourists visiting the area south of Sydney that day. Or so it seemed.

During the evening we talked to our family at Bowral and decided that the risk of passing on our ailments was too great. That was a good decision, because on returning home Ruth was diagnosed with influenza, despite having had anti flu injections. Our daughter Briony took a pass on our dinner arrangement. She is busy at work and doesn’t need a dose of the flu.

An inquisitive Swan on Georges River, Liverpool
Evening light on Liverpool buildings.

Our Sydney accommodation at Liverpool had been booked and paid for, with a check in time of 2.00 PM. So we found a sunny spot in a park by the Georges River and sat and read. I did a short walk. Then we found a place for lunch and then booked in to our hotel. Our tenth floor room provided views att the way to the City of Sydney particularly as the sun set.

This brought us to Monday morning again, so we made our way through Sydney morning traffic to that strip of adventure known as the Pacific Highway to Newcastle. We were impressed by the progress made on the Raymond Terrace bypass.

The Camden Haven River at Laurieton NSW.

Our stop was at Laurieton for the night. Chinese takeaway for dinner. We had planned a stop for the following night at Yamba, with a final run home the next day. But we decided to abandon the Yamba booking and drive through. We were again impressed with progress on the Coffs Harbor bypass. It is a bit hard to work out how much longer the construction will take, as so much of it can’t be seen from the existing road.

A clear run to home with only a modest delay on the Gateway Arterial. As we had travelled north the weather had improved, warmer and with less wind. After the first day with a soar throat, my symptoms had disappeared and I felt quite well. Not so Ruth, who coughed and slept her way home.

So, we arrived home on Tuesday and achieved a doctor appointment on Thursday. Ruth was diagnosed with influenza, right on the cusp of phenomena. But she responded well to antibiotics and is now back to near normal.

We felt the trip was worth while, despite the disappointments of the second half. But the experiences did teach us that Melbourne and Gippsland are not a good idea for us in Winter.

Interrupted Journey – North Queensland 2022 – Part 3

Heading for Dinosaur Country

Note: Two video links appears at the bottom of this blog post.

Please note the video link at the foot of this post to the Carnival of Flowers.

We set off on the morning of Monday 26th September to complete our Covid interrupted tour. Instead of going back to Townsville to start where we left off, we travelled inland via Toowoomba and took the opportunity to visit the Carnival of Flowers as we passed through, spending our first night at Chinchilla.

The flowers at Toowoomba were up to the normal high standard. As our visit was late in the carnival, most of the additional activities had finished. The flowers and a few food vans parked down the back was all that remained of the festive area. But we were there to see the flowers and were well satisfied with the offerings on display. The greatest challenge was to take a photo of a flower bed without an Asian tourist in the foreground having their photo taken.

A thin sheet of water over the face of Chinchilla Weir as the water flows towards the Murray River.

We drove on to Dalby for lunch having skipped morning coffee. In planning I had identified some likely bird locations to try before reaching our overnight stop at Chinchilla. I had no luck until Chinchilla Weir where we found greatly improved camping conditions from those we remembered from our previous visit. And we found a flock of Apostle Birds. I believe these birds are so named because of their practice of flocking in groups of about a dozen. Water was cascading over the weir.

A thin sheet of water over the face of Chinchilla Weir as the water flows towards the Murray River.
Recently germinated crops line the roadside in this part of the Darling Downs.
Boonagara, reached just before Chinchilla, built a public hall to commemorate success in using a grub to defeat cactus infestation.
Gil Weir is located just west of the Leichardt Highway, south of Miles

Friday saw us headed for Morven, a very small town where the Landsborough Highway branches from the Warrego Highway. It leads to Longreach as the major town in that direction. This piece of road is also known as the Matilda Way, but that is more for promotional purposes that accurate geography.

We checked for birds at Gill Weir, south of Miles and Judd’s Lagoon, south of the highway, closer to Roma. All that we found in both places was overflowing weirs and long term bush campers, most of which were in their highly equipped caravans. Rising water levels inundate water bird feeding grounds and I imagine, causes the birds paddle harder to stay in the same place. The birds are not silly. Thy go somewhere else.

Memorial to fettlers wives near Dulacca
The informative plaque that is part of the memorial.

Roadside, just before Dulacca out towards Roma, we came upon a memorial to the railway fettlers and the women who supported them while building the western railway line from Miles to Dulacca in 1978-79. In those days families had to travel with their breadwinners if they wanted to see them. No FIFO in those days.

Australian Darter, drying off following a fishing session.

After morning coffee at Roma’s Big Rig, we had a look at Roma Bush Gardens, located just off the highway past the town centre. Walking around the lake was restricted by flooding but I did see some Mallards and an Australian Darter, drying its wings in the morning sunshine after fishing excursion.

Neil Turner Weir on the Maranoa River at Mitchell was overflowing. We have not seen this in several visits.

We took our lunch break at Neil Turner Weir, a water storage on the Maranoa River near Mitchell. Mitchell is probably best known for its therapeutic artesian spars. We have used the camping area at the weir on several occasions but had not seen the dam overflowing before. It reminded us that so much of our travel through Australia’s outback occurred during the drought years.

The Pick-a-Box Motel at Morven
A Royal Flying Doctor Promotional Van Parked Outside The Motel.

The Pick-a-Box Motel was our resting place for the night. The motel is a small group of newish iron-clad cabins near to and managed by the Morven Hotel, recently rebuilt following a fire. The only excitement in town was a Royal Flying Doctor Service caravan in the shape of an aircraft fuselage, parked in the street outside.

So, from Morven on Wednesday morning, we turned north-west on the Landsborough Highway. First stop was a call at the first town, Augathella, a distance of about 90 km. The town is quite old and has been supporting the local agricultural community since its founding in 1883. Like many outback towns, it has upgraded its visitor facilities for grey nomads. Artists have painted pictures on its water tower, art silo fashion.

The Ellangawan Hotel bears Augathella’s original name.
The list of local water birds at Tambo. Most on the list were conspicuous by their absence.

Next, about the same distance further north-west, we arrived at Tambo, another pioneering town (1868) with good visitor facilities. We paused for morning coffee beside the small dam at the entrance of the tow. By the lake there is an information sign providing details of the many water birds to be found in the area. There were very few on display for us, although small birds such as Noisy Miners were busy in the tree.

Continuing, we crossed the Barcoo River and arrived at Blackall, which was built on the banks of that stream. Major Thomas Mitchell explored this part of Australia in 1846. The town developed in the 1860s as an agricultural service centre. Again, it has good tourist facilities. It is surrounded by vast expanses of open naturally grassed pasture, as is much of this area. We had been driving through it all morning.

The Barcoo River at the Landsborough Highway crossing.
An Eastern Great Egret perched in a tree over the Barcoo River.
Blackall main street is the highway.
Part of the billabong and camping area at Lara Wetlands

The next town along this highway is Barcaldine, but about 45 km before that we turned off to the left and drove the 16 km of dirt station road to look at Lara Wetlands. This is a camping area that almost surrounds a large waterhole filled with dead trees, so is probably the result of a dam. Lara Station is an operating cattle station. They run the camping ground in conjunction with the station. There are reported to be 164 species of birds identified in the area. But there is no power and only one cabin. Interesting spot, all the same.

A Brolga by the road as we drove into Lara Wetlands.

As we drove into the Lara Station, Ruth saw a large grey bird at the edge of the trees. I stopped and got some good photos of a Brolga. It was wandering up and down and seemed quite settled but as I turned back to the car, I heard the whoomp whoomp whoomp of large wings as the Brolga took to flight. I turned just in time to snap it disappearing behind some brush. Not a very good photo, sadly.

The Brolga landing in the brush by the roadside.

We refuelled at Barcaldine, paying for the first time just over $2 per litre for unleaded petrol. At Barcaldine the highway turns left and west through Ilfracombe to Longreach. Scattered cloud meant that the western sun was not too much of a problem. We had travelled quite a distance in pursuit of the setting sun since leaving Brisbane, so the days were ending quite a bit later.

The deck at the Woolshed Restaurant at Longreach.

We were able to get a booking at the Woolshed Restaurant at Longreach Tourist Park, where we had a cabin. Last time we were here they were booked out. They were again but we had booked in time. An excellent meal even if the entertainment was a bit loud.

While at Longreach we returned to Ilfracombe and also drove south to Isisford. That drive is covered in the next blog post.

The Family Responsibilities Tour – Part 3

Note: A video covering the material in this post can be found at the foot of this blog post.

Excess water released from Hume Dam

We left Phillip Island amid showers sweeping across Westernport Bay and the adjoining coastal plains. Our route lead along the South Gippsland Highway, Monash Freeway, skirting around the city to reach the Tullamarine Freeway and finally to the Hume Highway. We were headed to Bright to see if Autumn had yet reached the area, famous for its Autumn colours.

Afternoon tea on the lawn
Bright Cenotaph
More colour in Bright
Rosella in the tree on the lawns

We only took necessary breaks, arriving in Bright in the late afternoon. Our motel backed onto lawns that run down to the path that runs along Ovens River. We look our afternoon tea to the lawn and were joined by some Parrots.

Early Autumn at Bright

The Liquid Amber trees were turning nicely but the Poplars and other deciduous trees had only just started to put on their show.

We left town next morning via Yackandandah, a nearby town also known for its colours, but it seemed to be running later than Bright.

We were bound for Hume Dam on the Murray River to see what it looked when when full. Excess water was being released to a huge roar, in sufficient quantities to fill the river down stream to the top of its banks. When we came through there on our way home from Tasmania two years ago the water level was well below the spillway and further up stream, cattle were grazing on river flats that had been exposed for years but now are inundated by the water in the dam.

Sunlit clouds over Goulburn.
Lake Hume, full to the brim

We made our way to the Hume Highway and continued on to Goulburn for the night.

Heavy rain was forecast for the recently flooded North Coast of NSW so we decided to cross the Blue Mountains and make our way home inland. But first we wanted to see the recently overflowing Warragamba Dam. Warragamba was not far off our track.

Warragamba Dam, also full to the brim
Water released into the Warragamba River.

We thought that refreshments might be available at the visitor center at the dam, but no such luck. We did our tourist thing under increasingly threatening skies. Walking back from an observation point I took a wrong turn and came upon a pair of Rosellas. Then a Wonga Pigeon landed on stairs behind me, the first of this type that I had seen.

The visitor centre overlooks the dam

Soon, after departing the dam, the sky opened and stayed that way. As we approached the Great Western Highway, traffic congestion was becoming an issue so a quick change of plans and we were on the highway heading west. With the rain still falling and a stop becoming necessary, we found a convergent McDonald’s and stopped for lunch. Back on the road the rain continued to well on the way to Mudgee, our next overnight stop.

Wonga Pigeon at Warragamba Dam

Mudgee is a week end town, thriving on visitors from the coast, so they have their weekend on Monday and Tuesday. We were there on Monday night and found most restaurants were closed. The Chinese restaurant at the Gold Club was recommended. They served excellent food in huge quantities. We only eat half the food served to us but were able to take the leftovers. They were sufficient for dinner the following night.

Silo artwork at Dunedoo in Central NSW

Next morning, we had passed through Gulgong and Dunedoo when a phone call from last night’s motel advised that I had left my binoculars behind. So, after returning the necessary 85 kilometres, we had coffee and started again. We left Mudgee, this time by the Ulan Road, then through Binnaway so saw some new country. Lunch at Coonabarabran and a stop for the last night at Moree to rest and deal with leftover Chinese food.

Vineyard near Mudgee

The plan was to do the last leg of the journey via the Gore Highway to Toowoomba and then the Warrego Highway to Brisbane but as we left Goondiwindi a roadside sign advised that the Gore Highway was closed. So on through continuing rain with a stop at Warwick and arrived home mid afternoon. 

Eighteen days and a bit over 5,000 kilometres with average weather and escalating petrol prices. But we saw all of the relatives that were planned and respects paid at two grave sites. In all a successful trip.