Caravanning Camping Touring
Let me share some of our stories with you. I'll try to keep it fun and interesting, with heaps of photos, hints, tips and reviews all relating to life on the road.
It has been a very trying couple of years for everyone around the globe. The loss of loved ones, unprecedented restrictions, and lockdowns to name just a few of the challenges we have all had to face. Each person would have faced these challenges in their own way, as did we. Peter and I chose to keep on doing what we wanted, within the limitations. We have thoroughly enjoyed our first six months on the road and are looking forward to continuing and sharing with you, our adventures in 2022. But for now, we want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year that lets us return to some form of normality.
Now that we have arrived at Port Macquarie our travels will be put on hold until the New Year. Apart from a few Camp Oven Cooking posts, you might not hear from us for a month or two, but don’t worry…we’ll be back! In the meantime, here are a few of my favourite photos, in no particular order, from our trip so far.
Now, for all of you who like statistics, Peter has put together a summary of our travels to date, and I, of course, have thrown in a few more photos. Over to Peter.
So here we are, at the end of our Australian Walkabout travels for 2021. First of May, a Saturday, we drove away and now we’re pretty-well settled into this nomadic lifestyle.
Expecting to be away for a couple of years at least, we first visited family, the first month in Queensland before crossing into New South Wales. Heading out of Sydney we visited Dubbo, Coonabarabran, the Warrumbungles, Lightning Ridge, Bourke, Gundabooka, Broken Hill, and everywhere in between.
Covid-19 had been following us closely as we went west and Dubbo, Walgett, Bourke, and Wilcannia, shut down within days of us passing through. Covid finally caught up with us at Broken Hill, but we managed to leave town just 15 minutes ahead of the lockdown, made it to Menindee Lakes where we endured nine weeks of lockdown, on our own private lakeside beach.
When we were free to move again, we visited Tibooburra and Cameron Corner, marking the top north-west of the State. It became clear that we would not be able to cross into QLD or SA, so we made the decision to stay in NSW until the new year and began to make our way southeast towards Port Macquarie. Which is where we are now.
This is a good time to review the stats, so here they are in summary as at 1st December:
Distance travelled
Total distance travelled 11,731 km
Average distance travelled 55 km /day
Longest stay in one place 61 days
Fuel/ cost
Total fuel used 1,847 litres of diesel.
Total cost of fuel $2,897
Average cost of diesel $1.57/ litre
Average economy 15.74 litre/100km
Average cost per 100km $24.71 per 100km
Accommodation/ cost
Total days travelling 204
Days in caravan parks 51
Days bush camping 153
Percentage in caravan parks 25%
Average cost of caravan parks $32.88/ night
Average spend on accomm $62.00/ week
So, in summary for budgeting purposes
Cost of travel is around $25.00 per 100 Km and cost of accommodation is approximately $65.00/ week.
Stay safe, enjoy the Christmas season, and we’ll see you back On Tow and On The Go, in 2022.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
We had a couple of weeks to kill before we had to be in Port Macquarie on 1st December. This gave us enough time to do a couple of national parks in the area, but the rain, it seemed, had other ideas.
To avoid the worst of the immediate rain, we stopped at a little town called Trangie, in the Trangie Caravan Park. We booked for two nights but ended up staying three. This is a great little park with good amenities and super friendly owners who go out of their way to make you feel welcome. We’ll definitely stay there again if ever in the area.
We didn’t get to do much there because of the weather but we did get a chance to visit the local weir, which was flooding, and explore the areas between Trangie, Collie and Warren. This area, and beyond, is wheat country and I want to give a big shout out to our farmers. We drove through Lord knows how many acres of wheat fields all waiting to be harvested, but the rain had put a stop to that.
Our farmers put food on our tables but I don’t think we give them a second thought let alone the credit they deserve, I know I didn’t. They work hard, as do most of us, but, they are slaves to mother nature. Too much rain they can’t plant, too little rain their crop dies. Then they have to contend with pests. Insects and mice can decimate a crop. If all goes well, they can look forward to a good crop, but if it rains, the farmers can’t harvest at the optimum time, and the price drops. I don’t think I’ll ever complain about the price of flour or cereals again.
After leaving Trangie we continued on our way to Coolah National Park taking all the minor roads through the wheat country. Crossing the Newell Highway at Gilgandra we decided to stop overnight at the Gilgandra Bowling Club. This is a very convenient and pleasant free overnight spot. Within an hour we were settled in and Peter was making snoring noises on his chair under the awning so I called mum. The conversation went something like this:
“Hi mum, how are you?”
“I’m fine. Ahhh, if you had to, how long would it take you to get here?”
“A couple of days. Why?”
“I’m in hospital…”
“Why? What happened?”
“I broke my ankle.” Mum declared cheerfully.
To which I replied. “We’ll be there tomorrow.”
So instead of an overnight at Gilgandra we just had a pleasant hour’s rest then got going again.
And just how did my mum break her ankle? Well, it seems the last thing mum’s cleaner did before she left was to wash the floor. However, she neglected to dry it this time, and mum walked out of the bedroom onto the tiles and slipped. She managed to get herself up and called a good friend of hers, Doriel, who came over straight away. After a while, Doriel managed to convince mum that she needed more than a bandage and a bit of deep heat. Mum, of course, refused to call an ambulance.
So, picture this. An 85 year old lady, complete with broken ankle, being helped by an 80 year old lady, into a car and off to the hospital. They didn’t even stop at the hospital’s main entrance but went to find a space in the car park. Luckily someone noticed them struggling and got mum into a wheelchair. All I can say is that they breed them tough around here.
The drive to Port Macquarie was a very wet one. As the rain came down, we were lucky enough to stay ahead of the floods but witnessed many swollen and overflowing rivers, creeks, and roads and made the 600 kilometre drive in about eight hours. Not particularly fast, I agree, but towing three and a half tons of caravan in torrential rain, I think we did alright.
Even the fish seemed to be having trouble. We drove over a causeway and noticed something unusual. A whirlpool on the left hand side, probably caused by large drainage pipes under the road, and these created a super highway for the unwitting fish. We presumed that the fish were getting sucked through the pipes and spat out on the other side. Either that, or they were just having a bit of fun.
We have been in Port for just over two weeks now and have had mum back to the hospital to check her progress. There was some concern that she might need an operation, but the break is healing nicely so the operation is off the table. 😊 They removed the temporary half cast and now mum has a shiny, new, full, hard cast. She still can’t stand on it, but we don’t have to worry about accidental bangs and knocks any more. Better than that, she has taken to her little wheelchair like a duck to water and is zipping around like Michael Schumacher. I suggested her callsign should be Ironside, (remember TV’s crime drama which aired from late 60s to mid 70’s, whose lead character, Robert Ironside, was in a wheelchair?) anyway, mum said she her call sign to be Mad Maxine.
That’s my mum.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
One of the couples we have bumped into a few times had recommended we visit Lake Cargelligo. Because our plans, such as they are, had been thrown to the wind, we decided to give it a go.
As we drove down the main street of Cargelligo, it took us a few moments to realise that what we were looking at through the windscreen, was not a mirage shimmering in the distance, but a huge lake. As we got closer, we could see that the foreshore was lush green manicured lawns and garden beds and wondered if we had somehow slipped into a parallel dimension.
Lake Cargelligo was full to capacity when we arrived, and with more rain predicted, there was a lot of work going on to reinforce/heighten some of the lake’s banks to cope with the rain, and the run-off from rain further up the Lachlan River.
There are a couple of free camp areas around lake Cargelligo, Froggy Hollow, low and close to the lake, and Dead Man’s Point, also close to the lake, but with access to higher ground. Both areas were within easy walking distance from the town centre. We chose to stay at Dead Man’s Point and parked on the highest ground we could find. Even so, we were still only a few meters away from the lakes edge, had easy access to the lake via the boat ramp, and great views.
It really was a lovely place to stay and we ended up there six nights. The weather wasn’t the best but we still managed to wet the kayaks. To be honest, I only went out once, it was too cold and windy for me, I know…sook, but Peter braved the weather a few times.
Lake Cargelligo is a really lovely place to visit, and even though the weather was cold, blustery and wet, we really enjoyed it. As with many other places, it was very quiet here, though there were more caravans here than anywhere else we have been. Pre-Covid-19, Lake Cargelligo was a big water sport venue for locals and tourists alike. Let’s hope things get back to normal for this lovely little town sooner rather than later.
Oh, and for all you Twitchers out there, the Lake and the surrounding area is home to over 200 bird species. I think I saw about 10 of them. 😊
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
We spend a lot of time looking for national parks and reserves, hoping to see sensational scenery and spot a bit of wildlife. The truth is, you can often find all the above while driving and at overnight roadside stops. All you have to do is look.
We were driving the Barrier Hwy and came across the Meadow Glen rest area west of Cobar. This is a large area, it is well off the Hwy, has a decent long drop, a small shelter with a BBQ, tables, and rubbish bins.
Better than that, it was heavily treed, a very pretty spot and had plenty of goats to keep Peter amused and birds to keep me happy. What more would you want?
What you looking at? 
Apostle birds, they are everywhere, but they are oh so cute. 
You’re never to old for a feed from mum 
C’mon mum give me a scratch… 
Right there… ahh that’s the spot 
Don’t worry, he’s not dead. This is pure pleasure, Apostle style 
My old friend the spotted Bower bird 
I didn’t get a shot of them all together, but there are four here. 
I’m guessing , mum & dad and a couple of young juveniles 
Mallee Ringneck…I think. 
Red-Rumped parrot (male) 
Red-Rumped parrot (female) 
Red-Winged Parrot 
I didn’t get a shot of the female
Funny story. I went in search of the Bower bird’s bower. I didn’t find it, but I caught sight of something shiny off to my right. Looking through my camera, I had a conversation with myself that went something like this.
“Is that a snake? Don’t be stupid, it’s too big for a snake.” I lowered my camera and took a few steps closer, then looked through the lens again.
“Oh my God, it is a snake. Nah, there’s got to be more than one.” Again, I lowered the camera and took a few more steps closer.
“Just look at that would you, definitely a snake, definitely more than one. I wonder if they’re mating.” I moved closer for a better look, (no that’s not creepy, David Attenborough does it all the time). When I looked through the camera this time, there was a snake looking back at me.
“Damn it’s big and yep, definitely two snakes. Whoa, it’s coming out, look at the size of that thing.” By the time I had lowered the camera, the snake had completely untangled itself from its mate and was moving, very quickly… towards me.
“Ok, was two snakes, now one. Jeeze its fast, I’m ou…”
I clutched my camera to my chest head hot tailed it back to the van. As I ran, all I could think of was the barbed wired fence I’d clambered through, and how I’d get through it if the snake was close behind. Luckily it wasn’t, though I didn’t waste any time crawling under the fence.
I have heard that snakes generally won’t chase you, unless its mating season. I guess I can confirm that theory now.
We ended up spending two nights at Meadow Glen rest area. The night after that we found a hidden gem of a spot, on the Kidman Way.
It looked like a shallow quarry and had obviously been used by council for storing materials and plant for past road works. Completely concealed from the road, a large area, and enough bird life to keep me busy.
Our overnight stop on the Kidman Way 
The collective noun for a flock of Budgerigars is a “Chatter” I think a “Chaos” would be more suitable 
Another first, a Black-Shouldered Kite. Just gorgeous! 
The ever popular Emu 
Dad wasn’t sticking around 
Last but not least, Major Mitchells 
A very handsome fellow… 
…and his lovely wife 
So, it does pay to be a little curious. Just enough to help you find those hidden spots, but not so much that you stumble upon a couple of snakes doing the wild thing. And for those of you who are wondering, yes, I do talk to myself from time to time.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
We spent another three nights at the Racecourse in Broken Hill, I know I said we wanted to leave, but hey…it was nice and relaxing. Peter repaired the damage to the water tank, washed the dirt off Chunky Bum and Big Ears, and we re-assessed our travel plans. There was still a lot of rain heading our way and we wanted to keep off the dirt. Even if we had wanted to risk it, most of the dirt roads were closed anyway, but we could still get to White Cliffs on the black, via Wilcannia.
So, was White Cliffs worth the effort? Yes, it was.
It’s a typical opal mining town, except about 40% of the buildings are underground, to help the locals cope with the heat.
I think I had pictured the buildings being all dug vertically underground, but instead they seem to be built into the hill side, a bit like Hobbiton, a Lord of the Rings reference for all you Tolkienite’s out there.
It gets incredibly hot out there and being at the end of spring, we were expecting a little bit of sweat. Instead, we had to dig our winter woollies out and use the heater! It was freezing, and yes…it rained.
Like most other places we have been to, it was very quiet. In fact, we had the caravan park all to ourselves for a couple of days. It’s a friendly little town, with a few touristy things to do. Mine tours, underground home tours etc. Some were not operating, but we don’t tend to do the usual touristy things anyway.
We had planned a day trip out to the Paroo-Darling National Park and Lake Peery, the idea being we would check out the camping area for a potential one week stay. I did mention it had been raining and yes, we had to drive dirt roads to get there but we decided to give it a go. We didn’t make it to Lake Peery but we did nearly get bogged, so I suppose that sign ‘ROAD CLOSED’ actually meant something. The car is once more covered in a thick coat of ochre muck.
I’m sure he does it on purpose
We should buy some shares in car wash liquid.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
We drove out of the Racecourse Caravan Park on Friday Morning, pleased to be travelling legally once more, and pleased to be leaving Broken Hill. We had a really nice time here, it is very comfortable at the Racecourse, we even got to see some practice runs, but we have just spent too much time at Broken Hill. It was the only place we could come to during our nine week lockdown at Menindee, and it seems it just does not want us to leave.
Over the past few weeks, we have applied for both QLD and SA border permits, sadly nobody wants us. So, it looks like we will still be in NSW for Christmas, not Adelaide as we had hoped. Guess who’s coming home for Christmas mammy?
In the meantime, we decided to check out a few places we missed. including the Living Desert Sculptures, just out of town.
Finally, white Cliffs here we come, except… on the way to White Cliffs, we saw a sign for Mutawintji National Park, and thought, why not? Well, let me tell you why not. Because we didn’t check the weather, that’s why not.
We arrived at the campsite in Mutawintji after driving over 139 km of dirt road. Along the way we passed quite a few signs saying, “Dry weather Road”. Now, before you judge, on the way out there the road was dry, and we got to see some Wild horse too.
We arrived at the campground at Mutawintji, and it looked like a place we could stay for a few nights. That is until we realised that we had lost half our water. A stone must have hit, and snapped, the tank’s drain tap, emptying one of the tanks completely. Because the tanks work on a syphoning system, and there was air in one tank, we couldn’t get water from the other. No problems though, we still had 70 litres in Big Ears.
That night it rained, and it rained hard. The following day we spoke to some other campers who said there was more rain on the way. Hmmm, lack of water, “Dry weather” roads, lots of rain coming. This was beginning to spell trouble.
We really didn’t want to be stuck here so decided to make a run for it and go directly to White Cliffs, another 150 odd km’s of dirt. But, not before I got some photos of a young Corella and his folks, and not before Peter almost got carried away by a gazillian hungry ants. Who said he doesn’t have any good dance moves? Sadly, I was too busy laughing to get any photos, and Peter refused to do a re-enactment. I know, buzz-kill.
Long story short, the road from Mutawintji to White Cliffs was quite wet but we were taking it easy, especially through the washouts. Halfway to White Cliffs, we came to a section of road that looked a little suspect. We got out to assess the road. and could see the tracks where a big 4-wheel drive had gone through the first section. It had then turned sharply left, to go up the embankment. If he had done that, we figured he must have had trouble going through and wasn’t going to risk the next section. His manoeuvre might have worked for him, but not something we could risk doing while towing the van.
That left us with two choices. We could go back to the camp at Mutawintji, and hope we didn’t run out of water while we waited for the rain to pass and the roads to dry. Or, back the way we came, back to Broken Hill.
So, open your doors Broken Hill, ‘cause we’re coming home. I might pick up a Change of Address Form while we’re here this time.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
