Home to South Australia

18 January 2019 - This trip is a journey across Australia from the Gold Coast to Steep Point - the most westerly point on the Australian mainland.  We plan to travel west via the Nullarbor and back home across the continent's centre along Australia's longest shortcut, the Outback Way. On the way we plan to explore the southern part of Western Australia (WA) in detail, something we couldn't do when we travelled around Australia in 2013 due to persistent wet weather at the time.

We plan to leave on 21 February 2019 with no real timeframe for our return other than we expect to be out and about for 3 to 4 months. A rough journey plan has been drafted in WikiCamps below:

For the first two nights of the trip we are taking the van to the Broadwater Tourist Park just 400 metres south of home to give it a good clean before we set off as the last trip was to Cape York and a little dust remains in a number of crevices, including the car and caravan. When we leave we plan to stay up high travelling through the New England Tableland for as long as possible where it is hoped the temperatures remain cooler. After that it is all about the weather, fires, floods, famine, the car, the van and us as to where we go and for how long. 

Broadwater Tourist Park - site for two nights

On Thursday 21 February, with cyclone Oma potentially bearing down on the Gold Coast, we set off from Broadwater Tourist Park to spend two nights in the Border Ranges of NSW in a National Park called Sheepstation Creek. We chose site number three after much deliberation and paid our money through the NSW National Parks website. 

After an hour or so on the road we pulled into Tumbulgum (pronounced Tumbulgum as the 'ph' is silent when it isn't in the word) on the banks of the Tweed River for smoko. Whilst there, a lovely young lady from NSW National Parks phoned us up to inform us that cyclone Oma is now potentially bearing down on the northern NSW region as well as the Gold Coast. I thought "How lovely, NSW National Parks provide a free personalised weather forecaster for those people booked into Sheepstation Creek NP". As well as the free personalised weather forecast service, NSW National Parks also provide a free cancellation service for those who have booked at Sheepstation Creek NP when cyclone Omo is bearing down on the region and there is an increased risk of falling trees and being flooded in. Poop!

Our camp at Wadeville Woolies Van Park

So over coffee and the first of our 2288 homemade muffins jammed into our freezer, thanks to Julie having far too much time on her hands before we left, we poured over Wiki Camps and changed our destination to the famous village of Wadeville, and its terrific van park, Wadeville Woolies, that is so insignificant that not even a rampaging cyclone Oma could either find nor bear down upon it. With the pick of any of the sites, we picked a site and set up. The effects of Oma were about with blustery winds and showers. Fortunately our site had the driver’s side of the van to the winds with some shrubs protecting it so we could roll out the awning and watch the showers go by. When they cleared the craggy mountains of the Border Ranges filled our distant view.  So here we sit high up in the Border Ranges with spectacular views to the distant extinct volcanoes with power, water, firewood, with a total fire ban and spotless amenities all by ourselves all for a price less than what it costs to stay in Sheepstation Creek NP with cyclone Oma bearing down on it.

 View from camp at Wadeville Woolies Van Park, NSW

For the rest of the day the weather was certainly warm and the wind kept picking up. Showers are forecast for  tomorrow and for the days after so we plan to spend only one night here and push further south and inland to Mulligans Hut campground in Gibraltar Ranges NP, about an hour east of Glen Innes, to stay for a couple of nights to try and get away from the influences of cyclone Oma.

View from camp at Wadeville Woolies

There is something about showers, strong winds and an erratic cyclone that deters others from going camping. We had the place to ourselves except for T Rential and Gale Force beating us around during the night. I spent numerous hours during the night balancing the need for a cooling breeze flowing over us and keeping the torrents out when the heavens opened. Next morning Julie woke fully refreshed after enjoying a cool, dry night in bed while I just wanted to sleep.

With dark rings under my eyes, under showery skies and strong winds I packed up everything outside while Julie was stuck packing up inside in the dry comfortable homely walls of the caravan. When it was time to leave I carried Julie to the car on my back while shielding her from the rain by holding a tarp stretched between two umbrellas. Fortunately the only water to touch her was a drop of sweat from my brow.

22 Feb - Hoping that Mulligans Hut campground in the Gibraltar Range NP was open we headed there along a beautiful windy mountainous drive to Casino then onto Mulligans Hut. Our lunch stop on the way was overlooking the Mann River was where we accidently left our floor mat behind when we stopped here in 2013 heading off around Australia. I looked and looked but couldn’t find it – it must have blown away last night. What I did find though was a friendly rooster that came when called. Do chooks eat mats?

Mulligans Hut campsite

Mulligans Hut campground was open and we jagged the best site for our needs i.e. sun for our solar panels albeit limited. For two days we explored the area, did all the walks and enjoyed the lovely campground atmosphere. It was the weekend so there were a few other campers in but it was not full. The other campers were all quiet and, if not walking, were relaxing quietly around camp. Everyone, including us, moved inside our accommodation just after the sun went down as the overnight temperatures dropped to around 13 degrees. Plus fires were not allowed so no camper’s TV to keep everyone up.

The feature walk here is the 6klm walk to the Needles – a pointed rocky outcrop on the edge of a deep valley. We had the walk to ourselves and enjoyed a relaxing time soaking up the spectacular views and scenery at the lookout overlooking the needles.

The Needles

Heading back we decided that we would add the 3klm optional extension to visit the World Heritage listed Tree Fern Forest, a forest of tree ferns as it turned out.

Tree Fern Forest

On the way we met a couple who advised we could walk through the forest and keep going back to camp. The small print, which we didn’t read, was that it was 6klm to camp.

So by the time we dragged ourselves back to camp, which included time spent carving a tree with the word “Dig” on it, we had walked 13klm over 4 hours over some very hilly dry tracks. The best thing about having completed such a hard walk was that it justified the relaxing afternoon we spent around camp and the couple of quiet beers in the evening.

The place of Quiet Beers, Mulligan Campsite, Gibraltar Ranges NP

24 Feb – our final morning at Mulligans Hut was a relaxed one, just reading and doing regular maintenance checks on the car and caravan.

Hide n' seek with the locals

After morning tea we set off to Glen Innes in search of fuel and lunch, both of which were successful. Next destination was Copeton Dam (Northern Reserve) just 20klm south of Inverell. We wanted to surprise Julie’s late brother’s wife’s sister (need a family tree?), Heather and her husband, Tim, who live in Inverell. To our surprise we were surprised to find out that Julie’s late brother’s wife’s daughter, Alanah, Julie's and Heather's niece, was visiting for a week also.  So we arranged to catch up tomorrow for morning tea if not some cooling beverages around a campfire tomorrow night.

Just like Wadeville Woolies we have the van park (almost) all to ourselves. Perched high on the hills surrounding Copeton Dam we have panoramic views over the dam which, due to the drought, is currently only 12% full.

A 12% full Copeton Dam

Copeton Dam Camp

In the afternoon we took the rare opportunity to take a drive into the dam and onto the exposed bottom and along the numerous temporary dirt tracks that take you to the water’s edge. The bottom of the concrete boat ramp from the van park is at least a kilometre from the water.

Copeton Dam near Inverell

Sunset over Copeton Dam

25 Feb – After a bit of tidying up around camp in the morning we drove into Inverell to visit Heather, Tim and Alanah for morning tea. Heather and Tim have done so much around their place over the last 18 months since we were there last with Heather's Thread Shed being an outstanding feature. Two great dogs, chooks, a productive veggie garden and extensive flowering plants finish off their beautiful home.

Out front of the Thread Shed

Drinkies and Din Dins at our place

That night Heather, Tim and Alanah came out to where we were camped and we had a BBQ dinner on Tim’s Weber Q.  A great evening was had by all with a spectacular sunset over the dam preceding a clear evening sky filled with millions of stars and shooting stars. Sadly the evening had to come to an end as at 10pm there was just Julie and I left as the others disappeared over the hill back to Inverell. What a great couple of days!

Next day was moving day, but not before we headed back into Inverell to replace our long time trusty toaster that started tripping the caravan and van park fuses that morning. Next destination – Sculptures in the Scrub in the Pilliga NP.

Myall Creek smoko stop

On the way we stopped at a small rest stop on the banks of the dry Myall Creek for morning tea. At the time we were unaware that in 1838, 28 unarmed aboriginals were massacred here at the hands of 11 colonialists. The colonialists were tried and hanged for their brutal crime.

About 40 klm north of Coonabarabran on the Newell Highway a dusty somewhat corrugated dirt road leads to the Sculptures in the Scrub picnic area and campground. The campground is really good with several large sites each with its own fireplace (not useable at the moment due to a total fire ban), new clean drop toilets and 3 gas BBQ’s and all this is for free. A walk around the camp in the afternoon preceded us settling in for the afternoon with our friends, the flies and ants, under our awning as it was pretty warm. Tomorrow, in the cool of the morning, we will do the sculpture and gorge walk before heading off to a destination unknown at this point.

Our camp at Sculptures in the Scrub

27 Feb - after a lovely cool night of just 14 degrees the sun peeked through the trees spilling filtered sunbeams onto our van to help everything warm up. After breakfast we set off to do the Sculptures in the Scrub walk and what a wonderful walk it is. 

Numerous large sculptures are placed along the well formed trail that skirts the rim of Dandry Gorge, a meeting place of travelling aboriginal mobs over thousands of years. The sculptures are excellent and cleverly depict the culture of the travelling aboriginals that intersected here. The gorge is cooler that the exposed escarpment above where the sculptures are. Numerous boulders have the grooves of ancient activities where spears and axes were sharpened. The gorge is carved out by a reliable water course and the sandstone cliffs and their caves would have provided shelter. Below are some of the sculptures:

So Sculptures in the Scrub is an excellent option for anyone travelling this way. The road in is dusty and corrugated but is certainly worth the effort to experience a wonderful depiction of Australia's first people.

With the walk out the way and the need to get some sustenance and internet access to plan where we might go by COB tonight, we headed south to Coonabarabran for lunch and a planning session. The result was full stomachs and to head to Nyngan in the central plainlands of NSW. The temperatures from Nyngan to Adelaide over the next week are above the 40 degree mark so we will travel in the heat of the day and set up camp around 4pm or so to watch the sun and the temperature go down. Our caravan air conditioner decided to go on holidays  without us on the second day out so we are without it until we either get home in a few months or find an efficient and interested repairer on our travels. We expect cooler weather in a few weeks so it is likely we won't need it and will get it looked at when we get home.

Thurs 28 Feb - Currently, at 9:15pm it is 30 degrees and an amazing 20% humidity! Any washing dries within an hour.

Nyngan camp

A follow up planning session tonight, after we arrived in Nyngan, resolved that we would stay in Nyngan for two nights to further delay our journey through South Australia which will remain in the 40 degree range until Sunday. 

Next day, Friday, we did the regular maintenance checks on the car and caravan around camp in the morning, hit the caravan air conditioner with an axe in the hope that it would fix it (it didn't), then headed 10klm down the road to a viewing platform overlooking an enormous solar farm. With no moving parts except for the millions of flies obviously living off the grid we left the thousands of solar panels in their paddock for a visit to central Nyngan for lunch.

The exciting view over the solar farm

With no moving parts except for the millions of flies living off the extreme heat, Nyngan provided little in the way of food options. Deciding that the air conditioned cafe was the best in town we settled down to quite a reasonable lunch, because it was so cool inside.

Jeff and Jamie in Nyngan in the Bogan Shire

By sheer luck, next door to the cool cafe was Nyngan's great tourist attraction - The Big Bogan. Yes the Bogan Shire, after much planning involving the region's greatest minds, decided the best feature and greatest tourist attraction for the town of Nyngan was a huge statue of a Big Bogan. 

Now, I love my son-in-law Jamie heaps, however, the resemblance between Jamie and the statue is astounding. From the back turned baseball cap and goatee at the top, footie shorts, fishing rod and fish (rarely) in the middle, the love of NRL, to the thongs (possibly double-pluggers) on the feet, Jamie was clearly the inspiration for the statue, or the other way round.  If you don't believe me below is a photo of Jamie dressed for a job interview a couple of years back ...

Gee I'm in trouble from my daughter now 😊.

So with all the highlights of Nyngan under our belts, as well as the delicious lunch, we headed back to camp for an afternoon of trying to keep cool in the 38 degree heat and perspiring. Fortunately our view of the stagnant Bogan River remained uninterrupted so we watched with interest the abundant birdlife flocking and feeding against the sunburnt skies of central NSW.

Nyngan - view from camp

Flocking birds!

A Bogan River sunset

Can't remember which town this photo was taken...

2 March - An ongoing check of the weather west of us saw no relief in the brutal, dry, hot baking weather. We packed up the next day and headed off after an morning tea, to delay our departure, so that we would travel during the heat of the day in the comfort of our air conditioned car. The ongoing beating by me of the caravan air conditioner with an axe had still made no difference in convincing it to start working, although Julie for some reason kept on top of all her chores. 

Lunch in the shade

As we travelled the long hot roads numerous willy-willy's spiralled over the hot plains drawing dust high into the air. On a number of occasions up to five willy-willy's were being tracked by us hoping not to drive through one.

Today is Julie's birthday and, although she says she doesn't want a fuss made of her ongoing elderly status, I had other plans. As a surprise and at great risk we travelled west in the blazing sun to a unique and rare experience - a blazing hot campsite on the banks of the near dehydrated Darling River on the outskirts of Wilcannia which, up until yesterday, was a dangerous and violent community. After setting up camp on a site with literally zero shade I romantically placed the camp chairs under the cooling awning and whispered in her ear "What's for dinner?". 

So, with a somewhat disappointing dinner prepared by Julie, we sat and watched the sun set over the green putrid Darling River.

A special night with green water views.

As a special treat that few of her friends have ever had, the final sparks of the brutally hot day flickered into the clear skies above Wilcannia and signalled it was time for 400 trillion mosquito larvae to rise as one from the green sludge of the Darling River and wrap themselves around Julie and I to hum as one and sing Happy Birthday to her.

Pre-mosquito drinks

It was obviously all too much for Julie as she became so overwhelmed by the unique experience that she ran inside and, as she slid under the covers, I did see a tear in her eye. My final gift to Julie on her birthday was my favourite axe gift wrapped with a card granting her unlimited hits of the caravan air conditioner until midnight.  

Next morning we arose early in the cool of the morning and had breakfast amongst the trillions of dead mosquito larvae covering our windows and floor matting whilst overlooking the Darling. A bird had stolen one of our spoons last night and sat silhouetted in the branches of the dead tree in front of us while we ate our cereal sharing a single spoon.

The bird that stole our spoon

The weather forecast remained blisteringly hot for the day so, like yesterday, except that Julie was now a year older, we headed further west to Peterborough in South Australia. The landscape was dry and barren with little vegetation. Wild goats were the only creatures we saw. Large willy-willy's with bellies full of dusty plains red dust spun wildly around us. Sparsely shaded roadside stops gave little respite when we stopped for morning tea and lunch in the 38 degree heat. 

Eventually we arrived in the train town of Peterborough in South Australia (SA) and checked into what was quite a nice van park which had a shady site available with views over the dry dusty plains we had just travelled. At 9:15pm the temperature was still above 30 degrees. Washing that I had put out to dry was dry before I finished putting the pegs on them - the humidity was just 13%. Fortunately the temperature did fall to 22 degrees overnight and a good sleep was possible from 6am to 6:15am.

And so ends the first of our installments from this trip to WA. Whilst the weather at the end of this part of the trip was far too hot to do anything but trying to stay cool, the first part provided us with weather very good for walking and doing things. The car and van are going well with no issues and, despite all the jokes, Julie did have a good birthday as she really enjoyed using the axe on the still non-functioning air conditioner.


Bye for now

      JeffnJulie