Dubbo and Moree

This combined family of six kids and a couple have become Amber’s best buddies and she is loving table tennis, the jumping pillow, riding their bikes together and shooting the breeze.

This morning one of the kids called to Amber at 7am, but she didn’t stir until about 8. Once her friends headed off to the Zoo, Amber and I jumped on our bikes and pedalled the Tracker Reilly circuit around the Macquarie River. What a lovely track this was and right outside the caravan park.

Next we headed into town. First stop the new Royal Flying Doctor Service interpretive centre which was unfortunately closed on Mondays. Then the craft centre which reminded us of the Buderim Craft Cottage and not the hub of creative activities we found at the Bendigo Pottery.

Next we found This blog covers two days: the first was spent in Dubbo, mostly in the company of our new friends. a water park and a beautiful Japanese Botanical Gardens with huge carp, stepping stones, a teahouse and pergola. Lovely!

By now it was time to go to the Old Dubbo Gaol and it was just as wonderful as I remembered. We were in time for the ‘escape’ re-enactment and met up with our new friends there, which made it even more fun. They invited us out for dinner so, back at camp we cleaned up and wandered to the bowls club next door. This impromptu party ended up growing with two other families joining us and I really enjoyed their company. What a lovely evening!

On to today... we were on the road by 9.30am. Amber was understandably sad to say goodbye, but games in the car got her out of a slump. A few stops, and five hours later, we arrived at Moree and checked into Gwydir Carapark: the only camp spot in Moree with its own series of hot springs.

The rest of the afternoon and evening has been spent soaking. One pool is 39 degrees (the temperature the water comes out of the ground) and the other four pools go down from there as water is pumped from one to the other. As Ii write, Amber is in the middle of a game of Marco Polo with four other kids in the large, coolest pool and a couple of grandparents are keeping an eye on her.

Tomorrow we head to the Gold Coast. This is our last night under canvas before heading home. What an amazing adventure this has been!

Lake Cargelligo to Dubbo

I woke well before Amber and got on my bike as the sun turned everything orange.  I rode down to Frogs Hollow which Pete says is the site of a couple of ochre pits. I couldn’t find them (a sign indicated they were there somewhere) but I did have a lovely chat with another camper, Alan, who was up enjoying the early morning too. He was camped at the free camping area along the bank of the river and he and his wife had been on the road for three months already. Ahh, the life of a grey nomad! Something to aspire to!

We were on the road by 9.30am and heading to Ootha to see the Utes in a Paddock. This amazing sculpture park depicts various aspects of Australian life, all painted on, or crafted out of, Holden Utes. What an extraordinary exhibition this is. Many of the artists were recognisable (for instance John Murray from Lightning Ridge whose prints adorns our wall at home). The signs accompanying the utes tell a range of stories and many are worth reading to the kids. Amber especially liked the story behind a ute painted by the local aboriginal kids.

From here we were on to Parkes where we were lucky enough to catch the tail end of the Elvis Festival. The information centre was teeming with Memphis look-alikes. This weekend-long event takes place the second weekend in January each year and is apparently long awaited. Seems incongruent that such a wonderful town named for  one of the founders of this country, and one of the best radio telescopes in the world should be known for a man who lived and died half the globe away, but the world is a funny place!

Next stop Dubbo. We were staying at Dubbo Parklands Big4. I have stayed here before and really love this spot. Manager, Deidre, showed us their new safari tent accommodation before we set up (avoiding the rain). The rest of the day was spent relaxing, swimming in the pool, playing table tennis and making friends with other campers (most importantly other kids). Amber was definitely ready for the company of other kids and thoroughly enjoyed a huge game of Red Rover.

Murray River to Lake Cargelligo

Water is the theme today and this blog covers two days.

First, yesterday, we spent the day at Echuca. It was a day I was really looking forward too... first we were going on a paddle steamer, and second we were looking forward to exploring the old port.

The paddle steamer didn’t disappoint. We joined the PS Canberra at 2.30pm for a hour-long cruise up and down the river. This beautifully restored vessel is run by steam and the engine is exposed so you can see every piston movement and the smell of wood smoke permeates.

We sat on the upper deck, right on the bow, watching the Murray River Ensign flapping before us as we rounded each bend with a ‘toot toot’ to warn vessels coming the other way. When we turned and headed for home kids were allowed a go at the wheel. As you should be aware, I am just one big kid so, once the little tikes had a go, I was next in line. I hogged the wheel for a bend or so and what a thrill it was!

I found Echuca surprisingly disappointing. The wharf area is certainly beautiful, but the overly kitsch and commercial nature of the old port left me wanting. For instance, there’s a lovely looking self-guided walk of the dock area which takes in the museums and waterfront boardwalk, but you need to pay for it... which seems a little money-grabbing. We certainly enjoyed the cheese shop, bakery and the ice cream shop though!

The highlight for both of us was seeing the Pervensey which is the vessel used in All the River Runs. Although we didn’t actually get onboard (we had chosen another company), it was wonderful to see her as she passed, and this distance afforded us wonderful photos.

Today we were up early (by VIC standards) and on the road by 9.30. We had a long drive ahead to Lake Cargelligo, somewhere new. Along the way we stopped at Jerilderie where Ned Kelly delivered his manifesto to the printer, and Narrandera where we strummed the largest playable guitar in the world. We even had time for a strawberry slice at The Big Strawberry.

Lake Cargelligo is like an oasis in the middle of the golden plains. We are staying at Lake View Caravan Park. It, and the area, attracts numerous ski boats, and apparently has been an aboriginal settlement for eons. Pete (another resident at the caravan park) is a real ambassador to the region and gave us a wonderfully concise visitor guide spiel. He also came over armed with ant spray just at the moment we were about to retreat into the tent, hopping all the way. Thanks Pete!

The banks of the Murray

Ah, the Murray. It seems to have a hold on both of us, similar to one I once experienced from Uluru. We can’t help looking at it: the flowing muddy water, the twisted roots supporting huge proud trees and the dusty eroded banks all have a magnetism to them.

Amber and I prepared for our visit here by watching The Rivers Run, an old mini-series about a couple plying these waters on a paddle steamer. The romance of that rendition was catching and we could both camp here on the banks for months.

Southerners are far different than Queenslanders when it comes to camping. We like to get up with the sun, and go to bed with it too.  Perhaps it’s the cold, but at 9am this morning Amber and I were the only people up. (We had only been up half an hour, but whose counting?).

Today we chose to stay put, rather than drive into Echuca, and I am glad we did. The day started with a paddle upstream while Amber hid herself in the tent with one of her books.

Then we both jumped on our bikes and explored our surroundings. Downstream we found tracks following the river and rode for about an hour, twisting and turning and eventually returning to camp. Sitting on a carved log overlooking the river together was something I will always remember.

Lunch and laundry done and we boarded the kayak together and paddled upstream again. Amber insisted on climbing out on every tree root and large snag and we weaved our way between them. She even found a rabbit amongst some of the roots. We rushed home with the river, then headed for the pool to enjoy the only hour that could remotely be called hot. Amber swam, I chickened out.

Now we sit by the campfire Amber lit a few minutes ago. She is drawing and I am tapping. Most of the ski boats are tied to the bank and the rustle of trees and screeching of cockatoos is dominant. The light at the river is starting to subdue and  I wish I was a painter.

Soon I will warm up dinner and the games will begin... Mastermind tonight, I reckon!

Bendigo rises to the challenge

This has to be my favourite day of this trip so far. We woke early (nice and warm) in the cabin we had booked as a break from camping so we weren’t late to meet Bev at the White Hills Cemetery. Bev is a volunteer and historian here who was helping us find the whereabouts of Amber’s GGG Grandparents and their three infants who were all buried here in the 1860s.

Unfortunately, none of them had headstones remaining, but we did find out they were buried in the independent section, not a specific denomination. We also were treated to a tour of the cemetery including stories of some of the other residents (including the black American who was one of the miners charged for the Eureka uprising). We left Bev giving her a copy of the John Grimson’s life story which she was absolutely thrilled to receive, saying she would be including his story in her tours of the cemetery in future.

Next stop was the Talking Tram tour which takes about 45 minutes. Our particular tram was build in 1914 and was beautifully restored. The tour took us past all the beautiful buildings of Bendigo, and told stories of old resident who would have been here at the time of John and Emily.

Next stop was the Bendigo Pottery where Amber and I had signed up for a half hour pottery lesson. This was so much fun! We learnt to throw a pot and shape it on a wheel. Our creations will be fired and sent to us some time later this month. Bendigo Pottery is well-known nationwide, and we have now made some of our own! Our instruction, John, was a lovely man who had studied his craft in England. He was off to Antigua tomorrow where his son had married a West Indian woman. We had plenty to share, as you can imagine!

There was one more thing to do before leaving Bendigo... try and track down areas where John and Emily had lived. We knew their second daughter, Marion, was born in Adelaide Flat; they had lived for a while in Dead Horse Flat and New Chum; that John had suffered a mining accident in Kangaroo Flat and his will included two weatherboard homes: one in Little Bedford Road and one in New Chum, near Mr Lazarus’s machine.

How exciting it was to find Lazarus Street, New Chum Street and Adelaide Gully (in Kangaroo Flat)! Some of these streets even had old cottages which might have been similar to those John mentioned!

It was well after 4pm when we finally dragged ourselves away from Bendigo and headed for Echuca. We didn’t have time to stop in the town on our way through, but headed to Morning Glory Holiday Park about half an hour further, on a quiet section of the Murray bank. What a fantastic spot!

We set up camp and set a fire, made friends with the neighbours then played cribbage along the river bank before bed!  Certainly a ten out of ten day!

There’s gold in them hills

We had a 3-4 hour drive today so it was important to leave on time. Not as easily said as done ,however, since Amber has truly made the transition to ’tween’ and is now sleeping in. I dragged her out around 8.30am for breakfast and then we packed up in lovely sunny (not overly windy) conditions.

We weren’t far down the road before we spied an alpaca farm called Blue Moon and diverted to take a look. Hand-feeding seems to be rather a trend for us at the moment, so we couldn’t miss the opportunity to add another species to our list.

Then we were off driving down the Goldfields Tourist Route to Bendigo. I listened to Eva Cassidy while Amber caught up on her sleep once again. (Add this to her tremendous appetite at the moment and she must be doing a growth spurt!).

I started to get excited as we neared Bendigo. The idea of being around the goldfields that my great, great grandparent worked was exhilarating. We stopped at the Central Deborah Gold Mine where we had planned a ride in a miner’s cage and a mine tour.

First came the cage tour with Laurie and we dropped four levels in a matter of seconds, getting out to pitch black and learning how miners went to work this way until the 1950s. Then we joined Georg, Snowy and John for an extended tour through the second level. We donned our miner’s helmets complete with back-battery packs. We learnt about reefs, dynamite, drills and different lighting methods  and all the guides imparted this knowledge in a humorous way. It was easy to see why this is an award-winning attraction and I would recommend it for all kids (unless they are really scared of the dark).

Back at surface, we drove to Big4Bendigo Ascot Holiday Park and checked into our cabin. That’s right, we had given ourselves a treat and booked a cabin to completely relax tonight. A little TV, dinner cooked for two nights and a hot shower, and we are ready for an early wake-up call in the morning. We have even mapped out different parts of Bendigo to visit where John and Emily Grimson lived or worked... very exciting!

Halls Gap Zoo and Meerkats

Today was one of those highlights of this trip we have been eagerly awaiting; the day we got to feed the meerkats at Halls Gap Zoo!

This little zoo was rather rundown until new owner Evonne and her Husband took it over four years ago. Slowly they have improved the enclosures and got the animals into better shape and they should be proud of their efforts. The zoo is intimate, yet gives a chance to see some unusual animals up close.

We started with a Meerkat Encounter where we were the only participants to go into the enclosure and hand feed corn and mealy worms to this delightful creatures. (We weren’t so keen on the squirming worms, but the meerkats loved them!).

After that excitement, the rest of the zoo paled in comparison but the Tassie Devils, dingos, fallow deer, bison and bilbies were highlights. Amber took this hilarious picture of a wallaby, which i just had to share!  I must say the bison looked rather forlorn... and wouldn’t you too if your entire species had been hunted to near extinction...

After lunch in a lovely park in Halls Gap we headed up the hill to visit a waterfall and lookout. It had been threatening to rain all day, and was spitting from time to time. Yet, it stayed clear while we walked and enjoyed this beautiful natural environment.

Back in Halls Gap for ice cream at The Four Clowns where Amber announced “I could live in this shop, Mum”. Then back to the caravan park to chill, ride bikes and play cribbage. What a fantastic day!