Moree to Ballarat

 Fri 8 July – It was a cooler morning as we left Moree after shopping. We are now heading south on the Newell Hwy which runs from Brisbane to Melbourne. I drove this road in around 1996 with Paul Whitehouse and Dave Krakoski, when TVNZ ( Moving Pictures) was running an OB fleet of 3 trucks picking up the odd OBs in Aussie. We had a Rugby League in Brisbane, and our next job was in Geelong. This road is the main trucking route, and we were warned against using the Newell. We found the first 100kms smooth, flat, and wide so no problems. They are building a new inland railway along this road. We stopped at the showgrounds at Narrabri and sat in the sun and read. We now need power as our only heater is electric and it is cool at night.

Sat 9 July – Chilly this morning! On our way to Coonabarabran, we stopped at the Pilliga Sandstone Caves and walked a great 2km track around a huge sandstone outcrop where the were many caves. The colours in the rocks were beautiful.

 Our overnight stop was at a small cheap camping ground. We walked around the town of Coonabarabran and sat outside until 3:30 in warm sunshine.

 Sun 10 July – Our coldest night yet! 0C. Heater on before we got up so “Andy” was nice and cosy. We drove south to Hickeys Falls just off the hwy. Lovely! 

And on to Gilgandra. The Newell is now in undulating country with mostly bush beside the road. We are in a very small, neat camp and again we walked the town. This town was made famous as a recruiting march left from here in 1915 with 25 men heading to Sydney 515kms away. As they passed thru each town they called out “COO-EE” and arrived 250 recruits.

 

Mon 11 July – A short drive to Dubbo. We parked in town to get Val a haircut but there was a 2 hour delay. We shopped for 2 new jerseys and boots for Val, read in the sun in a carpark and then the haircut. Checked into a camp and sat outside in warm sunshine until 4:00pm.

 Tues 12 July – No driving today. Rain is forecast for this afternoon; we got the laundry done and I washed the lower half of “Andy”. We have been to Dubbo 4 years ago as it is the junction of several highways. Still no rain so we biked into town and along the Macquarie River. There is a cycling bridge crossing the river with a cycleway on each bank. The river was in flood  and the bridge was under water, so we had to do a “u” turn and ride back to the camp passing many playing fields. Sunny again for a read outside but it soon cooled down.

Wed 13 July – Back on the Newell Hwy heading south to Parkes. Just short of the town is the “Dish”. This is the large radio telescope made famous for being the receiving point for the TV pictures of the first moon landing of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong’s “one step” speech. There is a visitor’s centre and some interesting displays of the 1960s equipment. I was involved with transmitting the TV pictures from Christchurch to Dunedin. It was never “live” on TV in NZ as there was no satellite receiving station in those days. We had a film version, flown from Sydney to Wellington by Canberra Bomber, screened simultaneously  to all centres, a couple of days later. “The Dish” was a movie, starring Sam Neil, telling the story of this period. It is cold and we are camped in a showground in Parkes with a mixture of black clouds and sunshine.

Thurs 14 July – A cold foggy morning. We drove down the main street of Parkes and 30kms to Forbes in the fog. There is a car museum in Forbes, and we enjoyed the 60 odd cars and motorbikes ranging from early 1900s to modern classics, some in original condition but most immaculate.

 The sun came out and it was an interesting drive to West Wyalong to the showgrounds. This is the start of the Riverina region and the bush and cattle have given way to crops. West Wyalong was a gold mining town with some beautiful old buildings and a crooked main street as it follows the original bullock track around the mines and trees. We walked to the town centre in warm sunshine.

Fri 15 July – This is our last day driving the Newell Hwy (route 39). We have driven 755kms from Moree. The road and traffic have been great and not the disaster some would have us believe. We are camped at the Narrandera showgrounds. The showgrounds all have power, needed for heating, have large sites, and are sunny with very few shady trees and cheap! ($20-25) A short walk away there is an AFL development tournament being played with schoolboys of all ages. We watched the senior boy’s game. Very skilful!! We sat outside until 4:45pm in warm sunshine.

Sat 16 July – A cloudy cold morning. The sun came out after lunch, so we biked to some tracks in a reserve down by the Murrumbidgee River. The first track was called “Koala” and sure enough we spied 2 Koalas sleeping in the gum trees. These are the first we have seen in the wild! The ride down to the river was great thru beautiful gum trees. We returned via the main street of Narrandera. Found a thorn in Val’s rear tyre so spent the rest of the afternoon changing the tube. Many Kangaroos invaded the showring at sunset.

 

Sun 17 July – Woken by gun fire in the night. No idea what it was all about. Much warmer this morning as we left Narrandera and drove down the Sturt Hwy to Wagga Wagga, pronounced Wogga Wogga. This is the biggest inland city in NSW (66,000). It is also where Prince Charles stepped off an aircraft, in 38C heat, wearing a fox hat. We bought a new tube at K Mart and drove along the main street. Not very inspiring!  Our camp was a few kms north of the city. A couple of showers in the afternoon and rain at night. The direct route to South Australia would be to travel west but we have decided, as we have time, to head south down into Victoria to visit Bendigo and Ballarat.

 Mon 18 July – By-passed the city centre, picked up the cheapest diesel so far this trip ($2.19), and headed to Albury with a stop at the original Ettamogah Pub. Unfortunately, the main building was closed.

We are camped at the Albury Showgrounds. In the afternoon we biked into the CBD and walked the main street. Some lovely old buildings, beautifully painted, and a great vibe. Albury is right on the border of NSW and Victoria.

Tues 19 July – A frosty morning but lovely sunshine all day. A longer drive today (175kms) down the Hume Hwy crossing the Murray River which is the border. 100kms of fast smooth dual carriageway before heading west towards Shepparton. The landscape is now flat, but in the distance, we can see mountains with a dusting of snow. We are in a camp and biked into the smallish town along the main street and then into a cycleway thru a park and around Lake Victoria. Sat outside in the sun until 4:00pm.

Wed 20 July – West for 120kms on the Midland Hwy to Bendigo. We found our camp and had lunch. Bendigo has a population of 120,000 and we are 8kms from the CBD, so we drove “Andy” to a parking area in the city. There was a replica mine head tower near our park, so we started our exploration by climbing it for a view of the area. Bendigo was one of the great gold mining towns from 1860 odd. Under the town there is a number of gold bearing quartz reefs and many mine shafts were dug to extract the gold. The town is beautiful, with great parks and buildings reflecting the huge wealth. We walked around the CBD before returning to our camp. Another warm, sunny day.

Thurs 21 July – Drove “Andy” part way to town again but parked where the vintage tourist tram starts its run. We hopped on and rattled our way thru the CBD to the other end of the track at the Deborah  Gold Mine.

This is now a tourist mine and we wandered around the various buildings and equipment that served the mine in the past. 

A short walk back towards the town stopping at an impressive Catholic Cathedral both inside and out. We went to a restaurant for lunch and sat outside, near the Alexandra Fountain. A last walk along the main street admiring the beautiful buildings before catching the tram back to “Andy”. Another good day!

 

Fri 22 July – Our drive out of Bendigo took us back down the main street and out onto the A300 towards Melbourne. The country was quite hilly and windy as we turned again west, passing thru several small gold mining towns, and on to Ballarat. This is another gold rich city, slightly bigger than Bendigo. Before heading to our camp, we parked and walked thru the city. Not as spectacular as Bendigo but still some great old buildings. A little drama finding the camp as there was a railway line dividing the street our camp is on and a long detour to get over the tracks. A cooler day and the forecast for tomorrow is not great.

Sat 23 July – Cold with drizzle this morning. A short walk out of our camp to the Eureka Centre where there is an audio/video presentation of the Eureka Stockade. In 1851 the gold miners refused to pay a tax on their claims. They created fortifications and defended them against the British Army. The rights and wrongs of the situation seem to be unclear, but in a short battle 36 miners  and 6 soldiers died. The depiction of the battle and the aftermath was very well done. Outside the centre there was a memorial to the dead. Back in “Andy” for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we will leave Ballarat and head west towards South Australia taking 5 days to reach Tailem Bend and the Supercar Racing next weekend.