Life on the road – Page 5

Charters Towers

We immediately felt ‘at home’ in Charters Towers as the beautiful sub-tropical plants, trees and birds reminded us so much of living in Broome on the opposite coast of Australia – very similar sights, sounds and smells. The town is well laid out, with wide streets and magnificent buildings preserved on Gill and Mosman Street;Continue reading “Charters Towers”

Carnarvon Gorge

After leaving Tamworth we copped a big boondie on the windscreen thrown up by a truck – not much we could do about it on a Friday afternoon so we crossed over the border into Queensland to stay at Goondiwindi overnight. Maybe it was just psychological, but we felt warmer immediately! And the hot mineralContinue reading “Carnarvon Gorge”

Terrific Tamworth

“It pays to know the locals” rang true for us in Tamworth as we are lucky enough to have our nephew Jon and his family living there so we had special guides to help us explore this beautiful country region. Check out the 4WD Barraba Track up to Dawson Springs in the Mt Kaputar nationalContinue reading “Terrific Tamworth”

Warrambungles and Siding Springs Observatory

A wet trip on the Oxley highway through Gilgandra to Coonabarabran, home of the Warrambungle National Park. The January 2013 bush-fires badly affected this area so several walks are still closed. However there are signs of regeneration and the sun even peeped out for these photos. Visiting the Siding Spring Observatory was a special experienceContinue reading “Warrambungles and Siding Springs Observatory”

Into New South Wales!

Leaving Mildura, we continued 7 kms along the Sturt Highway to cross the border into NSW. After a walk in Robinvale and lunch in Balranald, we headed for Hay. Got a big shock when a car in front of us braked suddenly, and reversed straight back into a diagonal street park. Presumably this particular NSW lawContinue reading “Into New South Wales!”

Mildura

MILDURA – wow, what a petrol-head city! Lots of families having lots of fun over Easter and the school holidays taking in the Uteznvanz national meeting (serious chrome and art work), the ‘Mildura 100’ billed as the fastest water ski race in the world, drag racing, and by the number of motor bikes in townContinue reading “Mildura”

Renmark

We stayed at the Big 4 Riverbend caravan park in Renmark, perfectly located besidethe Paringa suspension bridge which opens twice each day to allow river cruisers and houseboats to move up and down the Murray River. The range of houseboats is amazing – both modern luxury style and older restored types. Little driver training isContinue reading “Renmark”

Waikerie

We enjoyed several activities in Waikerie, located midway between Morgan and Renmark, including this early ferry across the Murray River to take morning photos of the ochre cliffs near the town. Other spots we liked were the exhibitions at the Rainmoth Gallery after which Waikerere is named, and the hot chocolate at Havenhand Chocolates & Cafe (weContinue reading “Waikerie”

Morgan – our entry point to the fabulous Riverland…

Morgan was our first view of the mighty Murray River, just where it bends dramatically south. However we plan to follow the river east, using the fabulous free ferry trips to explore the Riverland region. The measurements of the different Murray River floods show that 1956 was a very bad year around here! Morgan isContinue reading “Morgan – our entry point to the fabulous Riverland…”

Elliston to Clare

Thanks to all of you who explained the South Australian sign “Stop creeping” to us – as in do not let your speed creep up over the limit! For our 3 days in Elliston, we stayed at the caravan park opposite the jetty which has lovely grassed sites, and a camp kitchen with a huge fire andContinue reading “Elliston to Clare”