Blueys Beach -Booti Booti -Wallis Lake -Red Head -Black Head -Wallabi and Old Bar.

 Navigating NSW coast generally north as the weather is sunny and warm. Free camping and spending my days reading-snoozing, swimming-walking. Working hard at not going anywhere specific, just cruising.

A fellow traveller and I recently talked about trig points and geocaching and lo and behold I started coming across TPs everywhere, well almost. If you want a special out of the way, unusual, special view, walk or indeed trek, go exploring TPs. Get of the beaten track or just a popular tourist spot, interesting.

Haven't played where-is-it for while.

Bylong Valley Way, Molong, Sofala, Dungog, Bingleburra.

Left Forbes intent on bypassing Sydney and going to the coast for a swim. The Bylong Valley Way looked interesting and delivered on that. Stopped off for a look-see at Molong then sipping through Orange and Bathurst before stopping at Sofala.  

Sofala is a very old mining town and steps you back a couple of centuries, or so it seems. The streets are narrow and make for an interesting walk or drive. The locals, sitting on the sidewalk outside the pub, appeared to be performing in character as well. A real hat town. Probably getting primed to celebrate Australia Day. 

Thinking as driving: Australia's red roads or minor highways must have more potholes than the sands on Bondi Beach, or maybe it's just NSW. Some of the small town, council maintained roads, are even worse. All the resent rain? La Nina, El Nino, ENSO, SAM, MJO, IDO or just the weather?

The Golden Hwy for a bit, overnighting at Jerrys Plains. Skip though Singleton, and on to Dungog via Bingleburra, Stroud, Booral, cross the A1 at Bulahdelah and Seal Rocks.

Air temp far better than inland and the water temp, nice.

That's where all the TP went.

Sofala Street Art.

Sofala mining stuff?

Sofala Pub.

Seal Rocks.

Forbes controversy - Eugowra street art.

So I'm back in Forbes again after 12 months. More flood damage and more helping repair fences.

No boring flood damaged fences photos so please read on ;)

Took time off to check out the sculptures in town that caused all the controversy. Readers may recall the photos from the last trip here in January-March 2022 of the street art on The Lachlan Way Anyway these are in a park right in town and the article explains the level of feeling created by "The Pyramid"

Spent a week cleaning fences for a farmer a little south of Eugowra, the town that was nearly washed away by floods early in December last year. Like Rochester and Elmore caravans are in front of nearly every house in town.

Staying positive with my photos but you can click the link to check the extent of the disaster. 

As always click on a photo to enlarge.

Harden and Grenfell

Stopped in Grenfell and surprised to see the Main St is still closed to through traffic.

Grenfell Main St upgrade: Extract from the local paper back in December 2020.

“This is great for the community, this project will stimulate the growth of the community by attracting more of the tourism dollar. We want to show off our heritage, our boutique shops and local businesses,” Cr Liebich said.

“We’ve commenced work this morning and it’s supposed to be finished by the end of May, ahead of the Henry Lawson Festival in June. We will aim to inconvenience shop owners and businesses as little as possible; we don’t want to impede their trading.”

Now January 2023. Instead of just 5 months it's been 24 months and it's still not finished. The street is not open to through traffic. Bollards and tape everywhere. I wonder how many Main St traders are still in business?

Harden has one now.

Old bike wheels?

Grenfell Main St.

Wagga and Gundagai.

Really hot! High 30s so a swim in the pool at Wagga was a good break from the heat. Then camped at Wilks Park. Still the same and somewhat dodgy. Semi-permanent people mixed with overnighters like myself. Pretty sure I witnessed a drug deal, not unusual for Wilks Park. 

On to Gundagai. Rain and more rain. At Gundagai taking advantage of the view from the lookout in town whilst heavy rain and a thunderstorm come through. Moved off briskly when a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the thunder was almost immediate. Hmm, me sitting in my metal car amongst radio towers made of metal, probably not the best. Shut down the laptop and bolted down the hill.

Camping by the creek tonight. Just hope the water don't rise.

P.S. The timber viaduct and bridge are still here in Gundagai Simon.

Always nice to spot something strange or different.

This in a shop in Lockington

Yep that's a pond in the floor

Hmm where does the male go?

A council with a sense of humour.
Morleys Creek Gundagai.

Wagga RAAF Base

Adelong to pick up mail, and yep eBay stuff. Mowed some grass in-between rain showers and thunderstorms. Most unusual weather for this time of the year.

A trip to Wagga for some electronic gear that I wanted NOW! Would be cheaper and better options on eBay but convenience costs.

Driving past the RAAF base at East Wagga I see that it's been cleaned up and the the aircraft display improved. Added more planes to it as well. The new concrete display apron now has five planes including the F111c. 

There is a better example of an F111 at Evans Head where you can get up close and even check out the cockpit.

Adelong and Lockington

Christmas and new years at Adelong, house sitting.

Early January developed itchy feet and looking for something rewarding, more BlazeAid. My usual fallback. Cootamundra camp was the closest but closing, Lockington a substitute. Easy drive to Wodonga for a free meal, over night stay, and a catchup with friends before heading on to Lockington in Victoria. Nice friendly little town with good community facilities. Arrived on Sunday and was out to work the next day. Weather, clear, dry, and HOT! Everyday this week nudging 40, with little or no breeze. Not good for sleeping at night either, the temperature very slow to fall to a comfortable level.

It's a longish drive each day to the jobs as the camp could not be located closer to the flooded farms. It seems lots of the town residents of Rochester and Elmore are now living in caravans in the local showgrounds. These folk have been flooded out of their homes.

First days out in the paddocks with just 4 volunteers doing a horse stud, building a pine post fence. Next couple of days on a larger farm cleaning and repairing. Most of the farms around here have concrete post fences that have been washed over by the flood waters. Difficult to stand up as the ground has dried out and now has a firm crust. This requires an auger for most posts before they can be moved. With the day time temps in the high 30s each day we start early and are back early giving us time to spend at the local community pool. Free entry and a great pool, for a small community. 

Volunteer numbers building as the camp at Cootamundra has closed and some of their people are coming here. Next couple of days with ten volunteers on to a new property by the Campaspe River and rail line. Big job just started before it got too hot. Be going back there lots of times to finish this farm. Not me after six days I'm going back to Adelong.

Lockington Pool.