Casino NSW - BlazeAid

So the story goes: A busload of Japanese tourist arrived in Casino NSW one day looking to do some serious gambling and was very disappointed. Probably an urban myth but it sounds good.

Casino, a very busy town, is not all that far from the fire ground. Rappville, a little village to the south-west, is pretty much in the centre and the devastation to the town is confronting. Over twenty houses were lost to the fire and hundreds of kms of farm fences, sheds and farm machinery from miles around.

The BlazeAid camp has about 40 volunteers going out each day ripping up, replacing or repairing fences. The locals in Casino via clubs and service groups are providing evening meals, cakes and bottled water. The work is sometimes very dirty but always rewarding especially when the farm paddock has been locked up and cattle contained.

They saved the Pub three times!

But not this Koala. 

Some very long fences need work.

All that is left.

NSW on fire.

New stops heading north.

Northern NSW and south-east Queensland are copping it big time, and it is not summer yet. Time to do a bit for someone else. A new BlazeAid camp is starting in Casino NSW and I'm headed that way so I will stop in for a bit.

This time heading north I'm trying out a few new overnight stops that appear to have merit. The pub at Coopernook being one of the better ones. The pub is only a km or two off the highway and its quiet. Popular tonight but still enough room in the back yard for my MH. Counter meals, hamburger and beer for me tonight and rugby world cup on the telly. Nice, well except that Australia lost.

Steam Power - Albury Wodonga

Isn't it true that almost everyone has a fascination with steam power? Trains usually, but for me, its paddle steamers or even steam-powered boats. So there is no way known I'm knocking back an offer to go chugging on the Murray River at Wodonga. Packing a picnic lunch and heading upstream to a shady spot on the river bank.

The advantage of steam power is there is always hot water available for a cuppa.

Blowing off steam.

It's complicated to operate.

Yep plenty of steam.

South to Narrandera

Its time to get back on the road. Time to look at the leftovers from my previous life. Yep, after nine years I feel the need to streamline. Two containers, on a hectare of land, in Narrandera are storing stuff I no longer need. Land I no longer have a use for. Clean-up time!

So after lots of preparatory work me and the old girl are on the road again. Heading south. Yippie!

Belanglo Forest

Belanglo Forest is usually good if you are looking for a quiet night south of Sydney. Three km of corrugated dirt road tests the suspension before pulling into Daly's Clearing campground. Surprising to see cars and trucks everywhere, looks like a film crew setting up.

Yep, a new range of Mitsubishi SUVs are being tarted up for the cameras. Fascinating to watch the time, effort and man-hours spent, strapping a camera to the bonnet, to get a shot of the driver through the front windscreen. Then washing the cars again before next morning filming five of them driving down forestry tracks.

A quiet nights sleep and free entertainment courtesy of the film crew, now I'm ready to do battle with the Sydney traffic.