Cobram - Barooga

Thought for today: Destination fixation is not a good thing. Namely with Cottadidda Reserve at Barooga and remembering the previous good times at a great camping spot.

Another 220km finds me in Barooga on the Murray River. BUT my usual fav spot is crowded out with young adults. Very noisy, lots of vehicle movements and lots of dust.

So, time to remember its also about going to new places and finding new spots. Eventually found a spot overlooking the river but with a high bank and no water access. Just me and a caravan with Peter and Evonne from Condobolin aboard. Quieter, will do for tonight.

Cobram is a large vibrant town on the Victoria side of the Murray River and has lots to offer the residents and tourist alike. Good shopping where you can get most anything. Barooga on the NSW side is a small community but together they make a great destination for holidays or touring.

Some communities, like Wagga Wagga, pull down their old bridges when a new one goes in. Good to see here in Cobram-Barooga they decided to keep theirs as a pedestrian bridge and reminder of the past and our history along the Murray River.

The old crossing - closed to vehicle traffic 2006.

The Rock at The Rock

In the mood for more exploring so it was off to The Rock Nature Reserve just west of the town of the same name, The Rock. This was on a different level, lots more challenging than Galore Hill and in the heat of the day, not clever! 6km return and 250m up, steep in places and its 30deg, plenty of water consumed. For description and more photos click this link to go to walkrideoz.

Stopped the night at Yerong Creek, beside the Bowling Club, where I had a pleasant dinner and drinks at the club before bed.

Galore Hill on the horizon.

The Rock township.

Galore Hill

So if you are reading my blog and clicking the links you will of seen the "what to do in Lockhart". Well I do and did. So off I went to Galore Hill and visited Danial "Mad Dog" Morgan's caves and walked the scenic saddle track, nice.

The view from the top.

 

Mad Dog's cave.

Lockhart

Time to move and make tracks, 200km+ lifts the daily average. Wagga, Narrandera, Boree Creek and then Lockhart CP for the night.

Just a couple of hours in Narrandera to sort some issues for the fishings club then back on the road again, south to Lockhart. Love this town, love the art, love the verandahs. This is wheat country, silos, wheat stacks and rail sidings.

The CP is cheap and cheerfully right on the edge of town and on the banks of the Brookong Creek. Just a short walk to the main, the verandahs, the fantastic pavement, the pubs and club. And don't forget the welded metal street art. I wondered what all those ball bearings were under that horse?

Click an image to enlarge

The swaggy at Boree Creek.

Lockhart street art.

Out front of the CP.

From back a bit it looks real.

The main street of Lockhart Saturday Night, mad!

Oura Beach

Short drive from Wantabadgery to Oura and again camping on the Murrumbidgee River. I'm sneaking up on Wagga Wagga just another 15km or so west.

This place is very similar to Sandy Beach. Lots of grass and shade and plenty of space. Today anyway, suspect it will be different come the long weekend. And you guessed it more Cockatoos. I wonder if these guys are giving the local farmers grief? 

                 Click on an image to enlarge

Lots of grass and shade.

Shelters fire places and drop toilet.

Wantabadgery - Sandy Beach

Finally after a day and a half, and overnighting in their yard, I'm free to go with a flushed, tested, re-gassed and rewired main air-conditioner unit. Tumut Auto Electrics, I can recommend them for attention to detail, professionalism and customer service.

Short drive to Wantabadgery and Sandy Beach Reserve on the Murrumbidgee River. Well no sandy beach atm as the Murrumbidgee River is running high. Higher than I've seen it here before. This place can be nice or it can be crowded but in the lead up week to Australia Day I find it pretty quiet except for the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. There are hundreds here and they are all squawking at once, it deafening. But they go to sleep pretty much at dusk, don't they?

Tumut Auto Electric - home for the night.

Murrumbidgee River - running high.

Cookatoos 

Spooked and they all go up.

Batlow

Well that's a surprise! Not one correct answer. Actually not one answer. Needless to say no bitcoin either. And I thought my readers were more intelligent than that. Hmm maybe they were clever, hanging onto their hard-earned.

Spent some time in Batlow about 600m climb from Tumut and cool cold at night. A chance to catch up and shoot the breeze with love-ones, BBQ, pizza, beer, wine and 4x4 driving through the mountains, nice. (not all a once)

Batlow is a small apple growing community in the Snowy Mountains about 35km uphill from Tumut. One pub, one supermarket, actually only one of anything but not one of everything. They started a cider festival three years ago and the patronage has doubled every year since. Lots of food stalls in the main street and of course lots of cider.

The caravan park is small and caters mostly for backpackers who come to pick the fruit. Penny the manager is friendly and welcoming and the amenities clean and tidy. Its not 5 star but its friendly.

Batlow CP. Love that sign - says it all.

Creek crossing, Gilmore Creek.

Blowering Dam - just 30% atm.

Tumut

Quiz for today: What does the town name "Tumut" and "Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog" have in common? email your answer and $100 bitcoin donation to tim@time4tour.com

Tumut. The locals like it pronounced "Chew_met" MGB ;)

Time to get Dora's A/C (engine powered) fixed. When back in Warialda I had to source and fit the new compressor myself as the local NRMA guys had no idea where or how to get replacement parts for an exotic like Dora. And to date I have been too slack to get it re gassed. This is the new me, no more decision paralysis. She's booked in for Tuesday next week in Tumut.

So tonight, after getting a quote for the work, I'm camped at one of my fav places, Jones Bridge (not here anymore) on Tumut River about 10km east of town.

That's where the bridge was...

Adelong

Been here before. Love this area, very picturesque.

The Snowy Mountains Hwy meanders through the hills and valleys east and a bit south from the Hume Hwy to Adelong and Tumut and eventually on to Cooma in the high country. Adelong was originally a gold mining town but given over to merino sheep and cattle grazing when the gold ran out. But there's talk a company could be reviving the mining again soon.

The Golden Gully CP has just a few cabins and about 6 powered sites overlooking the Adelong Creek. The pedestrian swing bridge gives easy access to the supermarket, pubs and club. And there is a really good hairdresser in town at Serenity Hair.

Just a bit out of town, downstream along the Adelong Creek are the ruins of the Gold Workings of the late 1800s. To view my other blog detailing the walk to the ruins go to walkrideoz.blogspot.com.au or click here.

Laying in bed getting ready for sleep listening to the noise of the crickets and the bubbling off the creek I'm sure it will induce a deep sleep tonight.

Royal Hotel lovely building

The best hairdresser in town.

Interesting past.

Wagga Wagga

Wagga. Four days is enough, for now anyway. Done all I intended now ready to move again.

I like Wagga, well mostly. Wagga, the states biggest inland city and that's the dislike, it's busy, the motorist act like big city drivers in a hurry and not very courteous. Mind you face to face the people are typical country, nice.

Wilks Park is a bit of a mixed bag as well. I've stopped here lots, mostly through necessity more than choice. It's been quiet this time but sometimes in the past it's been rowdy with domestics and what appears to have been drug deals happening at all hours day and night. Hard to police I suppose?

Recently the Council refurbished the toilet block, added a picnic shelter, BBQ and installed a dump point. Its walking distance to the CBD and a push bike can get you most anywhere within a few minutes. Probably just as quick as a car and with no aggravation.

Not far out of town there are various camping options on the Murrumbidgee River that I'm expecting, having time to kill, to be able to check out again.

Its interesting that I find it non instinctive to take photos of places I'm familiar with. Working to rectify that.

Hmmm, lots of rain, might need to start building an Ark. But the effing kangaroos can find their own way!

Toilets, dump point and rubbish skip.

Relatively quiet here at Wilks Park. 

Coolamon and Wagga

Coolamon a quiet, very clean, very tidy, town. Lots of civic pride on show in Coolamon (the town). And a lovely little CP just one street back from the main.

Bloody Hell! That's never happened before. Admittedly its a small park only about 15~20 sites, but no one goes there except a few in the know. Well that's not the case anymore. Today its full to bursting with caravans and everyone of them looks like it just came off the showroom floor.

Heading away in the direction of Wagga a thought occurs to me: Are they giving away lists of all the good camp spots when you buy a new van? Oh god I hope not, where will I go then?

Later arriving at Wilks Park in Wagga, its near empty? Now that's funny as well. This free camp is always busy, go figure?

Opps, these photos belong in the previous post. (Just got them back from the chemist)

Its called noodling but no catfish here.

Lots of water toys.

Change of address

So Google contacts me to tell me the traffic to my blog is becoming a problem and it would be better if I had my own domain to handle it.

So now www.time4tour.com is live and is the easiest way to follow The Rat Race Escape Module as it hurtles through time and space.

And you can email me at tim@time4tour.com or continue to use whatever is your preference.

Thought for today: Not everything you read on the Internet is necessarily true.

Boree Creek and Narrandera

A roadside rest area at Sandigo, west of Wagga and just short of Narrandera, was a quiet place to see in the new year.

A random set of events led to Megan, a cyclist I had previously met near Charters Towers in Qld six or so months ago, being nearby. It was a short drive to Boree Creek first thing the next morning to meet with her then on to Lake Talbot Tourist Park at Narrandera for a few days. An altercation with a kangaroo along the way means another visit to a repair shop. Not all that much damage to Dora but the kangaroo did not hop away from this one.

Boy haven't they let the Tourist Park go! No sign of the TLC that was apparent back in 2003~2010. But it was good to see the Narrandera Shire Council has spent time and money on the facilities around the Lake and it's never looked better. Narrandera is known as the town of trees and has two supermarkets and three pubs servicing about 5000 people. Mostly quiet, a friendly place, but it can get hot!

Water-skiing, swimming, going out at night and staying cool was the order of the day as the temps were in the high 30s. For me, returning home to Narrandera where I lived for seven years is nice. Catching up with the locals from the past is nice. But knowing that in just for a few days you'll be off again, makes it a touch sweeter.

Good food, entertaining company and in a few days its time to go. Megan cycles to the north and I drive to the east.

Ouch!!!