I feel like the cat that’s got the cream! I recently upgraded from my 210 x 210 x 210 Black Wolf tent to a VW 2.5 diesel turbo Frontline campervan; and automatic too after always having driven manual gears.

Murrumbidgee River, Maude

I flew from Adelaide via Sydney to Ballina to pick up the vehicle and after my three free nights in the local lakeside caravan park I left for home, taking the more scenic and meandering route, and after Lismore and Casino I headed over the Great Dividing Range to Tenterfield, Glen Innes and Inverell, and that drive certainly bonded us with its ‘U’ bends and elbow bends! At the end of a tenting and fossicking trip, a few years previously, I’d stayed at Inverell but didn’t have the seven grazing kangaroos behind me on that occasion, and it was then I realised animal pictures through tinted windows aren’t great - live and learn!

Cobdogla Wetlands

Although I’d freighted over some gear, I wasn’t fully equipped, so one night stops at caravan parks were necessary. I then travelled from Inverell to Warialda on the Gwydir Highway, followed by the Fossickers Way - a truly beautiful drive with undulating countryside, long vistas and so relaxing after the day before. I stopped at Bingara for coffee beside the Gwydir River with its old bridge (that I’d just driven my pride and joy over) and through the country music town of Tamworth and on to Quirindi. The following morning I had a cheery welcome from my site neighbour when he returned to his caravan at the start of his working week. I then travelled southwards via lightly trafficked roads into  the picturesque Warrumbungle District Council area to Coolah, beyond the Black Stump country, and Dunedoo, then out on to the main Golden Highway into Dubbo and the Newell Highway to Peak Hill. The caravan park there had an excellent fossil and gemstone museum on site and being just prior to Christmas it wasn’t a busy place, so the owner had time to chat about the display.

Tenterfield Saddler

I stopped at the Visitor Information Centre in Parkes (where they had a life size Elvis replica from their recent Elvis Festival) before picking up supplies and then taking the Condobolin direction to Lake Cargelligo - full of water and looking green and lush and with the Lake being used for water sports. After a walk round Hay I went on the Newmarket road for about 55 kilometres to the small township  of Maude by the Murrumbidgee. I was there by late lunch time, camped beside an acacia tree covered with native mistletoe just coming into flower. The walk beside the Murrumbidgee was full of water birds, and the quaint, single track old bridge with strong planks bolted to the original base carries many road trains without any problems. The following morning when I drove over that bridge there were dozens of scrub hens on the roadside being watched over by a solitary (school-master-like) spoonbill and in the next 20 kilometres, before re-joining the main highway, there were dozens of kangaroos and emus - what a great start to the day.

Gwydir River, Bingara

I continued on the main highway with very light traffic through Mildura and over the South Australian border - my few  fresh supplies at that point were nil, so no problems at the fruit fly check - through Renmark and stopping in Barmera for fresh supplies before calling at Cobdogla for the night, and this caravan park has an area of wetlands to one boundary so, again, plenty of bird life.

Shaws Bay from East Ballina Bridge

On the last leg of the drive it was via Truro for a pie and coffee as I felt it might be a long morning, and into Adelaide and to the vehicle checking, verification and registration stations before home to show off my new mode of camping, and already about 2,500 kilometres under my belt!

Bridge into Maude

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Written: Wed 01 May 2013
Printed: May, 2013
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