First Adventure with the New Caravan!

 Mar/Apr 2013

Finally the new van arrived and we set off on Easter Friday heading south for our first shakedown trip.  We knew that the Easter break would mean that most freestays would be chokkas; so we headed south for the Pioneer Park at Woodenbong ($10 per night for power) for our first overnight stop.  Woodenbong holds great memories for both of us and we actually camped on top of the old outdoor Basketball courts, where we both played in tournaments well over 40 yrs ago.  From there we did some day trips and after experiencing the road between Woodenbong and Legume we were glad that we'd decided to detach the van.  Some bikers had passed through on the Friday and had warned us about the condition of this road, but it really had to be experienced to be believed.  Luckily we arrived at Queen Mary Falls intact!  In short, we quite agreed with the poster displayed in the park which stated - "One of the worst 'highways' in Australia".

Queen Mary Falls

Mark on the walk to the Falls

River above the Falls

From Queen Mary Falls we continued south-west towards Urbanville, stopping along the way at a great freestay.  At Toolum Falls you can camp very close to the falls and above the falls there is a swimming hole.  We were also interested to note that quite a few people there had kayaks so you could probably venture further up river.  Very crowded at Easter but well worth a visit at another time of the year.

Toolum Falls

After two nights we left Woodenbong and headed for Kyogle.  Unfortunately so did the rain!  It was very wet.  We did however check out the local dam, but after seeing the conditions the campers were experiencing and checking out the weather forecast (more of the same) we headed WEST in search of the SUN!

Toonumbar Dam, Kyogle

Morning at Kyogle

 Our next stop was a tiny town called Mallanganee, which encourages visitors by allowing free camping / parking on their oval.  Mark enjoyed a beer or two at the local pub and we both loved the peace and quiet of this little place.  However sometimes it's the unplanned things that make your day and when we stopped at a roadside park for morning tea the next day, we were both very impressed with the wooden sculptures that had been carved by the local aboriginal school children.

The rosellas in Mallanganee were beautiful

So were the sunsets.

 A little way further along the highway, halfway down one of the ranges we came to our stop for the next night at a place called "Crooked Creek".  Some fellow travellers had recommended this freestay to us and the location definately reminded us of many similar freestays we'd enjoyed in W.A.   It was great to have a campfire and get out the camp oven once again.  But most of all we enjoyed sharing this bush setting with a group of like-minded travellers.  You meet some lovely people on the road.

Crooked Creek

Campsite at Crooked Creek

Fireside drinks again

From Crooked Creek we continued west to Tenterfield.  The beautiful sunny day that greeted us ended by 4 o'clock in a sudden hail storm.  Mark and I could only sit in the caravan and cross our fingers hoping that both the car and van were not pitted too badly.  Luckily the hailstones were fairly tiny and while we've noticed a few very small dents in the van, we don't believe they're worth bothering with insurance.

Of course we paid a visit to the saddler of Peter Allen fame, but also found the cork tree extremely interesting. Neither of us had seen a tree like this before and we were gobsmacked!

Saverne River

 After Tenterfield we continued travelling west and made our next overnight stop at another freestay - Wells Crossing.  This is another stop that we would do again if we were travelling through this area.  It is beside the Saverne River- great for catching yellowbelly and cod - and excellent for kayaking.  It's a really beautiful spot and we stayed for 2 days and only moved on because we had other places to visit this trip.

River narrowed about 1.5km upstream

Mark kayaking on river

Donna couldn't stop smiling

The iconic "Early Morning Visitor"

We crossed the Dumaresq River which creates the natural border between NSW and Qld to reach our next stop - Texas.  Donna was keen to visit this town as she remembered it fondly, having lived in Texas for some of her early schoolyears.  They say you should never return and that may well have been correct in this instance.  Even though Donna could remember the directions to her old street and school, neither the house they lived in nor the small two room school had stood the ravages of time.  Obviously fifty years can be a very long time - especially in Texas!

Lots of birdlife at Coolmunda

Coolmunda Dam, near Inglewood was our next destination.  Another chance to paddle the kayak and explore an area we've driven past many a time but never taken the time to stop.  Once again a spectacular sunset ended a wonderful day.

 From one dam to another - Lake Moogerah. We knew how spectacular this spot could be from a previous visit with John and Kathie and it certainly didn't disappoint.  A perfect afternoon for kayaking and making memories.

Donna kayaking in the distance

Our final night on this tip was spent with good friends, Bruce and Rose Stokan at Peak Crossing.  The countryside between Moogerah and Peak is beautiful, a lovely drive.  Makes you realise just how lucky we are to live in such a diverse country.

If you follow our journey on a map, you'll notice we only just tipped our toes briefly into NSW and did a loop back through the south of Queensland.  There's so much more out there to explore and we're looking forward to more adventures soon. This trip was a shakedown trip for our new caravan and we were both extremely happy with how it went.  By the end of the time it really felt like our home away from home.

Roma to Home

Roma Courthouse

We left Morven on a cooler day with a gale pushing us eastward.  We passed through the small township named Mitchell, bypassing a chance to swim in the 'hot' artesian waters.  We stopped at Roma for the night.  This town of 8,000 people lies near the flood plain of the Bungil Creek and the Maranoa River, both of which are headwaters of the Murray/Darling River system. 

Bungil Creek

 Roma also has links to the Australian Classic, ‘Robbery Under Arms’.  The theme of this story was based on the exploits of Harry Redford, who in the 1870’s appropriated 1000 head of cattle and with his companions drove them towards South Australia.  After being charged with this crime, Redford was brought to trial in the Roma Courthouse and in controversial circumstances was found ‘Not Guilty’.  The courthouse is still in use today and is a very striking building.

St Paul's Church, Roma

Interior of St Paul's

Two of Windows at St Paul's

While in Roma we also visited St Paul’s Anglican Church.  Dating back to 1876, many of St Paul’s windows were shipped here from England.  The stained glass windows were very impressive and the architecture of the church was very reminiscent of several churches we had seen in England, complete with vaulted ceilings and bell tower.

Bottle Tree

Another noticeable feature of Roma is the bottle trees.  These trees are Australian natives and are not boabs.  These trees line most of the streets and there is also an Avenue of Heroes, which recognises the 140 servicemen from this district who lost their lives in the First World War.  

The Driller

 We also visited The Big Rig which has information and displays about the oil and gas industry in the district.  Did you know that in 1908 there was a huge fire which occurred when they were drilling for water, but found gas instead, which was immediately ignited by a fire from the steam boiler that was driving the drill.  It took a team of experts many months to put out the flames and the railway even ran special trains to the town, so people could view the flames.

The Big Drill

In the grounds outside the rig was the Lenroy Slab Hut which was built from white cypress pine, which grows naturally in the region.  It was found to be ideal for houses because of its high resistance to termites, borers and decay.  Probably one of the reasons that this hut, built in 1893, is still in good condition today.  Once again I had no idea how this three room cottage housed a couple and their nine children!

Interior of Hut

Slab Hut

Rivited Iron "Floodboat"

Mark was also interested in the metal ‘Floodboat’ which were used in the past to ferry towns folk across the many flooded creeks during the wet season.  It was constructed of narrow strips of riveted iron sheeting – light and obviously strong.  The council had a fleet of these boats which ferried humans and animals alike to safety.





From Roma we detoured southwards towards Surat because Mark’s mother’s side of the family came from this area and he has very fond memories and was interested in seeing what has changed over the years.  The countryside is ideal for grazing and we passed many properties carrying cattle and sheep.  This is also a grain growing area and we frequently passed road trains carrying grain or cattle. 

Balonne River

14 Seater Coach

Surat Town Hall

Surat is situated on the Balonne River and it was here that Mark’s mum first started school.  It is also the place from where the last Cobb & Co Coach departed on its journey between Surat and Yuleba.  The Cobb & Co Changing Station and Store now houses displays depicting the lifestyles of yesteryear, including a 14 seater Cobb & Co Coach.  This coach would have been drawn by a team of seven horses – three at the front and four at the rear.  It must have been a very interesting journey in those days, probably nearly as bumpy as the journey today.  Really the roads are terrible!  The good news is that they are doing roadwork on this particular road at present.

'End of the Line' Station

Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon'

We also stopped at Glenmorgan’s historic Railway Siding, aptly named the 'End of the Line'.  The government in their wisdom had once planned and started a railway line from Warwick to Surat, however it only reached Glenmorgan before being discontinued.  This area is where the Robyn Gordon, Sandra Gordon and Merinda Gordon Grevilleas were grafted in the Myall Park Botanic Gardens by its founder David Gordon.  We travelled the 7km to the gardens but it was not fully operational on the day we visited.

Eagle at Myall Park Botanic Gardens

Birdwire Creation at Myall Park Botanic Gardens

Brigalow Creek Meandarra

Canberra Bomber in ANZAC Memorial Museum, Meandarra

 From there we continued to Meandarra, where we camped for the night on the banks of the Brigalow Creek.   Apparently this creek is renowned for its superb fishing, rare waterlilies, koala habitat and sunsets. While in the town we also visited the ANZAC Memorial Museum which houses an impressive collection of military memorabilia, most of which was collected by a local resident over the last 30 years.  Not sure where he would have garaged the Canberra Bomber however?

This is another country region that values tourists.  Our campsite was near the main street and we had access to power and water and toilets & shower facilities are just over the road and the cost is....$5 for three nights.  

In this Western Downs Area there are over 80 places for campers to stay cheaply.  The townsfolk know that money will be spent in the town if they can only find ways to get people to stay long enough.
 

Tara's Main Street

Commercial Hotel

Tara was our first stop the following day.  Mark could picture a lot of the landmarks in this town, even though it has been thirty plus years since he last visited.  His grandparents used to live near the town on a property and Mark, Phil and Trevor attended Tara State School at times when their mum was ill in Brisbane. The school (now a college) is celebrating its centenary next year.  Mark’s aunt and uncle lived just behind the Commercial Hotel for most of their lives, only leaving Tara due to ill health.  While we were wandering around the shops Mark was chatting to a lady who knew them very well.  It really is a small town. 

Water Tower

Tara State School

New brick 4 bedroom houses are selling in Tara for $269 000 if anyone is interested. 

We also had a break at Dalby before heading to Toowoomba for the night.  It will just be a short trip tomorrow and then ....home!

The trip home from Toowoomba was pretty uneventful. It gave us a chance to get used to driving in more built up areas.  When we arrived home we both had a huge smile on our faces.  We’ve had an unforgettable trip.  We’ve seen places that we’ve only read about before and visited sites we’d never even heard of but would like to revisit some time in the future.  But...there’s no place like home!

Caravan, Mark & Donna Safely Home!

Poppy Hugs from Ethan

Hugs for Nan from Jeremy

For those of you interested in statistics.  We travelled 27 121 km and spent an average of $1.58per litre for diesel.  Tom Cruiser averaged 16.07L per 100km which we were very happy with considering that most of the time we used air con when travelling.

Hope you enjoyed following our trip and we look forward to sharing another with you in the future.

Mark & Donna