Day 7 Saturday 11/6/2022 Leeton, some rain 4 -12

Woody scouts around and finds a laundromat while I sleep in. We disagree on search methods as I suggest that he should have used Google Maps but he says that he met and chatted to so many nice people, even though most gave appalling directions.

It’s warm breakfasting in the window and before lunch, we walk around the Showgrounds. Two trainers are running their trotters (pacers) around the track. We even find a horse urinal. I wonder if the neddies can call time out for a pee break during a race?

After lunch we drive about 2 kms out of town to the internationally renowned Fivebough Wetlands as instructed by the checkout girl at Aldi. We carefully manoeuvre into the small car park, leaving space for others, and set off. There’s a lot of chattering in the trees and my Merlin bird app suggests that there are loads of birds here. A flock of crested pigeons and a couple of green parrots take flight. The walk takes us through tall bulrushes for several kilometres and climbing a lookout we see swans and a few scraggly old bin chickens (white ibis) but we reckon that we could see more bin chickens at Surfers Paradise on any given day. In all we walked about 3 kms in an icy breeze and didn’t see a bird we couldn’t have seen at home, nor did we see anyone else. Changing pace, we take an ambling drive around the neat residential streets with attractive homes. We end up at the town aviary poking faces at the budgies and parrots. Birds, bloody birds.

Back at camp, an arthritic dachshund knocks at our door. I think he might be trying to adopt us. Dinner is a meatball, chickpea, and spinach curry tray bake. Tray bakes are the perfect winter caravan meal. They’re easy to prepare with loads of healthy veggies and very little washing up if you use a foil tray. Yeah, I know, they’re not ecofriendly or green, but if you have a limited water supply…and in addition, the oven warms the van and dries the tea towels.

Accom: $17.00