A couple of years ago we stumbled into Ariah Park in southern NSW. Never heard of it? Well it is the birthplace of Bulk Grain Handling and Dame Mary Gilmour. The locals refer to the town’s attributes as being “Wowsers, … Continue reading Wowsers, Bowsers and Peppercorn Trees
Accidentally drowned 11/12/1943 This memorial overlooks the scene of probably the worst river tragedy on the Clarence River since Europeans arrived in 1838. Late on the afternoon of Saturday December 11th 1943, thirteen members of the 1st Grafton Cub Pack … Continue reading Memorial to the Grafton Cub Scouts
Another morning in the National Park camp ground at Woody Head in NSW, I wake up to the sound of something being dragged across the ground. We have been warned about goannas (that’s a bloody big lizard, for the uninitiated) in the National Park but they didn’t tell us about the ingenuity of the Brush Turkeys. This busy little guy has pulled our rubbish bag out of the bucket and he is dragging it around and pecking at the plastic trying to get the food scraps out. Continue reading Taking Out the Garbage
In Lightning Ridge, NSW the Chambers of the Black Hand tour is as unique a tour as its name implies. It is in what they call a ‘walk in’ opal mine and we descend 80 or so steps to 40 … Continue reading Chambers of the Black Hand
Ardlethan is a pretty little town in southern NSW and just off the Newell Highway, about a kilometre from it actually. It is the home of the Kelpie. It has an IGA a few shops and the London Hotel. Best of all it has a free short stay caravan park in the heart of town with coin in the slot power at $2 for 12 hours. Now that’s worth pulling off the busy Newell Highway for. Continue reading Almost Free Camp
Stockton dunes are part of the Worimi Conservation Lands. Just north of Newcastle, NSW the beach is 32kms long and the dunes which are up to 30 metres high, stretch inland for up to a kilometre. Further than the eye … Continue reading Stockton Dunes
Just south of Coffs Harbour, the neat and spacious Urunga Heads Holiday Park is right on the water. Our van overlooks the spot where the Kalang River joins the Bellinger River to flow out to sea. There is a long boardwalk running all the way out to the surf beach. It has had many incarnations and was originally built for the pilot station staff to run out to the river mouth to guide the ships in. Sailing ships used to land here to transport the cedar out. After walking the boardwalk we’ve worked up a thirst so we head to … Continue reading Urunga, NSW
Gunnedah in country NSW has a Dorothea Mackellar memorial because she was inspired to write part of her much loved poem “My Country” in 1905 when she visited one of her family’s properties at Gunnedah. The good folk of Gunnedah have taken things a little further by engraving poems on the backs of the public toilet doors. One can choose which poet they’d prefer to read as the names are on the outside of the door. Now after we compared our photos I have a sneaking suspicion that the poets match the gender of the toilet, but that is only … Continue reading Spending a penny and learning a lot
The town of Lismore in northern NSW is a total surprise to us. We park the car in an ordinary street and feel a little dejected but set off for our walk anyway. We try to have a walk in … Continue reading The Lismore Pie Cart
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