Category: Places

Places, Point of Interest, WA11 Comments

Salmon Holes, Torndirrup National Park, Albany

Itching for Hitching

We are intrigued by a place on the map called Salmon Holes. We discover that the steep, wet and slippery granite rocks are covered in fishermen and they are hauling in large salmon. The salmon apparently take refuge in the calm waters of this spot. They maybe calm waters for the salmon but they threaten the fishermen with every wave and over the course of the next few months of our travels through WA three fishermen are drowned at this place. Continue reading Salmon Holes, Torndirrup National Park, Albany

Places, Qld6 Comments

Winton in the dry season 2014

Itching for Hitching

Winton in Western Queensland has a population of about 1000 people. The main street has replica heritage street lamps and a centre strip of lawns and trees, even a water feature depicting the original town site of Pelican Waterhole. The town is busy and colourful which gives it a good feel. From what we see it appears that the people of this town aren’t afraid to have a go. This is the birthplace of Qantas. The grandest hotel in town is the North Gregory Hotel. After having been demolished and rebuilt with a second storey, it twice was burnt to … Continue reading Winton in the dry season 2014

Places, VicLeave a comment

A True Comfort Station

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Warracknabeal in Victoria is quite a large country town in the barley belt. There are impressive hotels and the shops are busy. The intersections are adorned with statues of dogs and sheep and bags of grain. I stumble across a Ladies Rest Room that has once been a shop and now provides a haven from the hustle and bustle. There are sitting rooms furnished with inviting antique armchairs and couches. There are mirrors and sideboards and flowers in vases. For the mums there are full baby change facilities and a sink and a basic kitchen to boil a jug or … Continue reading A True Comfort Station

Places, QldLeave a comment

The Isa

Itching for Hitching

Mt Isa in Queensland is not an old town but a fascinating one. Lead was discovered here in 1923, so there aren’t the heritage buildings and traditional outback pubs that define other towns. Surprisingly the City of Mt Isa actually includes the ‘suburb’ of Camooweal, 188 kilometres away. The road connecting the two towns is locally known as the “longest main street in the world.” The mine provides a dramatic backdrop to the city and the view of the city lights from the lookout is a treat at sunset. We spend the morning driving around Mt Isa’s residential streets looking … Continue reading The Isa

NSW, Places, Point of InterestLeave a comment

Cowra’s place in history

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A visit to the holographic show at the tourist information centre explains the town’s war history and the Japanese breakout that occurred there. We are surprised to learn that Italians and Indonesians were also housed at the Cowra POW camp during World War Two. The Italians worked the local farms and became popular with the locals. The Indonesian families had been considered a threat by the Dutch and thus were held on their behalf. The people of Cowra have retained their humanitarian values all these years and Australia’s UN World Peace Bell sits proudly outside the civic centre, the only … Continue reading Cowra’s place in history

NSW, PlacesLeave a comment

Sofala

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We leave the Castlereagh highway at the tumbledown town of Ilford, NSW and head off through the hills on what is unromantically named Tourist Drive 4. TD4 is a hilly road winding through brown farmland with sheep and the gum trees are adorned with mistletoe. We drop down a steep hill and find ourselves in the village of Sofala, it is Australia’s oldest surviving occupied gold mining town and there is still a little prospecting done here. It was also used in the 1974 movie “The Cars That Ate Paris”. We park the rig and walk as the street is … Continue reading Sofala

NSW, Places, Point of InterestLeave a comment

The Buster

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Its mid winter and we find that the two council caravan parks in Woolgoolga are almost full with southerners.  But at least we can squeeze into Woolgoolga Beach Caravan Park. As it’s only an overnight stop we would much prefer to have a drive through site but beggars can’t be choosers. We are put at the very corner of the camp beside the intersection of two shopping streets and there are no fences. In fact we could pretty much crawl across the street to the pub or shout our coffee order to the cafe beside us. A guy walks past … Continue reading The Buster

Places, Qld3 Comments

South Johnstone

Itching for Hitching

In north Queensland we had passed an intriguing pub at South Johnstone but couldn’t park the van. Being only a short distance away we decided not to let this one go. Next day we cross the South Johnstone River on a large causeway style bridge with no rails, these things freak me out. The thought of rushing floodwaters and crocodiles is enough to give anyone a thirst. South Johnstone has a large sugar mill at the south end and the South Johnstone River at the north end. In between there is a narrow road, about six empty “shops”, the Criterion … Continue reading South Johnstone

NSW, Places, ShowgroundsLeave a comment

Tenterfield, NSW

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The Tenterfield showgrounds are home for the night so we park beside a rocky little creek that looks as though it may have flooded recently as there is quite a bit of debris about. The caretaker is a rosy cheeked lass who looks to be more at home on a horse, but that is what this area is famous for. In fact whenever we visit the toilet block we must take care to step around the horse poo. The town shops appear at first to be run down but on closer inspection there are upmarket women’s wear shops, quality home … Continue reading Tenterfield, NSW

National Park, NSW, Places, Top SpotsLeave a comment

Woody Head

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At Iluka, NSW which is opposite Yamba on the mouth of the Clarence, we choose to stay at the Woody Head camp ground in the Bundjalung National Park. The camp ground is in a sheltered basin overlooking the ocean and surrounded by World Heritage rain forest. We set up on a large level site and have lunch with a wild turkey and a couple of old ducks. There are a lot of people camped here but it is incredibly quiet, except for the screeching of the lorikeets and the pounding of the surf. Back at camp we enjoy the solitude … Continue reading Woody Head