Graham’s wanderings

Another day in the intrepid exploration of this island which I think I will call Australia!!??!? As usual I started my day exploring Branxton on whose oval I had spent the night. A nice little town with a bit of history, as they all seem to have, and off the main drag a few nice buildings. Then after the normal things like breakfast etc I jumped in the van and drove off. First stop today was a town called Kurri Kurri where I got gas and replaced a stop light globe. This took a little longer than expected, every does I find. Newcastle was next and I was not expecting much but felt that I could not travel up here without including it. The initial drive through was as expected lots of suburbs, some nice buildings but I failed to find the visitor centre. Then lo and behold I see a Fort Scratchly perched on a very high hill neighbouring the entrance to the Hunter River and Newcastle port. It is a great lookout and I got fabulous views of the city, the coastline and the beaches. As an ad...

Gee it does not take much to get out of routine and for that matter I did not realise that I actually had a real routine. After a short waok around the greyhound track facility and the usual shower, breakfast and chores I headed off. First call was Woolies Gosford for some shopping and the problem there was parking. It took absolute ages and after I had given up and was leaving town I found one some distance from the shop. Anyway did that and drove off towards Maitland, to my surprise I was still on a freeway about one hundred kilometres from Sydney. I guess that is what we mean by big cities. On arrival in Maitland I looked for and could not find the tourist information centre any where near the signs telling me where to go. Then as I was leaving for the next port of call I discovered the information centre and the proper city centre, where I had been was only East Maitland. It turned out to be quite a decent size town with lots of nice buildings which of course led me to do the u...

My Sydney visit will be a combined blog, hence the delay in producing it. Part of the reason is that I have been kept fairly busy. From the very start of my stay at cousin Joanna & husband Michael’s house I have been overwhelmed with exceptional hospitality.  I was greeted by Michael as everybody else was out  and we had discussion about boats etc. My room was on the lower level or basement depending on your point of view. Those who are not familiar which Sydney will know that there is very little non-hilly areas in the suburbs and the streets twist and turn all over the place and they are usually pretty narrow. There are some areas where this does not apply, but Dover Heights where they live is definitely hilly and their lovely house is high up and on a sloping block. So there are really three levels, bedrooms at the top with fabulous views, living area in the middle with good views and the ground level which provided me with luxurious accomodation. The van was parked i...

This is catch up,for last night. I left the campsite at Lake Wallace to head for Lithgow. It is rather unusual that the three power stations in this area are described as being major suppliers of electricity to Sydney. Anyway it is a very nice campsite. Lithgow was next stop and by the time that I got there it was raining. The main thing to see in Lithgow is the small arms factory. I am not into firearms but it would be foolish not to check out this big piece of Australian history. The factory was started by the government in 1912 but was sold to the French company Thales a few years ago. They are still operating and apparently making much the same things but on a much smaller scale in terms of space used so there is a huge amount of empty factory space on the site. The museum had a guard cum guide on the door and after paying him he unlocks the door to let you in, this is a secure facility and viewing the contents it is easy to see why. So one takes off looking at the exhibits whi...

It has been an interesting 24hrs. After my hot lap at Mount Panorama and my look at Sofala I headed back into Bathurst looking for a camp spot. My target was a place called Berry Park and when I got there it looked fairly full, there were a lot of people, but after a look around I found a spot and parked. I then went to speak to a guy who had come in at the same time as me and he introduced me to a lady who advised me that the group there were from a CMCA , which I am a member of, solos group and invited me to join them. Which I did and had quite a pleasant evening. I have been thinking of joining one of the solos groups for quite a while so I did it last night because. Then this morning after my walk, part of the way with them, but then I wandered off exploring and photographing I did some more looking at Bathurst. Also I attended to a couple of housekeeping things like emptying the black water tank etc. Then on the road again. This time headed for Lake Wallace which is just out...

Okay delayed blogs are permissible. Last night was spent in Orange with my old school friend John Maloney, his wife Anne at the home of their daughter Pippa and her husband Jamie and children Tommie and Amelia. Up to then the day was a pleasant drive up from Cowra with not a lot to see. It was however a nice drive until I got to Cargo after which the road deteriorated lots. Pippa and family live in a very nice part of town where Jamie is the newly appointed dealer principle for a number of vehicle dealerships. The view from their house is very nice and their hospitality was great. During the afternoon John gave me an extensive tour of the town which is rather big and has some very nice historical buildings. Today I took off for Bathurst stopping at Millthorpe which is another of these towns with lovely old buildings, on the way. Then at Bathurst the first thing was a obligatory two laps of the Mount Panorama Circuit, the first behind a very slow, about 40km, ute and the second for ...

After much deep thought I detached by self from Temora and headed north. My first stop was Young which reportedly had some nice buildings. This town was a gold rush town of the mid 19th century and as a result it has lots of pubs and does have some fairly nice buildings. It was the scene of some very violent riots against the chinese people who flocked to the gold fields all over Australia. They were so violent that the army was called in to restore order and as a rusult of the turmoil laws were passed to limit Chinese migration. These laws were the forunners of the, so called, white Australia policy. Anyway back to the buildings, my considered judgment was that they were more like Art Deco than 19th century. Either way they were nice and I took lots of photographs. Then onwards and northwards, my next stop being a town call Koorawara where I expected to be able to see a waterfall. It was, as one would expect, some distance out of town. So off I went and after a while the road be...

Today was a big surprise. First thing this morning was my walk, I thought to the botanic gardens but did not find them. Instead I walked through the red gum forest next to Wilke Park where I camped last night. It is on the banks of the Mumrambidgee River and was a nice walk although I did not see any of the promised wildlife. Maybe I have to get up earlier for that? Then after shower (cold), breakfast and chores I headed out to have a look at the town and make a quick visit to Bunnings, they are everywhere. The constants this trip have been coles and/or Woolworths every day, Bunnings regularly and constant phone coverage (so you can phone me if you feel so inclined). Anyway to continue I stumbled upon a lookout and as I have already indicated I love lookouts and this was a good one. So I spent a bit of time trying to get some good photographs as the only issue was lots of trees between me and the subject matter. Then I moved on north stopping at Junee for morning tea at midday. I t...

It is blog time again, this time brought to you from Wills Patk in Wagga Wagga. This is a large park with a minimal amount of grass, some rather magnificent trees and a whole bundle  of campers. The road circling two sides of the park is very busy but not very noisy. There is also, I believe an issue with the ‘locals’, indeed  the evidence of their camp can be quite clearly seen. But their camp is a long way, a relative long way from the main body of campers. The campers are also well spread out with lots of space between us. So it will be quite a pleasant place to spend the night. Today’s big event was a visit to the Hume Dam. This is a very impressive project, the details can be found by checking with mr/mrs/miz google but just for the sake of tonight’s blog it holds six times the amount of water in Sydney harbour. It is huge and a very impressive sight. If I remember correctly that makes it one third the size of Lake Argyle. I do not mean that as a boastful claim rather a...

I am sitting here at nearly 8pm looking out over the rather beautiful scenery that is Lake Hume in the twilight but plenty light enough to do this and read. As yesterday there about 18 campers here spread out over quite a bit of territory. There are five vans from WA here, not counting me. After getting permission to do so I have spent the extra day in this 24hr camp and there are a few other people who have done the same with or without permission. I used the day to give the inside of the van a spring clean. I clean the inside every day but it is very hard to really keep it very clean so that a spring clean is called for fairly regularly. There were also a couple of other little jobs that I wanted to catch up with and of course a bit of plain chilling out. Tomorrow I move on planning to be in Orange on the 18th and Sydney on the 21st.

I want you all to appreciate that I am writing this blog under the most difficult conditions. I am sitting on the shores of Lake Hume overlooking this large lake surrounded by sort of green hills that are dotted with trees. The water level is a bit low right now so I am about fifty metres from the shore and there are dead trees protruding out of the water in several locations. The sky is Western Australian blue and the wind light, although it does gust up from time to time. In fact it is quite a beautiful setting. So you can imagine my difficulty. When I got here about 11am there were three other campers then one left and I took his spot which is quite high above the water. Now there at least thirteen and they keep coming. It is called the Ludlow Reserve, has two boat ramps, toilets, lots of free space and is a 24hr site. But I phoned up and got permission to stay for 48hrs which I will not tell anyone else here, and start a rush. I will just pretend that I am taking a punt on gettin...

I had planned to spend two days in Yarrawonga and it was a very nice place in which to stay alongside the river in a camping area that was basic with a large number of trees But the noise from the white cockatoos was horrendous, it actually gave me headache last night and it started again this morning, not quite as loud but just as incessant. So I took my time, did all my chores and moved on. I am now at Wodonga, the Albury-Wondonga type of Wodonga. Staying at the Showgrounds where they offer basic camping caravan park style with power and water for just $20. I got in quite early in the afternoon and have had a bit of a chill out, but will probably move on in the morning. The wind out this afternoon is very strong, I am parked with my rear facing the wind and cannot open my hart he’s for fear of them being blown away. The wind is also sometimes actually rocking the van. On the way here I passed through Rutherglen which is a small town in a wine making region and which looks like a ...

Once again sitting outside my van in broad daylight at 7.40pm in a bush setting with a view over the local river. It is the Murray but is rather narrow here and in the background is the always incessant noise from about 10million white corellars. I had been told that this was a great campsite and on that basis planned to spend an extra day here. However, although it is quite nice, I may decide to move on, decision time 8n the morning. Dan the van left the camp fairly early this morning, shortly after eight! First stop was for me to take an extended walk through town. Echuca has an abundance of old good looking buildings so the camera worked overtime to take many photos. It is always a pity to see what the commercial activity does to streets like theses with all the great buildings. I know that it is necessary is simply part of progress and I am not complaining, but it is still a pity.  I also had a look at the historic old port and here commercial interests have certainly spoiled...

Only a short distance covered today and again I am driving through farming country with only occasional river glimpses. There are lots of irrigation channels here but the farms do not look as well cared for as our local farms. The lady at the Cohuna visitor centre that is because the farmers are not being given enough water, it makes me wonder what the rainfall is compared to our eastern wheatbelt. She also told me that one local dairy farmer is paying $420,000 per month for water to feed his cattle. The other thing that I noticed was what seemed to be a lot of traffic for a country road on a Sunday. Again I was told that some of this was for an 80km ski race on the river that finishes in Echuca. The other reason might be that the towns here are pretty close together, almost like suburbs. My first stop was Cohuna which I expected to be a small town with nothing to see. It is a medium size town with quite a bit to see. If it had not been so close to my start point, only about 40km, I ...

Today was a good day with lots to see and it was relatively easy to find a camp. I try to plan, in overview, the night before. That is all very well I look to see what there is that I want to see and work how far to go and where to stay. In practice of course I find something else to see and maybe do not go as far as I planned to go so I have to find somewhere to stay without preplanning. Or I get to the planned site and despite the reviews or information that I have it is for some reason no good, again I have to find somewhere unplanned. Another thing is what do I stop and look at. Everywhere I go there are innumerable signs indicating something to look at from lakes to museums to hills etc. If  I stopped at all of them I would never get anywhere, which is okay I am here to see things and learn but if I never make forward progress there are lots of things in front of me that I will not see. After all I probably will only have about another 20 years of this lifestyle. So I pick a...

It is just 3 minutes before 8pm and I am sitting outside my van in broad daylight, so close to the river that I am almost getting my feet wet, and I am about to regale you with another blog. As indicated last night I backtracked to Wentworth this morning to see the confuance of the Murray and Darling rivers. It was a good move because it was worth seeing and is certainly an essential part of a trip along the Murray. I also had a close look at the Wentworth lock, which is pretty normal for a lock, but when you realise that a large number of these have been built along the river it gives you another insight into the governmental, large scale thinking that is the history and future of this river. Then a drive partly along the river and partly through farming and wine country to here, Robinvale. The caravan park is called the Riverside Caravan Park and it is exactly that with my van parked about five metres from the water. I also got in early and without any messing about to find somew...

Well it is the end of another very interesting day. First stop after departing the beautiful campsite at Moorook was Loxton where I refilled a gas bottle and did a we spot of shopping. Then on to Berri which is a bright bustling town reached by crossing a fairly substantial bridge. There were some nice photo opportunities along the river with green lawns on the bank and views to under the bridge and houseboats at their moorings across the river. A visit to the visitor centre did not add anything to the must see list other than a steel mural under the bridge. I did take a few what to do along the Murray books and then photographed the mural and the larger than life pumping station. The heading out of town there was a great lookout and I love lookouts. But the nearest that I could park was one km away down a steep hill. Discretion took the better part of valour so rather than walk up the steep hill then climb about 15metres up the lookout, and of course the reverse journey, I drove out...

Well it is blog time again after a very interesting day. I drove from the Morgan Riverside Caravan Park after my usual walk, exercise and chores successfully along the river. There were the usual photo opportunities so it was a fairly slow trip.  It was also raining consistently which means that I must be getting close to Victoria. Anyway first big  stop was Waikerie where I had a good look around. Elaine and I stopped in Waikerie last February when we bought the van across from NSW. We parked overnight in the civic centre car park and due to the circumstances did not have a good look around. Today I did and found a lookout with great views of the river and the town. A few photos there and a wee bit of shopping and I was off to my next stop. However I got fuel on my way out of town. Having been recommended to the town of Cobdogla and its museum with a Humphrey Pump I chose that as my next stop. According to GeoWiki there was camping allowed next to the museum, this turne...

Tonight I am in a caravan park in Morgan. This town was a major port during the riverboat days on the Murray and judging by the photos it was very busy and crowded with boats. The are restoring one of the old paddle steamers which, by the look of it, is huge job. There is also an old wharf which is almost falling down, it is in fact fenced off from the public. Back to the day. I have managed to drive pretty close to the river nearly all day and that has resulted in innumerable photo opportunities. So the van has stop started all day. Like any river it is rather beautiful and in some places is bounded, on one side only, by huge spectacular cliffs. There are lots and lots of houses right on the river bank spread along the river. There are of course lots of stretches without house but there are still lots of them. One group that I looked down upon from the high side were spread over a few kilometres, and all had floating jetties, but I could not see any boats. This river is not very w...

I have just left my last camp and realised that I did not do a blog last night, so here I am before proceeding. I am literally only one kilometre from the ferry which carried me and the van across the river. I a,so found out that there are 12 of these ferries in SA. Anyway back to yesterday when my morning walk revealed that Walker Flat is an island and that the houses or at least some of them were weekender shacks like we get at some beaches up and down the coast. Then towards the end of the last century they got permission to stay and the got freehold title. Very nice fir absolute riverfront properties. Then I got a couple of neighbours, first another lady solo in a motorhome very similar to mine then a couple. We shared drinks and a long chat and were joined then by a Jewish gentleman who has a similar motorhome and is also a solo. He had driven about 50km from his home in his drive car and stayed chatting for ages. Then of course dinner and bed. Bed a bit later because at 8.3...

Today was a day was a day. It started well I did my morning walk from the van around the nearby streets, but they were pretty ordinary. So I went back to the van had breakfast, did chores and headed into town. First stop, after a few false starts and enquiries was the hardware shop to get my gas cylinder refilled. My fridge, I guess together with my cooking (I am not using the hot water system choosing to have refreshing cold showers) is using one cylinder per week. The cylinders are what used to be 4.5kg and are now 3.7kg which is what you get when you do an exchange, but you get more when you get the cylinder refilled. So that is what I will be doing from now on. Anyway while that was happening and after I picked it up I had a good look around Tailem Bend. I looked at a few spots along the river and found some houses, a couple anyway, down extremely steep driveways right on the river bank. Then I took off, giving my navigator a second chance which he blew and sent me on a track a...

Good day today I have now reached the Murray River. The main focus of this part of the trip is the river, probably reducing the number of times that I have stopped to look at things. Which I will try to correct from now on. Anyway my walk this morning was interesting, Tarlee is one of the small SA towns that I mentioned yesterday. Full of old buildings, in fact I did not see any recent or modern construction. If there was anything new it was built to look old. I took lots of photos and walked some of the back streets, or should I say the back street. Some of the buildings were just well preserved, others had been seriously refurbished and others just looked lived in. So back to the van, breakfast, tidy up, fuel and off. Then a nice drive until my navigator took me onto the expressway into Adelaide. First I was led into Woolworths distribution centre then a Cook’s tour of the suburbs, or some of them anyway, before getting onto the freeway that took me all the way to the river. I ha...

Dinner has been had, the dishes washed and a neighbour chatted with, so here comes today’s blog. As usual the day was started with a walk, nothing special to see and nowhere special go from the rv camp that I was in at Port Augusta. Then breakfast and chores and off to woolies for a bit of shopping. Then on the road again with everything working properly, good. The drive today took me south in the general direction of Adelaide or a thousand other towns between Port Augusta and the Murray River. Actually Adelaide is almost due south and I am headin in a south, south easterly direction gradually moving away from Adelaide. The traffic was not as heavy here as it was on the Nullabor but there was still lots of traffic. The big difference is that most of it on these roads are small vehicles. The after lunch I passed through the Ckare valley wine country, very impressive. In SA there are lots of old buildings, both houses and churches and big buildings. There are greater numbers than t...