Back to Sunny Queensland

We had a couple of days in Canberra after our weekend in Hobart and then began our journey northward to the warmer weather.  Spring is in full swing and the weather is very changeable.  It's not quite time to pack away our cold weather clothes - that can wait until we get to Queensland.  We are heading to Toowoomba to house-sit for 2 weeks.  It will be nice to spread out and stay in one place.  We can take it slowly as we have 4 nights to spend on the way.

Day one sees us back at Forbes at the lovely free camp overlooking Forbes Lake.  This is a beautiful and popular spot and is well placed for a northwards drive from Canberra.  We tried some fishing and as usual had no luck.  There's a lovely walk (about 1km round trip) from the camp to the shopping area and back, through the parks and across the bridges.  At least we got a bit of exercise there.






The next day we drove north on the Newell Highway through Parkes and Dubbo to the Warrumbungles National Park.  It's been a few years since we were in the Warrumbungles which are notable for their magnificent rocky volcanic plugs.  We checked in at the Visitor Centre to pay our camp fees and were directed to the unpowered caravan sites at Camp Blackman which has defined paved driveway sites and there were plenty of caravans there.
  We drove around looking at the sites and decided to make our way to Camp Wambelong which is a flat grassy area on the creek.  This was a much better option for us with no crowds.  In the late afternoon and evening we were entertained by a mob of about 15 wallabies.  

On our way into Coonabarabran the next day we drove past the Siding Springs Observatory which overlooks the national park.  We continued north through Gunnedah, past Lake Keepit to Manilla, where we stopped for lunch.  Manilla hosted the 2007 World Paragliding Championships.  A few months ago we saw a documentary on this event when some competitors were sucked into a thunderstorm with tragic results.


We continued northwards to Bingara where we camped alongside the Gwydir River.  A nearby calistemon tree in full bloom was host to many birds.  The birdsong near our camp was so loud - a delight to listen to.  A quick trip into the town to fill up with fuel and a stop at the art deco Peter's Milk Bar and Roxy Cinema for a look.  Last time we were in Bingara the cinema and visitor centre were closed.  This time the visitor centre was open but we had missed the 2.30pm tour of the theatre.  There are 2 tours each day, at about 10am and 2.30pm.  We did manage to get a quick look inside though - and it's on our list to do the full tour on a future visit.

From Bingara we drove to Inverell via Myall Creek.  In 1838 this was the site of the Myall Creek Massacre, where many aboriginals were killed.  There is now a Memorial Site and walk which tells the story of this tragic event.  Hundreds of aboriginals were killed in this area as they were defending their lands against the encroachment by white settlers.

Our final stop on our way to Toowoomba was at Dalveen, just north of Stanthorpe.  We're back in Queensland now so no daylight savings time here.  It's strange having sunrise by 5am and sunset about 6pm and has taken a few days to get used to.  We've settled into the house we're looking after for a couple of weeks.  We have been accepted by the chooks (6 lovely big fresh eggs every day) and the cat.