CAPE YORK TRIP DAY 5

20 June 2014

LOUTH – TIBOOBURRA via Wanaaring (368km)

It was a long day of driving through ever changing landscapes.  

On the road to Wanaaring there were many gidgee trees and some leopord trees.  The leopard trees were really beautiful. 

Flora saw an aerial on the ground, Bob picked it up and Min fixed it on.  We make a great team.  Communications between vhicles was now much better due to great team work.  Morning tea is always a bit of a ritual.

We saw some red kangaroos and quite a few euros and the odd emu.  An occasional goat also made an appearance.  

Our lunch stop was at the Paroo River.  We continued onto Wannaring. It is a very small place with just a roadhouse and several houses.  Min managed to buy a second hand aerial.

We were surprised to see water not far out of Tibooburra. 

There were lovely little wildflowers in bloom along the edge.

Cattle were walking on the track further up from the water.  It was just so beautiful. 

We arrived in Tibooburra as the sun was setting.  We were all very tired.  So after setting up camp we walked down to the main street and after going in to the very busy hotel on the corner, because of happy hour, we chose the quieter hotel with the beautiful paintings by Pugh, Minchin and others.  After dinner at the pub we all came back and retired for the night.

CAPE YORK TRIP Day 4

19 June 2014

MEADOW GLEN – via TILPA LOUTH (201km)

It was a very cold night but the day warmed up somewhat.  The landscape changed once we turned north towards Tilpa.   The soil was reddish.  

We passed sheep and goats and after the first little bit of dirt road we travelled along a fairly new bitumen road for a while. 

After that it was dirt road all the way for the rest of the day.  So we all dropped the tyre pressures to make for a better ride.  Whilst it was a dirt road it was a very good road.

The diversity of trees along the way was amazing.  We saw lots of ant nests built in a raised manner above the sides of the road.  Usually it is indicative of coming rain.  I wonder if it actually came.

Tilpa on the Darling River once upon a time may have been a busy place. 

Now just one main building with some outbuildings is still standing.  Tilpa comes from the local Baarkindji language word ‘Thulpa’ meaning floodwater. It has the shortest historical walk - from one sign to another directly opposite each other. 

After Tilpa the landscape changed again and the soil was greyish and the vegetation not as rich.  It was absolutely flat as far as the eye could see.  We were surprised to see a group of cyclists on the road going south.

Louth was a quaint place on the Darling River established in 1859.  

A turkey outside the pub made his presence heard.  It appeared as if it wanted to get entry inside.  

What is of significance in Louth is the memorial built in the cemetary by the founder of the town Thomas Andrew Mathews for his first wife who died in 1886.  At sunset every evening, if there is no cloud,the headstone lights up reflecting the sun’s rays across the town.  So on arriving at the pub we had a beer and asked about the memorial.   We drove up to and walked around the cemetery. 

On our way to and from the cemetery flocks of corollas entertained us.  

Finally we made our way to the river to set up camp for the night.  It was a really lovely spot.  

We walked back into town before sunset and met the publican for a walk to the cemetary to watch the memorial light up.  It was definitely a unique experience. 

Large flocks of corellas swopped around the trees and poles as the sun was setting.  They were noisy and finally there way down to the river for the night. 

Back at our campsite a campfire kept us cosy as we had dinner and relaxed for the evening.  Great company, nice music – what else could one want.

CAPE YORK TRIP Day 3

18 June 2014

CARGELLIGO WEIR – MEADOW GLEN near Cobar (295km)

It was so lovely walking along the misty shore of the weir before setting out for Cobar.  

It was very misty for quite a while as we drove this morning.  I was with Flora and could barely make out the Oka in front because of the heavy mist.   

Lots of spider webs glistened in the mist.  

Saw several emus, goats and more goats, white cyprus trees, mulga and wild broccoli. We had been along this way on our very first Oka trip 10 years ago.  

We stopped at the historical site of Gilgunnia and muched some wild broccoli.   We also lost our UHF aerial somewhere along the way.  It made it difficult to communicate as we travelled.

We recalled that the Cobar Heitage Centre was definitely worth a stop and we were not disappointed.  I just loved a saying on a board at the centre:

Something out of nothing,

Mend and make do,

waste not, want not

     – these are the mottos of bush life

We finally made our way to Meadow Glen rest area for the evening.  Lots of apostle birds were here amongst the trees.  There were also many holes in the ground that loked like ant holes.  Soon the campfire was burning and dinner on the way.

CAPE YORK TRIP DAY 2

17 June 2014

BUNGENDORE - CARGELLIGO WEIR (420km)

What a lovely morning to start our trip.  I enjoyed a cuppa as I looked out over Bungendore Valley. 

Soon we are on our way. From Bungendore to Gold Creek in Nicholls, ACT to meet up with the third vehicle in our convoy.  After a cuppa three very different vehicles were on their way.  A Skoda, a  Range Rover with a Jayco Eagle on the back and an Oka.  

To the sounds of ‘Rollin, rollin’, rollin’ we headed out towards the west.  

As we headed along Burley Griffin Way to Harden sheep were grazing on lovely lush green grasses, birds were flying overhead. 

When we got to Stockinbingal we were stopped by a freight train going past.  We could nearly have boiled a cuppa as we waited for 48 carriages carrying steel to go past.  We wandered where we it was going from and where to.  

We stopped for lunch at MacKay Park at Wallendbeen.  A lovely park with a sculpture across the road.

We continued on to Cargelligo Weir for our first night stop.  A campfire was soon underway to keep us warm as we enjoyed our first dinner away.