Relaxing at Lake Pamamaroo, Menindee

October 26, 2021October 26, 2021 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

What a lovely relaxing day at our fabulous camp spot lakeside at Lake Pamamaroo, Menindee NSW. We have a fabulous spot with shady trees with still enough sun for our three RV’s solar panels. We are camped right alongside the sandy waters edge. Our own secluded little beach.

Everyone had a slow start and enjoyed a sleep in. I love looking out at the expanse of water and watching the changing light on the water throughout the day. There’s something special about a water view, especially a water view as large as this one. Because the lake is very full it is a very large expanse of water we can see from the shore. The far shore is hazy in the distance. The old River Red Gums on the lake bed died many years ago and their twisting trunks and branches are quite beautiful.

Our own little sandy beach, Lake Pamamaroo, Menindee

After a leisurely group morning tea Catie and I got our kayaks ready and left for a paddle. We headed directly out across the lake and went as far as where the trees stop. All we could see ahead was water with the far shore way in the distance. It does make you feel a little insignificant out there surrounded by this huge expanse of water. The water is a milky brown probably due to all the sediment from the flood waters as they make their way down the river system from Queensland.

The mornings excitement was a native visitor to our camp, a beautiful huge goanna. It wandered into camp, sniffed around our campfire before slowly climbing a tree. What a magnificent creature.

Late in the afternoon we piled into the two 4WD’s and headed off to visit the Lake Pamamaroo/Lake Wetherall Regulator. This is the barrier between the two lakes and enables NSW Water to keep Lake Pamamaroo full of water. We were staggered by the amount of water on the Lake Wetherall side. When we were here last year that side was just a channel that followed the Darling River. Now the water has spread out over the banks, a huge expanse.

We continued on to the Main Weir and again we were staggered by the amount of water flowing over the weir and into the river. Last year this was just a trickle of water. It’s good to see the Darling River with so much water in it.

What a difference a year makes. This is the outlet from the Main Weir at Menindee. On the left was taken July 2020. The right was taken Oct 2021.

From the Main Weir we drove into town to visit the little supermarket to pick up some supplies and then we all drove out to the Caravan Park on Lake Menindee. Wow. As you drive out on the very dry gravel road you drive up and over a large sand hill and the vista of a full Lake Menindee appears. It is stunning. This time last year the lake was bone dry and full of scrub and now it is water as far as the eye can see.

Sadly the Caravan Park has seen better days and is very run down and in need of a good clean up. It has prime views from its position atop the sand dune. I guess no money has been spent there as drought has been the norm here for so long.

Back at camp and we had an early dinner so we could drive over to Copi Hollow Caravan Park where a group of Dragon Boaters from Dubbo were camped. Our cousin Catie is a Dragon Boater and she knew all of these people. They’d invited us over to watch the sunset.

Copi Hollow Caravan Park is home to the Broken Hill Water Ski Club and has a lot of permanent sites that belong to the club members but they also have a few powered and unpowered sites down one end for the traveling public. It is a lovely park with lots of green grass that a mob of local kangaroos obviously find appealing. They were everywhere and so was their droppings. Kangaroo poo was everywhere.

The water looked very inviting and perfect for water skiing. I was thinking all our families would love it here but it’s such a long way to travel.

We enjoyed a lovely social visit with the Dubbo contingent and watched the sun set across the water. We arrived back at our camp and sat around our little fire for a couple of hours before heading off for a well earned rest. It can be tiring being retired!!

We go extreme motorhoming again

October 25, 2021June 19, 2022 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

After a great nights sleep at MacCullochs Rest Area we set off in convoy towards Wilcannia. I’ve never been to Wilcannia before but what a lovely little town. It had been on the news a lot lately due to a COVID outbreak but the town seemed very quiet as we drove in across the Darling River.

Wilcannia was once the third largest port in NSW after Sydney and Morpeth near Newcastle. In 1887 218 vessels arrived in Wilcannia carrying 36,170 tons of goods and 222 vessels left Wilcannia carrying 26,552 tons. Isn’t that incredible? Fancy being the third largest port and it is so far inland in the middle of the desert!

Because it was such a centre for trade the town has many beautiful historic buildings and I just had to go for a walk around the town to capture these gorgeous buildings with my camera.

The Athenaeum built in 1884. The youngest son of Charles Dickens, Edward Dickens was on the original committee. Edward later went on to represent Wilcannia as town Alderman and state member of Parliament. The Atheneum was a School of Arts with a library and reading rooms and was later the Wilcannia Municipal Offices.

Wilcannia Club Hotel built in 1879 on the site of Wilcannia’s first hotel

Wilcannia Post Office built 1879 and restored in 2010.

The Original Bridge across the Darling River was opened in 1896

Rich & Co Emporium was built on the site of a shepherds hut that was an outstation of Mount Murchison Station. The Emporium became the shipping and transport hub of the district.

The Old Gaol and Courthouse, now the Police Station

London Chartered Bank built in 1887. Upstairs was the bank manager’s residence with great views of the town from the balcony. The bank was purchase by the shire in 1972 and it is now the Central Darling Shire Council Chambers

Richard and Robert went to the self-service fuel station to fill up while Catie and I went for a wander with cameras at the ready. Robert tried the Police Station to see if he could find out which road would be the best to take. There was nobody there. He did find a number to call to find out about road conditions but when Robert called the lady who answered was really no help at all.

There was a group of people gathering in the park so I wandered down to see if they were locals. They were and when asked about the roads a lady told me that they were much the same, rough gravel roads. I explained that we’d driven from Ivanhoe to Mendindee and she quickly exclaimed that was a worse road than these two. So we decided to take the Western Road and see how it went. This road follows the Darling River and is part of the series of roads known as The Darling River Run.

I have to say I am so please with the build quality of our Avida Esperance. Another 160km of rough gravel road and not a thing fell off, nothing broke and we arrived safely at Menindee 3 1/2 hours later. At times we were down to 30km/h but at others the road was good enough for us to get up to 70km/h. It was an interesting trip too. We saw lots of emus. A few property entrances and a Woolshed. About half way along we passed a Farm Stay at Nelia Gaari Station and we thought that looked like a great spot to try one day.

Richard drove half the way and then we swapped drivers and I drove the rest of the way into Menindee. I find the Iveco very easy to drive although, because I am so short and have to move the drivers seat forward so I can reach the pedals, the seatbelt cuts into my neck. I bought myself a sheepskin seatbelt cover and that has made a huge difference. I can drive for hours now.

We meet so many people on our travels that say to us they’d never take their motorhome off the tar. I think they are really missing out on some fantastic travel experiences by not venturing off the black top. These motorhomes are built on a truck chassis and our thoughts are that if an Iveco truck can go there then we can probably go there. So far our trusty Avida has taken us on many gravel roads and it has never let us down. We are impressed with it. It is a 2013 model so getting on for 8 years old and we are up to 89,000km traveled.

We arrived in Menindee and went directly to the Showgrounds to fill up with water, get a load of washing done and use the Dump Point. We managed to call up Robert on the UHF and he directed us to where they and Andy and Jenny had set up camp lakeside at Lake Pamamaroo.

We had no trouble finding them and quickly got our camp set up. What a gorgeous spot. A lovely sandy beach, shady trees but still enough sun for our solar panels.

And we’re off again

October 24, 2021June 19, 2022 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

I love spur of the moment travels. I was having a conversation with Richard’s cousin Catie recently and we talked about how good it would be to see Menindee Lake now that it is full of water. We were at Menindee last in July 2020 and only two of the lakes had any water in them. Menindee Lake, the largest of the system, was bone dry and had been that way for 7 years. Since last year lots of rain has fallen in the catchment and Menindee Lake is full once more. What a sight that must be!

So that short conversation became a plan and here I sit in the Motorhome at MacCullochs Rest Area on the Barrier Highway about 45km from Wilcannia. It is still early morning but the Apostle Birds are up and about tapping on our shiny hub caps (I think they see their reflection) and the big rigs have started going past. Catie & Robert are parked up next to us in their new van probably still asleep. There was a little herd of wild goats grazing only 10 metres from our camp.

This journey began on Friday afternoon when we left home in Griffith NSW and headed west towards Hillston on the Lachlan River. We found a great little camp spot just 36km north of Hillston at Willanthry. Here the Highway crosses a concrete bridge over the Lachlan River. The river was very full and running very fast. All that water will eventually end up at the Mouth of the Murray in South Australia. The Lachlan River runs into the Murrumbidgee River between Maude and Balranald and the Murrumbidgee runs into the Murray near Boundary Bend in Victoria.

The Rest Area at Willanthry is a lovely spot right next to the river. There is a large paved flat area with picnic tables and rubbish bins. We were able to park right next to the river. We were the only campers on our side of the river however there were two others on the opposite bank. Although the Rest Area is right beside the road there was little road noise during the night and we had a peaceful sleep.

There has been a bridge across the Lachlan at Willanthry since the late 1800’s. The first was a timber beam toll bridge that stood where the current concrete bridge now stands. The second bridge was a timber truss bridge built in 1885 and became known as Coopers Bridge. There was a toll of threepence a wheel and threepence a horse to cross Coopers Bridge. A second Coopers Bridge was built in 1921 and it was again a timber truss bridge. The new concrete bridge was built in 1998. You can see the ramparts of the last of the timber bridges just near the Rest Area however all the timber was dismantled. A DVD recording of the demolition of this historically significant bridge is kept at the Library in Hillston.

Willanthry was once a thriving little town first settled in 1854. There was a hotel, a store, post office and a few private dwellings. A school first opened in 1933 and finally closed in 1972. The hotel burnt down before 1900 but the old store stood until it was relocated to the coast in the 1990’s. There might not be any buildings left but it is a lovely spot for a camp beside the river.

We met up with Catie and Robert at Newey Reserve in Cobar. We’d been there before and it is a lovely spot for a lunch break with flat spots to park so you can see the water in the reservoir. Newey Reserve is full of huge old pepper trees that make for inviting shady spots to pull up. We’d just finished our lunch and a chat with some fellow motorhomers when Catie and Robert arrived. They brought their lunch over and we all sat in our RV to discuss our plan for the afternoon. We decided to continue on towards Wilcannia. Our friends Andy and Jenny are already in Broken Hill and plan to head out to Menindee and find a good spot for our three RV’s alongside Lake Pamamaroo.

Once we left Cobar I was on a road I’ve never been on before. I’ve been to Cobar many times and also to Broken Hill however I’ve never been on the Barrier Highway from Cobar via Wilcannia to Broken Hill. Our plan was to get to Wilcannia, fill up with fuel and check on the state of the two gravel roads that travel on either side of the Darling River to Menindee to determine which one we will take. I’m expecting that to be a slow trip for us in the motorhome.

We pulled up for the night at MacCullochs Rest Area near Wilcannia. This is a large rest stop popular with big rigs and there is even Telstra Service. The rest area has a children’s playground, pit toilets and even a book exchange in an old red refrigerator.

We had not long set up camp when a couple of escort vehicles and a police car with their lights all flashing arrived followed by a huge truck towing a long low loader. Robert and Richard went off to chat to the driver to learn more about the amazing rig. They found out lots of information from the driver. The low loader alone was worth $1.4million. It had 8 rows of wheels with 8 tyres in each row. The first set of 4 wheels and the last two rows of wheels steered. The low loader could carry 240 tonne. The load on top was a giant mining truck minus its wheels and its tray. Just that part of the truck weighed 60 Tonnes.

There were two of these massive rigs travelling in convoy. They were taking the trucks from Adani Mine in Queensland all the way to Adelaide where the massive vehicles will be refurbished. The loads were so wide they took up the entire width of the road. Of course there were many escort vehicles that travel in front and behind with flashing lights. I wonder how they get though towns? They had been travelling for 10 hours and had come 600kms from Cunnamulla in Queensland that day. The logistics were staggering.

The driver of the first one to pull up at the Rest Area was quickly out of his truck and checking the tyres and the load. He climbed up onto the low loader and then up onto the truck to remove some branches they’d collected from trees along the side of the road. The load was so tall it had knocked off quite a few large branches and he tossed over the side.

Once the entire convoy had assembled they set up a camp and cooked their dinner. We assume they all slept in their vehicles. It really was quite a sight to see.

It was really windy when we pulled in and set up camp at MacCullochs Rest Area however the wind died down enough so we could enjoy a small campfire and a good chat before retiring for the night.

A washing machine in an Avida Esperance

October 17, 2021October 16, 2021 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

One of the most common questions I get asked when we meet new people while out on our travels is where on earth we managed to fit a washing machine inside our 2013 Avida Esperance. It’s a bit of a story, so here goes.

Our motorhome is a 2013 Avida Esperance C7934SL. That means it was built in 2013, is a ‘C’ class motorhome with a bed above the cab (called a Luton), is 7.9 metres long and 34 is the model number. SL denotes that it has a slide-out. Our layout has a ‘dry’ bathroom across the back, then an east/west bed that lifts up to access a lot of storage underneath, then the fridge and L shaped lounge dinette on the driver’s side and the kitchen and entry door on the passenger side. Where could we fit a washing machine?

Firstly I did a lot of research into washing machines. I searched forums online and asked lots of fellow travellers what they had. I discovered that the lovely front loaders (I have had one in my home for years) are very heavy, weighing in at some 47 kgs. At the time we hadn’t upgraded our GVM so adding 47kgs was not an option.

Next I checked out twin tubs. I read and talked to a lot of people who carry one of these and store it in their shower. They are very light to move around and do a great job of washing and spin drying however I thought it would become very tiresome having to move it every time we wanted to use the shower.

So lastly I checked out small top loaders designed for RV use and eventually decided on a Sphere 3.3kg Automatic Top Loader that I purchased online from CampSmart for $369 delivered. This great little machine only weighs 18.5kg. It is 410W x 420D x 740H (mm) + 240mm with lid up. Now the challenge was where to put it.

At the rear on the driver’s side of our Espie is a large storage bin that we used to store things like our hoses, the wheel chocks, awning mat etc. It is a very large bin and can be accessed from inside by lifting up the bed. Luckily I have a very clever cabinet maker son-in-law who thought he could construct a box for the washing machine to sit in. This would also stop the machine moving around whilst traveling.

So the process involved emptying the storage bin, fitting the washing machine and taking the motorhome to our local RV repairer, Matt Best at Best RV Repairs, who plumbed in the washing machine to the cold water and drainage pipes. Then my son-in-law built the box around the machine. He cleverly lined the box with rubber matting so the machine does not move and keeps firmly in its place.

Next it was off to the auto-electrician to have the old 150W inverter taken out and a new 1000W inverter installed. The CampSmart website recommended a 600W inverter to run the machine however I went a little bigger in case we wanted to run other appliances in the future. Of course nothing is simple and the auto-electrician discovered that the new inverter could not go where the old one was as the cables are too thick to go from there to the house batteries, so the new inverter was mounted on the side of the new box built around the washing machine. Where the old inverter was is now a power point and two 12V plugs, one with two USB’s useful for charging our devices. A new power point for the inverter was installed under the bed near the existing double power point. The power cord from the washing machine can be plugged into it or, if we are on a powered site, it can be plugged back into the standard power point.

The box around the washing machine has made it really easy to stack items into the big storage bin as you can pack them up against the side of the box. What we store in each storage bin is a story for another day. That’s another thing we get asked about a lot.

So now we have a 3.3kg automatic top loader washing machine installed that I access by lifting up our bed. It uses 20L per wash for a full load and I use it all the time when we travel. I no longer have to use the, often dirty, washing machines at caravan parks or laundromats. The 3.3kg size is large enough to wash our sheets and these then get hung on our Versaline Traveller RV clothesline that Matt Best from Best RV Repairs installed on the slide out of our motorhome. Our son-in-law also installed a hanging rail above our dinette so that we can hang washing here to dry if it is a travel day or the weather is not good enough to hang clothes outdoors.

As we mostly freedom camp we are very careful with our water usage and usually only put the washing machine on if we will be filling up with water that day. Once while filling up with water at Menindee after camping in Kinchega National Park for a week I managed to do two loads of washing while we filled up. One of the beauty’s of the Sphere is that you can set it to do a wash only (this takes 14 minutes) then you can set it to spin only (this takes 7 minutes). If you only use Woolwash deturgent there is no need to rinse. So a full load of washing takes 21 minutes and uses 20L of water. The little washing machine happily runs on the inverter with no issues.

I really appreciated having it after our trip to the Big Red Bash in July. We arrived at the caravan park in Mt Isa afterwards to find the park chock-a-block full and all the washing machines in their laundry already in use. After being in the dusty outback everything needed to be washed and cleaned so the little washing machine did a mighty job. I did have to use the park clothesline as there was too much washing to hang out on my little clothesline. After a day of washing and cleaning we were ready to continue our travels.

So that’s it. With a bit of ingenuity we were able to find a spot to fit a washing machine in with plenty of power to run it when we are off grid.

The big storage bin. The white box surrounds the washing machine and the inverter is installed against the box.

A close up of the washing machine in its box. Note the rubber lining of the box.

Under bed storage with the washing machine on the left. Note the closest power point is for the inverter. The shopping bags usually sit on top of the washing machine.

Completely off-topic

October 16, 2021 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

I know this is off-topic and has nothing to do with motorhoming but I haven’t posted for a while and felt compelled to write. Yesterday was my birthday. I was 64 years old yesterday. I could say something like ‘where did all that time go’ but, really, it’s gone on a life well lived. What a life I’ve had so far. I was one of the lucky ones to have had a very happy childhood with wonderful parents, an adorable little brother and a large, loving, extended family. I met the love of my life at high school and we finally married when I was just 21. He was 23. That seems awfully young these days. We went on to have three wonderful children and they have given us 7 beautiful grandchildren so far.

My day began with birthday greetings from Richard and the gift of a voucher for one of my favourite places Eclipse the Essential Spa. I will enjoy using that. I received text messages, Facebook and Messenger messages, phone calls and even a FaceTime call. All with warm happy birthday wishes. And this was all before I left for work for the day!

I love how social media keeps us in contact with friends far and wide. This is the real power of social media. You may not be able to see those people for some time but a short post every now and then keeps us in touch wherever we are in the world. Those messages are always warmly received. Facebook reminded me that this time last year we were camped in our motorhome by the beach at Delicate Campground near Crescent Head on the northern NSW coast.

My work colleagues made my day special with a gift of lovely flowers and for morning tea we had delicious takeaway coffees from Peeches Coffee Lounge.

I left for work with strict instructions to be home by 5pm as Richard was taking me out for dinner. I did as told and as soon as I arrived home four little people (and their mothers) came to visit with lots of cuddles for me from them all and many ‘hapbirthday Gran’ from the 2 year old grandson.

Our daughter volunteered to drive us into town and drop us at the restauarant. I was not really surprised to be dropped at Limone. Richard knows it’s one of my favourite restaurants and chef Luke Piccolo and his team always make us feel special. I was surprised however by the large bouquet of flowers on our table when we were shown to our seats. Richard had been organised to have picked them up and dropped them off at the restaurant earlier in the day.

We enjoyed a six course degustation dinner with delicious wine and, as always, the food was amazing. It was a lovely evening.

The celebration continues today however with all the family expected at our house for an early BBQ dinner at 5pm. This has all been arranged by the family without my knowledge, although a couple of little people did let the cat out of the bag. They were excited by it being someone’s birthday. Why is at our house? Well, honestly, our house is a perfect venue for a BBQ dinner for 17 people (That’s 10 fully vaccinated adults and 7 children in case you were wondering). We can all gather together, there’s plenty of room for everyone, the table is large enough for all, the children have lots of room to play and we just love having them here.

Thank you to all of you who have helped to make my birthday a special one. I am truly blessed.

BRB & beyond – Final trip stats

August 6, 2021August 16, 2021 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

Camping costs

Free Camps
Hillston Rest Area – 1 night
Cobar Old Reservoir – 1 night
Bourke Boat Ramp – 1 night
Wyandra Warrego River – 1 night
Tambo Barcoo River – 1 night
Qantas Founders Museum Carpark – 1 night
Longreach Caravan car parking – 1 night
Long Waterhole, Winton – 1 night
Middleton Hotel – 1 night
Eyre Creek, near Bedourie – 1 night
Birdsville Common – 2 nights
Bashville – 6 nights (included in the cost of Big Red Bash tickets)
Boulia Racecourse Reserve – 1 night
Quamby Rodeo Ground – 1 night
Gregory Downs riverside – 1 night
Julia Creek RV Park – 2 nights (free but made $10 donation)
Sapphire riverside – 1 night
Gindie roadside gravel pit – 1 night
WWII Plane Crash site, Carnarvon Rd – 1 night
Injune Rodeo Grounds – 1 night
RV Park, Walgett – 1 night
Wheogo Park, Forbes – 1 night

Low-cost Campgrounds
Charleville CMCA RV Park – 1 night $6
Lara Wetlands Campground – 2 nights $50
Apex Riverside Park, Longreach – 1 night $5
Winton Showgrounds – 1 night $20
Oondooroo Station Farm Stay – 1 night $25
Lara Wetlands – 3 nights $75

Caravan Parks
Longreach Tourist Caravan Park – 1 night powered $40
Argylla CP, Mt Isa – 2 nights powered $98.88
Adele’s Grove CP – 4 nights unpowered $160 (paid for 4 but only stayed for 3)
Emerald Cabin & Caravan Park – 1 night powered $44
Takarakka Bush Retreat – 3 nights powered @$55 = $165
Ups & Downs Caravan Park, Roma – 1 night unpowered $20

Total Camping Costs
Free Camps = 29 nights Cost = $0
Low-cost Campgrounds = 9 nights Cost = $181
Caravan Parks = 12 nights Cost =$527.88
Total = 50 nights Total Cost = $708.88

Fuel
Hillston $$69.27
Hillston $47.09
Cobar $65.31
Bourke $45.84
Charleville $101.33
Tambo $54.71
Longreach $92.70
Winton $64.74
Boulia $110.33
Bedourie $71.87
Birdsville $48.30
Bedourie $95.30
Boulia $53.11
Mt Isa $84.55
Cloncurry $32.49
Burke & Wills Roadhouse $55,52
Gregory Downs $44.88
Burke & Wills Roadhouse $88.08
Julia Creek $65.21
Hughenden $81.37
Longreach $115.12
Alpha $77.83
Emerald $49.70
Rolleston $$91.72
Roma $89.06
Lightning Ridge $113.46
Dubbo $93.64

Total Fuel = $2,002.53

Wood
Lara Wetlands – 2 x $15 = $30
Longreach – 2 x $10 = $20
Cloncurry – 1 x $15
Julia Creek – 1 x $14
Oondooroo Station Farm Stay – 1 x fire pit & wood $10
Emerald $26

Total Wood = $115

Gas
Bourke $32
Longreach $23
Winton $34 (most expensive 4.5kg bottle of gas ever!)
Birdsville $32
Julia Creek $14
Alpha $28
Emerald $18

Total Gas = $181

Sightseeing
Back O’Bourke Exhibition = $42
Hotel Corones Tour = $56
Cosmos Centre = Free
Royal Flying Doctor Visitor Centre = Free
WWII Secret Base = $16
WWII Secret Base Tour = $66
Longreach Hall of Fame = $136
Qantas Museum Tour & Luminescent Longreach = $160
Longreach School of the Air = $20
Waltzing Matilda Centre = $50
Age of Dinosaurs Tour = $170
Dinosaur Stampede 3/4 day tour = $290
Big Red Bash (including 2 day early entry) = $1,380.25
Helicopter Flight at BRB = $585
Outback at Isa (including Riversleigh Fossil Tour, Isa Experience & Hard Times Mine Tour) = $176
Kronosuarus Korner, Richmond = $40
Flinders Discovery Centre, Hughenden = $5
Corfield Store, Winton = $2
Australian Workers Heritage Centre, Barcaldine = $16
Miners Heritage Mine Tour, Sapphire = $35
Australian Coal Mining Museum, Blackwater = $80
Big Rig Oil Patch Guided Tour, Roma = $34
Roma Saleyards Tour & Interpretive Centre= Free
Helicopter flight at Moolyamber Gorge = $450

Total sightseeing = $3,809.25

Other
Hillston Tyres – $40
Cobar Tyres – $65
Bridgestone Emerald – $38

Total other = $143

Total trip costs = $6,959.66

Total kilometres traveled = 8,051

Lara Wetlands, Qld

August 6, 2021July 31, 2025 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

Lara Wetlands is situated 28km south of Barcaldine in Central Queensland. It is an oasis in the outback with lots of shady campsites, a large camp kitchen, and amenities blocks.

The road in is a good gravel road and our 8m motorhome had no trouble getting there, we just went slowly in some sections.

You arrive at the entrance near a Reception building that also houses a small shop and a book exchange. Check in is quick and efficient. You are told to find your own camp site however, if you are on the waters edge, you must park forwards or reversed and not sideways. This enables as more campers to get a waterfront site around the roughly circular wetlands.

Bikes and kayaks are available and a soak in the hot artesian pool is a must-do.

It costs $35 per night for two and you can purchase a trolley load of wood for $25 to use in the many fire pits scattered around the campground.

Lara Wetlands is one of those places you can keep coming back to. It is especially beautiful at sunset with reflections on the water.

Gregory Downs Riverside, Qld

August 6, 2021August 2, 2022 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

The sandy banks of the fast-flowing Gregory River are a perfect spot to camp if you can manage to get a camp spot there. It is very popular so you feel lucky if you can get a spot.

The river is a wonderful place to cool off after the heat of an outback day. The clear water is cold and you can take a bogey board or pool noodle to float down the river amongst the cabbage palms, pandanas and tea trees.

It is just a track off to the left after crossing the bridge going out of town that leads down to the riverside. Locals would prefer people camp up on top at the free campground before the bridge where there are rubbish bins and potable water.

Bald Rock National Park, NSW

August 6, 2021August 2, 2022 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

Bald Rock National Park is some 30km north of Tenterfield in far northern NSW, almost on the Queensland border. It is a tar road all the way.

The campground is set amongst beautiful forest. The camp sites are well marked out and quite separate from each other. Most camp sites have a fire pit and there is free wood available for campers use.

It is a tranquil spot in the bush and one of our favourites.

The last leg: Forbes to Home

August 6, 2021August 17, 2021 / jennyfletch / Leave a comment

Brrr what a freezing cold night. Thank goodness for diesel heaters! Flannelette sheets and the microfibre blanket helped to keep us snug and warm overnight.

After breakfast we set off for the final leg of our journey. I’d updated our trip stats page and, wow, we’d done nearly 8,000 km on this trip. This had been the longest and the most number of days we’d been on a trip in our motorhome since we bought it way back in 2016.

Since we retired in 2020 we have been fortunate to have done three long trips, one exploring northern NSW for 6 weeks, another following the Murray River from Albury to the mouth of the Murray at Goolwa in SA. That took us 4 weeks and now this latest trip at just under 8 weeks. It has made such a difference to our travel now we don’t have a deadline to be back at work. The trip really does becomes a meander. If we like a place we can stay, if we feel we’ve seen everything in that place we can move on.

*The very wet conditions along the Newell Highway*

As we drove further south on the Newell Highway we reflected on the last 8 amazing weeks. We had left our home in Griffith, NSW on 16th June and traveled northwards though the NSW outback towns of Hillston, Cobar and Bourke. We had a tyre valve fixed and visited friends in Cobar. In Bourke we visited the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition, Fred Hollows Grave at the historic Bourke Cemetery, the historic weir, the wharf precinct, and the Back O’Bourke Gallery.

We crossed the border into Queensland on 19th June and visited the town of Cunnamulla where we saw the statue of the Cunnamulla Fella and visited the Visitors Centre & Museum. Next stop was Charleville where we spent a busy couple of days visiting the Historic House Museum, the Visitors Centre, the Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre, The Cosmos Observatory, did a guided tour of Hotel Corones, and did a tag along tour of the Secret WWII base. While in Charleville we stayed in a CMCA RV park for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed that experience.

Then it was on to Tambo where we visited the famous Tambo Teddies store and Blackall where we visited the historic Blackall Wool Scour and saw the sculpture of legendary shearer Jack Howe.

Before we got to Barcaldine we discovered one of our favourite camp spots at Lara Wetlands. What a fabulous spot and one I’m sure we will go back to. It was one of those places that just appealed to us. We went in for just one night and stayed for two.

Then we traveled further outback to Longreach. It was here that we first realised how crazy it was in Australia with so many people traveling in their RV’s. People couldn’t travel overseas so we think they’d decided to see Australia instead. RV’s of every description. We saw camper trailers, rooftop campers, caravans of all sizes, camper vans, motorhomes and even a few 5th wheelers. Longreach was inundated with travellers. To make matters worse it was raining and so the low-cost RV park at Apex Park alongside the Thomson River was just a sea of mud. The two caravan parks in Longreach were full to bursting and people were camping in the council caravan car parking spaces. It was here that we ‘stealth camped’ in the carpark of the Qantas Founders Museum. That was an experience to remember. Our motorhome looked so tiny parked under the wing of a giant 747.

There was lots to do in Longreach however and we visited the Qantas Founders Museum, the Longreach School of the Air, and the Stockmans Hall of Fame. It was in Longreach that our dear friends, Kevin & Sally caught up to us and we got to camp with them out at the RV park once it had dried out after the rain.

Continuing on we arrived in Winton where we visited the Waltzing Matilda Centre, toured the Australian Age of Dinosaurs and Lark Quarry to see the dinosaur footprints.

The excitement of going to the Big Red Bash in Birdsville was building when we left Winton and headed west towards Boulia. We camped with Kevin & Sally at the Middleton Hotel in the middle of nowhere and enjoyed a cold beer at the old pub.

Sadly the next day Kevin & Sally got their third puncture on their car and as they no longer had any spare tyres they made the decision to return to Winton. This was a sad time as it meant they would probably miss going to the Big Red Bash and we’d planned it for so long.

We continued on through Boulia and Bedourie and finally arrived at Birdsville on 2 July. It had taken just over 2 weeks to get there. It was here that we met up with the rest of our group of 14 that would be going to the Big Red Bash. We camped on the Birdsville Common for a couple of nights and it was great to catch up with everyone’s travels and how they’d got to Birdsville. Those couple of days were spent in preparation for our week out at ‘Bashville’. The challenge is that you have to take all your own water and make it last for the week and there is no dump point out there.

I remember being quite excited on the morning of our rollout AND our gas bottle ran out in the middle of the night! That meant we had to be up very early to get to the roadhouse and get in the queue to get it refilled. What a nuisance!

The others waited for us where the tar ended and the gravel road commenced and it was a convoy of 7 that made it to Bashville on Sunday 4 July. We had all bought 2 day Early Entry tickets. The next week was spent enjoying the great company of our friends, sitting around the campfire, enjoying the fabulous music, exploring the Simpson Desert and generally having the most fabulous time. Highlights of that week have to be listening to Paul Kelly play his set, the helicopter ride over the desert and the dust! OMG the dust! It got into everything! The motorhome had never been so dirty. Surprisingly we managed our water usage really well and still had water left over at the end of the week AND we both had showers every day (they were pretty quick ones). Also we didn’t have to use our second toilet cassette. We both used the BRB composting loos during the day and only used the motorhome loo at night. this meant we only had one full cassette after a whole week of camping!

Going to the Big Red Bash was another big tick off our bucket list.

Following the BRB we were off to Boodjamulla National Park but first we had to travel northwards to Boulia and Mt Isa, Cloncurry, Bourke & Wills Roadhouse and Gregory Downs. We had a couple of days in an awful caravan park in Mt Isa. It was awful because the sites were so small and we were crammed in like sardines in a tin. Our site was so small that we couldn’t even put out our awning! However a couple of days there enabled us to give the motorhome a good clean and do multiple loads of washing. It felt so good to get rid of the dust.

A highlight of our visit to Mt Isa was doing the Hard Times Mine Tour with our dear friends Mandie & Pete.

Camping alongside the gorgeous Gregory River was another highlight. We even had a swim! The water was cold and very fast flowing but it was crystal clear and it really is a little oasis down on the riverbank.

We spent the next few days camping at Adel’s Grove and visiting Boodjamulla National Park. Here we caught up with cousins Robert & Catie, Mandie & Pete, Brian & Helen and the two Judy’s (longtime friends of Catie’s). Paddling both the lower and upper gorges with Catie and Mandie & Pete was a highlight of our stay at this remote, incredibly beautiful location. Sadly we had to say farewell to Mandie & Pete as they needed to head for home to return to work and farewell to Robert & Catie and Brian & Helen as they were continuing northwards to the gulf. We’d had a great time together.

We really put our motorhome to the test by taking it to Birdsville and Boodjamulla NP. The road to Birdsville via Boulia and Bedourie was mostly tar but there was still some 50-60km of rough gravel road. Brian assured me that it was really a good gravel road but not in a motorhome with rigid truck suspension! The road to Adels Grove was much worse. It took us 3 1/2 hours to go 90km. We let the tyres down to 50psi and just had to go very slowly over the worst of corrugations. I was really impressed with how well the motorhome handled the rough roads. Nothing fell off in spite of the shaking!

The trip to home from Adels Grove (almost on the border with the Northern Territory) took us nearly three weeks. It’s a very long way from the gulf country of Queensland to the Riverina in NSW. Our route home included Julia Creek, Richmond and Hughenden, Winton and Longreach and another 3 night stay at Lara Wetlands. I think I’ve said it before, we love that place. On our way home we found that Richard’s cousins Ross & Jenny were also in Queensland and we arranged to catch up with them at Lara where we had a lovely few days relaxing and catching up.

Next it was on to Emerald then down to Carnarvon Gorge. There we stayed at the Takarakka Bush Retreat for 3 nights while we explored the gorge and did a walk each day. We both really enjoyed our stay in that lovely spot. A highlight there was doing a helicopter ride over the unexplored and remote Moolyamber Gorge. I wonder what treasures are to be found down there one day?

Then it was on to Roma, Dirranbandi, crossing the border at the tiny town of Hebel and back into NSW. Lightning Ridge, Walgett, Dubbo and Forbes and finally home again. 50 days and 8,051kms traveled. So many wonderful memories to cherish.

Like all of our trips though, the best part is coming home to our beautiful family. It was so good to see my 85 year old mum, our three children, their partners and our seven amazing grandchildren. Oh we miss them so when we are away. FaceTime is great but nothing compares to the reality of being hugged by those gorgeous little people. It’s safe to say they were very glad to see us too.

Now to clean the motorhome, get a new windscreen because we got hit by a stone and it has caused a big crack, do some minor repairs and get her ready for the next meander. I wonder where that will be?

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Our motorhome travels around Oz