After a year of dreaming, we were finally on our way. As
you can see, Rob and his mates were devastated that we were leaving.
Got all of the 3 month’s rain in the first day, which
started just as we headed out our front gate.
We drove through to Bretti Reserve beyond Gloucester –
What a magic spot! Got to really enjoy
the extra doona with a sub zero evening but then woke to a lovely morning. No
time to stop, we had places to be .....but only 5km later, a truckie decided the
“descend in first gear sign” didn’t apply to him, the result being 20 tonne of
lime and a truck & dog (trailer, not puppy dog) spread all over the road. We were turned back, so our second day of
travelling was only 30 minutes in total. We settled back in to life at Bretti for
another night and thoroughly enjoyed slowing right down. 
Another night snuggled into bed early, followed by a
successful journey through to Bingara. We had been so looking forward to our
time camped by the Gwydir River and it was even better than we had anticipated.
One reason was an inspirational tourist info booklet on Bingara so we were
thrilled when we got to meet one of the authors (Jenny) in Bingara.
After 3 brilliant nights, we figured if we stayed longer,
we wouldn’t ever leave. So we headed off via Narrabri (stopping at The Glacial
Area and Sawn Rocks). The boulders Jane is standing beside fell from the cliff face (not recently!).
We met up at the Burren Junction artesian baths and free camp with new friends made in Bingara . For a camp area that was all red sand,
it was another ripper place to spend some time. We both had the longest “bath”
of our life, coming out a Lobster Red color. After such an invigorating bath,
we raged until 8.45pm (we were the last to put “lights out” and discovered we
were also the early risers at 7am. This camping gig is obviously hard work for
those who have been on the road for a while. Next stop – Lighting Ridge. We pulled up at the rest stop on the highway and stayed 2 nights. As with all the other camps, there were several wonderful “old codgers” set up. As well as providing entertainment, they looked after our van when we headed off to explore Lighting Ridge.
Of all the places on earth, Lighting Ridge is special. Probably 90% of the population would never be seen, as they live like hermits and spend their days digging for the treasure which they are sure they are right about to find. Of the tourist type things we saw, Amigos Castle which was pretty special and the Chamber of the Black Hand was an absolute must see. The owner of the mine has completed numerous rock carvings in the walls.
The house in the photo is also pretty special, an example of ingenuity and resourcefulness with limited materials.
Regretfully we moved on, spending one night on the Balonne River at Surat. Most expensive camp site so far - $2 donation ($2 more than we’d spent in total so far). Biggest happy hour gathering though, which went from around 4.30pm until late. We wobbled off mid way through as no food and a few grogs wasn’t going to work out so well. After a decent feed, we were refreshed and headed back for Round 2. Would have stayed longer as it was a lovely spot, however the constant symphony of generators and the bored dog (all night) meant we wanted to search for somewhere quieter.
Lesson for the week
- so much to see, not enough time - but must write the blog a bit more regularly!!!!
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