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Welcome to my occasional blog. Click a post title to see that entry with larger images or click an image for a larger version of the image. NSW Camping Trip Days 8-1024 February 2016 On the way to Armidale yesterday, we stopped for lunch at Wollomombi Falls, in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park,and went for a short walk. The falls were dry except for a small trickle but the gorge is impressive.
Today we drove to Dangars Gorge, also in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, with similar geography to Wollomombi, but again the falls were dry. We set up camp but I didn't choose the site very well as the tent was in full sun for a few hours each afternoon. This photo is early morning. This is the view down the gorge from the lookout near the falls.
Late in the afternoon I left Bev at the camp and drove back along the road to take some photos in the light of the setting sun. I also wanted to check the national parks web site as I thought camping was free but a pay station had been set up, although with a blank information board. Here are a couple of photos. When I got phone reception, I checked the web site and it said free camping, so it looks like they are preparing to impose fees. 25 February 2016 Leaving early because of the heat, we tried the walk to McDirty's lookout (about 7km), but Bev had to stop about 1.5km from the lookout with a pain in the groin. So I went on by myself while Bev sat on a convenient log and waited. This track has some spectacular views. I thought the Rock Wallaby lookout was better than McDirty's. This is the view from McDirty's.
Bev managed to walk back and her limp gradually disappeared. The campground here is quite small and we were a bit concerned when four caravans and a mobile home turned up together. Thankfully they just had a quick look at the gorge then drove off. One other group were camped here and two more arrived late and left early, so it was mostly quiet. Finding the heat and dryness uncomfortable, we drove to Gara Gorge where we found water but nothing accessible for swimming. I did see some Kingfishers fishing.
On arriving back at the camp, we found that the other campers had left and we had the place to ourselves. I thought it would be cooler here but it has been unpleasantly hot during the day with cool nights. The forecast for tomorrow is 34 degrees. 26 February 2016 I had planned another night here or in another part of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park but had had enough of the heat and hoped to find an air-conditioned cabin in Gloucester. On arrival at the caravan park, they had no cabins available so we checked out the tent sites. It's a large park beside the river, with lots of green grass for tents. On returning to the office ten minutes later, they advised they had a cancellation on a cabin, so we get air-conditioning. Probable showers are forecast for tomorrow but it should be cooler. We will stay here tomorrow, do some washing and decide where to go next.
NSW Camping Trip Days 4-720 February 2016 We spent today at and around the Mann River Caravan Park. After doing the washing we went for a walk down to the river where I had a swim in the beautifully clear water. The gravel bottom was very hard on my feet when wading through the shallow parts. Bev just sat and watched here. After lunch we went for a short drive on Cangai Bridge Road and found a large cleared area with good access to the river. A low level wooden bridge crosses the river where it runs in rocky channels. Quite a few campers and swimmers here. We had a look around and left ahead of an approaching storm. The storm didn't come to much but it then rained all night. 21 February 2016 We got away reasonably early and headed for Grafton for fuel, food and water, and then on to New England National Park. We had intended to stop at Guy Fawkes River but the roads are dry weather only and, after last night's rain we decided not to risk it. We set up the tent in fine misty rain, just before the heavier rain started. I managed to get rather wet getting the camp organised but we were able to eat lunch under the shelter of the tent. It continued to rain all afternoon. This is the view from the tent. A mist descended as the rain eased. We are quite high here - about 1400 metres. With the mist and drizzle, dinner in the shelter shed seemed a good idea. 22 February 2016 This morning is fine with just a bit of cloud around. We tackle the 4km Teatree Falls track and a very pleasant walk it was. I tried the Cascades Track but its rating of 'hard' proved to be true, requiring rock-hopping up the creek. With Bev waiting back in camp, I decided not to risk it. It was a steep climb back to the top. 23 February 2016 We got up early and as it looked clear again, drove up to Point Lookout to see the sunrise. This is about 1560 metres above sea level and quite cool.
As the sun rose clouds rolled in.
When the show seemed over, we drove back to camp for breakfast and breaking camp. I managed to get a couple of bird photos.
We tried to drive to Gibraltar Range National Park again as everywhere seemed dry away from the camp. It was supposed to be 2wd, but turned out to be not much more than a rough track. I gave up when we encountered a pothole full of water across the whole track that looked like it might be too much for the Camry. We headed for Armidale and another cabin, intending to head for Dangars Gorge tomorrow. NSW Camping Trip Day 319 February 2014 We had the campground to ourselves last night but a couple of other campers arrived today. We had planned to travel on to Guy Fawkes River National Park but were late leaving and decided to stop at a caravan park for washing, recharging batteries and re-setting up my phone. The phone seems to have reset itself. I had turned it off to save the battery as there was no signal, and had put in the cupholder on my chair. After a while I noticed that the screen was on even though I had turned it off. When I picked it up, the text was in Chinese. I managed to set it back to English but all my apps had gone. I can only guess that the sides of the cupholder had managed to press the right combination of power and volume buttons to reset it. While packing up we had a couple of the largest flies I have ever seen buzzing around. We stopped at the Mann River Caravan Park because the river looked interesting. It's really hot now we are down from the mountains, so decided to get an air-conditioned cabin. We'll be doing some washing tomorrow and leaving on Sunday. The phone is mostly set up now - I'm just missing some contacts. |
