Tooloom Falls

Around and around we go, where we end up, we certainly don't know.

Left Old Benalbo after staying one night, it was pleasent enough spot for an overnighter and thanks must go to the local shire for having provided such places.



We headed North to Urbenville, here they have a camp spot close to town for a small fee you get to use the hot showers, we didn't need to having everything we want in the Bushtracker but we did stop for a coffee break and a walk into town where Vickie brought some shopping. One thing that does amaze and annoy me is that we rarely get acknowledged with any pleasentries, they must be fully aware that we are 'tourists', doesn't take much to say Hi' passing through? etc. Next time it appears all to hard for them we will take our dollars elsewhere.

Tooloom Falls is just 5klms out of town and worthy of being highly rated in our classification based on our need's. Very scenic, green grass, BBQ facilities, Shelter's and the Fall's themselves. Beautiful spot and one we will definately call back too. I got the Kayak out and pumped it up and we both took turns in paddling up the river, The Kayak is a Hobie Mirage and is equipped with pedals as well as a paddle and is easy and quite fast to peddle along. Not having a NSW fishing licence i thought it best to leave the rods in the bags but i was told that some big Bass & Catfish live in these waters.

We only stayed one night at Tooloom Falls, the rain started again and the thought of being cooped up didn't enthrall us, so onwards we went. Unfortunately the rain followed us everywhere, a visit into Kyogle got us out and checking out the local shops & bakery on our way down to Casino, Kyogle Caravan Park is for sale at a reasonable price if anyone is interested. Perhaps it's me but i get a feel for a town the moment we drive into one and Casino didn't set my passion to stay alight. The rain didn't help, and i am sure we will be come back one day for a 'proper' look.





Out came the map and we decided to head back along the Bruxner Highway towards Tenterfield and on up to Bald Rock National Park but before we got that far we stopped at Crooked Creek Camp for another overnighter. We had been here previously and one of our BOG [Bushtracker Owners Group] Member's, Alan mentioned to us after he heard we had visited, that there was another camp spot down the track further. With the rain still continuing to fall steadily we choose to stay in the same spot we did previously but i did take a walk down the track and saw exactly what Alan had described, the area is used and maintained by the Wilderness Horse Riders Assoc. I came across an old bed, the exact style i used when i was a young boy, my bed was used for outdoor fun & games as well, i can recall my elder brothers carrying it down the hall way to the back yard where it got used as a trampoline, pretend fishing boat and covered over it became a cubby house, but at the end of the day it was back into the house and my bed. I cannot imagine the amount of patience my Mother must have had with 3 sons.



Left Crooked Creek the next morning again with water tanks all full thanks to the rain and drove onto Tenterfield where we used the dump at the showgrounds, then parked near a park and into town to do a small shop before heading out to Bald Rock National Park.

The fee's they charge to visit is reasonable at $7 valid for 24hours, Camp fee's are an additional $7 pp on top of that, we choose not to camp and just stopped for 24 hours. The walk to the summit of Bald Rock can be tackled in two ways, a very steep 1.2klms or an easier 2.5klms walk [one way] we choose the longer route but it was still very steep in parts with majority of the walk an uphill slog. It was well worth it though and the views fantastic, coming back down was a lot easier.

Bald Rock








Moving on after our stop we headed to Leslie Dam just out of Warwick, what a let down! $8 per person per night, for a view of a lake with low water level & dust & dead grass. We are only 44klms or so from Tooloom Fall's so thats my guess where we will end up again tomorrow. Vickie has been busy with the clothes washing as i slog away with this epic of work, it's a tough life i keep telling myself lol

Leslie Dam, A dissapointment



Maroon Dam, nice but no camping




As predicted we left Leslie Dam and drove to Tooloom Fall's again, it's a lovely spot and we stayed 3 nights here. The weekend was a lot busier than when we visited the week previously mainly trail bikes and a few campers. Plenty of space for all and it wasn't a concern. We are now at Kalbar Showgrounds, very humid with black thunderstorms overhead, we will base our selves here for a few days and check out some neighbouring towns.

Wells Crossing - Old Benalbo

Copeton Dam was a big dissapointment, we had entered via Auburn Vale road and went looking for the CAW5 – 271 site, we expected the water levels to be low but didn’t expect the millions of mozzie’s & sandfly’s that greeted us. We were literally swarmed by them and in the time i had left the car door open the inside was alive with every one of them, no need to discuss whether we would like to stay here and it was a quick grab of the mortein spray and fumigated the van & car and out of there! The Bastard mongrel things were still crawling out from under seats and dash mats for many kilometres later biting any flesh they could find. The dash mat is littered with thousands of dead mozzie’s.

Where to now? As we were expecting to camp up here a week we hadn’t thought much further, a quick look at the map’s and we decided to head via Inverell and check out Pindari Dam near Ashford. We took the dirt road out from Bukkulla through some beautiful countryside, everything lush & green. We came across a beautiful camp spot at Wells Crossing 7klms East of Ashford on the Pindari Dam road, this will do us we thought as we drove in and liked what we saw, green grass, shelters with benches, lovely shadey tree’s and a water tank full of clean rain water, and beside the Severn River. It was hot and we made use of the river and sat on the bank and cooled off.

Wells Crossing



Pindari Dam


We should have unhitched the van and driven out to the Dam to check things out but i didn’t as i thought if it’s any good we will stay and save the double trip, if not we will just come back to Wells Crossing. As it turned out Pindari was not Caravan friendly with lousy signage pointing to where large caravans & buses can park but no parking, we drove down to the water’s edge and the ground was very uneven and the banks covered in slime and mud. Back up the top the view was lovely and we did find a parking area that we could have turned around in but we thought, what then? So we headed back to Well’s Crossing, Bugger our ‘spot’ had been taken and though we thought about stopping anyway we choose to continue on and head to Bonshaw Weir, [CAW5-240] Hoped you enjoyed it Kimberley Karavan Travellers.

This was another lovely camp spot, the Weir wasn’t as nice as the Severn River we had left but the area was clean with freshly mowed grass, shelters & tables and basic toilet amenities. The weather was hot in the sun but lovely sitting in the shade so that was about as much as we did, lazed around and read book’s and watched the bird life flitting around us.


Bonshaw Weir



Texas ... even the name makes you want to visit, i know it did for me as it was always one of those towns i wanted to drive through. The name arose from when the McDougal Brothers originally settled on the land around 1840, the property was abandoned in the 50’s while they went in search of gold, when they returned they found another settler had taken over and it was sometime before they were able to establish it back, in 1936 Texas USA was at war with Mexico fighting for independence and the McDougalls called their property Texas as their dispute was similar.

Texas is situated on the Dumaresq River, Tobacco played a large part in the history of the area but these days it’s primarly a beef & sheep grazing area. We did some shopping, said hello to a stray dog which is always a worry because Vickie & stray’s dogs could mean ..... can we keep it, Gladly that didn’t happen as we convinced ourselves that it wasn’t stray as it had a collar. We left Texas and drove on to Inglewood, So here we were well and truly in Qld! We were only 3 weeks ahead of schedule so what did we do? Turned around and headed back into NSW but this time we went via Coolmunda Dam [no camping here despite what CAW5 say’s] and then swung south and headed to Pikedale and Stanthorpe.

Nice Shade of Green

Coolmunda Dam


We were heading to Bald Rock campground but an error on my part on not working out the distance as to what fuel we had left meant we had to start praying whether we would make it in and out and then down to Tenterfield, not wanting to risk running out we choose to drive to Tenterfield, it must have been close because when i filled up the 114lt fuel tank it took 118lt, too close for comfort because when the Big Effy's engine stops it means power steering and power brakes also stop, not a good feeling when in such hilly terrain. But we made it and headed to Tenterfield Showground’s for a stay, BUT we didn’t count on the Tenterfield Show being on and camping was full. Only ourselves to blame as we don't pre plan our trips, no worries neither of us are into the side show’s for amusement so we decided to head down the road to a place called Crooked Creek [CAW5-239] but once we left Tenterfield the rain came pouring down, the Bruxner Highway is windy & steep and it was relief when we came across the camp site, it is a steep road in and for security i choose low range 4WD, just as well as it was very slippery & muddy down the bottom. One other camper was there so we just parked up, i set up the water collecting bucket and we spent most of the day inside listening to music and reading. The tanks were all full in the morning with clean fresh rain water, too easy!


Crooked Creek






The drive out was fine, again in low range 4WD we just cruised on up and onto the highway, a few kilometres up we took a narrow windy dirt track to Benalbo, we had a few vehicles pass us either way on the very scenic drive. Benalbo looked to be a quaint town but we copped a few glares from some locals as we drove through the town, not the most welcoming of places we thought. 10klms further on we are at Old Benalbo ... lovely camp spot, green grass, shelter’s & tables and the loo. The rain is still showering down, there is a creek running by us so maybe some yabbie’s with our steaks again tonight, we have phone & internet signal so a good time to catch up with ‘everything’

Gwyder River - Bundarra Camp

We stayed three nights along the Gwydir River 3.5klms out of Bingara, all along this stretch the Gwydir Shire have allowed camping which is great, the Shire is aware that the majority of campers spend money in Bingara so it's a win win for all. We spent our time either reading or going for walks, we went into town and did some shopping and Vickie dontated some money to the RSL pokies, drove around the town and re-visited the Batterham Lookout.



The weather was mostly overcast & humid with threatening rain while we were there, solar amps were down so Vickie decided to do some washing and at the same time give the batteries a charge up with the generator. TV reception was scratchy so out came the Sat Dish, getting a good signal however proved difficult with the amount of tree's around, i percervered though and ended up having success.

Gwydir River, Bingara NSW



Rather than try the Kayak again i pumped up an inner tube and floated down the river a few kilometres, the walk back took the longest. Leaving Bingara we drove the road to Inverell and then turned off and went to Bundarra where there is a lovely Lions sponsored free camp by the river, lots of green grass, shady tree's and toilet amenities. We will stay here the night and head off in the morning to Copeton Dam for a look & possible stay.



Bundarra Camp

Bingara - Time to Reminisce

For those following our Blog you would have guessed by now that we re-visit places more than once, We also [mainly me - Mick] don't see much interest in large City's and prefer to be away from the hectic pace that City's have. Country towns however hold great interest to both of us and we enjoy exploring some of the out of the way places. Our trip North took us back into familiar country again;

Aboriginal for ‘shallow river crossing’, Bingara is nestled on the Gwydir River in the New England area of northwest New South Wales. Bingara is at the heart of the Fossickers Way, a picturesque route that offers a quiet alternative to the New England or Newell Highways. Prior to European settlement, the Wirrayaraay tribe of the Gamilaraay Nation occupied the land. The first European to discover the area was the explorer Allan Cunningham, en route to the Darling Downs in 1827. The town of Bingara was founded in 1840 and gold was discovered in the area in 1851.

Bingara hold's it's own special connection to me, it was the town my Mum and her 2nd husband Neil came to live after leaving Carrum Victoria in the late 70's. After Mum & my Dad seperated when i was just a baby, Mum's time was spent working to raise her three sons, she had no relationship for 20+ years untill she met Neil through a Gem Club. They both loved the fossicking lifestyle and decided to move to Bingara, where they married. They fitted in well with the small country town involving themselves in the Arts & Crafts group and other local groups, Neil was an expert 'whittler' and could turn a length of wood into a linked chain. After 12 years or so Neil passed away and Mum a few years later, both their ashes are scattered at the Batterham Lookout which overlooks the town and is seen from their front porch.

We have visited Bingara more times since they passed away than we did when they were alive, funny how life can work.

Forbes Bird Hide - Gwyder River Bingara

Not much to report, left Hay and cruised along the highway untill we arrived at the Bird Hide 2klms South of Forbes, we had previously stayed 'in town' along the river but thought the Bird Hide sounded more interesting, as it turned out we we were treated to one of the nicest sunsets we have seen. We had company for the evening as a couple on a Honda Goldwing 'Trike' motorbike & trailer called in and camped the night.

Forbes Bird Hide - Sunset

Another Mode of Transport


Left Forbes, drove along the Newell Highway and after visiting the Telescope Satellite at Parkes we stopped at Hickey's Falls for the night, another spot we have stayed previously and enjoyed. This time i went for a swim below the falls and was enjoying the water cascading down upon me untill i felt the tell tale sign [ouch] of being bitten by leeches .... Bugger that i thought as i scraped three of the blood sucking mongrels of my legs and swam back to the rocks and out, to get some pay back i put the yabby nets in and collected around 40 yabby, kept 20 and let the smaller ones go. For tea we had Scotch Fillet Steak with a garlic Yabby sauce ..... very nice and beats any fancy restaurant meal we have eaten.

Parkes Telescope Satellite Dish

Hickey Falls


We decided to continue on via Narrabri & Bingara, despite the GPS trying to lead us up closed roads we managed to get on the right track and re-visit Sawn Rocks for the night, No Tent's allowed here, so it's just as well we bought the Bushtracker along & only stopped for a few hours untill rested.

Sawn Rocks





Our days journey ended at Gwydir River just out of Bingara, another of those places we have stayed at before and enjoyed. Two other Bushtrackers are camped along the track and we have made our aqauintance with Leigh & Mitta & John & Laura. The river is flowing strong / too strong for our Kayak ...... easy going down stream but a hell of a long walk back .... so plan B is the kayak is back in it's bag for the duration of our stay.

Vinefera State Forest - Sandy Point Hay

The short visit we had with our Daughter & her Boyfriend flew by fast, and Vickie's Doctors appointment was good news with no changes in her eye condition, and with the next appointment not for another 6 months we left Glenelg today on Australia Day and headed off. Tonight we are camped beside the Murray River in the Vinefera State Forest, CAW5 #337 it's been a very hot afternoon & evening and we have been sitting outside the van watching the Australian Open Tennis on TV.

Vinefera State Forest Camp


The night cooled down and around 2am we were reaching for the sheet & blanket, the forecast was another hot day as we left camp and headed towards Swan Hill and then on to Moulamein, this was a lovely old town with interesting history, we were going to check out the Old Court House but it was closed and open for appointments only, many of the small shops were closed so we made do with a cuppa in the park beside the river.

Morning Tea at Moulamein




Moulimein to Hay is uninteresting as far as scenery goes, just vast plains and very dry. In Hay we are staying at Sandy Point CAW5 #523, a lovely camp with flush toilets, plenty of shelters with free BBQ's. It's the local river launching area as well and we have had a few 'locals' drive in with some ski boats which was very interesting to watch.

Sandy Point Camp Hay



Tomorrow we will be heading North East on the Western Highway and may take a detour and check out Lake Cargelligo CAW5 #1094

# Footnote - Well last night was an interesting time, around 10pm we had some local hoons come into the park and do some laps in their three cars every 30 minutes for the next two hours, the dust hung in the air long after they had their 'fun', we surmised whether the local caravan park pay's them to harrass visitors, but HAY what does it matter ....it kept us entertained.

Lipson Cove S.A.

We love this place, we have been here almost 2 weeks and the time has flown by, the weather has had it's up's & downs but appears to have settled back into perfect conditions with temperatures around a comfortable 27 - 28 degrees.

Paul [Ivan Millat] & Sally along with Steve [Dick Johnson] & Jo have left us but what makes this lifestyle so great is the people we meet and we are certain we will all stay in touch with each other, hopefully we will meet up again somewhere during the year. We had many great laughs and we christened Paul aka Polly as Ivan due to his resemblence to the infamous back packer murderer Ivan Milat, Steve was the spitting image of V8 Legend Dick Johnson ... it was all good fun and everyone enjoyed the humour.

The Group

Polly [Ivan] & Sally

Steve [Dick] & Jo

John & Shirley [UK]



John with the 25' van has been here the longest and is referred to as the Mayor of Lipson, he intends to stay another week before moving slowly West. John & Shirley both from the UK have fitted into the happy hour scene easily, great humour is always a pre-requisite and they have no shortage of that, just as well because they know bugger all about fishing but that didn't stop Shirley catching a whiting yesterday afternoon and John a slimy Wrasse this morning.

Vickie and i took the Kayak out again this afternoon where we spotted the local sea lion floating around basking in the lovely sunshine, he wouldn't let us get to close but close enough so we could check each other out. We also had the pro shark fisherman arrive yesterday and fillet his catch just off the beach leaving all the carcasses to float along and end up on the foreshore! This is the 2nd time he has done this and hasn't made to many friends here. I took the baitcaster out and caught 3 nice salmon trout which we will cook up the same as we did the salmon i caught a few days ago.



Friday today and we will hang around a few more days, Tumby Bay has an Arts Festival on that Vickie wants to look at, so Monday looks to be the moving on day, we will probably drive straight to North Glenelg and park the van on Erin's front yard again for the week untill Vickie's appointment and then head off again making our way slowly to Kilcoy Qld where we will be farm sitting for a couple of Months.

On the weekend we had some locals come for a kite surf, i wandered down to the beach and offered to take some photo's of them which they were very appreciative, they put on a good show despite the winds becoming very strong.