Moorook to Perry Sand Dunes

The Perfect Rippled Dune - 2009

This - our second visit to Perry Sand Dunes, was just about as good as they last, but a few things got in the way of really being able to enjoy it.

As it was school holidays, many tourists around and this wonderful area, had just been decimated by people who have no respect for this wonderful environment.

How The Dune Had Changed Since the Last Time We Were Here

The Ruination as a Result of People Sliding Down The Dunes on Anything From Cardboard Boxes to Car Bonnets - just the Rubbish left Behind!!

It is sad to see, what is usually such a pristine and unique area left in such a state, and maybe it has come time to have the area closed off to the public and access via tour operators only - much like the Anna Bay Dunes, near Nelsons Bay in NSW.  Sand Dunes such as this are a slowly dying across Australia and we need to preserve what there is left of them.  My little soap box bit!!!

For a little history of the area  :-  According to geologists, the Perry Sandhills originated after an ice age (40,000 years ago) and are formed by wind erosion over thousands of years. The dunes are located just outside of Wentworth (6km from PO), and are a unique land formation of 400 acres of continuously shifting sand dunes.

Skeleton remains of giant mega-fauna (kangaroos, lions, emus and wombats) have been found there. Replicas of these animals are now on show at the Pioneer Museum in Wentworth. Aboriginal tribes used this area to camp and hunt. Evidence of this is still being uncovered as the sands drift.

Once in the carpark walk behind the shelter and locate a single Murray River Gum tree in the middle of the sand. Climb the dunes and walk in under the canopy of the Murray River Red Gum -possibly more than 500 years old. The sand over time has completely covered the trunk (perhaps 15 to 20 feet) and youll find yourself in the bower of this age old tree - a magnificent sight!!

Barry Atop One of The Many Dunes Trying Out His New Camera

Look Hard Enough and There Will Be Those Lovely Ripples

Overlooking One Of The Dunes

The Struggle Of Life

The sandhills were used as a bombing range during WWII. Now, the area is utilised as backdrop for many films, T.V. shows and ads, theatre/music presentations.

If ever in the area, Perry Dunes is certainly worth the visit.

Came home via the township of Wentworth and the highway back to Moorook.  Just wonderful travelling through the Mallee Country and with the country looking so good after all the rain, the wild flowers are out and make a wonderful sight.

Claypan Grasses

Claypan

Flowering Carpet Of Yellow

Old Mallee Fence

Ruins Of Times Past

Aftermath of the Rains

Murray River Cliffs at Paringa

Emus on The Dunes

There is a free camp at Perry Dunes, but fairly basic, but good enough to be able to spend a couple of enjoyable days wandering the dunes....

Stay tuned for our next journey as we move on further down the Murray.

Conargo - very cold Conargo!

Conargo is a small rural town in the Riverina area of NSW and was our last overnight stay, before we crossed the border into Victoria.  Located near Jerilderie and Deniliquin, and located on the beautiful Billabong Creek.   It is most famous for its pub.  The pub is best known as it sells the most bumper stickers of any pub in Australia.  Of course we had to go in and have a drink - Lots of historical memorabilia around the walls, which makes for interesting reading, and if you had a drink for every article you read, you wouldn't remember what you read anyway - lol.  Lots of history surrounding the wool and sheep industry on which the area succeeds.

Conargo Pub

Believed to date back to 1877 or there about.  The population is supposed to be about 180, but looking around the town that is a little hard to believe.  We took advantage of the free camp at the back of the sport and recreation ground.  Not a bad camp. but fairly basic.

Out along the road you see a sign to Deadmans Plains - this is in fact, the Hay Plains.  Many's the time we have driven across those plains when we were younger and lived in Loxton.

Deadmans' Plain

So worth the visit at sunset - the colors and hues are just amazing and I could have stayed out there for hours.

The following morning we woke to a huge frost and the grounds were awash with ice and fog - the bus looked great in amongst it all.

Big Red in the Fog and Frost

Great excuse to get out with the camera though - as it is always a good photographic opportunity.

Over Looking the Oval At Conargo

The Sun Rising Behind The Fog

Tree Through The Fog

Dew and Ice on a Weed

Being so cold, Barry was anxious to hit the road, so it was an early start for us.  Started the bus up. turned the demister on and up out of one of the vents, runs a little mouse - he just stops and looks around - only to scamper off down the side and just disappeared - I am sure we must have caught him well and truly by now.  The  mice have just been terrible and we have traps and bait every where - have to be fairly sure where we put our feet in the bus in case we tread on a trap.

Headed for Deniliquen and over the border into Victoria today, and will be looking for a camp somewhere around there - so stay tuned for the next installment.

Trangie To Condobolin

After a lovely few days in Trangie, with Kay and Barry, we were determined to get to the border.  Hell or high water - we were going to get there this time.  With a brief weekend at Griffith with the Walters Clan, we were on the road.  Decided to take the road from Trangie to Tullamore, where we had a brief stop over to catch up on some Walters family history.

The road was not the best, so taking it fairly easy we just took our time, just enjoying the countryside pass us by. Just enjoying being on the road for real this time.   The paddocks are dry, but with plenty of feed for the many sheep that we see, many with young at foot.

Barry at Rabbit Trap Hotel

Our first stop was Albert - home of the well known Rabbit Trap Hotel. The pub of course is the main point of interest in the town and the story is told that Barry's dad had his first beer at this pub the age of 16.  Loading bags of wheat by hand in the middle of summer was all too much for him, so he took himself off to the pub and sculled a schooner of beer - not sure how much more work got done that day.  The pub is decorated with lots and lots of different rabbit traps- all shapes and forms.

Rabbit Traps Everywhere

Who Dares Complain- lol

We were led to believe that Albert was home to the 'Biggest Rabbit Trap', but we are still yet to find it.

Since our last visit, a small but lovely little caravan park has been built opposite the pub, and has a number of little cabins available for hire.  Also available is some powered sites for those with caravans and mobile homes - oh well - maybe next time.

The Rabbit Trap Hotel - Albert NSW

The Caravan Park opposite the Pub

A  Cartoon of the Rabbit Trap

After a bite to eat - it was back on the road again, with Muddie making sure that we were headed in the right direction.  It was off to Tullamore.

Co-Driver - Muddie

Barry's Dad spend his child hood years in Tullamore and he and his sister are remembered on the war memorial there.  We saw this last in 2007 when we held a family reunion there, but it was good to stop again and check it out again.  We also visited the new dump point at the show ground, where we had stayed for the reunion.  Good to see that our donation money for the trees - has not been spent!

Barry at the Memorial

Tullamore Railway Station

 Bit hard to read from the photo, but on the door its says - please present tokens"....

The Tullamore Silo's

Sunset at Gum Bend Lake

Heading towards Condobolin we passed through a little town called Ootha.  Now we will come back and re-visit Ootha in our next blog - called "Utes In The Paddock".  Deserves a blog of its own, as it it just something really special.

So make sure you get to read our next blog.

Time was getting on and we wanted to get to Condobolin that night, so back on the road we went.  Didn't take us that long and we were soon camped at a lovely place called Gum Bend Lake - a free camp along side the lake, and it was proving very popular, as there were about 20 visitors there that night.  A camp we must put on our list for future use.

Oh it was a great day, but just another day in the life of a grey nomad -many more to come.

Cassillis to Mendooran

Leaving the dust and the pollution of the Hunter Valley behind us, we headed out the Golden Highway - a little late in the day, but with only a short day ahead of us - making Cassillis our camp for the night.  Having only ever driven through Cassillis once before, it was great to actually take the time to walk this funny but almost extinct little town.

It's not until you walk around some of these little towns that you really get to see what they have to offer.  The towns folk are so friendly and love to pull you up and have a chat.  Tourists being somewhat of    a rarity.

Allan Cunningham, the explorer discovered the district in 1823 and settlement was established through the 1820’s by the predominance of wealthy landholders with the properties (called stations) ranging from five to twenty thousand acres, their pursuits being mainly pastoral. Cassilis is surrounded by the same historic properties today, although some have increased acreage up to 40,000 acres.  The entire village is heritage listed, inlcuding the Royal Hotel, The Anglican Church, the Police Station and Court House and quite a few other buildings.

St Columba Anglican Church

The Old Cemetery of St Columba

Old Headstone

 This old headstone caught my imagination - might be just be me?? but can you see the eyes and what appears to be a face emerging out of the stone?

The Royal Hotel

The Old Police Station and Court House

Catholic Church

Main Street - Cassillis

The amazing tree roots that look like they have been melted down onto the gutter

The Remains of the Old Masonic Lodge

Munmurra River

Camp Ground at Cassillis Rec Ground

Recreation Ground - Cassillis

Great little camp ground for just $10 per night for a powered site and the best hot showers. Take the time to take a break in Cassillis.

Barry At Dunedoo-just making sure he knew where we where going.

Hitting the road again we headed the short 40 kms to Dunedoo. A short stop over for lunch at the local and to stock up on groceries we hit the road for our final few kilometers for the day to Mendooran.  A must see along the way is the famous Ivy Rocks.  The country side is very dry and much in need of rain, and knowing our luck it surely will sometime in the near future.

Ivy Rock

The road to Mendooran is good bitumen road, and once in the town, you follow the signs to the camping ground and with about 6 acres to choose from - you would be hard pressed not to find a suitable site. All with water views of the Castlereagh River.   Just the basic facilities with toilets and a cold shower, but plenty of water and that great opportunity to enjoy that camp fire and enjoy the company of the many other fellow travellers.  So interesting to meet some people and find out where they are going and hear the tales of their adventures along the road.

Our First Night at Mendooran, with Don, Mick, Lorraine and Jenny

When we arrived at e met with Jenny and Mick, first time long term travellers' from Tasmania.  Later in the afternoon, Don and Lorraine arrived from the Central Coast, on their way to Lightening Ridge.  Next thing we are all gathered around a communal campfire enjoying happy hour.  The friendships that have ensured from these few days will be everlasting, we are sure.

Big Full Moon Over Mendooran

Julie, Lorraine and Jenny enjoying happy hour

Don - Telling one of his tall stories along with Peter and Mick

Other fellow travellers joined us later - Julie and Peter Gray from Old Bar - so from what started out as 6 of us - later turned into 12.  What a great time we had and it was really hard for all of us to go our separate ways, over the next couple of days.

The village of Mendooran, with its 300 odd residents,was first discovered in 1817 by John Oxley, on one of first inland expeditions.The small village grew in the 1860s on the old station near the bridge which passed over the Castlereagh River. As at 1866 there were 24 residents recorded in the area. The village was called Mundooran until the 1920's when the name was changed to Mendooran.  The Murals of Mendooran are a main attraction.

One of the 24 Murals of Mendooran

The free campsite on the banks of the Castlereagh River is one of the best you will find, and it is just great to be able to return the favour to the towns people by enjoying a meal at the local pub - the $10 Friday night fillet steak meal being a highlight - the company of the locals, just an added bonus.

Autumn Time

 Autumn is such a wonderful time to be travelling and gives me the opportunity to take shots like this, the colors just so wonderfully inspiring.  Some of the nights getting quite cool now, but the days have just been wonderful

Barry at our Mendooran Camp

We left Mendorran and headed to Brocklehurst, just out of Dubbo.  Another free camp, but not one that I would call our best, and so popular that it is more like  a caravan park.  No water either, which is a bit of an issue when free camping.  Decided to move on to Trangie yesterday after the rain started (see 'told you so lol') as the sites where were very unlevel and causing us some concern, about whether we would be able to get out if it continued to rain.  And rain it did and still is.

So here we are holed up in the Trangie Caravan Park, which is just great - staying for a few days to catch up with family and the washing, before we continue heading westward.

Hope you are all enjoying following our travels and the best is ahead of us.

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Hope to be headed to Hermidale for our next stop and hoping to make Renmark for the 10th of next month for the hot air balloon festival.  We are also booked in for the CMCA rally in Kalgoolie in October which we are looking forward to.

So until next time - family and friends