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Published: December 18th 2010
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We were all up bright and early on Monday morning and David helped load the remaining stuff into Sweetie – why do I always take too many clothes that remain unworn?? (not to mention all the other bits of junk I cart around). In spite of all that we managed to be ready to go at 9am so waved a fond farewell to David for the third time. We really do treasure our time with him and he is always so hospitable – thanks very much David, we appreciate you letting us share your house whenever we feel like it!! We’ll see David again very soon as he is spending Christmas in Melbourne with our sister, Daphne.
We were slightly apprehensive about what sort of road conditions we might encounter as we set off towards Goondiwindi but it was quiet and to start with the road was very good. As we got closer to Goondi there were signs up saying that the road had been affected by the rain and to look out for potholes. There were a few places where the road was in poor condition and also some long stretches of traffic controlled single file lanes where the
road was being repaired. We stopped for a tea break but for almost the first time on this trip flies were a nuisance and it was really hot so it wasn’t the most pleasant of stops – something we’ll need to get used to again when we go to WA in a couple of months time. We kept going until we got to Moree where we stopped for a late lunch and had a wander to stretch our legs. In spite of a few long hold-ups because of roadworks we arrived in Narrabri just on 4pm and headed for the Top Tourist Caravan Park. They had plenty of room and we were able to pick our own site so we opted for a drive-through one that had a bit of matting and no block. Eventually we realized that because we were now in NSW we had lost an hour due to Daylight Saving so the time we had actually arrived was 5pm! The upside to that is that the evenings stay lighter later. We left PIE attached to Sweetie and were soon relaxing in the very nice swimming pool.
The CP was on the banks of the Namoi River
which was very high but fortunately hadn’t burst its banks. Possibly because of all the recent rain there were loads of mossies everywhere. They particularly like Graham and got him a few times before he smothered himself in the homemade citronella mixture we had been given in Urunga – what a godsend that has been! We chatted to a lady who was travelling in a VW campervan similar to one we used to have at home. She had travelled an enormous distance from Bundaberg that day and was on her way to South Australia. She told us she would be going via Griffith. Graham had driven the 469 kms today in hot conditions so he was very tired. He relaxed listening to a folk programme that he had accidently come across on the radio. They played a lot of British folk music but also coincidentally played a song by a duo that Bob Townshend from Warwick Folk Club had recommended. The programme finished at 11pm and so by then it was time for bed. As I walked round to the amenities block last thing before turning in, the sky was clear and there were lots of stars out. I couldn’t
see any of the shooting stars that had been mentioned on the radio but maybe we’d get another chance to see them tomorrow night.
Tuesday morning was another hot dry day. We left Narrabri just after our target time of 8.30. As we passed through the Pilliga region we had great views of the Warrumbungles and could clearly see the Observatory we had visited a few months earlier. The lady in the VW camper stormed by us on her way to South Australia via Griffith. Its beautiful countryside and we love this region but today we kept going through Coonababran. Some way out of Coona the lady in the VW passed us for a second time – she must have stopped in the town. The countryside became flatter – it’s a grain area so there were miles of stubble. We were hoping to stop for a break but the rest areas we came across were either not suitable, full up with lorries or closed to accommodate road repair vehicles so we kept going much longer than we intended. Eventually we found a suitable road-side stop and managed to have our tea break. There were a few long holdups because
of roadworks and it was slow going through Dubbo. There was a big clean-up operation going on because the centre of Dubbo had been severely flooded a week or so earlier. We could see the effects of the flooding but the most striking thing was the number of lorries and trailers that had been abandoned during the floods and were still awaiting collection. We stopped on the edge of town to re-fuel and for once went into a ‘fast-food’ café where we had chicken wraps and chips – it tasted great but was probably not very good for us. We were still making good progress so we continued on through Parkes and headed for Forbes. We sought out the Top Tourist Caravan Park – advertised as being ‘absolute river frontage’.
When we pulled up outside the CP the scene that greeted us was a bit concerning – a sign said ‘road closed’ and we could see that a lot of floodwater had spilled over from the nearby river which was still high and flowing very fast. However, the CP owner was busy outside and he said they were open having been closed for several days and, yes, it was
safe as the waters were now receding. He showed us a drive-through site, one of just a handful that hadn’t been flooded and which was very dry and grassy. Although by now it was cloudier there was no real sign of rain so we thought it would be alright for a night. The only problem again was with the mossies but we smothered ourselves in repellant and got the citronella candles going. Graham relaxed for a while in the small swimming pool but for once I didn’t fancy going in. It was very hot and humid so I got all the windows in Sweetie open. We were going to manage without putting the roof up but in the end, because of the heat, we decided it would be better raised.
Graham went off to have a shower while I blogged a bit but then I could hear rain on the roof. It wasn’t too heavy to start with but after a while I realised I would have to put the chairs, candles and boxes away. By the time Graham came back, the rain had more or less stopped and the clouds seemed quite high but within a short time
it started raining again. Before long we could hear thunder and see flashes of lightning. The thunder storm was right overhead for what must have been an hour at least and then it moved away before coming back again. It was spectacular with the continuous sheets of lightning lighting up the sky. During this time we had more torrential rain and it unsettled me so much that I began to prepare in case we had to move the caravan. Unfortunately the new bout of rain had found its way into the wardrobe again undoing all Graham’s sealing work. After what seemed hours the thunderstorm finally stopped but by that time we were fully clothed and ready to go if necessary. Graham had a scout around outside and could see that the levels of water were no higher so at last we could relax a little. However, it was almost impossible to sleep especially as I had become more aware of the regular hooting of goods trains on the railway line that must have been fairly close by. What a night!!
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