After being 39 degrees yesterday and trying to finish packing today pause to be 37 degrees and it was 34 as we departed at 1 p.m. the car overheated twice good up Cunningham's Gap but cooled quickly and had an uneventful trip to Warick. Decided to take the off-highway road supposed to take 8 mins longer and 8 kms shorter so expected a slower slightly worse road but more scenic. More scenic but lots of potholes and a a couple of kms of gravel. Got pizza in Tenterfield, yum (RHS middle of town heading south h). As we left a little later we decided to stop short at The bluff rest area about 10 km south of tenterfield. Rained a little, blew strongly for short time then good. One other 4wd and one prime mover.
To everyone up early next morning and on the road by 7:30. Beautiful morning. Highway traffic light overnight but being up high road noise really reflects. Toilets a bit smelly this time ( clean with paper). On allow he road and good with everyone. Stopped to see historic station at Deepwater. A few road works on way. Stopped at Glen Innes to get water as van pump didn't work. Stopped at Mother of Ducks lagoon then Fossicking fields out if Uralla. Stopped at Murrurindi Royal Hotel and had a meal. Free overnight plus clean toilets and showers.
Very cool overnight (10 degrees). Sunny morning. Geoff brought in the fas heater which only lasted till just before we left. Lovely hot showers. Left at 9:30am NSW time. Along the New England with agriculture, then horse country, then mining country bear Muswellbrook. Turned towards Sandy Hollow only to be told after 5km travel in, road closed. Back to highway to just before Sandy Hollow. Took Bylong Valley road with notice if load limit. We proceeded as we were under limit to then be faced with interlaced with concrete barriers. Road closed? Just about to turn around and go back when we noticed arrows on each barrier. So we proceeded very slowly with weaving around each barrier then across the narrow bridge. The next few hours were very picturesque, but the potholes were continuous from the recent rain and floods. (after a few hundred kms and some steep up and downs we found no such barriers at the other end so pity help those traveling in the opposite direction if they were a long vehicle as they couldn't get around the obstacle course and the only other way out was back. Passed through the historic towns of Rylstone, Kandos and the oldest gold mining town in NSW, Sofala and into Bathurst, searching for gas refills of small bottle no-one has anymore. Stopped at Blayney for take away Chinese and stopped overnight at Carcoar dam amongst Friday night locals with one group playing music the whole camp could hear but turned off not too late.
Left around 10am. Not as cold overnight as expected but 10 degrees. Had heater on upon morning. Outside was really cool, bit sunny and wind off the water. Went to dam wall before heading towards Cowra. Went to the township of Carcoar, lovely old historic town. Went to woolies in Cowra for batteries and then went to POW camp and Japanese gardens. On to Grenfell and had takeaway for lunch at the old railway station. Headed for Barmedman and came to road closed. No warning, no signage at Grenfell. Turned for an alternate way, luckily had signal for maps which told us it would only take us away from our route altogether. We decided to go back and have another try, as we noticed the road closed sign was on one side of the road. As we were about to turn and proceed past the Road Closed sign, a large truck went straight through so we followed. Got through some 10 to 20kms later and came to the end at Barmedman with another Road Closed sign at the opposite end, and yet there had been some cars on the road and also an operating traffic signal red/green around a particularly deep potholes so we knew they expected teaffic, just didn't take the signs down.. Although the road was ok to go through the road was in very bad condition due to road damage from recent flooding. All the roads in NSW have been affected and it has been a very uncomfortable trip, but the job of repairing all the roads is massive. Drove on to Ardelthan to stay the night. Kristi and I walked the town (old 20's) and we all went to bowls club for dinner nice basic (we had meatballs, sausages, gravy and veges average price $15.50.). Camped middle of tiwn next to bowls club, acriss riad frim shops ( many vacant, old town). flysh loos, $2 for 12 hrs power, next to railway line +train 6am only when there, silos other side of railway. We were there Saturday, some activity but could be dusty during week.)
Travelled to Moama. Went via Naranderra, Jerilderie, Conargo for lunch at Bill's Park (in memory of Bill who serv d 75 years in the council), Deniliquin amd to Moama to see Michael and Val. Yummpy pizza made in real pizza oven.
Spent the day with M & V and in evening we all caught courtesy bus to Rich River Golf Course for dinner with Dianne.
left Michael and Val's to see Diane also in moama to catch up with her and to see her new house. left there about 1:30pm, went to Safeway and then headed out through echuca across the new bridge. after a few wrong turns because I didn't have my phone maps up. we stopped at rushworth briefly (another historic town) then on to Bonnie Doon, Eildon now full. No kangaroos on the dirt road to R&J house. Weather looked like clearing in the morning but there was lots of rain clouds around between echuca and Bonnie Doon. arrived at Bonnie Doon around 5:30 and almost immediately the rain clouds caught up and rained quite heavily for some time. Ra took Kristi then Geoff on a ride on their new buggy. Kristi slept in house and Geoff and I stayed in the van, with heater. Very cold in evening. Roads across this stretch started a little rough (not water damaged though) with the occasional truck-wheel dips on the side, but eventually turned out to be the best condition roads of our whole trip.
At R&J, rained a bit more overnight. Geoff went to Mansfield men's shed with Ra. Joh, Kristi and I went for a walk. It was bitterly cold. Ra took Kristi up to the top of their hill in the new EV which she really enjoyed. We had a good catch up in the evening.
A little sunny today but still cold and windy but less so. Geoff and Ra talked all things tractor, farm happenings, etc. etc. (Joh went to Melbourne). Geoff, Kristi and I walked to the lake. Ra's niece Nadine and hubby Lee arrived in their caravan and we all talked for a couple of hours into the evening.