Lake Keepit to Napperby
This update is a long one with so many places that we stayed or saw along the way. We spent the school holidays at Lake Keepit. It’s been six years since we were last here & not much has changed. It’s still a favourite place for families to come for a day out, bush camp along the dam, or take advantage of powered sites or non-powered sites, but close to all amenities & barbeques. The magpies are nesting here & you’ll quite often see young children with electrical ties tied on their bike helmets for protection; quite a sight.
We were surprised during the long week-end this year; the park didn’t fill up as much as it did last time we were here. Perhaps it was the high cost which we noticed. The weather didn’t disappoint us as it did rain over the week-end. As all over NSW, some of the lakes have been as low as 7%, but with the high rain falls, they had risen as high as 103% full.
For a few days after our arrival, our campsite looked like a Chinese laundry as it had been a while since I had last done the washing. This is a regular sight after we have set up in our new sites especially if it’s been a while in between caravan parks. During our stay it was essential for us to travel into Gunnedah to do our fortnightly shopping. We were so fortunate this day; we went for a walk along the main street in town perusing some of the shops & upon arrival back at our car we noticed that we had left one of the canopy doors wide open (we felt like a couple of nit-wits). Nothing had been taken which we were very relieved to see. One of our favourite past-times was to walk to various places at the lake. To overlook the lake on top of the hill was so relaxing & spectacular whilst watching the sunset. While at the lake we managed to catch up with some good friends who also chose to stay here for several days before moving on. Good to catch up with you Bill & Joy.
On one of the few sunny days, we chose to visit Tamworth. This time I was able to enjoy the visit on both feet (last time we visited Tamworth it was because I had fallen out of the caravan & broke my foot, so all day was spent in the hospital). One of the highlights was a visit to The Golden Guitar Information Centre & Wax Museum where we found a plaque which mentioned the music group that Col’s grandson plays in – they won the ‘Fender Instrumental of the Year’ award at the 38th Country Music Awards for Australia -2010.
Our next town to visit was Mudgee which is a town in eastern NSW, well known for its fine wine; a bit like our Barossa Valley & McLaren Flat areas. As we are partial to a drop of Meadery every now & then, it was a must stop for us. And as usual, I can’t go past the cheese factory for some sheep cheese or local honey... ‘Mmm’. Close by Mudgee are several coal mining areas in operation. Looking at the mess it makes, I couldn’t help but feel that we are regressing instead of progressing with our thinking of fuels. That’s another story!! Walking through the main street of town I couldn’t go past a shop which sold ‘Golliwogs’. I’d been searching for these for a long time & at last a couple to sit on my bed next to Ted. One of the highlights when visiting is the town’s local Farmer’s Markets which are held; lots of local produce to replenish the fridge.
This update is a long one with so many places that we stayed or saw along the way. We spent the school holidays at Lake Keepit. It’s been six years since we were last here & not much has changed. It’s still a favourite place for families to come for a day out, bush camp along the dam, or take advantage of powered sites or non-powered sites, but close to all amenities & barbeques. The magpies are nesting here & you’ll quite often see young children with electrical ties tied on their bike helmets for protection; quite a sight.
We were surprised during the long week-end this year; the park didn’t fill up as much as it did last time we were here. Perhaps it was the high cost which we noticed. The weather didn’t disappoint us as it did rain over the week-end. As all over NSW, some of the lakes have been as low as 7%, but with the high rain falls, they had risen as high as 103% full.
For a few days after our arrival, our campsite looked like a Chinese laundry as it had been a while since I had last done the washing. This is a regular sight after we have set up in our new sites especially if it’s been a while in between caravan parks. During our stay it was essential for us to travel into Gunnedah to do our fortnightly shopping. We were so fortunate this day; we went for a walk along the main street in town perusing some of the shops & upon arrival back at our car we noticed that we had left one of the canopy doors wide open (we felt like a couple of nit-wits). Nothing had been taken which we were very relieved to see. One of our favourite past-times was to walk to various places at the lake. To overlook the lake on top of the hill was so relaxing & spectacular whilst watching the sunset. While at the lake we managed to catch up with some good friends who also chose to stay here for several days before moving on. Good to catch up with you Bill & Joy.
On one of the few sunny days, we chose to visit Tamworth. This time I was able to enjoy the visit on both feet (last time we visited Tamworth it was because I had fallen out of the caravan & broke my foot, so all day was spent in the hospital). One of the highlights was a visit to The Golden Guitar Information Centre & Wax Museum where we found a plaque which mentioned the music group that Col’s grandson plays in – they won the ‘Fender Instrumental of the Year’ award at the 38th Country Music Awards for Australia -2010.
Our next town to visit was Mudgee which is a town in eastern NSW, well known for its fine wine; a bit like our Barossa Valley & McLaren Flat areas. As we are partial to a drop of Meadery every now & then, it was a must stop for us. And as usual, I can’t go past the cheese factory for some sheep cheese or local honey... ‘Mmm’. Close by Mudgee are several coal mining areas in operation. Looking at the mess it makes, I couldn’t help but feel that we are regressing instead of progressing with our thinking of fuels. That’s another story!! Walking through the main street of town I couldn’t go past a shop which sold ‘Golliwogs’. I’d been searching for these for a long time & at last a couple to sit on my bed next to Ted. One of the highlights when visiting is the town’s local Farmer’s Markets which are held; lots of local produce to replenish the fridge.
On one of the few sunny days we took a round trip which included Rylstone; a historic town on the banks of the Cudgegong River and is one of the oldest towns west of the Blue Mountains. It features a number of outstanding examples of colonial architecture which gives it a very distinctive character. Kandos, which is not far from Rylstone is quite notable for its cement factory. It’s a small industrial town located in the Capertee Valley. The cement works was developed in the 1913’s when it took advantage of the local supplies of limestone which is conveyed from the quarries about 5km away via an enormous aerial ropeway. It was quite fascinating to watch this in progress. The company today, produces 450,000 tonnes of cement a year. Dunn’s Swamp was a lovely place in the Wollemi NP. The lake was quite full & teaming with wildlife. After lunch a walk along the edge took us to the lake weir; the walk was relatively easy but at times having to use railing to climb cliff faces or walk along the side of rock faces, at times a bit of a challenge. We had a very enjoyable day.
A couple of days prior to leaving Mudgee we received our long awaited phone call from the manufacturer who is going to build our 5th wheeler to say that they will be ready for us in a couple of weeks, hooray! We’ve been waiting a long time & at times seemed like eternity.
Sofala is the oldest surviving gold town in Australia. It’s located in the Turon River Valley. The town itself is very small town which you could easily miss if you didn’t know it was there. Approximately 6kms out of Sofala was a lovely camp area where we spent four enjoyable quiet nights. It was pleasant to wake in the morning to the sound of birds. There was plenty of room for all, along the Turon River which was pristine & flowing. Once again we had plenty of rain which didn’t help with our solar panel which we use to keep our car fridge going.
After the four days at Sofala it was time to move on to Melbourne to finalise our plans for our new 5th wheeler which we have been waiting for since April this year. Our next few days stay was at Carcoar Dam which is a favourite with travellers. Carcoar Dam is situated between Blayney (known for the Blayney Windfarm which we can see from our campsite) & Carcoar. The campsite fills very quickly so it pays to arrive early to get the best spot. The dam had a bit more water in it this time. When we visited here in 2004, the dam was quite low. No doubt the dam will be full of water activities such as skiing, sailing, wind surfing, swimming & of course fishing this summer owing to the rains that we’ve had this year.
After a couple of not so relaxing days at Carcoar Dam we decided to move on back to Werribee South as our appointment was on the 8th November. Boorowa was our first stop for morning tea; a good opportunity for Colin to sample a meat pie from the local bakery. I’d say by now he has quite a palate for meat pies. Boorowa is well known for the Irish Woolfest, known as “The Running of the Sheep” which is held each year during the October long week-end. Harden was our next stop for a stretch; this town looked & felt sad & not so inviting unlike Boorowa.
Jugiong was our final stop for the day. Jugiong is a very small historic town on the Hume Highway. The town comprises of nothing more than a pub, church, cafe/bottle shop/fruit & veg. The town is situated along the Murrumbidgee River which runs behind the showground where we set up camp for the night.
I’m not normally an early riser but, three days in a row for early sunrise photos was a bit much; an all time record. Because we had to kill a few days before we could get into Werribee Caravan Park were only going as far as Nagambie. However upon arrival we were turned away as the park was full & we hadn’t booked so on we plod. Since leaving Jugiong, the highway was a dual concrete roadway, what a pleasure to travel on since all the other roads we’d been travelling had been quite rough & undulating.
On our way to Gundagai we just had to stop in to see the Dog on the Tuckerbox monument. The highway now by-passes this historical site. Whilst in Gundagai we took a walk through the main street which at one end led to the famous Prince Alfred Bridge & Railway Bridge over the Murrumbidgee River. Though the bridge is looking a bit dilapidated, it still displays its once youthful beauty of a gone-by era. The Prince Alfred Bridge is the longest timber bridge in Australia measuring almost 1 km, while the Railway Bridge is another bridge noted for its length also being nearly 1km.
A visit to the information centre proved to be very informative. On display was a piece of work called “Rusconi’s Marble Masterpiece. Rusconi, a local monumental mason carved the miniature marble piece from 20,948 pieces of marble collected from around New South Wales. The masterpiece is absolutely exquisite & can only be appreciated when personally viewed. A must see!
We couldn’t quite make it all the way to Nagambie so our final stop was to be at Chiltern Rest Area located on the Hume Highway. Unfortunately, it was also a truck stop so all night we could hear not only the trucks pulling in for a rest, but also the constant drone of traffic travelling along the highway which we were not used to. Time to go back we’d say. We’ve decided not to book into that hotel again, ha, ha! Glenrowan for breakfast, this is certainly a treat; scones with jam & cream, ‘Mmmm’ & a hot chocolate drink. Even I was able to get some gluten free scones. Glenrowan is known as Ned Kelly country with a tall statue of Ned Kelly watching over the town. Though the town is famous for its famous siege, the townsfolk are quite proud of their town.
Nagambie our next port of call for a couple of days, is situated about 40 mins from Shepparton along the Goulburn Valley Hwy, but unfortunately as the saying goes “All full at the Inn” so we continued on to Heathcote, pronounced as ‘eathcot’. A very busy little town nestled at the foot of the McIvor & McHarg Ranges. Heathcote was once a thriving goldfield town. Though the goldrush days have long gone, the town now relishes in its wineries & produce.
Trentham was a quaint little town situated at the very top of the Great Dividing Range. We found the folk her to be very friendly & informative. It is the home of the Trentham Falls which is the longest single drop waterfall in Victoria, descending some 32 metres over basalt columns. Though it was a bit cool outside, the walk to & from the falls was quite refreshing. A few hours later & we had arrived at our final destination, Werribee. It was good to catch up with some friends whom we had met earlier on the in year. It was good to catch up with you Dave & Liz.
I’m going to take this opportunity to wish all our families & friends a very Merry Christmas & a Happy & Safe New Year. Happy travelling to our friends we have met along the way.
A couple of days prior to leaving Mudgee we received our long awaited phone call from the manufacturer who is going to build our 5th wheeler to say that they will be ready for us in a couple of weeks, hooray! We’ve been waiting a long time & at times seemed like eternity.
Sofala is the oldest surviving gold town in Australia. It’s located in the Turon River Valley. The town itself is very small town which you could easily miss if you didn’t know it was there. Approximately 6kms out of Sofala was a lovely camp area where we spent four enjoyable quiet nights. It was pleasant to wake in the morning to the sound of birds. There was plenty of room for all, along the Turon River which was pristine & flowing. Once again we had plenty of rain which didn’t help with our solar panel which we use to keep our car fridge going.
After the four days at Sofala it was time to move on to Melbourne to finalise our plans for our new 5th wheeler which we have been waiting for since April this year. Our next few days stay was at Carcoar Dam which is a favourite with travellers. Carcoar Dam is situated between Blayney (known for the Blayney Windfarm which we can see from our campsite) & Carcoar. The campsite fills very quickly so it pays to arrive early to get the best spot. The dam had a bit more water in it this time. When we visited here in 2004, the dam was quite low. No doubt the dam will be full of water activities such as skiing, sailing, wind surfing, swimming & of course fishing this summer owing to the rains that we’ve had this year.
After a couple of not so relaxing days at Carcoar Dam we decided to move on back to Werribee South as our appointment was on the 8th November. Boorowa was our first stop for morning tea; a good opportunity for Colin to sample a meat pie from the local bakery. I’d say by now he has quite a palate for meat pies. Boorowa is well known for the Irish Woolfest, known as “The Running of the Sheep” which is held each year during the October long week-end. Harden was our next stop for a stretch; this town looked & felt sad & not so inviting unlike Boorowa.
Jugiong was our final stop for the day. Jugiong is a very small historic town on the Hume Highway. The town comprises of nothing more than a pub, church, cafe/bottle shop/fruit & veg. The town is situated along the Murrumbidgee River which runs behind the showground where we set up camp for the night.
I’m not normally an early riser but, three days in a row for early sunrise photos was a bit much; an all time record. Because we had to kill a few days before we could get into Werribee Caravan Park were only going as far as Nagambie. However upon arrival we were turned away as the park was full & we hadn’t booked so on we plod. Since leaving Jugiong, the highway was a dual concrete roadway, what a pleasure to travel on since all the other roads we’d been travelling had been quite rough & undulating.
On our way to Gundagai we just had to stop in to see the Dog on the Tuckerbox monument. The highway now by-passes this historical site. Whilst in Gundagai we took a walk through the main street which at one end led to the famous Prince Alfred Bridge & Railway Bridge over the Murrumbidgee River. Though the bridge is looking a bit dilapidated, it still displays its once youthful beauty of a gone-by era. The Prince Alfred Bridge is the longest timber bridge in Australia measuring almost 1 km, while the Railway Bridge is another bridge noted for its length also being nearly 1km.
A visit to the information centre proved to be very informative. On display was a piece of work called “Rusconi’s Marble Masterpiece. Rusconi, a local monumental mason carved the miniature marble piece from 20,948 pieces of marble collected from around New South Wales. The masterpiece is absolutely exquisite & can only be appreciated when personally viewed. A must see!
We couldn’t quite make it all the way to Nagambie so our final stop was to be at Chiltern Rest Area located on the Hume Highway. Unfortunately, it was also a truck stop so all night we could hear not only the trucks pulling in for a rest, but also the constant drone of traffic travelling along the highway which we were not used to. Time to go back we’d say. We’ve decided not to book into that hotel again, ha, ha! Glenrowan for breakfast, this is certainly a treat; scones with jam & cream, ‘Mmmm’ & a hot chocolate drink. Even I was able to get some gluten free scones. Glenrowan is known as Ned Kelly country with a tall statue of Ned Kelly watching over the town. Though the town is famous for its famous siege, the townsfolk are quite proud of their town.
Nagambie our next port of call for a couple of days, is situated about 40 mins from Shepparton along the Goulburn Valley Hwy, but unfortunately as the saying goes “All full at the Inn” so we continued on to Heathcote, pronounced as ‘eathcot’. A very busy little town nestled at the foot of the McIvor & McHarg Ranges. Heathcote was once a thriving goldfield town. Though the goldrush days have long gone, the town now relishes in its wineries & produce.
Trentham was a quaint little town situated at the very top of the Great Dividing Range. We found the folk her to be very friendly & informative. It is the home of the Trentham Falls which is the longest single drop waterfall in Victoria, descending some 32 metres over basalt columns. Though it was a bit cool outside, the walk to & from the falls was quite refreshing. A few hours later & we had arrived at our final destination, Werribee. It was good to catch up with some friends whom we had met earlier on the in year. It was good to catch up with you Dave & Liz.
I’m going to take this opportunity to wish all our families & friends a very Merry Christmas & a Happy & Safe New Year. Happy travelling to our friends we have met along the way.
Click on the link below to view some photos.
http://picasaweb.google.com/108879761974384702036/LakeKeepitToNapperby?feat=directlink
