Conargo, Rochester & Geelong - 12th to 15th December

After an uneventful drive down the Newell Highway we arrived at Conargo, only 34 km short of Deniliquin. There are two free camps in the very small town of Conargo, (pop 20). Camps 5 states that one of these camps has free hot showers, well, sorry, but that is not the case now. The shower block is still there but in a very sad state and not usable. The Recreation Reserve has built new facilities that are locked and allowed the old amenities to fall into disrepair. However, the toilets are in good condition and the camp is immediately across the highway from the Pub. The Conargo Pub serves an excellent cold ale! I can vouch for that. We camped at the other free camp, "Bills Park", this is only about 100 m from the Pub. This reserve, named after two elder locals, both named Bill, is also home to the Rural Fire Brigade and has a new toilet block.

As the sign states, this is The Conargo Hotel.

The only other business in town.

Lush green grass surrounding the Recreation Reserve.

A log barn in Conargo.

This is a section of "Bills Park", the Rural Fire Brigade and the toilets are to the right of this photograph.

Next morning we pulled up pegs and travelled further south, stopping at Echuca for lunch and then later setting up camp at Rochester CP. We lived in Rochester for 7 years over the late 70's and early 80's. We stayed two nights in Rochester and caught up with several friends from the past that we still keep in touch with.

The following day it was up camp and begin the final leg of our journey south to Geelong. Home for us for the 20+ years up until 2005, the year we moved to Hervey Bay. We are enjoying our visit with family and friends here over Christmas and the New Year holidays. On a date yet to be determined we will begin our northward travel back home to Hervey Bay. We need to reach there by Jan 14th at the latest as we have an important function to attend and Judy will want to do some shopping beforehand.

Judy and Noel would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a Wonderful Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. We hope to catch up with you all during 2010.

Our next posting will be sometime in the New Year, after we leave Geelong.

On the Road - 10th and 11th December

We left the farm at Bonshaw on the morning of the 10th and we are basically in travel or transit mode until we reach Geelong. We are not tourists now, but travellers. We still intend to have a look at something of interest if it 'strikes our fancy'. We have noticed already, after two days travel, that the rest areas in NSW do not compare with those on offer in Qld. In NSW only about 1 in 8 rest areas has a toilet, let alone somewhere half decent to sleepover, at least that's what we have encountered on the Newell Highway. Therefore, you wont see any photos of our camp sites unless someplace exceptional pops up. Some of the major towns have very good tourist facilities for information and meal breaks though.


Following the advice of a NSW 'local' we took a shortcut from Yetman through Bingara to reach Narrabri, thus bi-passing Moree and saving over 100 kms travel distance. Along the way we passed through Mt Kaputa NP.

We were the only persons visiting the well appointed park area. (Please don't tell the Rangers that we had Lizzie in a NP, she didn't eat any native animals, honest!)

Apparently this is the best example of an 'organ pipes' volcanic formation in Australia.

This photo shows a 'recent' rock fall from the face of the formation. Still, it probably didn't happen in my lifetime.

Other rock falls from a bygone era.

Lunch stop at Gilgandra Tourist Information Centre.

Parkes Tourist Information Centre and Driver Reviver.

Part of the park area behind the Parkes Tourist Information Centre.

Part of the main street in Parkes.

Another view of the main street in Parkes.

The Henry Parkes statue in the main street of Parkes.

Bonshaw with Sue and Frank - 1st to 10th December

We had always planned to call into the farm at Bonshaw and visit my sister Sue and Brother-in-Law Frank but we wanted to stay on considerably longer to give them a helping hand on the farm. You see, they were hit by a devastating storm on the afternoon of the 29th November. There are two houses on the property and the new house lost it's roof. Behind the house was a new 30m x 12m steel farm shed, this was totally demolished. We helped Sue and Frank remove all the furniture from the house so that the 'tradies' could get in to make repairs. Fortunately the house was vacant at the time so there is no personal injury.

The house with no roof. About 25 mm of rain fell during and after the storm.

The house viewed from the shed area. The steel that is strewn across the yard is the remains of the shed. The house walls and windows are all intact. The roof is completely removed, all plaster and the floating timber floor is water damaged.

The interior of the Living Room. The SES came in and covered some of the furniture.

The spare bedroom.

Some of the shed steel wrapped around the end of the house.

Roof battens from the house, looking from the front balcony of the house.

Steel debris and insulation is spread for over a kilometre across the paddocks.

The two vehicles and the caravan received only minor damage but the shed is devastated.

Columns and roof trusses are just twisted masses.

The bolts used in the construction have sheared letting everything collapse.

The twin tube flouro light on this wall section somehow survived intact.

(almost centre photo)

Burpengary, Caltex Truck Park - 29th & 30th November

We had the Cruiseliner booked in to Kratzmanns at Virginia for a service and warranty repairs and this was the nearest place to camp with a dog. It might not look much but it was quite good actually. We had to use the toilets at the servo but just around the corner was Burpengary Plaza where we could find anything we could wish for. As the Avan was released back to us so late on the day of the service we had no choice but to come back here for the second night.

Gympie - 27th & 28th November.

Well, here we are back at Gympie. We have travelled a full circuit. (Refer back to posting of 28th Sep.) On this occasion however, there is very little water in the lagoons.


We had intended to camp at Appletree Creek on the 27th. However we did not like the camp site, there is a road through the centre of the camp. Step out of your van without thinking and get skittled by a truck, no thanks.


We then travelled on to Petrie Park at Tiaro. This site was at it's worst also, very dry and all reasonably level sites were taken. We decided to try the camp in the Tiaro township, this was not much better. We did not have enough wheel chocks to level the van. So I shipped out of there real quickly. Hence we are at Gympie. This is a 20 hour camp but we managed to stay here for 48 hours, like many other campers I might add. We met several great people here, a couple in a motorhome from Bundaberg, Clem and Betty and an almost octogenarian masters games sprinter by the name of Hughie.

Gin Gin Rest Area - Thurs 26th November.

This is a very good rest area in a great small town.

Wide open park, space for many camps.

Super wide main street, two lanes each way divided by a wide median strip park plus parking on both sides of each carriageway. North bound lanes.

Northbound lanes again, taken centre of town.

The southern entry to the town main street.

Southern end of the southbound lanes.

Southbound lanes with two lanes of parking beside the centre median strip.

Calliope River Rest Area - Wed 25th November.

On our way through to here from Bowen we stayed a night in Mackay with our great friends Ian and Sue and caught up with all their family and travel news.


The Calliope River Rest Area is fairly large and can accommodated quite a few vans, which makes it seem strange why they had one of the two toilet blocks closed. Believe me, it was a long hike to the toilets when you need to get there! The day was heavily overcast and we had some rain on the way down, how depressing! We got here and then we were bombarded with gritty black dust, we think it may have come from the smelter at Gladstone. We wont be in a hurry to camp here again, there are other places!

We had just set up camp and a bus load of school kids arrived, from South Gympie Primary School they told us. Lucky for us their stay was only short.

From our camp site looking down upon the old disused causeway. There is camping on the other river side as well, accessed by a road off the Bruce Highway about 2 km south of here.

There weren't many campers here when we set up but by nightfall all the better positions had been taken.

Our camp site from the other side of the river.

The Bruce Highway bridge over the Calliope River from the causeway.

Bowen - Thurs 19th to Sun 22nd November.

Prior to reaching Bowen we did spend two nights in Townsville. We weren't doing the tourist thing, just shopping for needed camping equipment and making some essential repairs.


The pace of living is so much slower here at Bowen, more to our liking. The Tropical Beach CP had been recommended to us but when we arrived there we were greeted with a strong odour emanating from the sea. We moved on to The Harbour Lights CP directly opposite the Boat Harbour. We later learned that the foul odour we encountered on our arrival was from coral spawn. The spawn was clearly evident in the water and currents carried it away by the next day.

You can just make out the coral spawn in this shot from Flagstaff Hill. Look from the left point of the island back towards the mainland.

From the same vantage point, Bowen Town looking over the boat harbour.

Next visit we will stay in either Horseshoe Bay CP or Wangaratta CP which are located either end of Queens Bay.

This is Queens Beach looking around Queens Bay towards Horseshoe Bay at the far end. Wangaratta CP is located here in Queens Beach.

Some of the park alongside Queens Beach.

Sunday Market at Queens Bay, 2nd and 4th Sundays each month.

The fishing must be OK here as there are many boats going out from the harbour. The boat ramp is visible from our camp site. The foreshore in the town area has been newly redeveloped since we were here last at a cost of $11.4 million and in fact was only officially opened the weekend prior to our arrival.

View to the south of Port Denison.

View back towards Boat Harbour.

A memorial to the Catalina  Squadrons that were based here during WW 11.

Memorials to all theatres of war that Australian Servicemen and Women went to and did not return.

Also part of the development is this Visitor Information Centre and behind it a Sound Shell.

This weekend the foreshore development has been hugely popular with many families pic-nicing and having BBQs over the Saturday and Sunday.

Another great area in town is Mullers Lagoon. The parkland is 23 hectares in total with half that area taken by the lagoon.

Mullers Lagoon is centrally located in Bowen with residences evident here.