Thargomindah to Lismore

Hello All
Since the last update I have been in transit mode. Travelling from Tharomindah to Lismore and towards the coastal areas.

Nindigully Pub

 It was through to Goondiwindi, and past Nindigully Pub after a very warm night free camping.

a day too late

I was thinking of staying the night at Texas free camp but it was a full house, so pushed on to Tenterfield. Obviously the Great Grey migration North has begun, judging by the amount of travellers on the road and in the camps.

 With this weekend being a long weekend and also the last few days of New South Wales School Holidays I am hanging back from the Coastal areas.
Once all that is over I plan to start through the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast areas and probably Fraser Island before venturing further North for Winter.
Bye for now.

Yarrawonga to Thargomindah Qld via Innaminka

Hello all
After a couple of days in Yarrawonga I headed westward towards Mildura, with a diversion to Narrandera and Griffith. I had not been here before so had a bit of a look around.
From Mildura, I turned North to Broken Hill. I have covered this area in past blogs so I won't bore you with the same thing.
Still heading North towards Tibooburra, first stop was Milparinka.

Milparinka Visitors Centre

Milparinka Hotel

After Tibooburra I headed to Cameron Corner, the intersection of Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales.

Chrles Sturt's Replica boat at Tibooburra

 Charles Sturt expedition in 1844 - 1845.

They took a whale boat by wagon as far North West to Lake Pinaroo (Fort Grey) in search for the inland sea.

The full size replica of the whale boat is 27" long.

On return from the desert to Adelaide the boat was abandoned at Depot Glen.

Silhouette sign at entry to Tibooburra

Cameron Gate through the dog fence

 The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest-exclusion fence that was built in Australia during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the world and is the world's longest fence. It stretches 5,614 kilometres (3,488 mi) from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of kilometres of arid land ending west of Eyre peninsula on cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain above the Great Australian Bight near Nundroo It has been partly successful, though dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states.

Corner Post

 Through the drive up the Strezlecki Track I was amazed at the sheer size of the Gas and Oil operations in the area. Stretching from well South of Moomba Gas Plant to the outskirts of Innaminka and a lot of the way through to Thargomindah, where I am now.
The downside of all this is it has turned Innaminka into a giant construction site. Far from the quiet isolated frontier when I was first here in 1982.
Lying in bed beside Cooper Creek listening to the sound of truck exhaust bakes all night..............

camp at Innaminka Common

Cooper Creek Innaminka

the Cooper flowing over the causway

Burke's grave

In 1860–61, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south, to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres (approximately 2,000 miles). At that time most of the inland of Australia had not been explored by non-indigenous people and was completely unknown to the European settlers.
The expedition left Melbourne in winter. Bad weather, poor roads and broken-down wagons meant they made slow progress at first. After dividing the party at Menindee on the Darling River Burke made good progress, reaching Cooper Creek at the beginning of summer. The expedition established a depot camp at the Cooper and Burke, Wills and two other men pushed on to the north coast (although swampland stopped them from reaching the northern coastline).
The return journey was plagued by delays and monsoon rains, and when they reached the depot Cooper Creek, they found it had been abandoned just hours earlier. Burke and Wills died on or about 30 June 1861. Several relief expeditions were sent out, all contributing new geographical findings. Altogether, seven men lost their lives, and only one man, the Irish soldier John King, crossed the continent with the expedition and returned alive to Melbourne.

 The roads didn't get much better after Innaminka, with all the construction traffic and trucks taking their toll.

Cullyamurra  Waterhole

Cullyamurra Waterhole

I pushed on to the Dig Tree.

The Dig Tree

Now trip trek begins to head over towards the coast.

I plan to make my way towards the coast coming out around Casino area before turning North for the Winter.
Bye for now.

Traralgon to Yarrawonga the hard way (via Omeo and Wonnangatta Station)

Hello All
After spending a few more weeks then expected in Gippsland, I hit the road again at Easter. Yes Easter, not my choice but considering that last year I was already up around Shark Bay in Western Australia I was getting a bit worried about still being in Gippsland.
When I had my new tyres fitted it was found, during the wheel alignment that my steering rack ends were worn. I was not surprised after the 120,000km of crap roads the originals had endured.

These screw into the steering rack and connect to the Tie Rod Ends in the steering. After waiting for close to a week for the new parts to arrive.....The Dealer had ordered the incorrect parts, then not advised me until after cutoff time. Only going to collect them, discovering the incorrect parts................another day lost, reordering the correct parts..........there went another week.

 So off I went, along with 80% of the population of Melbourne.....................
The run up to Omeo was uneventful once leaving a lot of the traffic behind at Bruthen and a few chilly nights listening to the Brumbies snorting during the night was enjoyable.

 

After the Easter crush subsided I headed over Hotham to Myrtleford. A couple of years ago I did a trip into Wonnangatta Station with my nephew. I have been there many times over the years, first heading in in 1982. While there a couple of years ago, i mentioned to my nephew that I would like to try and get the Camper in and stay a few days in comfort.
My usual route into Wonnangatta was either Zeka Spur or Hearn Spur but with a 2 metre wide 2.5 metre high 800kg house on the back these options were not possible.
The route from the North was my best option.

 Having only travelled this route a couple of times about the mid 80's I foolishly relied of advice of fellow travellers. This sent me up Harry Sheppards Track, which presented me with a couple of hours of very steep rutted track and bulldust, when the East Riley Road was a two wheel drive alternative!

Another steep climb, and the desent over the last ridgeline and I was in Wonnangatta Valley. 


 

Wonnangatta Valley

Wonnangatta Station was a cattle station located in a remote valley of the Victorian Alps
 The station had been established in the 1860s by Oliver Smith, a North American who came across the valley while prospecting for gold. Smith’s common law wife Ellen or "Nancy" and her son Harry joined him and a homestead was built near the junction of the Wonnangatta River and Conglomerate Creek


Some time later Ellen died in childbirth, and soon after Smith sold out to William Bryce before eventually returning to the United States.
The Bryce family then occupied the station while Ellen’s son Harry Smith moved down the valley and established himself at Eaglevale. The Bryce family remained a presence at Wonnangatta until Mrs Bryce died in 1914 at the age of 78. Ten Bryce children were brought up at Wonnangatta. As the children grew up they moved away and after Mrs Bryce’s death the property was sold to Mansfield owners in 1916, who installed a manager to run the station.
 The station and surrounding area are the site of the still-unsolved Wonnangatta murders which occurred in late 1917 and 1918

Wonnangatta Cemetery

proof I made it in :-)

The next morning the rain set in and only cleared 12 hours later.

Wonnangatta Valley

Rainy weather and overcast conditions didn;t lend itself to good photos unfortunately.

Wonnangatta Homestead remains

Congomerate Creek Valley

It was nice to lay in bed listening to the rain on the roof and the Deer honking in the distance.

I must admit though there was also thoughts of "how the hell I was going to get out again in wet conditions" This Valley is Snow locked for all the Winter..........

old stockyards

This was probably the steepest tracks I have has the camper on, closely followed by The Bloomfield Track in Far North Queensland and I don't mind saying that after the suspension upgrade in Darwin and the new tyres the setup handled it all too easy. 

Wonnangatta Valley

Even in the damp conditions coming out, the Ute did not put a foot wrong and just chugged up the steep pinches cheerfully.
While on the subject...........after 120,000km of crap roads carrying my house on the back it drives as good now, if not better than it did when new. A hell of an Ad for a cheap Chinese Ute that everyone laughed at!

Wonnangatta Valley

After heading back out of Wonnangatta, it was back to Myrtleford to restock.

Riley Hut

I am now up on the Murray River soaking up a few rays of sunshine and taking advantage of Telstra's Free Data day. While staying at my Sister's Place I had a play with her Windows 10 computer and am currently doing an upgrade to Windows 10 on my laptop. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing I am yet to decide.............but it is free data day!
I am still torn on where to head next.................I want to go to Innaminka, as it is probably 1982 since I was last there but there is also people in Sydney and Tamworth that I would like to catch up too also........opposite sides of New South Wales. Decisions decisions.......
Bye for now..............