{"id":997,"date":"2017-10-02T20:22:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T09:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/?p=997"},"modified":"2019-04-02T23:45:16","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T12:45:16","slug":"back-to-civilisation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/back-to-civilisation\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to Civilisation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo gallery trial in this post – at end of post. Please allow time for pics to load- hopefully the enlargeable thumbnails should be there by the time you finish reading. Fingers crossed.\u00a0 Feedback welcome.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Leaving Tibooburra afforded us some great views, hills of large granite boulders, past which were jump ups on the horizon. Very pleasant in the early morning sun leaving us with the impression that the town\u2019s residents were lucky to live somewhere so beautiful.<\/p>\n

The road, \u2019The Cut Line\u2019 west to Wanaaring was an \u2018interesting\u2019 drive on an unseasonally hot 42 degree day in the midst of a howling gale! No wind as we left Tibooburra, passing the 3 dead pigs plus a piglet left in the middle of the road alongside another of the town\u2019s attractive silhouette entry signs. The pigs stank, as did the inconsiderate act of leaving them there like that! What, if any, statement was being made we didn\u2019t know, it seemed like an exercise in ignorant redneckism to us, perhaps amusing whilst pissed to the perpetrator, but gross to everyone else. Yuk!<\/p>\n

Around 50kms out of Tibooburra the wind began to blow, & it blew hard for the rest of the day, making travel quite unpleasant. Imagine, a hot wind which feels like it has come from a furnace. Now place yourself in the greehouse like environment of a two seater cab vehicle, windows shut to keep out the constantly swirling dust & air conditioning turned off to help keep the engine temperature below 90 degrees. In the circumstances, you, like us, could not help feeling like you were in an oven, with the only relief occasionally having our hot, sweaty (& by the end of the day- wilting) bodies exposed to the brief hot, but cooling draughts afforded by opening the windows in the rare dust free moments. Often our vision was restricted to just a few feet in front of the car, like a thick fog, except this \u2018fog\u2019 was not what we wanted being sucked into our motor\u2019s air cleaner.\u00a0 The sand blown onto the road \u2018fluffed up\u2019 the surface & created soft ridges which pulled the vehicle one way then another. 4wd was reassuring. Roadkill is something I always try to avoid running over, the bones represent a puncture risk, but in these circumstances, even when vision cleared a little the carcasses were hard to distinguish as they had been transformed into mounds of sand. It was a long 234km drive to Wanaaring where we were exceptionally grateful for the air conditioning & cold drink at the pub to revive our sagging spirits. If nothing else the swirling sweaty storm was spectacular, but I wasn\u2019t about to expose my camera to it, so no pics.<\/p>\n

It was particularly nice to be remembered by the landlady from when we had been in Wanaaring a couple of months earlier, then heading north, now west. We enquired whether Gary would be around later as we were keen to seek his permission to once again camp at his gorgeous waterhole on the Paroo. \u2019No Worries\u201d the landlady said, \u201che would be more than happy for you to go down there again, I gave him the note you left him last time, I\u2019ll let him know you\u2019re down there\u201d .<\/p>\n

Just as the flies \u2018go to bed\u2019 just on dark, so to does the wind drop. Not sure why this is, but it\u2019s a desert phenomena which we have become accustomed to on windy days. Actually just a little before dark, which is convenient as it generally gives a short window of opportunity to cook (outside kitchen) before all the buzzy flying things attracted by our lights make their presence known. This night at the waterhole was no different, but had the bonus of watching birds & \u2018roos having last drinks. Whilst sitting eating we could see up to a dozen roos drinking at any one time, some stretching their necks to reach down to the water, some enjoying getting right into the water. All took their time as though it were an enjoyable social ritual\u2026\u2026 which of course it most probably is.<\/p>\n

The following day was cloudy, grey & with rain drizzling on & off all day, constantly threatening to become heavier, but the threat didn\u2019t eventuate \u2026.. thankfully. The red dirt road, sometimes clay, sometimes sand, but all horribly corrugated, got darker with the drizzle, but luckily remained firm enough to drive on. The nice surprise was the last 50 or 60kms of the 200kms to Bourke had been sealed. A lovely smooth road, but which revealed that new noises we \u2018thought\u2019 we had heard from our vehicle on the corrugations were not imaginary. A movement & vibration related squeak from somewhere at the front right of the vehicle tormented me, & despite several stops to investigte remained a mystery.<\/p>\n

Approaching Bourke we first saw what looked like roadsides littered with snow, but having then seen the humungous \u2018OCD\u2019 manicured cotton farms, with their equally humungous & OCD manicured water storage dams we realised that the litter was cotton. We stopped & picked up some, just like cotton wool balls. This cotton litter was everywhere in \u2018cotton country\u2019, lining roadsides for hundreds of kms. Not only does the industry contraversially use huge amounts of water many feel should be more equally shared around, but also seems happy to \u2018waste\u2019 what cannot be described as small amounts of what they produce! In a dry country with ancient soils cotton growing is seen by many as an unsustainable get rich corporate crop. The companies responsible no doubt spruik their \u2018giving\u2019 of employment, & have the loyalty of those who\u2019s wages they pay, but for us it appeared that the extensive littering, with a product unlikely to decompose quickly, displayed corporate arrogance.<\/p>\n

Bourke was a reality shock in that suddenly not only were we driving on two lane bitumen, it had white lines on it too! Initially it felt quite uncomfortable being restricted to a single lane after the more \u2018freeform\u2019 dirt roads we had become accustomed to. Now there was always other traffic to contend with. This felt very different after a couple of months of a maximum of just a handful of other vehicles per day.<\/p>\n

We should have spent more time exploring Bourke but it was grey, drizzly & a relatively chilly 27 degrees. I was struggling with the \u2018re-entry\u2019 process & really didn\u2019t want to be in the \u2018crowded metropolis\u2019 I found myself in. (Of course it wasn\u2019t that in anything but a relative way to that we had enjoyed in the deserts). We shopped in a supermarket with far greater choice & lower prices than we\u2019d seen for a while, I got grumpy & we left town ending up at a riverside camp 100kms further east just outside of Brewarinna. Even here we found the camp ground relatively crowded with campers set up within 50 metres of each other. It was a pleasant enough spot though, & a reasonable transition back to \u2018life \u2018in front of\u2019 rather than \u2019Back\u2019o\u2019 Bourke\u2019. \ud83d\ude42 (For non – Aussies the term \u2018Back \u2018o\u2019 Bourke refers to anywhere \u2018out the back\u2019 (west) of Bourke ie. the Outback).<\/p>\n

Continuing east from Brewarrina the following morning we arrived in Walgett, with no real sense of where we might go from there. An almost random choice took us south east on the \u2018Come by Chance\u2019 road, intially bitumen for 40kms but then 2wd capable smooth & dished dirt road for another 60kms to the small rural town of Pilliga on the promise of a dip in the town\u2019s Artesian spa pool. Still some evidence of cotton growing, but increasingly we were passing through huge bare heavily cultivated paddocks, & farms with enormous grain storage sheds. Such different practice to outback stations! Again we couldn\u2019t help but wonder about the long term wisdom of the farming practice we were now in the midst of. There was no evidence of irrigation & we knew that we were still in a region of very limited rainfall. Our guess is the paddocks must be productive enough when it rains to compensate for what must be a large annual financial gamble of sowing seed. The soils now brown, not red. Camping next to the Pilliga pool with unlimited pool entry for $5 per vehicle per night sounded good, as did the opportunity to visit the Pilliga Scrub (forest) of which we had heard much last year during extensive campaigns to prevent gas companies destroying the integrity of this large forest area to \u2018frack\u2019 for gas.<\/p>\n

\u00a0At the Pilliga Bore Baths ‘neigbours were far closer than last nights 50 metres! Just 5 metres either side of us. We had not only re-entered civilisation, we were now well & truly on the \u2018grey nomad\u2019 circuit. From our left came country & western \u2018boot scooting\u2019 music, from our right, competing it seemed, came George Thorogood & the Destroyers. Admittedly all was quiet by around 8pm, but we both felt a tad tetchy about the seemingly selfish nature of those around us. The 37 degree pool was pleasant, but we picked our time to avoid the mostly crowded space, sharing it with just a couple of others before bedtime.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Next day saw us driving through \u2018the Pilliga\u2019 which in it\u2019s northern section is dominated by native cypress trees, through the small, once timber settlements of Gwabegar, Merebene & Kennebri to Baradine. A disused rail line followed the road all the way down, apparently it\u2019s primary use had once been to haul out all the railway sleepers cut from the Pilliga. Baradine was a well kept town of around 750 people, still in the middle of the forest, with an excellent \u2018Forest Discovery Centre\u2019 where we enjoyed looking at the exhibits detailing the extensive wildlife as well as the history of timber cutting & bushfires. The lady working there was a mine of information & following our visit we decided to check out the \u2018Scupltures in the Scrub\u2019, a bush walk through the Dandry Gorge Aboriginal (Gamilaroi) area where a number of local artists have installed there work. We camped there & enjoyed the leisurely 2 hour stroll through the trees & gorge.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0A short forest drive the next morning brought us briefly out onto the Newell Highway where it passes through the Pilliga just north of Coonabarrabran before turning off to take another walk around the Yaminoa Trail, a 1 hour walk past sandstone cliffs containing many intriguing caves & shelters & with extensive views across the Warrumbungle ranges & to the extinct Mt Kaputar volcano country.<\/div>\n
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The Pilliga is renowned for it\u2019s bird life, but up to now we had seen little evidence to support this reputation. This changed completely when we made a great decision to visit the Pilliga Pottery a little further south & a 10km drive off the Newell. This place\u00a0 is so much more than just a pottery. I\u2019m sure if you Google \u2018Pilliga Pottery\u2019 you\u2019ll find plenty of info. It\u2019s the result of a vision of a couple of German immigrants, began, I believe in the 1980\u2019s. A self sufficient farm with a \u2018commune\u2019 feel to it, evidence of art & creativity everywhere, with a very open sense to make all visitors feel welcome. Apart from the pottery (where you can watch the pieces being made, or even have a go yourself) there are a number of interesting\/intriguing buildings, animals to interact with, gardens built with love containing all manner of art & interest & above all a huge number & variety of wild birds easily seen at close quarters. All of this set within an area of untouched\/not logged Pilliga Forest where Cypress does not dominate. The forest itself has a beauty not often seen in Australian woodland, primarily because it has a grassy floor. The pottery people have created a number of bushwalks for visitors to take, provide accomodation in their buldings (as well as camping) & will even take folk out on guided bird walks. Best of all they have a lovely character filled cafe\/restaurant where tonight I will enjoy a woodfired gluten free pizza for $15. We are now on a bit of a schedule, intending to catch up with some friends a bit south from here, & have also booked a farmstay camping place just out of Tamworth in the hope that the 15mm to 25mm of rain forecast in the next couple of days will be more easily managed with the use of their camp kitchen. Were it not for this self-imposed itinerary we could easily spend several days here at the pottery, & without doubt it is another place added to our \u2018to return to\u2019 list.<\/span><\/div>\n
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We awoke to what is without doubt the best & most comprehensive \u2018dawn chorus\u2019 we have experienced & after laying in for a while to enjoy it felt the need to get up & get moving, spurred on by the sound of raindrops on top of the van. An almost military style operation saw us fed, watered & packed having beaten most of the rain & only getting slightly damp. As we drove away leaving other campers yet to emerge from their tents into the now increasing rainfall – most camping as families for the first time, we felt a tad smug at our achievement. Down the Newell Hwy for a short distance before hanging a right at the Oxley Hwy, following it\u2019s ups & downs eastward through first forests, later opening up to show individual conical hills amongst pastures , through the town of Gunnedah, virtually closed for the days public holiday & on to the \u2018food bowl\u2019 surrounding Tamworth. <\/span><\/div>\n

Whoa! Tamworth – a town of 60,000, \u2018Were in the city now!\u2019 Shopped at a large chain supermarket, topping up a few items which we\u2019ve used regularly, but have not been available in smaller centres & then on to the Visitor Info centre to fill up with water.<\/p>\n

Everywhere we\u2019ve been the Visitor info centres have been a great source of drinking water, or have directed us to somewhere else to find it. In Tamworth we were met with blank stares followed by \u2018Dunno\u2019. In the end however, following lots of head scratching & then several phone calls, during which the phone was passed to me to be given some verbal directions we left to find the water. The directions, as it turned out, were far more complex than necessary. \u201cJust follow this road to the rest stop on the right in a couple of kms\u201d would have sufficed & made our task far easier. The tap we needed was there but in a carpark only just large enough for us to turn around, fine when empty, but impossible when others pulled in to park. In short the whole process of finding & obtaining water was a real pain in the derriere. \u201cTamworth – you can do better!\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding a large hardware store & a launderette was a far easier task thanks to locals we accosted on the street. With the rain having continued all the way to Tamworth & up to 25mm forecast for tomorrow we headed to the farmstay a few kms out of town. We are now set up, sitting on a settee in the camp kitchen, with a Tv to watch (for the first time since we left home), an electric toaster, microwave & gas cooker, the Tvan tent set up under shelter & us ready to sit on our own private little verandah to manage any rain that comes our way in comfort. \ud83d\ude42 All for $15 per night. Wouldn\u2019t suit everyone, but it feels like luxury & good value to us.<\/p>\n

Oh\u2026. and I found the source of the car\u2019s mystery noise, fixed with two tek screws & a small steel bracket. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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Photo gallery trial in this post – at end of post. Please allow time for pics to load- hopefully the enlargeable thumbnails should be there by the time you finish reading. Fingers crossed.\u00a0 Feedback welcome. Leaving Tibooburra afforded us some great views, hills of large granite boulders, past which were jump ups on the horizon. … Continue reading Back to Civilisation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[15],"class_list":["post-997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-queensland-channel-country","tag-australian-travel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8PHoJ-g5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=997"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1149,"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997\/revisions\/1149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cuppa500.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}