Lake Keepit to Jindabyne

Mendooran Camp (Point "B" on map below) - 2 nights

After saying goodbye to Wendy and Alan, we headed south west to Coonabarabran where we stopped for lunch and a small shopping expedition.  Heading south and via a quiet back road we arrived at the bustling (just joking) tiny (not joking) town of Mendooran to a great free camp beside the river.  The town promotes the 48-hour camp and maintains the grounds very well.  There is a town water tap, toilet, picnic tables and loads of camping spots.  It is also home to hundreds of noisy sulphur crested cockatoos who delight in screeching all day from sunrise to when they get a bullet – I mean sunset. 

Mendooran Camp

The weather here is overcast, windy and drizzly courtesy of the Canadians and their friend the low which is now battering the NSW coast and Sydney.  There are five other nomads here too.  We spoke to an old widower and his “chick magnet” - a friendly and playful white Maltese dog, Sunny.  He gave us quite a few tips regarding camp spots in NSW and Queensland.

Mendooran -  mural on building

I also spoke to a couple travelling in their week old Majestic Caravan.  They bought a new one 2.5 years ago and had all sorts of trouble with it.  It constantly leaked, the electric brakes would not turn off, etc.  In the 2.5 years they owned it, it was in being repaired for a total of 12 months.  It was never fixed.  It was so bad that Fair Trading became involved and helped them get a new one.  They are on a 10 week “shake down” trip (bit long for a shakedown given the problems they had with their earlier Majestic) from Newcastle heading along the Murray to Adelaide and back via the Great Ocean Road.

With the showers setting in we had an early dinner under the awning and retired inside for the night as the sun slowly set over the trees full of those bloody sulphur-crested galahs still screeching and squawking – oh for 1000 bullets, there might be one less in the trees.  We watched the news and it was all about the flooded NSW coastline.  Every river from the Queensland border to Sydney is in flood.  We thanked our lucky stars, behind the clouds, that all we have are showers.  I phoned the SES and offered 1000 sulphur-crested “chickens” for all those being housed in evacuation facilities due to the floods.  Overnight the rain was heavy for a while; however in the morning we woke to breaking blue skies and a lovely cool day. We packed up and broke camp before 9am for no particular reason, just because we can. 

Dunedoo - Morning tea

For those following our travels at home, our journey took us south-east to Dunedoo where we had morning tea beside the old railway station and then through Mudgee, past Lake Windermere and right at Ilford along the scenic drive to Sofala.  

I have worked out that the name “Scenic Drive” is designed to take all the Grey Nomads off the main roads and into mountainous terrain and the associated winding, steep roads leaving those in semi-trailers and those with no time on their hands to fly along the main roads at whatever speed they can get away with.  They happily watch the caravans in the distance, little white dots in the mountainous terrain, struggling up the hills while they have their skinny flat-whites safely sitting on their dashboards without a bump or corner in sight.

Sun 24 Feb – Greens Point Camp (Point "E on above map)

Screaming down the steep and windy road with car and van brakes glowing red we managed to avoid the 1200 4wd’s and horse floats attending the annual Sofala Gymkhana on the next hill along the Scenic Drive. Into the narrow streets of Sofala we rolled, passing those lucky parents whose child’s horse had baulked at the first jump, allowing them to fill the 1.5 coffee shops and the narrow roadside to overflowing before lunch. We jostled our way through 4wd's and crying children who can’t ride to save themselves to the other side of this historic gold town.

Greens Point - view from caravan

The narrow road took us to our planned bush camp, Greens Point on the banks of the Turon.   We arrived about 12noon and set up overlooking the creek with my favourite tree, the weeping willow, complementing our view.  The camp has rubbish bins, drop toilet, no drinking water and some great camp sites further downstream under she-oaks right beside the creek.  We choose to stay up in the main camp area as it high above the creek and with possible storms tonight we didn't want to get caught in any rising flood.   We later found out that the Turon is the fastest rising river in NSW so it was a good call after all. 

Greens Point - campsite near river

When we arrived, there was only one other caravan with protective cattle dog and no owners or car in site.  Over the course of the afternoon, people came and went – some fossicking for gold in the creek – and by 5.00 pm there were 3 caravans, one camper and two tents in “our” area with 4 caravans a further 500 metres or so away downstream.  And as I write, another van is pulling in.  

Greens Point camp - "Red" walking with us

"Red" at home under our van

The protective kelpie/cattle dog, dubbed “Red”, adopted us for some reason.  He befriended us for the afternoon hoping all his affections and attention would win him a free meal at dinner time.  A toddler and grandmother walking past stopped to say hello to “Red” as he lay under the van and he nearly ate them alive.  Julie raced out to inform them that he was not our dog – just a local stray – that fixed everything.   As dinner approached, the affection increased and every time we’d come out the door “Red” would look expectantly.  As soon as the mere mention of “vegetarian food only” left our lips he disappeared off either to another camp or home – I followed him.  

"Red" and our camp

Storms passed either side of us tonight with a few occasional downpours.  Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the ranges in the distance.  The night went cool and the rain on the roof was lovely.

A lovely family group camped beside us and they had a Foxwing car top awning and tent attachment.  They showed me how it all worked and said they used it when they went around Australia a couple years ago.  It is just fantastic.  It packs away small and fits easily on the side and top of their 4WD.  It is completely waterproof with the tent section zipping on and is very well made.

Another couple on the other side of us are on their maiden caravan trip.  Travelling for a total of 10-12 weeks, so far the following has happened to them in the first bush camp:     

• With a 3-way fridge and thinking they could run it solely on 12v if they installed 6 solar panels on the van roof.  The batteries lasted 2 hours and the fridge does not work.  They now run it on gas which they were hoping to avoid.
•  Given the investment in solar he decided to swap the fridge over to 12v compressor only.  The fridge won’t fit through the door and has to be taken through a hole in the roof.
•  Levelling the van on their current site the car handbrake didn't hold and the van moved and broke, in two places, his $400 Trailer-Mate jockey wheel.  He has to use a jack until he buys a new jockey wheel.
• His Coleman Dual Fuel stove (the same as ours) doesn't work.  It does now that I showed him how to use it.
• Although they had it fixed previously, the water pump wouldn't turn off.  They ran out of water before they found the mains switch to turn it off.

I take my hat off to them both though; they are not deterred and are quite philosophical about what is happening to them and are keen to learn and do things better.

Every day so far we have met some lovely and always interesting people.  Julie is quite happy to wander over to talk to the ladies and in 10 minutes walks away with their whole life story.

Greens Point Camp – day 2

By 9.30am there were only us and one other two caravan left in the bush camp.  The other couple I spoke about above, with all the problems, were off to Bathurst for some shopping and we are off to Hill End for the day.  

Hill End is about 40klm west of us and is a well preserved historic gold site/village.  Once with a population of 8000 it is now down to 100 or so.  The whole area is owned by NPWS (National Parks) and tenants lease back their property and business.  The whole town has plaques on every old shop-front with photos from the 1850’s with their owners and some of the boards have interesting stories as well.   

The photos were taken by Beaufoy Merlin, a professional photographer who photographed the whole town and its surrounds at that time.  The photos were lost until the 1950’s and the recent chance discovery of the glass photographic plates is described as “one of the greatest collections of historic photos”.   

The following are some photos of the old town:

  

The Information Centre has an interesting museum and for $2.20 each is great value.  It has an original Cobb & Co coach in excellent condition.  Lunch was at the last surviving pub of the 52 that used to dot the district in its hey-day.   If you are ever down this way definitely put Hill End on the to-do list.  I have seen many historic Australian things and places and I cannot think of anything better or more authentic and is really well presented.

After a drive up to the lookout we set off back to camp.

Hill End lookout

Great bush camp

On the way to Hill End, just 4.5 klm west of Sofala, is a beautiful camp spot on the left just before the white one-lane bridge (see photo).  The whole site is on flat, rounded river rocks with a vista overlooking a great swimming/fishing hole and on the other side a rock cliff of many colours.  Shade is provided by numerous she-oaks.  There are no facilities.

Tue 26 Feb - Greens Point Camp to Wyangala Waters State Park - 3 nights

'Red"

Last night there were just the two caravans.  We spent a peaceful afternoon around the campsite.  I went and sat under the weeping willow beside the riverbank and watched the ducks feed.  “Red” appeared and kept me company nuzzling my arm for a pat ensuring any photograph I took was spoilt.  The bloke next door went gold panning over the other side of the river –his dog, Hannibal, tried to visit him but was swept away downstream.  The bloke chased him a couple of 100 metres and got him ashore before tying him up back at camp before returning to panning again.  Julie read for the afternoon.

Greens Point

While all this was happening two storms built up either side of us and the thunder rolled off the hills around us.  They only provided us with one shower of rain – the type with the really big drops that splatter on the earth providing that wonderful dusty rainy smell.  Julie and I just sat back late afternoon listening to the rain on the awning.

Local butterfly 

The mystery of “Red” was solved today as well.  The owner arrives in a Ute about 6pm and drives through the camp.  “Red”, who had taken up residence under or around my chair out of the rain, ears pricked up as soon as he heard the car; one whistle from the owner and he races out and jumps in the back before heading home.   Apparently he’s not “Red” he’s called Black Dog for some less than obvious reason.

27 Feb - Greens Point Camp to Wyangala Dam - 3 nights

This morning we packed up, said goodbye to our neighbours and set off south towards Bathurst with plans to stay in Canberra for a few nights.  The roads were quiet and the travelling pleasant.  

Passing through Bathurst towards Cowra we saw a sign to Mt Panorama where the big race is held every year.  So we turned left and found ourselves driving around the racetrack, caravan behind, in the opposite direction to the direction that the cars race.  It took us 9 minutes to do a lap.  It is obviously faster if you go the other way around.   

The 'Nose' had a drive around Bathurst too

It was quite weird that we could just drive onto the track – during the year it is regarded as just a normal street. The speed limit is 60klm but there are no line markings.  I kept looking for signs to tell me I should not be on the track and was quite worried that a race car would appear in my windscreen at any moment. Pit lane, signage and infrastructure are all there and the road surface is just perfect.

I now have an appreciation for how powerful the V8 cars are and how talented the drivers must be to race the circuit.  The track is very steep and windy at the top and you do get a great panoramic view of the surrounding area and Bathurst.

So after coming in first place in the ‘4wd towing a Caravan and going around the wrong way’ category and saying “oh what a buzz this is” the most times in one circuit, we continued heading south to Cowra.

We had two target camps in mind, both near Wyangala Dam approximately 35 klm south of Cowra.  At Cowra we fuelled up, took on drinking and wash water and dropped off the by-products of the last few days of food and fluid intake.  Darbys Falls River Reserve was our first contender which wasn't too bad – basic amenities (none) with a few nice spots overlooking a little creek.  There was one other caravan there.  Noting that we would be happy to come back to here if needed, we drove a further 10klm through rolling hills and balancing granite rocks in an area similar looking to Girraween NP.  

Driving over the Wyangala Dam wall we arrived at a State Park camping ground that is huge.  We took a powered van site at $20pn and had our choice of spots.  There was only one other caravan in the park!  Our site overlooks the dam and, although it was a tight manoeuvre getting into the site, it is just great.  Our site also overlooks a group/family of campers in a circle of tents which keep us entertained.

Wyangala Dam - campsite

Here are some photos of the bird life around our camp ....

Once again we have no phone, internet or TV reception, but the scenery, wildlife and peacefulness of the place is wonderful.  Kangaroos and rabbits graze on the watered grasses in the Park and the bird life is quite abundant.  Laughing kookaburras, colourful parrots, noisy miner and other birds we are yet to identify all keep us entertained.

Wed 27 Feb - Wyangala Waters State Park

Last night was unusually warm but the air conditioner was predictably cool.  Some light rain fell overnight and forecast rain for today arrived after lunch.  We are now the only van in the park as the other couple set off this morning.  

We drove to the base of the Dam where there is a small hydro station.  As we were leaving an engineer opened the release valve and tonnes of water started gushing out and swelling the stream below.  The dam is 84% full and is a haven for skiing and fishing.  The Ranger said it is quiet for this time of year.  Last Christmas there were over 400 boats anchored along the shore in front of us and there was not a single campsite available.  Here we are a month later, one caravan and one group tent in the whole place.

We drove around this extensive camping and recreational area and took in the sights from various vantage points. Later in the day a walk up to the Balancing Rock Lookout was on the agenda and we weren't disappointed.  The walk again gave us spectacular views of the dam and surrounds.  With rain threatening we cut the walk short and returned to camp.  

Thu 28 Feb - With heavy rain on its way and Canberra (our planned next stop) under severe rain alert for today, we decided to stay another night to avoid travelling in the wild weather.  We had an outing to Cowra which included a visit to Bunnings (just love Bunnings), lunch in a glass roofed Thai restaurant - it was here that the rain really started - followed by the popular supermarket shuffle.

Returning to camp in heavy rain we packed everything away outside and spent an evening indoors listening to the rain on the roof.  The temperature had plummeted and the air conditioner was set to heat for the first time.  Around midnight the rain on the roof was supported by wind in the willows.  Rain turned to torrential and wind turned to gusts.  At 4.30am the awning got into a flap.  Julie turned over and I got up to put the awning up and everything away before it all blew away.

Balancing Rock Lookout

Next morning after Julie was fully rested and I had my hour of sleep for the night, the place was awash.  So were the poor people in the tents below.  The wives and children were nowhere to be seen - we think they went home for the night- while the husbands started packing up all the tents and camping gear in the pouring rain.  There is just nothing worse than a wet pack up in the rain when tenting.

We too broke camp and set off towards Canberra under showery but clearing skies.

Fri 1 Mar - Wyangala Dam to Canberra Jindabyne - 5 nights

Lunch spot 

Travelling the back roads we stopped for lunch on the side of the road and were able to get phone reception.  The Canberra news was all about a car rally over the weekend.  Several calls later confirmed our fears - the place is booked out.  Reassessing our plans we set off to Jindabyne for a few days and will do Canberra on the way back. The van park of choice in Jindabyne was quiet so off we set.

A longer days travel than we like to do (367 klm) but we just sat back and thought of England - must be all the wet weather.  We have a pretty site under trees overlooking Lake Jindabyne.

Jindabyne - view from Van

Sat - 2 Mar - Jindabyne

Jindabyne is cold at night and not warm during the day. The area is quiet and it is definitely the off-season. 

It's Julie's birthday today which we had planned to celebrate in Canberra but our plans had to be adjusted because of a car rally being held back in Canberra for the first time in five years.  Adjusting once again we thought a nice dinner overlooking Lake Jindabyne is not a bad thing.  Choosing a restaurant from our favourite and informative  travelling companion - Trip Advisor - we found out from its website that it was closed at the moment.  Adjusting our plans again I phoned the next restaurant and the recorded message informed us it was closed until the 7 March.  Adjusting our plans once more I phoned the next restaurant and they are closed indefinitely.  Plans adjusted again, the next restaurant was also closed.

Finally I was able to book a meal for two with Meals on Wheels.  Later they phoned to say that given it was the low season they were closed for the week but fresh snow might be available on Mt Kosciusko if we hurry.  

We basically spent today drying things out, washing and doing a bit of shopping.  Dinner was eventually booked in a local Italian restaurant which had good reviews and it didn't disappoint.

Sun 3 Mar - Jindabyne

The plan for today was to climb to the top of Australia.  Arriving at Thredbo it was apparent that the weather was against us.  The Information Lady at the Information Station confirmed the information from the weather bureau for the day was not the best for Mt Kosciusko so we postponed that idea until tomorrow.

Thredbo River 

After a walk around Thredbo village we did an hour-or-so walk along Thredbo River, up around the golf course and back to the car.  All the time the weather was improving so we decided to drive the Alpine Way towards Khancoban some 70klm away, over Dead Horse Gap at 1582 metres, through Tom Groggin and Geehi Flats Camping Areas, to Scammell's Ridge Lookout.  At Scammell's Ridge Lookout we headed back.  Although only 70klm away the journey takes nearly 2 hours due to the steep and very windy road.

Scammell's Ridge Lookout.  Mt Kosciusko hidden behind mountain in middle of photo.

Both Tom Groggin and Geehi Flats are great campgrounds.  They both are located on clear mountain streams and have toilets, flat grassy sites (heaps of camping spots) and beautiful vistas of the Snowy Mountains.

Dead Horse Gap with Thredbo in the distance

We arrived home around 3pm and booked for another couple of nights in our picturesque van park.

Mon 4 Mar - Mt Kosciusko

The day woke to beautiful clear skies, light winds and a minimum temperature of 4.1 degrees.  Steam rose from Lake Jindabyne making for a beautiful sunrise.

Lake Jindabyne at sunrise

Boardwalk to Mt Kosciusko summit

Back into Thredbo we went, up the Kosciusko Express chairlift and straight into Eagles Nest, the cafe 2000 metres up in the ski fields. Committed walkers hey!  Fueled up we then took off all our warm clothes as the weather was beautiful - about 15 degrees with a light, dry breeze just perfect for walking.  The thermals, jumpers, Gore-tex jackets, beanies and gloves all never saw the light of day again.

The walk to the summit of Mt Kosciusko is 13 klm return and is quite easy.  Only rising about 300 metres in total, we were walking on well prepared paths and wire-mesh boardwalks. The trip meanders through the high country of the Australian Alps and over the headwaters of the Snowy River at the start of its 500 klm journey to the sea.  No snow could be seen and the plant life is stunted as expected.  

Having finally risen to the highest seat in the land ... - the summit of Mt Kosciusko

Small groups of school children were doing the walk and the trick was to stay between the groups so that when we arrived at the summit we had the appropriate photo opportunities to record a big tick off our bucket list.



The trip down was spectacular and a lot easier.  It took us less than 2 hours each way and we could not of asked for a better day.  

Tue 5 Mar

Today we travelled to the other side of the ski area to Perisher Valley and Charlotte Pass.  The weather was again beautiful and sunny.  

On the way we did a 3 klm walk to Rainbow Lake.  Originally created for a resort which was destroyed by fire, it now serves no other purpose than to get people out of their cars and into the alpine bush for an hour or so.  Being the only ones there we had the place to ourselves because we were all alone.  Large trout were feeding in front of where we sat on rocks having morning tea.  The whole place was so tranquil.

Rainbow Lake

Feeling lonely, we headed back to the car and ended up where the road ended up - at Charlotte Pass.  From here we could look over to Mt Kosciusko and the rest of the the Alps. 

Charlotte Pass Lookout

Having our fill of the Australian ski region we headed back to camp, not before stopping off for lunch at the Wild Brumby Distillery near Jindabyne.  They are the only schnapps maker in Australia so we just had to get a bottle of butterscotch schnapps.