The Globetrotters: Bathurst re-visited

In April last year I had just bought my motorhome and made my first trip to Bathurst to visit old friend and colleague Vivienne. We were to make a trip together at the end of last year, but it wasn’t to be as she became seriously ill. It has taken her considerable time to get well again and now I am on my way to pay her another visit. Unfortunately it will always be a one-way hosting as Vivienne is no longer allowed to fly and so is not able to come to Bribie.

Monday August 14, 2017

I left early Monday morning, although not as early as I had wanted, because I hadn’t done any cleaning up after my modest birthday party on Sunday and I had yet to pack the camper. However, by 10 am it was all done and I was ready to leave.

The trip doesn’t promise to be an adventurous one, but hopefully uneventful and I will just simply post where I have been and a picture here and there.

As I had had an early breakfast my first coffee stop was close to home, at the BP Service Centre on the Bruce Highway. I didn’t linger as I had yet to travel through Brisbane and wanted to leave the city behind as soon as I could. I could have probably taken the D’Aguilar Highway via Caboolture and Esk, but I had travelled that road so often of late, I’d rather take the route through Brisbane.

I stopped for lunch at James Hedges Park - #564 (S27 33 04, E152 07 09) near Helidon, where I arrived rather late for lunch as my watch had stopped yet again. Time for the watchmaker! Fortunately I came prepared and had my old watch tucked away in my bag, so that won’t happen again.

Next a quick stop a Withcott for fuel and then on to the rest stop for the night, which I had planned close to Goondiwindi. I didn’t quite make it that far, but Millmerran was close enough and so I stopped at Yarramalong Weir - #660 (S27 50 07, E151 27 02) at approx. 4 pm.

This was a nice spot on the river. I was parked close to a caravan and walked across to have a chat with the owners. They were on their way home to Tasmania after a three month trip to north Queensland and the Red Centre to get away from the winter cold. On my way back another traveller said hello and when I mentioned that my plan was to stretch my legs another couple overheard me and invited me to walk with them. They were from Melbourne and were going to meet friends at Agnes Waters. We walked north across the river up till the farm and back. A nice stretch and a chat and that was enough to give me enough appetite to make dinner. I had picked up some kale on Sunday and a kookwurst had been waiting in the fridge so I had a nice Dutch winter’s dish!

Note to self: follow up the phone call from the bank.

Tuesday August 15, 2017

This morning it was quite a bit cooler at waking up than at home, but still okay. I got away after breakfast at 8.30 am, a bit later than planned, but still early enough. Just.

I forgot to take a picture of the rest area, but the google earth map shows the site clearly if you want to have a go at it. I stopped briefly at Millmerran to take a picture of, what I think was a water tank, which had a nice picture painted on it.

I have coffee at a simple rest area somewhere along the highway and lunch at Tycannah Rest Area near Moree (see Google Earth) and stop later past Narrabri for fuel.

It’s quite a drive today, rather five hours instead of the average four I like to do in one day, but I need to get the extra hour in that I lost because of my late departure yesterday. Bathurst is approx. a 12 hr drive and if I average 4 hours a day than I am fine. So hopefully I will arrive tomorrow late afternoon.

For the night I stop at a very simple rest area along the highway. Nothing special and not too busy with road trains, although there were plenty during the day. I also noticed I had arrived in ‘prickly pear country’ again and also saw more dead kangaroos along the roadside, a few wild pigs, an emu and an echidna. No live wildlife save for one wild pig.

The overnight stop is at Gowan Rest Area - #818 (S31 13 05, E149 19 34)