Finally Fishing

Yep, its been a while (again) since we have regaled you with our tales of our adventures but there hasn't been a lot happening.

The Captain has been kept busy with his painting and decorating whilst The Deckie made a quick trip south to catch up with family.  There were also a couple of nice days where we managed to get out and explore the region a little bit more and finally, last weekend, The New Boat was put into the river!

One of the items on The Captain's "to do list" is a fishing/camping expedition - when the weather warms up - to The Clarence Gorge.  So, with this in mind, we packed The Rav and headed west for a day trip up The Clarence Valley.

Our first stop was The Pinnacles Lookout at Maclean where you can see the lower reaches of The Clarence as it heads out to the sea.

The Clarence Crossing The Coastal Plains

Instead of sticking to the main highway we decided to take the tourist route.  This took us over an old wooden bridge and then onto a car ferry.  Haven't done that for a while!

Coming To Get Us!

On Our Way

Our trip took us thru the outskirts of Grafton, past some beautiful sections of the river and then onto a little village called Copmanhurst.  Copmanhurst was once the head of navigation of the Clarence River and was a major port for the surrounding industries.  It is no longer a major port but has a very nice pub with some even nicer lunches!!

One of many bends in the River

Checking Out The Boat Ramp at Copmanhurst

After lunch. we drove up alongside the river for a little bit further. checked out a section of the road leading to The Gorge and headed home.

Upstream from Copmanhurst

Last weekend, the weather reports gave great indications that at least one fishing trip was in order.  Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, the tides were good and The New Boat thought it was her turn to have a little trip.

The fishing rods were taken out of storage, the esky packed and off went.

Champing At The Bit!!

The first fish to be caught by Team Turtle on the Clarence River was caught by The Captain - after all, he is the long term fishing person!!  The poor little flathead was only just the correct size so we did the right thing and sent him home.  A little later (and at another spot) The Deckie managed to catch her dinner for the night - a very nice bream.

Lucky Little Flathead

The Deckie's Dinner

The weather was excellent, the fishing not bad and the day was just so pleasant and so we decided to do it again the next day.  Unfortunately, the fishing was not quite so good even though the conditions were once again excellent.  The most interesting part of the day were the spoonbills. 

One Of Many Spoonbills

Oh well, that's fishing and boating!!

Somewhere New

Whilst we were heading back to Coffs Harbour, a different sort of an opportunity came to light!  Would we be interested in doing some painting of cabins in another caravan park?  A week's free rent for a few hours painting!  Hmm!  Why not?  Team Turtle wasn't planning to do much else (except try to build up the bank balance) and (as much as we really like the Park in Coffs) it was sort of time to move on for a little while.

The general consensus was "yep, let's do it" and so we packed up our gear and hit the road north to Yamba NSW.  We did, unfortunately, leave part of  Team Turtle behind - Tuf Cat was put into storage (with some other boats for company) until we need her or we go back to Coffs.

All Packed Up and Ready To Go!

The park where we are staying is the Big 4 Saltwater Holiday Park right on the Clarence River and about 10 klms into town.  Will probably be here for at least a month and then see what happens after that.

One very big advantage of this park is that it has its own private boat ramp and (at the moment) not very busy at all.  Should be good when the weather clears up a bit and we can put The New Boat in for a swim!

Saturday Afternoon At The Boat Ramp

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear so The Captain took the day off from painting and we headed into Yuraygir National Park just south of Yamba.  Thought we would just be walking for a short time but ended up doing a 6 klm round trip to Dirrangan Lookout and back.  Good thing that it was a beautiful day!

Angourie Point

Shelley Beach and Coastal Dunes from Dirrangan Lookout

Since then, The Captain has been doing some more painting and The Deckie has been catching up on her knitting and needlework so it has been fairly quiet - cannot have too many dramas.

So, at this stage, all is well and we will catch up soon.

Going 'Round in Circles!

Or, Coffs to Canowindra and Back Again

At the conclusion of our previous post, it was mentioned that you would kept you informed of our travelling tales.  We know that our "followers" have been waiting with breathless anticipation so, after nearly ten weeks, it has finally happened and we are putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard) and updating you on what has transpired since that post.

A few quiet weeks were spent in Coffs Harbour with The Captain doing some maintenance on some cabins in the caravan park and The Deckie making a short trip down the coast to catch up with The Family.

At the end of May, we returned to Canowindra to assist our friend, Greg, pack up and tidy up his Mum's house.  The early part of that trip was certainly of the "white knuckle" variety.

The Captain decided that we would travel over The Great Divide via Dorrigo and Armidale.  Usually a very nice trip but it was raining the day that we left and the fog over the mountains was very thick indeed.  Some sections of the road to Dorrigo are actually one lane only and it is very difficult to see oncoming traffic that one is supposed to give way to when the mist/fog is so close.  We eventually climbed high enough so that the fog and rain were at a lower level than us and decided to stop for lunch at Ebor Falls.  Lovely spot and would have been much nicer if the sun had been shining!

The Main Falls

Downstream and Into The Mist

After our brisk walk and some sustenance, we continued onto the New England Highway and headed south.  Our overnight stop was to be at a little spot just north of Tamworth - Moonbi Lookout.  Fortunately, it hadn't rained for some time and we were able to enjoy a short walk up onto the actual Lookout.  The lookout itself looks like a very dead elephant but is just a very large granite boulder and the local council has had the sense to build retaining walls and stairs to enable the general public to enjoy the nearby views.

Moonbi Lookout

The next day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and we had a very long drive ahead of us.  Morning tea at Maccas in Scone and then headed southwest where we stopped for lunch at a little spot near Ulan called 'The Drip'.  And it looked like we were not the only ones that were a little peckish....

Sandwiches on the Patio

A quick stop was made in Molong to replenish The Deckie's supply of homemade chutneys, before we made the final dash to Canowindra.

Over the next week, The Captain and The Deckie worked tirelessly to ensure that the house was neat and tidy and that all of the rubbish had been removed or burnt.  In fact, The Captain started a fire in the backyard early on the first morning and it continued to burn until the night before we left.  This fire not only changed the chemical composition of a lot of rubbish but also kept us warm - the first couple of days it drizzled and then there were three mornings when the temperature was about minus 5 degrees!!  Even the sheep in the paddock next door would have frozen except for their woolly jackets!

Balloons Over The Frost

Lamb Chops Of The Future!

After our little sojourn in Canowindra, Team Turtle headed back to the Central Coast as The Deckie had to make a return visit to the Skin Cancer Clinic in Woy Woy.  To ensure that we didn't get caught up in afternoon peak hour, we had an overnight stay at Lake Lyell near Lithgow.  The Captain has spent some time here on previous occasions, but it was the first time for The Deckie.  Once more, a lovely little spot but very cold.

The Turtle At Lake Lyell

Morning Reflections On The Lake

We arrived safe and sound back on the Central Coast the next day where we camped (once more) in the front yard of The Eldest Daughter (and Family's) house.  The Deckie had her follow up with the Skin Cancer Clinic, Team Turtle had a great time visiting family members and, just over a week later, headed back to Coffs Harbour.

Whew!! 

Through The New England Tablelands

Monday was a fairly miserable damp sort of day and even though there is nothing worse than trying to pack up when everyone and everything is the same, there was no point in staying in the Warrumbungles whilst it was like that so off we went further north.  We hunted and gathered in Coonabarabran, gave The Turtle a nice long drink and even got caught up in a funeral procession - what a morning!!

Travelled through to Narrabri then took the turn off to Bingara.  Along the way, Team Turtle passed through the outskirts of  Mount Kaputar National Park.  It was still raining so we had to give our walk to Sawn Rocks a miss.  A very big shame as we had heard that they were very impressive.

Our planned overnight stopover was to be a place called Rocky Creek.  What we hadn't realised, until we arrived there, was that Rocky Creek was also an ancient Glacial Area.  Only one other family were there and we managed to find a great spot right on the cliff overlooking the creek.

Team Turtle's Dinner View

To help us dry out after the dampness of the day, The Captain found some twigs lying around and gave it his best attempt to start a nice warming fire.  With the assistance of a little accelerant, we had a lovely blaze going.  Unfortunately, we hadn't brought our camp oven with us on this trip and were unable to whip up a damper for dessert!  But, it was a great fire!!

Blazing Away

The following morning dawned bright and clear so we set off on an amble up (and down) the creek.  The boulders were fascinating and the water a little bit cool but we thoroughly enjoyed the couple hours that we spent there.

It Took A While To Look Like This!

We eventually stopped drooling over rocks and got moving once more.  Lunch break in Bingara, slipped through Inverell and pulled up at another little rest area called Swan Brook - halfway between Inverell and Glen Innes.  Nice but very, very cold!!  As we were headed towards Swan Brook we noticed that the storm clouds were gathering, getting very low and extremely dark - oops, we were in for a nasty storm!  Not to worry - the Turtle gods must have been looking after us as Team Turtle pulled into the rest area about five minutes after the storm - thank goodness for that!!

Another Storm Gathering Over Team Turtle

The Light Shining Thru The Clouds

And then it was Wednesday and the last leg of our latest little journey.  Completed a nice circle and it only took us seven weeks!

The best parts - The New Boat had her maiden voyage and The New Look Team Turtle behaved admirably.

Team Turtle has now settled back into its little pond at Coffs Harbour where it will attempt to regain some financial integrity before its next journey into the wilds of Australia.  When might this happen??  Who knows but you will be kept up to date!!

Wandering Into The Warrumbungles

Friday morning was a nice crisp morning as we awoke to the quietness of the Yeoval Showground.  A nice easy beginning as we headed north to Dubbo.  A couple of more sculptures at the local school....

It's a Tortoise

Running late for School

There were a few more before Dubbo - once more very imaginative but you came across them far too quickly to stop!

Stopped for morning tea and lunch with The Captain's friend and seeing how it was so late, decided to stop for the night halfway between Gilgandra and Coonabarabran at a little spot called Hickey's Falls.

Early Morning At The Falls

Our original plans to travel back to Coffs Harbour did not entail too much deviation but, after a little bit of research, Team Turtle thought that it would be nice to go and check out the rocks in The Warrumbungle National Park.  We backtracked from Hickeys Falls for about 18 klms so that we could go into the Park from Tooraweenah and then do the full circuit to Coonabarabran when we had had enough of rocks.

There are some wonderful facilities here at the Park and after setting up camp and having some lunch we headed out.  Our first stop was The Siding Spring Observatory.  

The Main Part of The Observatory

As it was then getting a bit late, we explored the White Gum Lookout and stayed there for the sunset.  It wasn't the greatest sunset but still, very enjoyable.

Whitegum Trees at The Lookout

The Western Skyline

Yesterday (Sunday) was our big walking day.  The decision was for a 12.5 klm round trip to "The Grand High Tops".  This walk would eventually take us right up to The Breadknife - one of the magnificent geological landforms that are part of The Warrumbungles.

First stop (after 2 klms) was Spirey View Lookout

On the Rocks

Our ultimate destination would be the sharp pointy bits in the top left hand corner (The Breadknife).  The pathway itself was well paved but very steep and then there were the stairs as we got closer to the top.  We didn't count them as we were concentrating on just getting up them.  Finally made it and all very worthwhile.  The Breadknife itself is between 2 and 4 metres wide and has a very decided lean to it - much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was with much consternation that we sat near it to finally have our lunch.  As The Captain mentioned "hope we don't get an earth tremor whilst we are up here as it may not be very pretty!"  Fortunately it didn't happen and we did make it back down safely.

The Breadknife from further Up In The World.

The Valley to the South West

That's How Thin It Is!!

There are, of course, several other remnant volcanic landforms in the Park but the walks to, and around, them were a lot longer and of a greater degree of difficulty so we didn't try and do them.  We both slept very well last night all ready for another day in the rocks.  Unfortunately, it is raining quite steadily this morning (Monday) and it would be silly to do any sort of a walk (phew) and so with much regret we are breaking camp and hitting the road once more :-((

Byways to Dubbo

Yes, on the move again!

After nearly a week in beautiful downtown Canowindra and enjoying the fantastic displays put on by the hot air balloons, we decided to break camp and start heading north again.  We had started chatting to other 'grey nomads' whilst in Canowindra and they suggested that we check out The Animals On Bikes display between Molong and Dubbo.  Hmm, why not and besides, it was going to be a brand new road for Team Turtle to travel on!

After a quick trip to Harden and back to visit another cousin of The Deckie, we put Team Turtle back together again and headed off.

First stop was Orange and Greg's front yard.  The road between Canowindra and Orange was very rough and just a small hiccup when the brake thingy on the trailer came loose and every time we went over a bump, the brake engaged.  It was no wonder that The Captain kept wondering why the trailer wasn't pulling very well!  Fortunately, there wasn't any damage and the little brake thingy has been adjusted so that it shouldn't happen again!

After a late start (cause we went to bed very late) we started northwest to Molong and the start of the Animals On Bikes on the Obley Highway.  There are 111 sculptures along the side of the road and it is so wonderful that there are so many talented people around with some wonderful ideas.  It would have been even better if we could have stopped and taken photos of every one of the sculptures but that would have been impossible and sometimes a little bit dangerous.  The road verges were not always conducive to pulling over and quite often we came across some sculptures very quickly.  Not a good idea try and pull up a heavy vehicle in a short time span - the consequences could be ugly!

Rosie the Redback Spider

Pigs on a Bike (right outside the Cumnock Police Station)

Caterpillar at Cumnock Pre-School

 So many sculptures........

After this hectic little trip, Team Turtle pulled into the hamlet of Yeoval - about 40 klms south of Dubbo and managed to find a very cost effective camping area at the Showground.  Nice and quiet, with power and television reception - what more can one ask for!!

More sculptures tomorrow to finish off and then possibly morning tea with an old friend of The Captain in Dubbo.  After that, not real sure, but it will be somewhere further north!!

Canowindra

Apparently it is pronounced "ca-noun-dra" not "can-o-win-dra" and woe betide anyone who does pronounce it the wrong way.  You will be hung, drawn, quartered and run out of town!!

It is a quaint little place and, unfortunately, with a lot of empty commercial buildings.  The lure of the big smoke - Cowra and Orange - would have been the downfall of these previous businesses.  But we were not here for the shops (well, one of us wasn't), but to enjoy what was on offer during their annual balloon festival!

First port of call on the touristy list was The Age of Fishes Museum.  Spent a couple of hours working our way around this very interesting place.  An outdoor area was a pathway, with signage, meandering through the different geological time periods, where our continent was and what the local area was like when the fossils were actually fish!  The indoor exhibits had the original blocks of rocks showing the fossils and other great stuff.

The Mosaic in the Museum's Foyer

Out the front of the Museum, they had some placed some intriguing sculptures to replicate some of the fossils that had been found in the area.  Quite sure that I would not have liked to have had to face them!

Now that is a decent fish

In the meantime, The Deckie's eldest daughter and family had also arrived in town and so we spent some enjoyable time with them during the weekend.

 

Saturday was the first day that the hot air balloons had their practice flights and being very dedicated tourists, we were up very bright and early - even before the sun - and off to the nearby oval where the balloons were leaving from.  Not ever been to an event like this before, we were not entirely sure of what to expect.  Lots of vehicles with all of the gear in their trailers pulled up, disgorged their loads and then the occupants started organising their balloons and hot air (lots of blokes around so that wasn't a problem) with the assistance of a group of volunteers.  Within a few moments, the balloons were inflated and they were off.  A wonderful sight so early in the morning!

Getting Organised

A Bit of a Rise

A Point of Interest for the Crowd

A Blast of Hot Air

All Ready for Lift Off

Up, Up and Away!

After all of the balloons had sailed away, The Captain and The Deckie returned to The Turtle for a warming beverage, breakfast and to try and have a bit more sleep.  The Deckie decided it was best to have the first two and then hit the shops and galleries.  Much better than sleeping!

Lots of nice paintings and things but the best part had to be the book shop.  This particular shop had lots of secondhand books as well as collectables and so some considerable time was spent perusing the shelves.  It was with considerable restraint that The Deckie only bought three books although if she was really strong, could have walked out without buying anything.  But then that wouldn't have helped the local economy at all.

Saturday evening and it was back to the oval where the Festival committee had organised Food and Wine Markets to coincide with the Balloon Glow.  Lots of different food and wine stalls to tempt the very large crowd and then the highlight of the evening when all of the hot air balloons were inflated and illuminated.  A great spectacle!!

Yep, it's a Kookaburra!

More of the Balloons

The local Garden Club had also organised the opening of six gardens on Sunday and for a small donation we received a map and headed off.  The first garden was the local Public School where they have transformed a very dry and dusty school yard into an oasis.  All of the gardens were different - from a very old one, very formal, fairly new, a combined vegie and flower garden and a 'work in progress'.

The Very Old Garden

The 'Work in Progress' Garden

"Twins" enjoying an Autumn Garden

As if we had not had enough of gardens, Monday morning saw both families heading into Cowra to visit the Japanese Gardens.  Totally different than the day before and yes, very tranquil indeed.  We hired a couple of Audio Tour Guides (which helped keep The Grandson amused), fed the fish and generally had a great time.

The Family Feeding the Fish

The View From the Top

Today, Tuesday, is a rest day.  It is also very windy so any touristy stuff would be a little bit uncomfortable.  Off to see another cousin of The Deckie tomorrow and then we are probably heading to points further north.  The only unfortunate thing was that we didn't to a hot air balloon ride. Not a big disappointment as there are many other places that we can do one!