Coolmunda Dam, QUEENSLAND - Ashford - Bingara, NSW

We were out on the water at sparrow's fart. There was a gaggle of boats not far off the ramp, presumably 'The Spot", so we joined them. Coolmunda was a millpond. There was not a breath of wind and despite being a clear, warm Sunday it was too early for the ski-boaters. They are generally younger than the fisherman, no doubt party Saturday nights and would probably not surface till nine or so. Not like us oldies - raring to go by 6 am. It was delightful just sitting in the tinnie with the sun warming us and the only sound that of the water lapping on the hull. James loves it in the boat when it is calm and there's no crashing and banging, such as happens when I drag the anchor chain over the bow. He hates that. We fished until 8 with only a couple of nibbles. We must not have been in exactly the right location - fish were being caught in boats just 30 feet away.

After breaky and blogging we did our usual 32 km round trip into Inglewood for coffee. Rob at the cafe/antique store makes an excellent cappuccino - surprising in such a small country town. The quaint little old timber building is full of memorabilia and artifacts. It's a good spot to browse. Each morning since arriving at Coolmunda a few days before, we had sat out in the pretty tea garden with James, sipped our coffees and read the paper. What a lovely life!

By the time we got back to the van all bar one of the other half dozen or so camps had packed up. We raced around and scrounged any left-over firewood, then settled back for some reading while watching the speed boats race around the dam pulling skiers or bouncing dare-devils on big rubber inflatables. Between them and the Pelicans we were thoroughly entertained sitting out under the awning.

Late afternoon we headed out to try our luck again. Most of the pleasure craft had pulled the pin for the weekend, so it was once again quiet, though the wind had come up and created a fair chop on the water. Brian used the depth sounder to find a couple of deep holes, the first of which we unintentionally relinquished when we pulled the anchor up to untangle my line. We drifted a few meters and had our 10 meter deep hole immediately jumped on by another angler. Bugger! We moved away to a spot that appeared to be popular over the few days we'd been watching, discovered another hole and actually managed to catch a 37 cm Silver Perch, which Brian filleted out on the water.

When we got back to shore there were several Pelicans near where we moored the boat. BJ cut up the fish carcass and threw the pieces out to them. It was amazing to watch them swallow - you could see the outline of the fish head or tail as it moved from their big saggy bills down their throats.

Monday we needed to do some travel research. We knew we would go south into NSW, but couldn't decide which route. Brian was in the midst of some good sales so phone coverage was a must. Our preference was to head west to follow the Darling River from its source near Hebel on the border, but that was getting pretty remote with phone largely unavailable except in the larger towns like Brewarrina and Bourke. Also we wanted to either dam/lake hop or follow a river system, and be able to get Channel 7 on the coming weekend to watch the V8's race on the Gold Coast. On top of that of course, the location had to be dog-friendly. In the end we took Camps 7 and our Hema Maps with us to coffee and got serious.

The outcome was a decision to depart Coolmunda Tuesday, bypass Goondiwindi and head south to Texas and on to Pindari Dam, a short run of around 100 km. If it ticked the boxes then we would stay a few days, otherwise we would continue on to Bingara where there was river camping, supposedly with phone coverage. Friday we would then move on to Lake Keepit near Gunnedah. We reckoned we'd get TV there. That's as far as we planned, which is not bad for us. It's more often a day to day thing.  

When Rob, the owner of 'Inglewood Coffee Shop and Tea Gardens' brought our cappuccinos outside to us, he stayed and chatted for a while. He wasn't really your average 'country' bloke, much slicker than that - more sophisticated. As it turned out he and his wife left their home on the Gold Coast three years prior and bought the business to fulfill a long-time dream of his wife's - to live in a small country town and run a quaint little cafe. Prior to that he had a trucking business and drove fuel tankers around Australia. We talked about Coolmunda and aired our thoughts that $10 per person per night was a bit rich to camp on a paddock with the only facility being a toilet - no shower, no water, no power - absolutely nothing. Sure, you could drive a couple of kilometers up the road and have free use of those facilities at the caravan park, but councils everywhere, if they're serious about bringing in the Nomads, provide free or super cheap camping. He said he would pass our thoughts on to the Council.

It was after midday by the time we got home. Before starting the boat re-loading, trailer dismantling and packing preparations we went for a walk out along the dam wall. It was bloody long - a couple of k's we estimated (from our camp, for sure) and in the dry 35 degree heat we were all hot and bothered by the time we got back to the boat ramp. James and I enjoyed a cooling dip, then I grabbed an icy-cold VB and guzzled it. I'm definitely not a beer drinker, and couldn't drink a whole can, but there's nothing like a few glugs to quench a raging thirst. Beautiful!

Our last evening at Coolmunda was delightful. There wasn't a breath of wind all day so the water was like glass and the sky went through all shades of blue, mauve and pink as the sun set. We fed the Pelicans the fillets of Perch from the previous day's catch as there was not enough for a meal - and it was more fun to interact with them than eat it. We used the last of wood (except some pieces of my birthday wood), had a beautiful big fire and sat out until quite late. Nice spot!

During our five days at Coolmunda a million tiny bugs decided, for some unknown reason, to adhere themselves to the dewy sides of the van and Beast in the wee hours and die. The van and windows were covered by them. We knew the longer they stayed there the harder they would be to remove, and they looked awful. Once we'd packed and hooked up ready to depart Tuesday morning, we towed the van to a dam water tap (not for drinking) and attached the hose. It took a long time and a lot of rubbing to remove the little blighters.

We were on the road by 9.30, driving the back route into Inglewood so as to collect some firewood from the roadside, then have our coffees at the Tea Gardens and pick up a few supplies from the IGA. From there we headed south 53 km to Texas on a rather narrow strip of bitumen that we moved off several times to let oncoming cattle trucks pass. We did a loop through Texas, a nice country town (pop 900) set in rolling hills and farmland with a river running through it and free camping on the banks. Once over the river we moved from Queensland into NSW and lost an hour in time with Daylight Saving.

The countryside as we continued south reminded us of Central Victoria - very Bonnie Doon like. We passed through Bonshaw on the Bruxner Highway which we left at Lagoon Flat to take a minor road toward Inverell. Ashford, only 22 km down the road was where we needed to turn off to go out to Pindari Dam. Seven kilometers out toward the dam was a free camp by the Severn River known as Wells Crossing. There were ten or so camps set up along the river and it looked good so we stopped to check it out. It certainly ticked the boxes; a quiet, pretty spot with plenty of space, a flowing river and full phone coverage. We set up on the riverbank with lovely views over the stream, farmland and grazing cows.

After some lunch, a read, work for BJ and a wander down by the river with James we took a drive 16 km out to Pindari Dam. It would be a really pretty spot when the water level was high, but it was way down. The camping wasn't as nice as Wells Crossing and there was no phone signal, so we were happy we'd made the decision to prop by the river.

It was happy hour by the time we got back home. That was excellent as it was a pretty warm day - well into the thirties though still, and not a hint of humidity, so very comfortable. I would love to have lit a fire but we had a lot of dry bush around us and with the news of terrible fires burning around the state we decided against it. Instead I played with my Samsung Galaxy Note 111 which is affording me endless entertainment. What a great birthday present I gave to me!

We were tempted to stay at Wells Crossing, but given there were a lot of other free camps ahead that sounded good, we decided to move on. That proved to be a good decision because where we ended up for the day would certainly rate among our top few camps.

The early morning chill abated quickly Wednesday and a warm, gusty wind blew up. We drove into Ashford, disposed of our black waste at the council dump point and headed south to Inverell, 60 odd kilometers away. The countryside was dry, but not excessively so with un-irrigated crops along the way growing lush and green. There were virtually no other vehicles on the undulating road, so we took it at Grey Nomad pace and had a relaxing drive, arriving at Inverell in time for morning coffee.

Inverell (district pop 18,000) is a thriving commercial centre in the New England North West Region of NSW. It is nestled in a picturesque valley beside the Macintyre River on the Gwydir Highway, the east-west link, between the busy New England and Newell Highways. We parked in a side street near the CBD and strolled through the shopping precinct. For a mid-week morning it was a busy place with a large array of main street retail outlets, a large shopping complex, some beautiful old buildings and lots of nice little cafes. We chose one with outdoor seating (for James) and looked out over the attractively landscaped town centre.


From Inverell we headed west on the Gwydir for a few minutes before taking the southbound minor road to Copeton Dam. It was a picturesque drive, climbing through the New England Ranges to the large dam which holds three times the volume of Sydney Harbour. The road transited across the dam wall providing great views, before winding quite steeply down to the valley floor and following the Gwydir River in a westerly direction toward Bingara.

 Camps 7 pinpointed a series of bush camps along the river starting about 10 km out of town. We passed a couple of tight-turn access tracks with camps set on the river bank before coming across one that we could turn into easily. We drove down onto a grassy area with a few shade trees behind it and set up fronting the river, with just enough space to lay the ground mats down. It was a stunning spot looking across the fast-flowing Gwydir to a steep, timbered slope with rocky outcrops. There were 7 or 8 other vans set up, with another 4 or 5 coming in after us, all fronting on to the river with plenty of space between. We had full mobile reception and our neighbours assured us they could get pretty well all TV channels. James instantly gave it his tick of approval and immersed himself in the stream to cool off. Excellent.....we might prop a few days!

Around mid-afternoon the skies darkened and we heard the heavens rumbling. The BOM radar showed a bit of activity heading our way so we lowered one corner of the awning, closed up the vents and windows and waited to get hit, which we did in a fairly short, sharp burst of wind, rain, thunder and lightening. When it had all died down and we were still intact we drove into Bingara for a quick look, but mostly to ascertain if the road in was suitable for us to ride the bikes. It was a pretty hilly ten kilometers, and a tad narrow in the event of traffic, but I was keen. Brian was not so sure. We'd have to see....

At the hint of first light the bird calls started. There were dozens of different sounds that seemed amplified over the water in the dead still of dawn. Laying in bed with all the van windows open they were so clear and distinctly different - from tiny chirps to melodic songs and loud squawks. The sound was beautiful. Given it was Thursday morning we thought we'd better pull the TV out and check out our reception in preparation for the weekend motor racing. We had none. Bugger! Everyone one else camped on the river had antennas up, so we figured they were getting it. We played around for ages with no success, then did some research and decided we needed to add a boosting component known as a Winegard Wingman to our antenna. We could get one from a variety of locations around Australia for around $59, but not delivered in time for the weekend viewing. Bugger again! Our dilemma - to move or not to move. It was such a perfect spot.

We drove into town to top up with water, get cappys, buy NSW fishing licences and do some exploring. Bingara is quite lovely. In the middle of town sits the Roxy Theatre. Built in 1936 it is a restored retro building that still does movies and live performances. It has a cafe and the coffee was excellent. The wide main street is lined with original shop fronts all sitting under long, high verandas lined with pressed tin. It's all well maintained with landscaped plantings in the centre median strip and footpath edges that really enhance the whole feel of the town.

With a population of 1300 Bingara is just big enough to have all the key amenities -  hospital, schools, golf course (with lovely greens), bowling club, two pubs, etc. No Woolworths, Harvey Norman or Bunnings. The streets are all wide (presumably so the horse carts could turn around in the olden days) and the river runs through the end of town creating a lovely natural boundary on one side, while a large hill marks the end of town on another. Its a nice place and clearly popular with travellers. Even in the off season there was a lot of activity happening in the main street. I could imagine that with all the free-camp river frontage available it would be really busy in holiday season.

When we got back to the van we found an old fart had decided to tuck his large van right in between us and the next camp up. What the heck??? He hadn't set up but came up to us and asked if he had left enough room for us to hitch our car and get out, as he was staying a few days. I suggested there was ample open river side space just a little further along - but no - he was staying put. Bugger!

I unloaded the wood from the back of the Beast and set up the fire pit on the down-wind side of the van, which just so happened to be the side he was on. I put it really close to the water and as close as possible to our van and lit it at about 5pm. The grumpy old bugger was sooo put out about the smoke, which was swirling as much as it was wafting in his direction. He didn't address us directly but grumbled loudly to his wife for ages, threatening to tip a bucket of water on it. Given they both had a cigarette hanging constantly out of their mouths you'd think smoke wouldn't be an issue! We were expecting a confrontation but it didn't happen.

We fired up the generator at 8.30 Friday morning. Brian needed to get onto his computer to do some work. Once done we drove into Bingara to empty the loo, get water and have coffee, all of which we did before going up to the lookout on the hill behind town. The views from the top were panoramic. We could see the entire town and surrounding countryside to the south, and the ranges out toward Copeland Dam to the north. We could also follow the Gwydir River as it wound its way along the valley.

Not far out of town we spied a motorhome parked on the riverbank with no other camps around it and in a direct line with the TV towers on top of the hill where we were standing. We decided we should check it out. It took a while to find it as there were quite a few tracks that departed the road at various locations and meandered through the bush beside the river. Eventually we located it and made an instant decision to move. That would not only get us away from the silly old whinger beside us, but would also (hopefully) mean we would get TV reception. It was closer to town as well, which meant that we could ride, or even walk in. We thought it was prettier too with plenty of open, grassy space and only the RV there.

                                         
                                          Our van and the motorhome after relocation

It was 11.30 when we arrived back at the van. By 12.30 we had relocated and were set up in our new spot which was just beautiful. The river at this point was wider and and we had views in every direction. I threw a line in and we chilled out with our kindles for a couple of hours. Late afternoon I pulled the bikes off the van, we dusted them down, put the batteries in, left James in the van and rode into town (which took all of seven minutes) and had a drink at the pub.

When we got back I lit a lovely big fire and the motorhome couple, Keith and Janet, brought their chairs over and joined us in front of it until well after dark. They were great company and we had a really nice night.

Saturday was another beautiful day - clear, top of 30 degrees and a bit of a breeze. We walked into town and ordered a couple of huge, delicious breakfasts at the Roxy. It's the first time we'd eaten out in a long time - that was a treat, and it felt good to leave the Beast behind and get around on foot. The main street had a small market happening so we wandered along perusing the stalls. James was most intrigued with a box of tiny chicks that were for sale.

When we got back I did the housework while Brian wired up the 80 watt  portable solar panels we had bought at Helensvale. The van has a 90 watt panel on the roof, but it isn't enough if we are in shade or draw extra power. The the battery reading instantly went from 12.7  to 14.1 volts. In the past our TV had drawn too much power for us to run it on 12 volt for any length of time, but when we plugged it in with the extra solar input it barely made a difference to the reading. Excellent - we could watch the Gold Coast 600 without running the generator.

While in front of the TV I did a bit more research on the Winegard Wingman booster for the antenna and we decided that if it actually allows for a wider band of reception as per the claims, it would be a handy addition to our set up. They were advertised on EBay for as low as $40, but wouldn't allow me to used a Post Office as a delivery address. I found a mob in Queanbeyan advertising them for $50, and ordered it to be Express Post delivered to the Bingara Post Office for $18. We were quite happy to stay put for a week if needs be and wait for it to arrive.

Just as we settled in to watch the V8's we saw a couple of fire trucks go along the fire track high on the hill on the other side of the river. We looked east and saw smoke not far away. I checked my 'Fires Near Me' App and there was a fire burning out of control 2 km away at Bald Knob, as well as a couple of larger ones 20 and 30 km away. Soon after we had aircraft overhead. We kept a close eye on the smoke while we watched the racing, glad that the wind was blowing it away from us, particularly given it was pretty gusty.

By the time the sun started to set there was only a hint of smoke and the wind had died right down. We walked along the river in the direction of the fire but couldn't see anything, so felt reasonably confident that we would not come under threat overnight.

                                This morning the smoke started pluming up fiercely again. Bugger!

Millmerran - Canungra - Coolmunda Dam, SOUTH-EAST QUEENSLAND

Bathurst Sunday! The TV went on at 6am and we pretty much didn't get out of bed all day. That was actually due to the fact that the TV is located in the 'bedroom', so technically it turned into a lounge room for the day. We did manage to fit in a bath for James and Brian got under the van for a bit to see what he could do about the mis-aligned rear axle.

After three quarters of the race it came down to a battle of the heavyweights. Ford versus Holden. It was gripping. Lowndes was flying, Tander was flying and Winterbottom in the lead was holding on for his life, the only one of the three who had never won Bathurst. The last 30 laps of a six and a half hour, 1000 kilometer endurance race turned into an absolute sprint race, with less than a second separating first and second. Amazing!



I'm a Holden girl, but Frosty is one of my favourites and I was really hoping he would win toward the end. It was without doubt the most gutsy driving performance I have ever seen as he drove that Ford like a man possessed to fend off a final lap charge from Whincup. I love the V8 Supercars!

All through Sunday night the wind blew an absolute gale. It was so persistent and strong we couldn't risk trying to roll the awning up so both laid awake pretty much all night waiting to hear it crash onto the roof of the van. Eventually it died down for a short time, so we raced out of bed and got the awning in. Then we snatched a bit of sleep before dawn. We had planned to drive some 250 km to catch up with my daughter, Shelley, her partner Adam and my grandson, Lachlan, who live at the base of Mount Tamborine, not far from the Gold Coast.

We left Millmerran at eight Monday morning heading on minor roads east/south-east to Warwick, driving through fields of grain. The wind was unrelenting and at times threatened to blow us completely off the road. Brian had a heck of a job just to keep us on the narrow, sometimes single-laned strips of bitumen. His concentration was at an absolute peak. We stopped at Warwick (pop approx. 12,500), an attractive south-eastern Queensland regional centre, 128 km from Brisbane.We parked in the pretty, treed main street and walked its length before having a great coffee, and a well-needed break for BJ.

At Warwick we picked up the Cunningham Hwy, climbing up over the Main Range National Park and through Cunninghams Gap toward the Eastern Seaboard. The views from the top of the range were spectacular and while the drive was scenic, the long, steep descent on the eastern side of the range had the brakes really heating up. We departed the highway at Fassifern where it took a more northerly heading for Brisbane, and we continued east passing through Boonah and Beaudesert before arriving at our destination, Canungra, a bit before 2pm. We booked in at the local showgrounds, chose a shady spot with access to power and a delightful bush and creek aspect.

Canungra is a small, picturesque, rural township in the Scenic Rim Region and has a population of around 800. It's primarily a tourist town, being a popular destination for visitors from the Gold Coast and Brisbane. It is also a well-frequented spot for motor bike riders who flock there in droves on weekends to enjoy brunch at one of the old, alfresco cafes or the iconic Canungra Pub. Set in a valley, the slopes around Canungra are steep and forested with some cleared farmlands and rural homes in the flatter valley areas. That's where my daughter lives, just 7 km out of town.

Four year-old Lachy goes to kinder at Canungra, just a short walk from the showgrounds. Shelley picked him up mid-afternoon and they dropped in. It was so lovely to see them! Lachy couldn't get into his bathers quickly enough so as to play in the clear waters of the Canungra Creek, flowing along the edge of the showground boundary. He and James had a great time splashing around, cooling off from the warm afternoon heat.

That night we all sat around the fire in front of the van enjoying pizzas from the shop just around the corner. Lachy was delighted with a box of wood off-cuts that a fellow Grey Nomad had given us when we left Chinchilla Weir. It was destined to delight a small boy rather than kindle our campfires.

Tuesday I had earmarked to totally indulge myself. I was going to buy a just-released 'Samsung Galaxy Note 111' mobile phone. My birthday present (for Thursday) to myself. How exciting! We also wanted to look at portable solar panels to boost our battery power and a small, lightweight generator. That meant a trip into the burbs. It was too warm to consider taking James and leaving him in the Beast, so I took him for a good walk in readiness to spend four or five hours in the van. The showgrounds is an interesting place. There are a couple of stock yards, a big, grassy arena, a couple of smaller, flat arenas, some big out-buildings, a variety of camping areas, some of which are right on the banks of the creek and it abuts a dairy farm with the stream pretty much encircling it. It's a great camp spot with hot showers and toilets as well - all surrounded by bushland, mountains and abundant bird-life. One of the nicer, cheap ($25 with power, $10 without) parks.

I took James down toward the creek and cow paddock. There was a herd of cows grazing just on the other side of the fence. He's right into cows. Often when we are traveling we come across cattle on the outback roads and naturally one of us will say "cows ahead". James can be fast asleep, but as soon as he hears the word "cow" he's sitting up as high as he can, searching for them. This was the first time he'd actually had the opportunity to get up close and personal, and dragged on the lead to get to the fence. The cows saw him coming and backed rapidly away. Then you could see them thinking to themselves; 'hang on, this tiny little thing can't hurt us - let's check it out', and with that they all headed toward him at the same time, snorting and blowing. They were amazingly inquisitive. Well... he shat himself. It was hysterical.

We decided to go to one of the major shopping complexes about 20 km away. We arrived at Helensvale Westfield at 9.30 and went straight to the Telstra Shop where, after maybe 90 minutes, I walked out with my brand new phone, all connected, set up and ready to go. You beauty! Next we found a Ray's Outdoors and bartered with the manager to get a set of 80 watt solar panels from $499 down to $379. Bargain! Then to Bunnings where the cheapest 1000 watt generator was $499 - too expensive. Out with my new phone - look up Masters, it's location and prices on gennies. Half an hour later we paid $98 for a 750 watter, which would be just fine to power our laptops and small stuff. Excellent! Finally to our favorite store, Dan Murphy's. Time to stock up on liquid supplies before heading west to Outback Australia, probably on Thursday.

Brian couldn't get out of the burbs quickly enough. We hightailed it back to the serenity of Canungra to have a play with our toys before going to Shelley and Adam's for dinner.

We woke to a cacophony of bird calls as dawn broke around 5 am Wednesday. The showgrounds at Canungra is really a delightful spot. We spent hours between us on our electronic devices 'doing stuff' - Brian up to his eyeballs in work and me mostly playing with my new toy. After breakfast we strolled into town for a coffee at 'The Outpost', a favorite Bikie haunt and the scene of a Bikie protest that was telecast on TV news the previous weekend. It also sells fantastic pies!

We were back at the van well in time for Shelley to pick us up to go for lunch on Mount Tamborine. Before going up the mountain we drove out past the Army Jungle Training Centre, two or three kilometers out of town, to a free camp at Sharp's Reserve on the Coomera River. We knew we had to be out of the showgrounds by Thursday morning as it was totally booked out by the Historical Military Vehicle Association (or some such thing), and if we wanted to stay longer Sharp's was the best option. It was a great spot. Quite large with lots of river-frontage to camp on, trees, hills, serenity - typical Canungra. Brian was in two minds about staying a few more days. He was really itching to head outback again, though he did love the area.

The drive up to Mount Tamborine was only 10 or so kilometers up a steep road. The views, as you can imagine, are spectacular. Depending on which roads you take at the top you can look for miles out to the east to the Gold Coast and ocean, or to the west and across farmland and distant ranges. Just beautiful! We went to Saint Bernards, an historic old Tudor-style pub that takes its name from the St Bernard dog. Inside a giant St. Bernard lay snoozing on the dark timber floor. He was just beautiful. We went through the lounge and bar area out to the courtyard at the back that sat atop a section of mountain with views to the sea. Shelley shouted me a birthday lunch which was delicious. As we were eating a peacock meandered through the tables displaying his stunning coat of feathers. He looked so elegant.

After a delightful afternoon Shelley dropped us back to the van. Brian still had heaps of work to do. He had decided we should head off in the morning, so I arranged with Shell for a 'sausage-in-bread' dinner for our last night together. I made a nice big fire, Adam brought a load of wood from home, Lachy played 'spotlighting' with Grumpy's torch and we enjoyed a very pleasant evening.

Thursday, October 17th. My birthday! Brian gave me a card with a naked old couple on the front. They were playing golf. The dialogue balloon coming from the granny said "This is a lot of fun dear". On the inside of the card she says, "But when I said let's get naked and play around, this wasn't what I meant".

Shell and Lachy arrived at the van early with a load of wood, a bunch of garden flowers and big hugs. Lovely presents! We were packed and ready to go, so we drove into Canungra, parked the Beast and van and went to Cafe Metz for cappuccinos and chocolate milk. Then we said our goodbyes and hit the road with a planned journey of 260 kilometers to Coolmunda Dam, half way between Warwick and Goondiwindi. We had added a fair bit more weight to the back of the Beast with Shelley's delivery and the new generator. It was really noticeable, mostly in the steering. Not far out of Canungra we pulled over and off-loaded four of the larger pieces of wood - a shame for us but lucky for some other pyromaniac (like me). It made quite a difference.

We drove back through Beaudesert, Boonah, the Cunningham Gap and Warwick, then south-west toward Inglewood, turning off the highway 16 km short of it to Coolmunda. Camps 7 had listed a free camp 5 km in, but when we arrived there it was closed off. Fortunately we had passed a camping area adjacent to the boat ramp back near the turn-off, so we went back, called the number on the sign at the entry gate and was told we could set up anywhere. Someone would come around at 5pm and collect $10 per person camp fees. Pretty exy given it was just a paddock with a toilet block - no showers, power, facilities etc. It was very basic, but a lovely spot, so we pulled in and set up near the water's edge, well away from the only other van there.

When we arrived the skies were clear and the thermometer in the van read 33 degrees. As the afternoon wore on the wind really blew up, then some dark clouds appeared on the horizon. By sunset we could see masses of lightening to the south-west, and sat by the beautiful fire I'd built being fully entertained by nature for ages. We cooked spuds on the coals for dinner, stuffed them with coleslaw and other yummy things and had just enough time to eat them before the rain started.

It rained heavily several times throughout the night. By the time we got up it was dry, though relatively cool and partially cloudy. We were getting ready to go exploring in Inglewood when a bloke drove up and stopped at the van. He introduced himself as 'Ross', the owner of the adjacent property and house a few hundred meters up the hill. He was on for a chat. Ross was full of local information, advice and opinion...some of it of value. We did find out (among a lot of other things) the best spot to fish, what was being caught on what bait, that we got 12 mm of rain during the night, how to get into town via the back road, that Bourke is a great spot and where to get a good coffee in Inglewood. We managed to extricate ourselves from the conversation after about 40 minutes. He could really talk!

We went into town as per Ross's directions, found the coffee shop and had a couple of really excellent cappuccinos served by the very friendly owner, Rob. Inglewood is situated on the Cunningham Highway on the banks of the Macintyre Brook. The quaint little town of around 800 residents was established in 1872 and it would appear there is a keen gardener in their midst who keeps the main street looking beautiful. There are gorgeous little built-up garden beds along the footpath interspersed with lovely big palm trees. The main street, which is on the highway, has three pubs, an IGA, a bakery built around a railway carriage and a dozen or so other businesses. The region is predominantly a farming area consisting of (according to my research) mostly small to medium-sized family owned properties (like Ross's) and a few larger corporate holdings.

Not long after we got home the sky started to darken...and darken...and darken. The radar, when we checked, was lighting up with intense colors and Shelley texted to advise there were severe storm warnings for our area, so we knew we were in for a big one. We packed up the chairs, generator and beer fridge, rolled up the awning and watched as almost 180 degrees of front approached with arcs and sparks, crashes and bangs. The wind howled around us, rocking the van and turning the lake into a churning mass of whitecaps. The rain was torrential. The three of us tucked up on the bed and cozily waited out close to three hours of storm. It was excellent!

Late afternoon we emerged from the van. The rain had stopped and the sun was peeping through the breaking clouds, but the wind was still blowing a gale and it was bloody cold. Brian stayed in hibernation. Not James and I. We stoked up a big fire, rugged up and watched as dusk approached and a full moon rose into a clear night sky. The moonlight reflected across the water was beautiful.

Saturday morning dawned clear, calm and sunny. The tinnie would definitely come down from its perch atop the Beast today. Brian launched himself into action early and by nine the boat was on the trailer ready to go. By the time we had done coffee in town, explored the district a little further, BJ had caught up on some work, read the paper (a rare treat) and rigged the lines, it was early afternoon. It's amazing how the days slide by! The dam had become quite busy. The first fisho went out just before 5 am, and by lunchtime there were dozens of craft on the water - jet skis, ski boats, fishing boats and kayaks. The place was abuzz, but with plenty of space it wasn't at all crowded.

Coolmunda Dam (according to wiki) has a surface area of 1740 ha, holds 75,000 ML of water and at 100% capacity is an average depth of 4.3 meters. Constructed in 1968 for irrigation purposes, it is fed by the Macintyre Brook, with Bracker Creek and Sandy Creek also providing inflows. Coolmunda Restocking Group Inc have released Murray Cod, Silver Perch and Yellowbelly into the dam, making it a popular spot for anglers. It's an open piece of water on mainly flat countryside. With very little to provide shelter it can, as we had observed, get really rough in windy weather.

It was still quite calm when we launched around 1pm. We fished for close to two hours, using big fat worms for bait. The depth sounder was working which enabled us to locate the original creek bed and anchor in over 10 meters of water. That didn't work so we moved...and moved...and moved without so much as a nip. We eventually gave up and moored the tinnie out in front of the van, heartened to see a couple of guys in another camp cleaning what appeared to be several large fish. We must have been in the wrong spot, using the wrong bait, wrong rigging, wrong time of day....or just bloody unlucky. No matter, there's always tomorrow.

As appeared to be the norm, the wind came up late in the afternoon. It was still comfortably warm though, and with a fire to take the chill off the night air,we sat out until bedtime.

Glebe Weir - Chinchilla Weir - Millmerran, SOUTH QUEENSLAND

Sunday I posted my weekly blog (which always takes quite a bit of time), then browsed maps and Camps 7, researched online and viewed our next potential camping spots on Google Earth. What a fantastic tool! We use it heaps to decide if a bush camp will suit us. It kinda freaks me out when it zooms in from a satellite image of Earth to a specific destination such as a street address. It happens so quickly - sort of surreal. It was late morning by the time we had blogged, done the Nomads Notes journal entry and decided our next destination would be Chinchilla Weir. We'll go have a look and if it has phone coverage, which Brian needs at the moment for work, and it's a nice spot, we'll probably stay till Friday at least. By Saturday we want to have TV reception so we can watch Bathurst (V8 Supercar racing). I doubt we'll get that there.

Before lunch we jumped in the Beast and went down to the Dawson River for a fish. It was much cooler sitting beside the river than up at the van. While Brian read (he devours books -  thanks kids for our Kindles!), James and I fished. The river was fairly small, shallow and fast-flowing, so I didn't really expect to catch anything. It was lovely though to just sit and take in the sights, sounds and smells of the bush. There was a light perfume in the air - a mix of eucalyptus and something sweet, perhaps a blossom of some sort. It was delightful. All of a sudden I felt a bite, gave a jerk on the rod and voila....a fish! It was a good size too. It looked like some kind of Bream. When we examined it we could see that it was a fat female, full of roe no doubt, so she got thrown back. Aside from that I had one nibble.

After that we drove back toward the highway for a few kilometers and collected a load of wood. Even though it was in the mid thirties I planned to make bread on the fire that afternoon, and we always like to carry at least two night's worth of fires when we move.  Late in the day I made a savory damper, Brian cooked a roast lamb dinner in the Baby Q and we enjoyed a balmy evening watching our last sunset over Glebe Weir - with, of course, a roaring fire (bush TV) for entertainment.

When we jumped in the Beast at eight Monday morning to head south to Chinchilla the outside temperature reading was 23 degrees. Within half an hour it was 28. It was going to be a warm one. At Taroom we drove to the lookout where we'd noticed a tap when last there. A check of the water quality showed it to be excellent, so we filled the van along with 2 X 20 litre containers. That gave us 200 litres on board. A good week's supply with careful use.

From Taroom we followed the Leichardt Highway for 124 km to Miles, passing through the townships of Wandoan, Gulaguba and Kowguran. We made a ten kilometer detour at Miles to have a look at Gil Weir. It was a rather average spot though with no boat ramp, so we gave it a miss. From Miles we headed east along the Warrego Highway to Columboola, Baking Board, then Chinchilla, just 45 km away. By the time we arrived there it was a little before midday and the temperature gauge was showing 38 degrees.

Chinchilla looked like quite a nice river-side town, larger than we expected (pop 5500) with signs of recent growth. The Kogan Creek Power Station (and other coal and gas projects) have begun to inject a lot of cash into the town and it is experiencing mass growth and development. Traditionally (since it's establishment in 1887) agriculture was the mainstay of the community, with beef and pork production, wool growing, and horticulture underwriting the local economy. As soon as we drove into Chinchilla we noticed just about every other vehicle was a white company 4WD Utes with orange lights on top, and when we arrived at the weir there were lots of very fancy power boats cruising around. A sure sign of mining money!

                                                 The carpark at the very busy aerodrome

There were lots of vans and camps already set up in the area the council has designated for camping, but being early we managed to find a great location right on the water's edge. The weir was alive with boating and skiing activity, due, no doubt, to the high temperature and the fact it was a public holiday. We were both surprised that we felt totally comfortable operating in 38 degrees. It's amazing how we must have acclimatized to the heat. It is so much easier to handle without humidity.

In the afternoon we pulled the wood out of the back of the Beast so Brian could get the trailer out, then he unloaded the boat and got it all set up. It was so busy on the ramp and in the water that we didn't bother launching. We figured it would be much quieter Tuesday. A neighbour came over while Brian was tinkering with the tinnie and cautioned us to be careful with our wood pile - there were two Red-bellied Black snakes living in tree roots going into the water just a few feet away. They might find our wood pile inviting. That sure got our attention - and certainly meant we'd be keeping a very close rein on James. We tried to find the snakes, but with no luck. We did, however, get visited by a couple of curious lizards. We made sure James understood they were a no-no as far as investigating went. He was quite happy though, particularly when I took him down by the ramp for a swim.

James insisted he needed to go outside at some ungodly hour Tuesday morning. I tried to put clothes on quietly so as not to wake Brian and managed to get my shorts on back the front. Of course the zip was not going to do up over my rather ample expanse of bottom so I ended up going out into the dark with it bare and pretty well exposed. That would have been ok if we just went to the front of the van as I planned, but James took off and I had to follow. So glad it was dark! He found a big patch of grass and proceeded to graze like a cow for 15 minutes. With multiple camps in the immediate vicinity I decided it would be wise to pop into the nearby dunny and rearranged my attire, which was a good thing cos he then lead me all around the camp, refusing to come back inside. I guess he thought he was going to throw up. I was not happy! When I finally got back to bed we were woken up just after five by the drone of traffic noise on the country road running past the dam. It was a fair distance away, but the breeze must have been from that direction. It turned out to be a continuous stream of the company Utes heading out to the mine and power station. By 6am it was completely quiet again, not that I was able to get back to sleep. We'd make sure to shut the windows on that side of the van before bed in future and I would get James to the vet. It's very rare for him to go out in the night.

We drove into town early and after a lot of searching found the one and only vet clinic. They were great. James got a good check over and was found to be a picture of health. Maybe he did have a bit of concussion from his fall the week before - or maybe it's travel sickness - who knows. At least there's nothing major wrong. By the time we got back to the weir it was blowing a bloody gale. Bugger! So much for putting the tinnie in. As the afternoon wore on the wind blew harder and harder. The van was rocking like crazy and we just about lost the awning when we decided it should be rolled up or it would tear. We fired up the genny to power our laptops and spent a few hours shut in the van. It was just too uncomfortable outside. When we got sick of that we drove back into town and put $20 through a one cent poker machine at the pub, coming out an hour later with $50. Lucky eh!

The wind had died down by the time we got back so I lit a fire while Brian hitched the boat to the Beast and got all the fishing gear ready. We were determined to go fishing even though the forecast was for more wind Wednesday. We would get up at first light, take our travel mugs with coffee and hit the water before the wind came up.

We were on the water before 6am. It was like glass. There wasn't a breath of wind, and although the air had an early morning chill about it the sun was beautifully warming. It was idyllic. The scenery around Chinchilla Weir is really picturesque. With the water level at close to 100% there were no muddy banks like Glebe. The array of vegetation that grows right to the water's edge varies from bushland to reeds to dense native shrubbery. From the boat ramp several arms of the weir branch out, each one different to the others. There are open expanses of water (great for water skiing) and wooded sections with little inlets here and there. And the bird-life is amazing.

Sipping on our coffees, we threw our lines in and just let the tinnie drift. The water was quite shallow, even in the middle of the main arms. All around us fish were jumping. There were splashes going off like mini-bombs all over the place. Some of the fish got right out of the water and were a good size. At one point we drifted toward a bank that had fallen trees hanging over the water and came across a Water Monitor resting on a branch. He was a good meter in length. As we watched him we noticed a Red-bellied Black snake sunning itself right on the bank behind him. Fantastic!

The fishing, sadly, was bad. In two hours we got one miserable bite...a  big ugly smelly Carp which Brian disposed of, as required by law. Not another nibble. Bugger! We gave up and returned to the ramp all the richer for the experience, if not the catch. We were not too disheartened however  - there were other sections of the weir to be explored and other bait we could try.

Mid-morning we headed off in the Beast to see if we could find the mine and power station. We followed in the direction of the peak hour traffic and eventually spotted a tall chimney stack several kilometers across wheat fields. We zigged and zagged along half a dozen country roads before eventually getting there to find a huge monolith sitting in a paddock in the middle of no-where. My research revealed the following information from CS Energy:

Kogan Creek Power Station was officially opened in 2007, making it the newest addition to CS Energy's diverse power portfolio. The coal-fired power station can provide up to 750 megawatts of baseload electricity - enough to power almost 1 million Australian homes. The power station contains the largest single generating unit in Australia and has one of the lowest environmental impacts of any coal-fired power station nationwide, with low levels of water consumption and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The neighbouring Kogan Creek Coal Mine supplies coal to the power station via a four kilometre overland conveyor belt. The power station is also the site of the Kogan Creek Solar Boost Project, which will showcase how renewable and conventional electricity generation technologies can be integrated. CS Energy will install a solar thermal addition at the power station to increase its capacity and improve plant efficiency.



On the way home we drove out onto the Warrego Highway, through Brigalow (population 40) to Chinchilla, then completed the circuit back to the weir.

Around 4pm we decided to have another go at fishing. The day had remained calm and despite there being perhaps 20 or so other camps around us, there was no activity on the water at all - not even day trippers. We changed bait from prawns to worms, relocated several times and spent another two hours with our lines in. Nothing....absolutely not one tiny nibble. We were a little disheartened by this time, so pulled the tinnie out, lit a fire and enjoyed a few drinks while watching the sun go down. Just another day in paradise......albeit a fishless one!

The first thing we noticed when we stirred around 5.30 Thursday was smoke. We could smell it and as the sun rose the sky took on a hazy appearance. It could have been burning off, in Queensland that happens a lot. We don't listen to news so we didn't find out why. The smoke haze hung around all day.

There were some food crumbs left on the table outside which attracted a family of Blue-faced Honey Eaters. They scraped and pecked the surface of the table clean and seemed to be calling for more. When I put the early morning kettle on I broke up a piece of bread and scattered it for them, much to their apparent delight. Even when James went outside and sat beside the table (with strict instructions not to chase them) they continued happily with their feeding and chatting. I think if you were to spend time with them they would become tame enough to hand feed. They are not at all timid.

We did the normal morning thing - reading, journal entry, costs for the previous day, photo editing and filing etc. then Brian got stuck into some work. By ten we were ready to go into Chinchilla for a coffee at Jamaica Blue, and were just about to leave when a guy camping across the way came over for a chat. He and his wife had sold their house and businesses and were on the road for the next few years. They were traveling in a Jayco Expanda (small, no annex) with their four kids aged from seven to two years old, home schooling the two older girls. The youngest, a boy, suffered from kidney failure and he required daily treatments and procedures which they managed. His medical file was sent from hospital to hospital as they moved. They were going to stay at the weir for a few days as they had an upcoming appointment in Brisbane. His attitude was 'life's too short' - they wanted real quality time with their family while they could. We thought they were pretty gutsy.

In Chinchilla we bought an oval plastic laundry basket with holes in it. I wasn't happy with the way we had James set up in the Beast. His 'car seat' was a dog bed sitting on top of a pillow thing which was perched on our golf bags laying (secured) across the back seat. Even though he wears a harness, the bed, with him in it, tended to slide off. My idea was to secure the basket with the centre seat belt by threading it through the holes, then make a bed for him in it. That way it wouldn't be able to move and he would have sides to his 'car seat' to keep him from sliding out. It would still sit on the golf bags as there was nowhere else for them to go, and they provided height anyway so he could see out of the windows. We also bought a 20 meter, 15 amp power lead so we could join it to the other two leads we had to give us enough length (60 meters) to plug into a power point that had become available at the weir.

After shopping we went and checked out the golf course. It's a 9 hole course in lovely condition with grass greens. I walked over one and it was a bit fluffy but otherwise really well maintained. The undulating, tree-line fairways showed tinges of green too - not bad given the area is in drought. I would have loved a game but Brian wasn't so keen to play that afternoon. He agreed on a morning game if we decided to stay a few more days. That would depend on whether we could get TV coverage once we plugged into power. Bathurst was the priority.

From there we headed out of town to a monument to Cactoblastis, which is referred to as 'Chinchilla's Environmental Miracle'. Apparently Prickly Pear (which was introduced by the First Fleet in 1788 to produce cochineal dye) was spreading through the area at a rate of 1000 acres per day by the 1920's with horrific consequences for land owners. Scientists were sent to the abroad to see if they could find an insect that ate it, and found Cactoblastis Cactorum, a moth whose caterpillar eats prickly pear. After testing to make sure it wouldn't have effects on other plants, Cactoblastis was released into the environment in 1926. A rearing program at the Chinchilla Field Station (among others) was established to obtain sufficient insect numbers to have an impact. Within ten years the caterpillars had apparently cleared an estimated 11 million hectares of prickly pear. The remains of the Chinchilla field station 'The Shed', can be seen in the paddock behind the monument.

We plugged into power when we got back to the van, pulled the TV out from under the bed and tuned it in. The reception was not good - Bugger!. Brian spent the rest of the day re-loading the tinnie on the Beast and generally getting ready to leave Friday. We phoned a caravan park at Millmerran, some 200 km south-east and was advised they had excellent channel 7 reception.....tomorrow's destination and a weekend of Bathurstmania!

The cheeky Blue-faced Honey Eaters were flying at the caravan window at first light Friday - presumably hassling for breakfast. I got out of bed and gave them some crumbs. They really are quite bold - and very entertaining. We were packed up and on the road before eight. It was a bit sad to leave Chinchilla Weir. It is definitely one of the best free camps we have stayed at. James got to try out his new car set. I'm not sure he was overly impressed, but it did seem to do the trick.

Rather than take the Warrego Highway to Dalby we opted for a back road. It was a quiet run through scrubby, flat country. At Dalby we stopped for coffee and did a grocery shop to stock up on supplies. It is a decent sized town with major supermarkets and stores like Harvey Norman. Millmerran was about 100 km south-east, once again on minor roads. We could have gone via Toowoomba, but that was too much like the burbs. We went through the quaint little town of Cecil Plains instead, passing through open farm country with massive wheat (I think) fields.

Millmerran is in the Darling Downs region of Queensland. The town is situated on the Gore Highway, 208 kilometres west of Brisbane. It has a population of  around 1,500. It's an old, neat little place with a pretty golf course, a short main street with a pub, and a tavern tucked in the far back corner of town adjacent to the caravan park. We arrived just after midday and chose a site away from other caravans with plenty of space around it. I only paid for one night. I wanted to make sure the TV reception was ok before we committed to staying the weekend. As soon as we were parked the TV got plugged in and we had Bathurst in all its glory blazing clearly across the screen. You beauty!

Friday's Bathurst coverage went until 3pm, after which we took a tour around town before driving out to Yarramalong Weir. It is a free camp 25 km north of Millmerran. We had considered staying there but weren't too sure if we'd get TV reception, and even if we did it would mean running the generator half of Saturday and all day Sunday. Not only that but the last time I did a load of washing was almost two weeks ago and the laundry basket was overflowing. I needed washing machines. There were a dozen or so camps set up on the banks of the weir. There was a fairly extensive area suitable to get a van into, quite pretty with high water levels and a boat ramp. It would be a good free camp option if we are in the area at some time in the future, or even for a couple of days next week.

Before dinner I took James for a wander to check out the tavern behind the caravan park. I poked my head in the door and was greeted by a big, country-style bloke behind the bar who insisted I come in and have 'a bloody good look'. While James sat on the deck outside we chatted, and when I noticed there was VB on tap I knew I just had to get Brian. A few minutes later we were seated at the bar with a chardy and a beer swapping yarns with Geoff, who turned out to be the owner. Among other things we talked about how tough it is for country pubs to survive in this over-regulated day and age. Geoff felt pretty strongly that it was something of a travesty, given they have historically been the life-blood of small towns. He had some great ideas about collecting memorabilia and anecdotal stories from pubs that have closed up shop, many with over 100 years of operation, losing the characters and memories that are part of Australia's bush heritage. He talked about establishing a sort of 'dead pub memorial' at his tavern where people could contribute information. We eventually headed back to the van for a very late dinner, assuring Geoff that we would be back to continue our very interesting conversation later in the weekend.

Saturday. In a flurry of activity we did four loads of washing, cleaned the van inside and out ....... and watched Bathurst on TV from 11am till 5pm. Bliss!


This photo of me was taken as I was waiting to drive a V8 Supercar around seven laps of Sandown. My 60th. birthday present!