There is not a lot I can say about the drive from Broken Hill to Dubbo. It is a pretty long, boring stretch of dry bush of nearly 1000km with a few small towns and roadhouses along the way. You literally are 'out the back of Bourke' here, and there isn't much out the back to see apart from lots of wild goats, emus and lizards who keep us company along the roadsides and in the freecamps.
Getting closer to Dubbo, the landscape becomes greener and the roads less straight. We stop in Dubbo for three nights about 9km out of the town on the riverbank. Its free, but very popular, in a reserve with gorgeous birdlife and trees along the river, so you need to get in early! Unfortunately, we wake the following morning with revolting hayfever, finding out the hard way we must all be allergic to Dubbo! We stumble along in the morning (not functioning very well), and decide to visit the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo while here as have heard such good things about it. The great thing about Dubbo Zoo is your entry fee is valid for 2 days, and you will need both those to see it all! We had a great two days exploring the 6km circuit (which you can cycle, golf buggy or drive your own car) and learning a lot from the keeper talks. The weather was beautiful and once medicated, we did much better hayfever-wise the following day. It was a great family outing for us towards the end of our trip.
We spent Wednesday on the road again travelling the Golden Highway to get closer to Nelson Bay. The hills definately prove to be a challenge for Captain Slow, who does live up to his name at times! Why Nelson Bay? We hear you all asking...that is where Grandad lives and we promised him a visit while on our trip, which because of my Grandmothers illness early in our trip, didn't happen when we had originally planned. He and we are very excited about finally getting there, and hence 'the big detour'! And besides, what is another 1200km these days in the grand scheme of things? And we get to see more of this giant country along the way.
We stop in Denman for lunch and meet up with a lovely mum in the playground who wants to pick our brains as she is planning a similar trip for next year with her husband and two children. She also shares with us about how many coal miners, as her husband is one of them, are being laid off each day and end up devastated at the thought of being able to survive on a lesser income than the mines after building up such a huge debt for themselves and their families. This is the same story we have heard a lot as we have travelled, and it really is frightening the way people are now setting themselves up to have to live on such high earnings, otherwise they don't know how to survive...and how mining companies are just encouraging the same! (Sorry about the rant, but sometimes these things become very apparent as you talk to those in the thick of it). I pray that more and more families will see through the false sense of security in high incomes, and really see what is important in this life.
We stay overnight in Maitland, stopping in the funniest little van park we found on google with one solitary site for non-permanant vans! A bit of a weird place that freaked me out a little with shared ablution blocks...so you never quite knew who was going to walk in! Unfortunately, we didn't really know any of this until we were parked inside, but we survived the night! We have had some crazy van park experiences over the last 12 months, but they make for great memories!
On Thursday morning, we drove the short distance to Nelson Bay to see Grandad. Captain Slow is parked at the back of the apartments (hope he doesn't roll down the hill!) because we are sleeping in a house for 2 nights! A trip to Toboggan Hill Park in the afternoon is pretty fun and gives Grandad a break as he is feeling unwell unfortunately, and not really his energetic self. Then a swim in the apartment pool to finish the day.
Today, after the morning helping Grandad with a second opinion at the doctors and getting tests done, as he didn't seem to be improving, we decided to have a go at Ice Skating. Not a bad effort for a first go! None of us came back with too many bruises but the kids did discover that it is not as easy as it looks!
On Saturday, Grandad was much chirpier, and after an easy morning, we headed out to Anna Bay to check out the amazing sand dunes. These dunes spread along the coastline for kilometres...the largest sand dune area in Australia. They are a spectacular sight! A 4wd tour bus takes you across the dunes and drops you off at a suitable spot for sandboarding. The 4wd ride is fun enough, the sandboarding is even more so! The climb up each time with you board is challenging though, but when you get to the top, it is all worthwhile because going down is awesome! Another dip in the pool when we got back was a great way to relax again.
Grandad sent us off on Sunday morning with a big cooked breaky and lots of extra little goodies he kept giving away over the stay, so Captain Slows cupboards are a little bit fuller than when we arrived (as well as our bellies)! We have had a great time being adventurous in Nelson Bay and spending some more time with family we don't get to see much of. We feel very blessed (and the kids very happy) for all the 'treating' from Grandad over the last 3 days to make the last little bit of our trip very fun! Thank you Grandad!
No comments:
Post a Comment