Melbourne to Armidale via Wodonga and the Warranbungles

We are in a comfy hot cabin in Armidale. The highest town in Australia at 1000m so it is a bit chilly outside. Youngmi has just cooked korean spicy chicken, mashisoyo. There is free wifi so it is time to update the blog. Saturday night and we have been on the road 5 days. 

Last Monday 2 June 2014 ,Youngmi completed the sale of her house and banked the cheques. No bank transfers for house sales in Victoria. We had a farewell to Niddrie lunch in the vietnamese restaurant and then made a last trip to the store room where all our furniture is now resting. Moving our couches and washing machine into the store is another story. Dave cut his thumb open on a stiff lock at the store and later that day cut another finger on a razor. With these two wounds next to the other damaged fingers from furniture moving he felt like Dave Scissorhands

Three hours drive north brought us to Wodonga at 7pm. We were being greeted by Con and Anna Marie and their lovely kids Emma and Peter. Warm comfortable dinner with good banter and a few red wines.

Dismal Grey weather in Wodonga next day but very friendly info centre, lunch at the commercial club and lots of coffee in the Beechworth Bakery. Another lovely evening at Cons. After a big schnitzel dinner diabetic Dave went for a walk along the dark stretts. All was quiet until two hounds of the Baskervilles bounded across the road. Just being friendly said the owner from the darkness.

Drizzle as we set off on Wednesday but cleared to Wagga Wagga. Visited Antarctic and Indigineous painting exhibitions. Next stop Junee and the roundhouse railway museum. While we were looking for lunch in the old fashioned town the publican of a big old pub said his food was the best in town and then gave us a wink. Wolf Creek? Found a great lunch in the RSL club with a chinese buffet.





Cootamundra was a pleasant biggish place with Don Bradmans birthplace. (You can't get Aussie citizenship if you don't know the Don was a great cricketer.)



Planning to stay in Young but the info lady said it will be 1deg at night.Still thinking of camping so carried on to Forbes. Booked a motel room at the campground.Really good , warm and clean. Strolled around Forbes around 7.30pm and lots of pubs and grand buildings from gold rush times. Pubs all busy and people walking around. Nice place.

Caught up on some sleep after two big nights at Cons place. Sunshine next morning and Forbes still looks nice. Park and lake and lots of people queuing outside the courthouse. Maybe the same people who were in the pubs last night.




 After 3 grey days lovely sun. Called in at The Dish near Parkes. Famous from the Sam Neil film and the first moon landing when it got the first signals from the moon.Parkes also has an Elvis festival hence the pictures of Elvis and the Dish. Peak Hill at bit old fashioned and Youngmi refused to have lunch in the RSL club. Obviously everyone else agreed as the place was empty apart from a funny disinfectant smell.







Quick look at  Dubbo and then checked into the IBIS budget hotel. Nice building but freezing room.Dinner at the RSL was strange as it was cafe style, not cheap and packed. Roast and veg was good for Dave's blood glucose level which was in range the next morning for the first time in days

80kms north of Dubbo the twon of Gilgandra was a real surprise. The story of the Cooee march was unknown to us. In 1915 250 of the population of 2,500 heard the Cooee call from Gallipoli to come and fight.These guys marched to Sydney being joined by lots of others on the way. Eventually many of them were shot to pieces in France and Belgium.




Driving to Coonabaraban we listened to tales from a writers festival . All impressive especially Magda Subanski? who discovered her father was in the polish resistance in the war.

After lots of flat land we drove into the Warranbungles. Volcanic hills in bright sun. Nice National Park campsite so we risked our first night camping. Collected firewood and had a lovely walk with lots of kangaroos for company and views of the Breadknife. Youngmi cooked a great pasta dish which we ate by the campfire as it was dark by 5.15pm. A few glasses of whisky, lots of stars and the campfire. Dave put on lots of clothes before going to bed but it wasn't too cold ( or too hot)

A lot of noise in the night from a possum trying to run off with the rubbish. Dave was about to dial 000 when he remembered we were camping and not at our ex home in Niddrie.

Had a look at the Observatory in the hills and the road that Aaron once cycled down. Four people were cycling down so it must be a good idea.



Surprised to find it was 200kms to Tamworth. This Australia is big.
Tamworth 60,000 people without its country music festival and next to some hills. Looked nice.
Hungry Jacks wifi and coffee stop.Found my UK passport had been dispatched to Melbourne so once again asking for Peters help with getting a passport. Like the last trip.


Onward and the New England Highway went up and up. Did look like Wuthering Heights with gum trees.




Delighted to find a Driver Reviver stop at Uralla. These are great free tea and coffee places on holiday weekends to encourage people to take a break. Two lovely ladies served the tea, chatted about Tony Abbotts wink and said it would get colder as the road went higher into New England.






20 minutes later we were in Armidale and the info centre directed us to a campground with lots of cabins. Perfect.