2021 Border Ranges and Lightning Ridge
May 10, 2021
April / May 2020
PRELUDE
Why Warwick? Why Lightning Ridge?
This was the common reaction when we told friends we were heading north on a road trip. So why?
With the prospect of state borders finally remaining open and the collapse of the El Nino weather pattern that had brought widespread flooding to NSW it seemed a good time to go walk-about. It would be a rare chance to see the outback green rather than red-dust brown. So where to go?
Bush fires had ravaged a lot of NSW National Parks in 2019/20 so an obvious choice was to head north into Queensland where there had been less damage. The last time we had gone to Northern NSW was in 2000 escaping the Sydney Olympic Games.
But then fire altered our plans again; our chosen destination, Fraser Island, had a bad burn. We needed a Plan B. That was when we came up with the route shown below, heading up to the Border Ranges, west to the Queensland Darling Downs, and then out to Lightning Ridge.
PORT MACQUARIE
Sunday 18th April
Our goal was to self-cater as far as possible on our two week escape to northern NSW, and that way avoid the country pub diet of steak, schnitzel and pizza. The car was packed the day before with 4 carry-on bags, two ice boxes and a French horn, and everything was set for a prompt departure on Sudnay.
Although we left on time, the traffic was heavy, probably because it was the last day of the Easter school holidays. Throughout the holiday we shared the driving; the trips were carefully divided up to avoid either driver getting tired. The driver changeovers on the 390 km leg to Port Macquarie were at a service station outside Newcastle, and then a picnic lunch at Four Mile Hill outside Taree. We made good progress on the vastly improved Pacific Highway and had time to turn onto a more scenic route at Kew, following the coast up to Port Macquarie and passing through North Haven.
Our hotel for the next two nights was in the heart of Port Macquarie. We checked in at about 3pm and had the kettle on soon afterwards.
The Mid Pacific, Port Macquarie – for the best hotel view
Pro: Our refurbished room on 3rd floor had balcony view west over the river, and was high enough up to avoid any street noise.
Pro: The kitchenette was well equipped and had a separate sink for washing up
Con: The ground floor was used for car parking so the top floor was up four flights and the small lift would only take a couple of bags at a time.
With the bags transferred from the car it was still light enough for a walk along the side of the river; there were lots of people out strolling in the warm sunshine. The Port Macquarie breakwater is colourful because over the years the boulders have been painted as memorials. The coast path continued past Town Beach before we left it to head back along William Street. Near our hotel there were crowds sitting on the grass by the river side. We initially thought they were waiting for the twilight cruise – but then there was a roar as RAAF acrobatics planes started a display over the town. It was a surprise for us – and marked the conclusion of Port Macquarie’s Bi-Centenary celebrations.
For our first meal of the holiday we had ‘check-in drinks’ and a light dinner cooked with just a microwave. Drinks were taken on the balcony by the light of three battery candles purchased in K-mart for the holiday.
As it was the last evening of the Bi-Centenary celebrations we rugged up and strolled up Clarence Street to see a projection on the Court House showing the history of the settlement. Then we looked inside the old court – one of the few old buildings left in Port Macquarie.
Monday 19th April
The garbos and bright sunshine weren’t going to allow us to sleep in! Although the sun was warm, the air was chilly – so it was coffee time before we headed out. The cafe over the road served good coffee in the sun – but the waitress seemed to have an attitude problem.
Our rest day in Port Macquarie started with a leisurely drive down the coast stopping at many viewpoints. As we were getting back in the car at one stop – Stephanie (Annabel’s school friend) and her new husband Dane walked by; they had come up from Sydney for a break! What a coincidence! After taking the obligatory photo to prove the incredible had happened we went our separate ways.
After a brief stop on Flynns Beach our next stop was the Koala Hospital where we had booked on-line for a free 11:30 visit. The sanctuary in the grounds of Roto House did not trigger any memories of our earlier trips. The display cages that the public can view have the ‘basket cases’ – koalas so badly injured they cannot be released back into the wild.
The plan had been to walk round the Kooloonbung Nature area, but its board walks had been damaged by the recent floods. So instead we contented ourselves with a stroll round the historic cemetery and arboretum. The restaurant where we planned to have lunch had inconveniently closed down a few days before we arrived. So lunch was rescheduled to the Bean Tree cafe which had a nice garden area off the street. On the way back to the hotel, the urge to shop took us inside the smart Port Central mall but very little was bought.
Later in the afternoon it was time to dress up and walked a block or two to the smart Zebu bar in the Rydges hotel. This was a perfect location to sip cocktails and watch the sun set. Adrian was able to use a NSW Dine & Discover voucher to help pay for the drinks.
YAMBA
Tuesday 20th April
It was only a 280km drive to Yamba, our next stop up the coast. That left time for a relaxed pack, carrying the bags down to the car, and a cup of coffee (the waitress seemed friendlier now we were ‘regulars’). Below our balcony, council workers were digging holes in the grass to install bollards. It was interesting to see the excavator operator using divining sticks to confirm the location of underground pipes. After picking up ice and fuel on the way out of town we returned to the highway and headed north over the Hastings River.
The upgraded Pacific Highway is a great way to quickly go to Brisbane, but it does get monotonous at times as it bypasses all the towns. We took a detour off the highway to have lunch in Bellingen – a delightful town with a distinctly European feel, bisected by the Bellingen River. Parking in the cramped and bustling town centre was difficult, but we found a spot in a narrow lane between the shops and the river. Once again our pre-selected lunch venue let us down as the chef had been taken ill. So we switched to the TripAdvisor recommended Hearthfire bakery, hidden behind an impressive early 20th century emporium. As well as having lunch there we stocked up with some croissants for breakfast the next day.
The traffic crawled through Coffs Harbour (which is still waiting for a bypass) but back on the brand new (2020) dual carriageway the kilometres zipped by. It was hot and our stomachs were full, warning signs for driver fatigue, so we played word games.
The turnoff to Yamba was just before the impressive new bridge over the Clarence River. Because the river is navigable for ocean-going ships the new bridge is high enough for them to pass underneath (although the old lifting bridge is still in use for local traffic). We then headed towards the coast through cane fields and macadamia nut plantations.
Yamba is a sleepy holiday town with few decent self-catering motels. We had booked into the Yamba Sun in one of the few ‘deluxe’ rooms with a kitchenette. The room was on the 1st floor so we had to lug all our bags up a flight of stairs. The motel pool was in the shade (and not as attractive as depicted on the website) but the water wasn’t too cold for a much needed swim.
Yamba Sun Motel, Yamba – for the most misleading publicity pictures
Pro: Good seized kitchenette for self-catering
Con: Somewhat dated building in need of refurbishment (not reflected in on-line photos)
Con: The pool is shaded by the motel buildings
Con: Suffers from road noise from the one main road into Yamba
As the sun went down we explored the tiny town centre in the car. There was a large camp site, a small supermarket and very little else. The kitchenette was well equipped which allowed Adrian to cooked smoked salmon linguini, using an electric frypan for the first time.
Wednesday 21st April
A sunny hot day with a chilly start – which turned out to be the weather recipe for the rest of the holiday. Our first outing after breakfast was to the weekly farmers market held in the Whiting Beach car park. There was a good range of produce on sale – with garlic being a specialty. It allowed us to stock up with fruit and tomatoes at very low prices. Then after an early coffee back at the motel we drove a short way to the fisherman’s co-op . Yamba has the second largest fishing fleet in NSW and we selected some locally caught Luderick fillets for our evening meal.
Every Wednesday the Yamba / Illuka ferry skips its midday run across the Clarence River estuary and runs a tourist round trip up river to Harwood Island. We boarded the ferry at a wharf close to our motel at 11 and had a relaxing time sitting at the back of the upper deck. The commentary was annoying at times – but the boat gave a good look at the significant commercial activities on the water. It was interesting to see the new yard capable of repairing barges and ships from overseas, and also a commercial prawn farm. After passing under the new and old road bridges across the Clarence at Harwood Island the ferry turned round and headed back down river. The trip back was shorter due to the strong current in the river after recent floods. We supplemented the sandwiches bought on board with extras we had in our day sack.
In the back of the car was Adrian’s old french horn, coming along for the trip to keep those lip muscles in form. Finding opportunities to play was difficult at times, but the bathroom at the Yamba Sun was reasonably soundproof (if a bit over resonant).
MURWILLUMBAH
Thursday 22nd April
Our first ‘early’ start of the trip was helped by a truck that started loading scaffolding outside our room before 7am. In the rush to be on the road by 9 Adrian left a bag of undies behind in a drawer. Luckily they were rescued during the ritual checking-out room inspection.
An hour up the highway there is a turn-off to Ballina. On the way into town we stopped off at the Fisherman’s Co-op. It was near the Big Prawn; but they didn’t have any prawns! Adrian bought some Mullet fillets instead.
The Naval and Maritime museum had plenty of parking outside, and it took us over an hour to work through their eclectic collection. The museum is dominated by one of the balsa rafts that journeyed from Ecuador to Ballina in 1973. There was also an unusual display of the commemorative rum bottles distributed when a warship is decommissioned.
Adrian had pre-selected an Israeli cafe for lunch that served interesting food and good coffee, and which surprisingly was still open! We wandered round the town for exercise but concluded that Ballina’s river was not as attractive or interesting as the Clarence.
Google plotted a complicated route into the hills to our next stop – the Rocky Creek Dam (Lismore’s water supply). The narrow roads were made more challenging by deep potholes that had appeared after the recent heavy rains. The dam dating back to 1954 was peaceful, the lake was full, and we took a short round walk.
To reach Murwillumbah from Lismore we took back roads to Mullubimbi and then climbed up to a pass over the eroded caldera of the Mt Warning shield volcano. As the road passed through National Park near the summit it was unsurfaced and fun to drive. Then, as we started our descent to the Tweed River, we were treated to a good view over the valley to Mount Warning. It was fortuitous that the weather had been dry for a few weeks as the track down to Uki had numerous causeway crossings over Rowlands Creek.
We reached The Croft before 5 and were greeted by our hosts. The Studio Apartment was extremely well appointed – and there was also a large anti-pasta welcome plate which lasted us several days.
The Croft, Urliup – for the best breakfast
Pro: Delightful rural location with views to Mount Warning
Pro: Cook-yourself breakfast with a wide choice of quality ingredients including fresh eggs, local bacon, and fruit.
Pro: Seven minutes from restaurants and shops in Murwillumbah.
Con: A bit tricky wheeling cases from the car over gravel
Con: Lace curtains are nice, but really needed blockouts for the early morning sun
The studio had two decks, one at the front looking over the pool, and one at the rear with a view towards Mount Warning. There had been some troubles with the pool leaking so weren’t able to have a swim; the water was probably too cold anyway.
Friday 23rd April
Friday was a nominated rest day. After coffee we drove through town to the Tweed Regional Gallery. Of particular interest was the reconstruction of rooms from Margaret Olley’s Paddington house. The gallery was compact and easy to explore in an hour. The gallery restaurant had moved up-market with a named chef, so instead we opted for a sunny picnic lunch in Budd Park by the Tweed.
Our research had uncovered two walking trails round Murwillumbah, one was a general heritage walk and the other focused on the numerous Art Deco buildings in town. We wandered round the town centre stopping using both leaflets to identify places of interest. Of particular note was the Art Deco Autral Building near the river bridge which had preserved tilework, windows and ceilings.
Chef Adrian was having a rest day, so we ate out in town at The Balcony. The food was good quality home cooking, and the service from a mature waitress was very efficient.
Saturday 24th April
Murwillumbah is only 24 minutes from Banora Point where Megan’s cousin Pamela lived. We had allocated Saturday to catch up with Pamela and have lunch together. Megan’s cousin Cathy had also come down from Brisbane to see us.
Our start was carefully timed so we would arrive on the coast in time for coffee. The road from Tumblegum to Pamela’s retirement village ran on a ridge with great views south over the Tweed and north to the Gold Coast. It then descended into a featureless residential area which stretched out to the coast.
After coffee, and catching up on news, we drove (separately) back to the House of Gabriel in Tumblegum. Initially the café menu looked expensive ($35 for one course), but then Cathy spotted a deal for 4 shared courses for two for $70. This turned out to be much better because we got to sample 3 dishes (of our choice) from the lunch menu. It was a warm sunny day and we sat outside overlooking the river.
After dropping Cathy off back at Pamela’s house we drove out through Tweed heads to Point Danger; a headland that straddles the Queensland border. It was interesting to read that Captain Cook actually named a headland further south as Point Danger. But because the state border is defined as running through Point Danger at Tweed Heads then the headland cannot be renamed! After looking at the views from both NSW and QLD we dropped Pamela off, did some shopping and headed back to Urliup on a winding back road.
Adrian attempted a shashuka for dinner cooked in our new electric frypan and using the fresh eggs supplied by the owners. That evening we packed up as much as we could from the kitchen, including all the left over fresh breakfast.
WARWICK
Sunday 25th April
After saying our farewells at The Croft we diverted through the Murwillumbah town centre to see if any coffee shops were open on Anzac Sunday. A takeaway was spotted in Murwillumbah Street so we parked and grabbed a take-away caffeine shot.
Our route west out of the Tweed caldera took us round the south side of Mount Warning , then over the rim onto a volcanic plateau that gently sloped down to Kyogle. There were many scenic glimpses from the road but no lookout, and the uneven terrain made for a slow winding trip. With a change of drivers we turned north into the Border Ranges National Park heading for the Border Loop lookout. We had expected to find the picnic area there deserted but it was a popular rest stop for people using the back route from Brisbane to Northern New South Wales. The view point overlooked a spiral loop on the railway line but it was mostly hidden by trees. Although a major challenge for Australia to build after WWI it was a minor engineering feat compared to the railways of Peru. Before having our picnic we took the 1.5km Border Loop loop track to work up an appetite.
The descent on the Queensland side down to Running Creek was very steep (no caravans) and the road that wound from there down the valley was very scenic. On the outskirts of Rathdowny we diverted up a small hill to the Captain Logan Lookout marked on Google Maps but not mentioned anywhere else. The lookout might once have had a view of Mt Barney (a volcanic spire) but the trees had grown and obscured it, so it was probably best left unmentioned.
After Rathdownly the next leg, over a flat plateau, was an easy drive. After fording the Treviot Brook, Megan took over driving, and the road narrowed and ascended the valley side with many tricky bends. At the top there were plenty of pull-offs to look down into the Condamine River to the west and the Treviot valley to the east.
Soon we reached the picnic area at the Queen Mary Falls. It was very busy on a public holiday weekend and parking was at a premium. We did the long circuit walk down to the base of the falls which got us away from the crowds. The falls had plenty of water from recent drought- breaking rains and were illuminated by the late afternoon sun. By the time we got back from the walk most of the lunch-time crowds had gone home.
Leaving the falls the road gradually descended down to the valley floor and entered the Southern Downs with its rolling pastoral views. Attractive pink grasses lined the banks and this sparked an interest on the holiday, observing all the different grasses that grow by the road-side after rain.
In Warwick we were booked into 53 on Victoria, a boutique motel with just six studio apartments.
53 on Victoria –for the most over-decorated room
Pro: Great location
Pro: High quality furnishings
Con: Our kitchenette was too small to be useful
Con: Our room had very little natural light
Our Standard Studio was the smallest apartment in the complex. It felt smaller because it was over-decorated with designer furnishings. Although it had a spacious bathroom, the ‘kitchenette’ stretched the definition somewhat. It was barely larger than a fridge top with the microwave and toaster stacked vertically. With the benefit of hindsight this explains why the kitchen couldn’t be seen on any of the published photographs. It took quite a while to re-arrange things so there was room for our electric frypan and any serious cooking. Of course we should have booked one of the other suites that were much more spacious for very little extra cost.
We had an unwanted introduction to tropical Queensland insect life. There were mosquitos in the room when we arrived but the manager popped round the corner to the IGA and bought us some fly spray. Problem solved!
Monday 26th April
Because Anzac Day fell on a Sunday, the following Monday was gazetted as a public holiday in most states. This meant that the roads were quiet as we headed south to the border town of Wallangarra. It would have been a quick trip but after Stanthorpe there were numerous unattended traffic lights with poor timing.
Wallangarra was notable for its border railway station which had a Queensland narrow gauge line on one side and a NSW standard gauge on the other. The two platform canopies were in the style of the respective states. The station closed in 1997 after trains to Sydney and Brisbane stopped running but it has been restored and now operates as a café and museum.
Our next stop was the Girraween National Park which was a short distance back up the main road to Warwick. After parking in the day use area we set out on the 2hr walk to climb the Pyramid. A short bush walk was followed by an ascent on well-formed steps and then a strenuous climb up the smooth granite slope. The granite boulder scenery was interesting – particularly the boulders that seemed to be precariously balanced.
The elevation gain on the walk was only 217m but the final vertiginous ascent was tricky without a handrail; good shoes were definitely needed. The summit was over 1100m and had spectacular views. We were surprised to find it easier going down – and if one kept a boulder in front of one it didn’t feel as unsafe as climbing up. It took us an hour each way with a detour to see the Granite Arch on the way back. We both felt a sense of achievement for tackling such a difficult walk.
There was a choice of picnic tables to have lunch as the car park had emptied whilst we were away walking. After having our picnic it was time to head back to Warwick. Driving further into the park we stopped near Dr Roberts Waterhole and took a short trail to look at the peaceful stream with reflections. Then, after a bit more gravel, the road exited from the park. We took minor roads passing Storm King Dam before joining the New England Highway at Stanthorpe and speeding back to Warwick.
At the Storm King Dam and other laybys on the way to Warwick there were water tanker filling stations – a reminder of the recent bad drought in the area.
Tuesday 27th April
Tuesday was a nominated rest day Warwick with no driving, but we still had to head out promptly to visit the local history museum which had reduced COVID opening hours, opening and closing early. The museum consisted of Pringle Cottage a two-storey sandstone house built in the 1870s, and a number of other buildings relocated to the site.
The collections on display were intelligently curated and well maintained. It was a pleasure to look round a local museum that was not a chaotic collection of domestic junk. One elderly volunteer latched onto us and enthusiastically showed us his favourite exhibits. One was a super-sized fireman’s tin opener (for cutting holes in metal sheds) and also a very effective mechanical corn stripper. Although we could have stayed longer we had to race back to our apartment for a video call from Annabel. After coffee we went vegetable shopping so we had fresh ingredients for lunch (but no bread as the nearby bakery was uninspiring).
The smart Rose City shopping centre in the middle of the town had a very large underground car park and a supersized Coles which allowed us to finish our food shopping. Leaving the car in the car park we explored Warwick following the official walking tour. There were a number of fine civic buildings dating from the late 19th century; of particular note were the Town Hall, Post Office and Police Station. Before heading back for a cup of tea we drove past the ‘Abbey of the Roses’ (an 1893 convent) and the railway station (a busy grain/livestock goods terminal).
To finish off our day in Warwick we walked from our apartment down to the riverside on the way passing the unusual metal sculpture of horses commemorating Warwick’s long association with horses.
It was another chef’s holiday, so after a holiday rum and coke we drove a few blocks to the town centre and the Korean Soban House restaurant. The restaurant was a bit busy and asked us to come back in 30 minutes. When we returned we enjoyed a tasty introduction to Korean food in a largely empty restaurant. Country folk eat early!
GOONDIWINDI
Wednesday 28th April
With a relatively short trip ahead of us there was no need for a hurried departure. After filling up with diesel we had coffee in a town-centre cafe. There was even time to re-visit the Rose City shopping centre and we both found bargains in BigW!
The highway west from Warwick was a road to nowhere with light traffic, very few road works, and few towns. We reached Inglewood for lunch in a tidy Lions Park and watched all the road trains passing through. The next small town of Yelarbon had a pleasant surprise – it had the first silo art we had seen. We stopped briefly to take pictures and read about the paintings. We were very impressed (even though we were looking into the sun).
Goondiwindi (pronounced Gundiwindi) is a tidy one main street town on the NSW border. The Border Motel was an older style building (with undercover car parking outside the door) but nicely decorated and spotlessly clean. Like most places we stayed on the holiday, the motel was full overnight. Most of the rooms at the Border Motel appeared to be taken by tradies and travelling reps in noisy big trucks.
Border Model, Goondiwindi – for the shortest distance from car boot to room
Pro: Clean and in good repair
Pro: Quiet away from the road
Con: Small room and even smaller kitchenette
After unpacking the car we drove out of town to the Botanical Gardens. The gardens were set out round a brown lake and specifically illustrated the plants of the area. We walked round reading the informative signs and labels – but we left no better able to identify such diverse plants. There was a large section devoted to Eremophila – which confusingly appeared to take on many different forms.
Our room had very basic cooking (and lunch preparing) facilities so we ate out at the Victoria Hotel – a very unusual old building. We both had steaks (which took some time to appear) and Adrian sampled alcoholic ginger beer.
LIGHTNING RIDGE
Thursday 29th April
Back on the road again! Our destination was Lightning Ridge, the furthest west we would go on the trip, but first we had to head south into New South Wales and the regional agricultural centre of Moree. The improved Newel Highway was straight, fast and boring. Without a central reservation the four lanes didn’t feel any safer than the unimproved road that followed.
Moree has impressive civic buildings on the main street, but the parkland alongside the Mehi River was less attractive. We arrived at a café just as the staff took a break to have breakfast. As a result service was slow, and the coffee when it arrived was not what we ordered.
It was a relief to turn off the fast highway onto a B road to Walgett that wound through scenic wetlands. It was 140km to the first town on the road, Collarenebri. Shortly before we got there we turned onto a dirt track to Collymongle station to see a collection of aboriginal carved trees. The trees preserved under a shelter came from an aboriginal Bora (initiation ground) near Collarenebri. They were cut down and moved to the station about 60 years ago. Until recently the trees were standing in the station garden.
Our picnic lunch in Collarenebri was in a Lions park by the Barwon River. Collarenebri was a name we knew as it has a weather reporting station that appears in our forecasts, but the town itself was very sad with most of the shops boarded up. This is a familiar story on the fringe of the outback. Towns are being sucked dry by unemployment and boredom, along with a dearth of medical services and shops struggled to stay open when the drought emptied wallets.
From Collarenebri a dirt backroad allowed us to avoid a dog-leg going down to Walgett and then back up the Castlereagh Highway. On our way several short sharp showers helped by dampening down the dust a bit. Adrian had marked out the tracks we needed to take on a Google Map and all went to plan till we encountered a signpost to Lightning Ridge that wasn’t the road we thought we were going to take! We trusted the sign over Google and found ourselves being diverted onto a narrow track that wound through some attractive scrub lands in the Warambool Conservation Area. The advantage in being on a lightly used track was that we encountered several flocks of emus and even an echidna.
After about an hour and a half of dirt we hit the hard top again on the outskirts of Lightning Ridge. As we entered the town we looked at the free artesian baths which were clean and well maintained. A tourist map of the town cost $1 from the Tourist Information Centre and contained a detailed description of the four colour coded car door explorer tours – marked by battered old car doors.
Opal cottage, one of the three Fossickers Cottages was just round the corner from the information centre. It was a one bedroom detached cottage with a renovated bathroom but a living room that harked back to the 1970’s.
Opal Cottage, Lightning Ridge – for the best retro decoration
Pro: A spacious cottage with large kitchen and bathroom
Pro: Nice gardens
Con: Dated decor
The cottage had been left open for us. As soon as the bags were moved, the bathers went on and we headed back to the baths. The bore water was a constant 41.5 degrees which is a bit on the hot side, but the shallow overflow pool was a bit cooler.
There was a lovely sunset but we missed it as chef was busy preparing dinner in the luxury of a full size kitchen. Unfortunately crisping up all the Tweed Valley bacon in a frying pan set off the smoke alarm, and in the rush to move the pan outside chef put it down on the Lino floor making a brown mark.
Adrian took advantage of the luxury of a detached cottage and a bedroom door to finally have a good horn practice.
Friday 30th April
Before leaving Sydney friends had told us about their experiences on a guided tour of Lightning Ridge. So as we headed west we emailed Outback Opal Tours and booked on their morning tour. At 8:55 a small bus pulled up outside our cottage with plenty of passengers already on board. There were technical issues using our Dine & Discover vouchers and we ended up using just one $25 voucher. After driving on to another couple of pick-up points the bus was just about full.
Our driver Peter had plenty of (non pc) stories to tell; tales which vividly brought the mining town to life. He was proud of the place and was a great ambassador for the local community; he also looked the part with a grey beard, shorts, long white pony tail, and bulging beer belly.
The first advertised stop was the Walk-in Opal Mine to the NE of the town. This was a conversion of a genuine mine in the 1960s for tourism, which allowed one to walk in rather than climb down a ladder. It was quite spacious inside where opals were found and a cavern or ballroom was excavated. The opals on sale were clearly labelled as solid or doublet (a glued composite stone), but it wasn’t so clear which solid stones were actually local black opal.
After watching a very dated video on opal mining and an instant coffee (which Adrian spilled) we drove into town for a demonstration of opal polishing at Opal Bin. Justine explained that they no longer cut stones to a perfect shape as this wastes valuable opal, but the consequence is that mounted stones look a bit clunky as irregular shapes are difficult to secure. The shop had some nice opals but the prices were high – black opal is worth more per carat than diamond!
Peter’s talk about the community built Olympic swimming pool and dive pool was most interesting. There must be a lot of undeclared wealth in the town which allows them to construct and run such amenities.
With time running out Peter took us on a drive round three of the town opal mining areas. At Lunatic Hill it appears it wasn’t so silly an idea to go digging. A group of miners bought out adjacent leases and dug out a large open cut mine and made a motza.
Then on the other side of town we drove past Amigo’s castle. This eccentric concrete and ironstone building was illegally built by an Italian on a mining claim. Apparently a court ruled that the building was OK because Amigo had just moved the boulders, not removed them from Crown Lands.
We were dropped back at our cottage for a late lunch and then it was time to put the bathers back on. But first we had a couple of stops to make. The 1932 miners cottage run by the historical society is old, but not as old as the dilapidated Coopers Cottage on the opposite side of the road…well the dunny looked a bit more modern than 1916, it must have had an upgrade once. Then back to Bottle House to grab a photo, and into the John Murray Art Gallery to see his whimsical outback landscapes. We bought a small print to remind us of the too-big-to-photograph scenery. And then…straight into the hot pool!
The bus tour had sampled three of the four opal mining tours, which only left the Green Car Door Tour a few kms out of town towards the Castlereagh Highway. The attraction of this tour is to watch the sunset from Nettleton’s First Shaft lookout. We set out at 5 with beer and nibbles and joined the crowds waiting for the sunset with beverage in hand. We had time to look at the Beer Can House and a rusty blower (which actually sucks) before watching the sun go down over the flat outback horizon. It was spectacular.
TAMWORTH
Saturday 1st May
We were enjoying soaking up the unique atmosphere of Lightning Ridge but the time had come to start our return trip to Sydney. The plan was to break the 770km trip at Tamworth, a place we had never visited, and a town where some people we knew lived.
Megan generally took the first leg of driving as Adrian needed a dose of coffee to wake up. Leaving Lightning Ridge she once again seemed to get the short straw, as the highway south was virtually straight, and lacked any visual interest. It was noticeable that there was very little road kill on these fast country roads, the drought breaking rains had allowed the roos and goats to graze further away.
Just before Walgett we turned east onto the minor Kamilaroi Highway . The scenery changed as we entered cotton growing country with irrigation dams elevated above the flat plain. With a cold coffee and driver changeover at Burren Junction, we pressed on through Narrabri (an attractive country town) arriving in Gunnedah just before 1 o’clock.
Searching the internet there seemed to be a few cafes in town that were open on Saturday for lunch. But when we parked in the main street and headed for Adrian’s first choice it was already closed for the day. A passing man, sensing our dismay, told us that there was a café open a block up the road, but we better run as it would close at 1. Running is undignified, so we jumped in the car, and parked outside the Bitter Suite café and wine bar. The owner didn’t seem particularly overjoyed by his last minute blow-ins but the kitchen wasn’t technically closed so we rushed in and ordered two burgers. When we left the café the owner was waiting to padlock the gate, and the main street was deserted. We made a mental note not to stay in Gunnedah for the weekend night-life!
From Gunnedah it was just an hour driving to reach Tamworth, our destination for the day. The approach into town on the Oxley Highway was uninspiring to say the least, and we wondered if we had picked a dud. Before checking-in to the Roseville Apartments in West Tamworth we headed over the river to Coles for supplies. The dated shopping centre with a long ramp for shoppers to push their trolleys up to the car park did nothing to improve our initial impressions.
Roseville Apartments, Tamworth – for the largest suite at motel room prices
Pro: Lots of room, with a car spot outside the door
Pro: Convenient with just a short walk over the river to the town centre.
Con: Poor soundproofing between units.
But the Roseville Apartments was a find. It had lots of space, a separate bedroom, a full sized kitchen and two sofas.
We were tired after the long drive so opted to have a meal at home. After taking a walk across the river to get a bottle of wine, Chef Adrian whipped up a curry from our remaining stocks.
Sunday 2nd May
Tamworth isn’t over-endowed with tourist attractions, but the must do activity is to drive (walk or cycle) up to the Oxley Lookout and enjoy the views over Tamworth and the Peel River valley. We took our morning coffee to have there and were pleased to find out that East Tamworth on the other side of the river from our apartment was an altogether nicer part of town.
One of the notice boards at the lookout had a history drive round town (mostly East Tamworth). As it was not published on the internet we took photographs of both the map and the description of sites visited. We then drove slowly round town with Adrian navigating from the map on the camera and reading the descriptions off the phone.
Back at the apartment we glammed up and were picked up by Emma for a lunch in a smart town pub (the Deco Hotel). Gabby Anne met us there and the four of us had a couple of hours of animated conversation and tasty food.
Back at the apartment we were in need of exercise so we walked to the Woolworths nearby and bought pasta and salad for Sunday tea.
HOME
Monday 3rd May
It was time to leave Tamworth for a long drive home – and we managed our earliest start of the holiday, 8:30! On the way out of town the New England Highway passed the Golden Guitar, but neither of us have any interest in Country Music so we didn’t stop.
Soon after leaving Tamworth we hit roadworks, and at the same time the fuel warning light came on. We had forgotten to fill up in Tamworth! There were a few tense moments as Google Maps was consulted to find where the next servo was. Luckily we were heading into the Liverpool Plains and towns were much closer together than we had encountered for the past week. The fuel crisis was soon averted.
Our first driver changeover was in Scone; an unloved town which did at least deliver a hot strong mug of coffee. Then we pressed on past the Upper Hunter coal fields and power stations, through Singleton to Kurri Kurri. Google street view was a bit out of date showing a park in the centre of town as a good place for a picnic lunch. When we arrived it was largely fenced off for a redevelopment. Luckily they hadn’t fenced off the toilet block, and they had left a couple of picnic tables near the rotunda.
From Kuri Kuri the road home was familiar; the back road through Freemans Waterhole to pick up the Newcastle Expressway near Toronto. As we entered Sydney we diverted to Roseville Chase so that Adrian could pick up the horn Ed had been servicing whilst we were away. And then home in time for afternoon tea!
POSTLUDE
We had been away for 16 days with 10 driving days. Together we drove 3025 km but the trips were broken up carefully so we didn’t find the time in the car too exhausting.
The weather was kind to us. Although the mornings tended to be nippy, the daytime temperatures were always at least in the low 20s, and it remained dry. Just as the weather on the coast turned a bit cloudy and wet, we turned inland over the Dividing Range and escaped it all.
We didn’t see any evidence of bush fires but there was plenty of damage from flooding in March. But there were also many positive signs of regrowth in the outback after the rain.
Most importantly, we enjoyed each of our destinations along the Queensland border in different ways.
Murwillumbah – for the well preserved 20th century town buildings, the relaxed atmosphere, and the dramatic volcanic caldera scenery,
Warwick – for its pride in local history, the surrounding interesting national parks, and its pedestrian friendly town centre.
Lightning Ridge – for the stories told by miners, for the paradox of millionaires living “off grid”, and for the glint of black opal.
We embarked on this road trip unsure as to what we would find of interest on the Queensland / New South Wales border. But we returned realising that in so many places we had barely scratched the surface…. Till next time?