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Over the past 10 years or so I have travelled all of the Darling River, most of the Murrumbidgee River and a large section of the Murray River. All these rivers are in New South Wales. A little known fact is that the Murray River is only in Victoria for very short sections, as virtually all of the river on the border between the states is in NSW. The border is not the centre of the river as most think nor is it the southern river edge, but is generally the top of the southern side of the riverbank. There are a few anomalies, but these are rare and generally where the river has changed its course by creating a billabong in NSW.
My plan for this trip was to explore all of the Lachlan River from where it starts near Goulburn and travel the whole length to where it meets the Murrumbidgee near Balranald. Then go to the junction of the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers and come back via sections of the Murrumbidgee that I have not yet seen.
The original plan for this trip was to leave Sydney on Saturday 9 July 2022 and return on Sunday 7 August 2022, just over four weeks. However, a week before the planned start date my credit card got hacked in the USA so I had to wait for my new card to arrive. It finally came on Monday 11 July so we left the next morning.
On the trip was John in his VW Amarok (with his dog Vivien) and Ida and Ray in their motorhome. John would travel with me for the whole trip but Ida and Ray would only come for a few days before returning home. We have all travelled together before, John with me in 2019 and 2020 and Ida and Ray in 2020 and 2021. I took my Black Series Dominator camper trailer and of course, my dog Veto came too.
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My route as recorded by my GPS uploaded to Google Earth
Sydney far right, Murrumbidgee/Murray far left. I travelled via the top track returning via the bottom track. |
Day 1 - Tuesday 12 July 2022 - Sydney to Darby Falls
I got up at 6:30 am and after a shower and breakfast, I finished packing the car. The previous days I had loaded all the food etc and put some things inside the tent section of the camper trailer. I had fixed and modified a few things since my test trip in the new (to me) Dominator, hopefully I have everything right.
I leave home at 8:00 am, it is sunny and a cold 6ÂșC. We are all meeting at a rest area called Derrick VC (Victoria Cross). I travel via the Princes Highway, Appin and Wilton to the Hume Highway. Along the way it gets down to 4ÂșC! I arrive at the rest area at 10:03 am. It is 173 kilometres to here and I have averaged 14.5 l/100 km. Ida and Ray are already there.
I give Veto a walk and have a cup of tea while we wait for John. He arrives at 10:30 am. We leave at 10:47 am, it is a bit warmer at 7ÂșC now. Just past Goulburn we head off onto what was the old Hume Highway but is now called Cullerin Road. We go via Breadalbane towards Gunning. Along here is where the Lachlan River starts. A bit further on we stop just before Lerida Creek as there is a memorial to Hume and Hovell on the side of the road. It was from here that they left on 17 October 1824 to find an overland route to Port Phillip (Melbourne).
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| Hume and Hovell Memorial | Parked on the Old Hume Highway, now called Cullerin Road |
It is 11:27 am and we have travelled 229 kilometres, few economy a bit better at 13.2 l/100 km. We are back underway nine minutes later and another six minutes finds us in Gunning, We have a look around town, there is a very nice hotel, court house and old garage. The original plan would have seen us camp here tonight in the free camping area just up the road. However, we have to jump the first few stops as tomorrow night we need to be in Gooloogong so we can watch the third State of Origin match.
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| Baileys Garage in Gunning | The Gunning Court House |
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| Power lines under the awning | The Dalton Hotel |
It is still a cold 9ÂșC when we leave at 12:02 pm. At 12:15 pm we arrive in Dalton, a small town. It has a nice park where we stop for lunch. There is a large fossil rock with leaves in it on display. There are tables and chairs here too. We leave at 12:55 pm, it is a cold 10ÂșC, but at least it is sunny. We travel via back roads including Rugby Road. We are trying to parallel the Lachlan as close as we can. We go through the localities of Taylors Flat and Reids Flat before going back over to Frogmore Road and heading north.
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| The fossil rock at Dalton | The Lachlan River just after Dalton |
We head towards Wyangala Dam which holds back the Lachlan River. We finally find our way to the dam wall, there is a severe lack of signs! It is 3:04 pm and we have travelled 372 kilometres (13.6 l/100 km). It is a huge 13ÂșC now. We walk onto the dam wall for a section. There is a roaring noise from the spillway as water is being released as the dam reached 100% full a week or so ago and more water is still flowing in. This will impact on our trip in the coming weeks.
There is still a small township here and the Wyangala State Recreation Area (well, whatever is called this week, name has changed so many times) where you can camp or stay in cabins. We leave at 3:20 pm and 17 minutes later we arrive at Darby Falls Reserve which is on the Lachlan River. This is a small camping area on the side of the road. There are some wet sections, but mostly it is dry. We set up camp closer to the road were it is drier. There is also a drop toilet.
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| Wyangala Dam, very full | Our Darby Falls campsite |
We set up camp and then I decide to have afternoon tea. However, I discover I cannot turn on my gas bottle as I forgot to take the bucket I am carrying on top of it (to save space), so I have to lift the front of the camper trailer forward fold section to remove the bucket. I will have to make sure I do not do that again. I have my cuppa and after this I fly my drone. The river is flowing very strongly as you would expect with all the water being released from the dam.
Soon Ida and Ray start the fire, it is already very cold. At 5:00 pm we have drinks and nibblies around the fire. Later I reheat some korma beef curry and rice I made a few days ago.
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| A drone shot at Darby Falls looking down stream | Our Darby Falls campsite |
It is now a high overcast with an almost full moon breaking through now and then. It is nice sitting around the fire. Veto goes to bed early after she has her dinner of chicken neck.
I go to bed at 9:10 pm and read for a little before going to sleep at a bit after 10:00 pm. At 11:30 pm Veto gets restless, I assume she wants to go to the toilet. I put here outside and starts running around. She wants to play! It takes me ages to get her back inside the camper. It starts raining shortly after this.
Weather: Fine, max 13ÂșC Arrived: Darby FallsTime: 3:37 pm Distance: 387 kilometres
Day 2 - Wednesday 13 July 2022 - Darby Falls to Gooloogong
Weather: Overcast, 5.0ÂșC minimum
It till about 4:30 am, not heavy, but consistent. I wake at 7:15 am and get up at 7:55 am. I have breakfast and then look at the charging system for the camper batteries as they did not charge at all yesterday. I have no idea what the problem is. I will need to solve by tonight as the battery will be low by tomorrow morning.
We pack up and leave at 9:42 am, it is still overcast and 7ÂșC. My plan was to visit the railway museum at Cowra but it is not open today. Before I left home I downloaded a brochure from their website and printed it. I look at it and see that it claims the museum is open every day and entry is by donation. However, the sign out front says it is only open certain days and a fee is charged. Damn!
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| A drone shot of the POW Camp | The remains of a toilet block at the POW camp |
Instead we go to the Cowra Prisoner of War camp and arrive there at 10:25 am. This is 29 kilometres from Darby Falls. Wow, what a change since I last visited here in 2008. There is now a walk around the remains of the camp, a lot of interpretation signs all over the place and more. Back in 2008 you could only look over the site from the road, and even then it was overgrown with grass and weeds. We have morning tea here too.
The camp was built to hold Japanese and Italian prisoners during World War II. On 5 August 1944, 1,104 Japanese prisoners attempted to break out. Of these, 359 broke out and some were not recaptured for 10 days. During the breakout and while recapturing them, 231 Japanese were killed and 108 wounded. Four Australian soldiers were also killed. A very sad event on Australian soil and the biggest loss of life in Australia during the war.
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| Part of the Cowra War Cemetery | The Gooloogong Hotel |
We leave at 12:08 pm and drive the short distance to the Cowra War Cemetery. Here the soldiers and the Japanese are buried, together with other Japanese prisoners and some Italians as well. After looking at the cemetery, we have lunch. We leave at 1:13 pm.
We plan to travel via a back way to the Lachlan Valley Way rather than go back into town and then out to the start of the LVW. However, after travelling for about 25 kilometres we see a sign that says the bridge on Merriganowry Road is closed due to flooding. GoogleMaps which we are using to navigate does not show this!
We are discussing this on the UHF radio when a local cuts in and tells us of a way to get to Gooloogong without going back to Cowra. We find the road he is referring to and head that way and at 2:07 pm we arrive in Gooloogong, crossing the river at the bridge on the northern side of town. Our original plan was to camp just outside town but as I need power, we decide to stay in the free (donation) camping area diagonally opposite the hotel.
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| The Gooloogong Anglican Church | The Gooloogong Catholic Church |
The camping area has space for seven vans (all powered) and a couple of unpowered tents. There is also a toilet block with hot showers. We setup camp and I put out my awning as rain is threatening. I have never done this before, so Ray helps me. Other than needing something to stand on to ready the zip, it is not too hard. Later I do it much quicker by myself. I also connect my battery charger to the 240 volt power and charge my batteries.
I have a cuppa and read and then Ida, Ray and I go for a walk around town and out to the river and back. We walk 4.9 kilometres. We are back at 5:15 pm and I then have a shower. We then have a drink and some nibblies before heading over to the hotel at 6:35 pm.
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| The Lachlan River at the Gooloogong Bridge | Watching the State of Origin in the Gooloogong Hotel |
At the pub we have another drink and then order dinner. I have lamb cutlets for $24, okay but not the best I have had in recent years. There are not many locals here, just a few tourists and some workers who are staying at the pub.
It is nice and warm in the hotel, although we still need jackets and beanies. We watch the final State of Origin match, whoever wins is the winner of the series. In a very exciting match, Queensland beat NSW 22 to 12. Bugger!
We are back in camp by 10:30 pm. It is already -0.6ÂșC which ends up being the minimum for the night.
Weather: Overcast, max 12ÂșC Arrived: Gooloogong Time:2:07 pm Distance: 83 kilometres
Day 3 - Thursday 14 July 2022 - Gooloogong to Jemalong Weir
Weather: Foggy, -0.6ÂșC minimum
It was very cold last night, but the minimum was when we went to bed. At 6:45 am when I woke it was 1.0ÂșC. I listen to the news and read the newspaper on my tablet and then get up at 8:00 am. It is very foggy and very cold. Even at 9:30 am it is cold and foggy. I have breakfast and then Ida and Ray come over and give me a coffee mug with my photo on it for my birthday. Very nice of them.
A diving friend John, who is very ill, also rings me for my birthday. It is very sad how he declined from such an active person. Fantastic of him to take the effort to call me. I do some more figuring about why my car is not charging the camper trailer batteries. I finally work it out. The Anderson plug in the trailer has been the problem, the negative plug has moved backwards as the little hook on it is not properly holding it in place. I fix it (I hope) and the battery is now charging.
We pack up and leave at 10:37 am. It is only 3ÂșC and still foggy. We are now on Lachlan Valley Way which we will basically be on for the next 10 days or so. At 11:20 am we arrive in Forbes, 51 kilometres from Gooloogong.
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| Part of the McFeeters Car Museum | A Holden Torana XU-1 |
John and I decided to go to McFeeters Car Museum. Entry is $13 for seniors. The fog finally clears as we enter the museum. We spend 70 minutes inside looking at the cars which range from hot Holdens to Rolls Royces to stranger vehicles. A nice little family run museum.
We head to the park and meet up with Ida and Ray and have lunch by the water. After this we go and refuel. I take 80.4 litres at $2.339 ($188.10) for the 558 kilometres since Sydney. This is an average of 14.4 l/100 km.
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| A hotted up Ford Falcon | A Rolls Royce Silver Dawn |
We leave town at 1:38 pm and 11 minutes later we stop and cut some timber for firewood. We are back on the road at 2:03 pm and at 2:15 pm we arrive at Jemalong Weir. This is on the Lachlan River and is a very nice spot. There is a big grassed area, some shelter sheds, tables and toilets. We set up camp at the far end. I put out my diesel heater as well.
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| Our campsite at Jemalong Weir | Jemalong Weir, open due to all the water flowing down |
The river is very high and flowing fast. The weir is open, as are all the other ones we visit on this trip. I take Veto for a short walk around the camping area. I start the fire at 4:00 pm as we are cooking two roasts tonight for my birthday. I also prepare my apple crumble pudding for cooking after our dinner is cooked. We put Ray's beef on at 5:00 pm and my lamb on at 5:15 pm. We have vegies as well of course. We have drinks and nibblies at 5:00 pm.
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| A drone shot of the Lachlan River at Jemalong Weir | Our campsite at Jemalong Weir |
Dinner is ready at 6:30 pm. We share the meats as normal, a great dinner. After we eat, I put the apple dessert on. This takes about 45 minutes (using tinned apples, 60 minutes with fresh apples). We have this at about 7:45 pm, this time with ice cream. A yummy dinner.
We sit around the fire and at 9:15 pm I turn my heater on. It is about 5ÂșC. When I go to bed at 9:30 pm, it is a nice 10.5ÂșC inside the camper trailer.
Weather: Fine, max of 13ÂșC Arrived: Jemalong Weir Time: 2:15 pm Distance: 83 kilometres
Day 4 - Friday 15 July 2022 - Jemalong Weir
Weather: minimum of -1.5C and foggy
A freezing cold night! I wake at 7:00 am and after listening to the news, I put the heater on. I read my Kindle as my phone is dead and I cannot get internet for my tablet till I charge it. I get up at 8:25 am and it is still only 1ÂșC. The fog is similar to yesterday, quite heavy.
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| A foggy start to the morning Jemalong Weir | The Lachlan River is very full here |
Ida and Ray leave at 9:00 am and head back towards home. It is still foggy and cold at 10:20 am, but at 10:40 am the fog clears. I take Veto for another short walk around the camping area. I finish reading the newspaper and do some reorganising of things inside the camper trailer and the drawers. I also look at John's diesel heater which is not working properly. It turns out there was a kink in the fuel line, we reroute it and all is well.
I finish the paper at noon and then have lunch. At 12:45 pm we head off in John's car for Parkes. We plan to go to the CSIRO Radio Telescope, made famous in the movie The Dish (well, it already was famous but became more so). We navigate using John's car GPS but it gives us some strange directions and it seems it has it in the wrong place. We end up using my phone and GoogleMaps to find it. It is 87 kilometres from Jemalong Weir.
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| The Parkes Radio Telescope | A close up photo of "The Dish" |
We have a look through the free museum and then go outside to look at the telescope. Its claim to fame is really its role in receiving the TV transmission from the moon in July 1969 of the first man to walk on the moon (the movie is not exactly accurate). We give the dogs a run and then head back. We arrive at Jemalong Weir at 4:20 pm. We stop on the way and cut some more timber.
Once back I set up the gas heater and shower setup. I attach it to the boat rack (which is now vertical) and connect the new gas hose to the gas outlet. I put up the shower tent and then we have a nice hot shower. After this I start the fire and at 5:40 pm I put my pork ribs on to cook. They are in my small camp oven and on coals.
I eat the ribs at 6:20 pm with a pasta dish I cooked. We sit around the fire and at 7:50 pm I watch the NRL match on my tablet via Kayo. I put my heater on when the football finishes and go to bed at 10:15 pm. It is only 2.8ÂșC. I read my book for a bit and go to sleep at 10:40 pm.
Weather: Fine, max of 13ÂșC Arrived: Jemalong WeirTime: 4:20 pm Distance: 174 kilometres (John's car)
Day 5 - Saturday 16 July 2022 - Jemalong Weir to Kiacatoo Weir
Weather: minimum of 2.0ÂșC and overcast
Another cold night, I wake up just after 6:00 am and listen to the scuba diving report on ABC Sydney at 6:20 am. I read a little and then listen to the news before reading the paper some more. I put the heater on at 7:45 am to warm the inside up. When I go to bed, I make sure that I put the clothes I intend to wear the next day in front of the heater outlet. That way, they are nice and warm when I go to put them on.
I get up at 8:15 am (2.8ÂșC) and have breakfast and read the paper some more. I pack some things away in between reading. At 9:25 am I start to pack up and am ready at 9:45 am. I read some more. We leave at 10:15 am and it has warmed up to 6ÂșC. At 10:55 am we stop at Bumbuggan Weir, 41 kilometres alone the LVW. It is now 10ÂșC and there has been a lot of water over the road this morning, although it is only a few inches deep.
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| My diesel heater setup, although I have now moved to the other side | The Fallen Jockeys Memorial |
This is a poor campsite, heaps of water everywhere and only a few campsites. Our plan was to stay here if it was okay. It might be nice when the river is down, but not at the moment. We leave at 11:17 am after having morning tea. We arrive at Condobolin at 11:53 am. We have travelled 80 kilometres this morning. It is still a cool 12ÂșC. We go to the local Foodworks and buy some things like bread etc. I then go to the fuel station and buy 5 litres of diesel to fill my small Jerry can for the heater (I have not used 5 litres, I forgot to fill it at home.
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| A Holden FJ ute | Ute with grass trees |
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| A huge kangaroo | Dame Edna Everage on the loo! |
We go to the park next to the Lachlan River and have lunch. After this we head out of town but stop at the Utes in the Paddock display. There are 20 utes (well, 19 I think as one is missing) all along small section of road where they are building what appears to be a visitor centre. The utes are painted and made into sculptures. All are Holdens. It is quite interesting.
Next to this is the Fallen Jockeys Memorial which lists every jockey who has died while riding in a race. It is quite scary to see how many have died, horrendous. The memorial really could use a lot of work as it does not even look finished. They are also building a visitor centre here, or that is what we think is happening. We leave town at 1:40 pm.
Ten minutes out of town we stop and cut some timber for firewood. We are back underwater 20 minutes later. At 2:30 pm we arrive at Kiacatoo Weir. We miss the turn at first as there is no signage. It is not the best spot I have ever seen, but we get a good flat area with some grass next to the river. There is no phone coverage, something I should have looked at before we left this morning so I could :have downloaded the paper to read off-line.
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| Looking east and upstream at Kiacatoo Weir | Looking towards the west |
There is a lot of water around, so limiting our possible sites. The river is only about a metre below the top of the river bank. We setup and then have afternoon tea. I listen to the NRL too. At 4:05 pm we go for a walk and discover another memorial to John Oxley's 1817 exploration of the Lachlan River. Also here is a memorial to the "King" of the local Calare Aboriginal tribe who died here while attempting to rescue a mob of his people when crossing the river. There are also two replica carved poles which replaced the real carved trees apparently put there to commemorate his death.
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| My campsite at Kiacatoo Weir | The John Oxley Memorial at Kiacatoo Weir |
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| One of the carved poles at Kiacatoo Weir | A drawing of the King's grave and the trees |
We walk back to the campsite, a total of about 1.6 kilometres. We are back at 4:40 pm and I start the fire as it is cold already. We have drinks and nibblies and at 6:15 pm I cook a porterhouse steak on my cast iron frying pan over the coals. I have with some of the pasta from previous nights. I listen to more NRL.
I put the heater on again before I go to bed and after the NRL finishes at 9:30 pm. I read for a while before going to sleep.
Weather: Overcast, max of 12ÂșC Arrived: Kiacatoo Weir Time: 2:30 pm Distance: 119 kilometres
Day 6 - Sunday 17 July 2022 - Kiacatoo Weir to Euabalong
Weather: minimum of 1.9ÂșC and sunny
When I went to bed last night it was 8ÂșC and even at 2:30 am this morning it was 7.9ÂșC. However, at some time, the clouds must have cleared as it is really cold when I wake at 6:55 am. I listen to the radio news, then read my Kindle. I put the heater on again to warm up my clothes and inside so it is more comfortable to get dressed. I get up at 8:10 am.
I have now worked out a good procedure to prepare the Dominator for closing up later. First I move all my things to the end of the bed (radio, phone, tablet, weather station, water bottle etc). I then fold my top doona over to my side and put my pillow on top. I then remove the two corner poles and place where I can get them later. I then put some of the things away in a drawer and then change into my clothes. My bed clothes and the pillow go in a compartment under the seat. I can now go outside (I also have to catch Veto to get her down, sometimes she wants to play at this so it can take a while).
Once up I pull out the kitchen so I can prepare breakfast. I get my chair from under the trailer where I have put it so it does not get wet from dew or rain. I bring out my tablet, radio and phone and then make my breakfast. I make a double lot of tea, one to have now and the other one goes in my thermos for morning tea. Normally I would sit reading the paper on the tablet while eating breakfast.
Today warms up much quicker than recent days as it is sunny. I pack up and am ready at 9:50 am. We leave at 10:33 am. It is now 10ÂșC. The road is still dirt but in excellent condition. We arrive at Euabalong Bridge at 11:03 am, it is only 32 kilometres from Kiacatoo. We pick a spot next to the river which is pretty high. As you will see from later, we should have driven around town before deciding on our site.
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The Euabalong Bridge is just out of the photo top left. Look how high the river is,
the actual course is obvious. Photo was taken Monday morning, you can see
the water that has come up at the bottom | Our campsite, the water should not even be visible in this photo |
Anyway, we have morning tea and while we do this, we keep an eye on the river to see if it rising (I stick a rock on the water edge). We do not set up but instead at 11:55 am we go for a walk around the town. There is not much here, the Royal Hotel, a camping area run by Cobar Council ($15 for power site) and the council's depot. The camping area also has toilets, hot showers and a shelter shed. Interestingly, dogs and fires are not permitted in the powered area! We later think this is aimed at pig/hunting dogs.
We walk 2.0 kilometres and are back at 12:32 pm. We have lunch and check the water. It has not risen as far as we can see. We set up our campsite. I read the SMH and then watch the NRL on Kayo. At 3:50 pm I walk to the showers ($2 donation). When I get back I watch the rest of the NRL, Penriff beats the Tigers in a very late comeback.
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| The Royal Hotel, Euabalong | Veto found a new friend, Brooklyn |
At 4:15 pm we walk to the pub. There are about 12 adults and a bunch of kids here. All are from the town or properties nearby. Veto finds a new friend, Brooklyn, who wants to play with her. She asks me if she can take Veto for a walk. I say yes but Veto will not go with her. She is so disappointed. We have two drinks and are back at camp at 5:50 pm.
We start a fire and then I cook dinner on the stove. I have sliced potato cooked on the frying pan with a chicken Kyiv. I then watch Souths beat Bulldogs. Souths were lucky to win, Latrell Mitchell had a brilliant game, scoring an amazing try. Rain is coming according to the Windy app, so I rush to the toilet at full-time and get back at 9:30 pm and go to bed right as it starts to rain. It is not heavy and only rains for a short time. I read some more newspaper and then go to sleep at 10:05 pm.
Weather: Fine, max of 16ÂșC Arrived: Euabalong Time: 11:03 am Distance: 32 kilometres
Day 7 - Monday 18 July 2022 - Euabalong
Weather: minimum of 4.2ÂșC and high overcast
It was warmer than the past few nights. It rained once more during the night, but again it was not heavy or for too long. I wake at 6:55 am and listen to the ABC news. I continue reading yesterday's paper and then start on today's. I get up at 8:00 am.
Overnight the water from the river has risen and come in across the access track from the LVW (see the drone photograph above). It is not a problem, but John's tent site might get inundated if it comes in much more. The water level has risen about 75 mm according to the rock I put down yesterday morning. We decide we will move camp after breakfast.
I make a bacon sandwich for breakfast and read some more. We have decided to move to the free site opposite the caravan park which is also on the river and has two shelter sheds and tables. There was a caravan there last night and we should have went there yesterday. I do not close up my camper trailer and at 9:24 am slowly tow it to the other site. I then walk back and help John.
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Our new campsite. The Royal Hotel is grey building on main road at right.
The Lachlan River course is around this bend and it is overflowing to the bottom right | Another drone shot of our new campsite |
John moves at 10:05 am. We set up and then have morning tea. Here I need to move my solar blanket around to get power rather than use the 200 watt one on the camper trailer. There is now a cold wind and the 10ÂșC feels much colder. At 11:55 am we go for a walk to the bridge and across it. The old bridge was replaced in 2001 with a fancy new one.
We are back at 12:40 pm and there is a very light sprinkle. We have lunch and read for the rest of the day. A few more cups of tea and at 3:45 pm I start the fire as it is quite cold. I finish the paper and then head off for a shower. At 5:00 pm we have nibblies and drinks and later I cook sausages on the frypan over hot coals and heat up some of the pasta.
I read my Kindle by the fire and even later make a hot chocolate. It is really cold. I put on the heater at 9:15 pm and 15 minutes later I go to bed. I read some more and go to sleep at 10:05 pm. It is cold outside but once out of the wind it is not so bad.
Weather: Overcast, max of 11ÂșC Arrived: N/A Time: N/A Distance: 0 kilometres
Day 8 - Tuesday 19 July 2022 - Euabalong to Lake Cargelligo
Weather: minimum of 3.2ÂșC and sunny
It sprinkled a few times during the night, but very little at all really. It was warm till 4:00 am but then cools off a lot. I wake at 6:55 am and after the normal news I fall asleep again till 7:45 am. I read the SMH till 8:00 am when I get up. I have breakfast and read, it is still a cold 3.2ÂșC. We have a leisurely start and after packing up, we leave at 10:17 am. It is now 8ÂșC.
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| Royal Mail Hotel, Lake Cargelligo | The former Lake Cargelligo Commonwealth Bank |
We arrive in Lake Cargelligo at 10:48 am. We find the laundromat which is in the hardware store. We put on one load of washing between us. We walk to the main street and go to the supermarkets (there are two, an IGA and a Foodworks). I buy some snacks for Veto. I check the washing and it takes much longer than the advertised 35 minutes. I then put into the dryer. Cost is $6 for each.
We go to the bakery and have a pie for lunch sitting outside. We also buy a large apple pie for desserts. The pies were both nice. Finally after 60 minutes drying, the washing is all done. We collect it all and then head off to the camping area beside the lake. On the way I fill my small water container at the visitor centre. We arrive at the camping area at Frogs Hollow at 1:25 pm and go to the far end.
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| The view from our Lake Cargelligo campsite | Frogs Hollow at Lake Cargelligo |
This is a nice spot and is protected from the wind and has a lot of sun. We set up camp. It is sunny but cold from the wind. I read the paper with a cup of tea and then my Kindle. A bloke later comes along selling home-made plum puddings. John buys one for his wife and tomorrow he buys another for us to have in the coming week. It turns out to be very good, especially with ice cream I have in the freezer.
At 4:45 pm I put the fire on and we have drinks and nibblies overlooking the lake. I cook the remaining ribs from a few nights ago in my saucepan on the stove. I also toast the last of my focaccia bread.
We have a nice fire and later I heat up 1/8 of the apple pie each in my saucepan. This is really good with ice cream. I go to bed at 9:30 pm and read some more before sleeping at 10:15 pm.
Weather: Fine, max of 13ÂșC Arrived: Lake Cargelligo Time: 10:48 am Distance: 28 kilometres
Day 9 - Tuesday 20 July 2022 - Lake Cargelligo
Weather: minimum of 5.2ÂșC and overcast
I wake at 6:55 am, listen to the news and sleep some more. I later read the SMH and put the heater on. I get up at 8:00 am. It is overcast and windy and quite cold. I have breakfast and read more of the paper. I then go
for a walk along the dam wall but it does not go that far before there is a fence.
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| One side of the water tank | The other side of the water tank |
After morning tea, John and I head off with our dogs at 10:35 am for a walk. We go along the edge of the lake and then cut across to the water tower with some art on it and then back into town. We do some shopping and then have a pie again for lunch. We get back to our campsite at 1:05 pm, having walked 6.4 kilometres. It is still quite cold.
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| The former Lake Cargelligo National Australia Bank | The former Lake Cargelligo Commercial Bank |
I read my Kindle and end up with my jacket, beanie and gloves on, its freezing. A few cups of tea too. At 3:30 pm I set up the shower and now have it all worked out how to set up quickly for the best result. Just after 4:00 pm we both have showers, very nice. John cannot find his headlamp so he walks into town to get some batteries for his backup one. He later finds the missing one of course, in an inside pocket of his jacket.
There are probably 10 vehicles here tonight, similar to last night.
I start the fire at 4:40 pm and also put a rice dish on to cook as I need the saucepan to cook the chicken enchilada I am having for dinner. At 5:00 pm the wind totally drops and it now feels much warmer than at any time in the day. It is mostly clear now so I finally get some power into my batteries. After drinks at the fire, we have dinner just after 6:00 pm.
We sit by the fire and read. The wind comes up a little too. I put the heater on about 15 minutes before I go to bed to warm up the camper trailer and also warm up my bed clothes which I leave in front of the outlet. I go to bed at 9:30 pm and read some more till after the 10:00 pm news.
Weather: Overcast, max of 11ÂșC Arrived: N/A Time: N/A Distance: 0 kilometres
Day 10 - Thursday 21 July 2022 - Lake Cargelligo to Wallanthery
Weather: minimum of 6.6ÂșC and sunny
It was mostly around 8ÂșC during the night, only dropping at about 4:00 am. I wake at 6:50 am and do my usual of listening to the ABC news and reading the paper. I get up at 8:00 am and it is 8ÂșC and sunny. I have breakfast and read some more and then pack up. I head off at 9:35 am and stop at the toilets where I wait for John once he is ready to go.
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| A panoramic photograph of our campsite at Frogs Hollow, Lake Cargelligo |
While here I check my Anderson plug and again it is a bit loose, so I fix it. We leave at 10:00 am and it is a balmy (for here) 12ÂșC. We follow the Lachlan Valley Way again which is mostly a dirt road here. We arrive at the Kidman Way and turn right and soon arrive at the Lachlan River Campground at Wallanthery. It is 10:50 am. We pull into the rest area and have morning tea and then look around.
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| A strange silo at Lake Cargelligo | The Lachlan River at Wallanthery |
Wikicamps (which I use to find camping areas) shows that the campground is on the north-western side of the bridge and river intersection. However, that is private property with a fence along the edge of the road. The rest area is on the north-eastern side but it is mostly dried mud and not that appealing. One of the comments on Wikicamps is that there is better camping on the southern side from here.
I walk over there and find a large cricket ground with lots of camping on and around it as well as along the river. I walk back and at 11:30 am I drive over and have a better look around. We decide on a spot between the cricket ground and the river and we set up camp. This is a very nice spot. I later amend the Wikicamps entry for here to point to this spot and also change the wording.
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| A drone shot of our campsite at Wallanthery, looking south | A drone shot of the rest area at Wallanthery, looking north-west |
We set up camp and then have lunch. I read the paper some more and at 2:40 pm I go for a walk to the rest area. Here there are some information signs. These are about the former town and bridge and show that there are various spellings of the name and that there was a school that closed in 1970. I walk back via some old buildings nearby. This was the site of the hotel and there is a very old telegraph/telephone pole here too. I return to the campsite via the far eastern end of the campground.
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| A closeup drone shot of our campsite at Wallanthery | A vertical drone shot of the campsite |
I walk about 2.9 kilometres and am back at 3:35 pm. I have a cuppa and put out the solar blanket rather than the fixed solar panel which I had on before. It is now 15.6ÂșC. I have decided to do garlic prawns and damper for dinner, so at 4:35 pm I start the fire. I also make the damper.
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| This was the site of the Wallanthery Hotel | A very old telegraph or telephone pole |
We have drinks and nibblies and at 6:15 pm I put the damper on. It takes a bit longer than normal to cook (35 mins) as the coals are not great. I do the prawns in the saucepan on the stove, but find that the cream is frozen. I get some out and it works okay. A very nice dinner for us.
For dessert, we have some more of the apple pie we purchased with ice cream. I then listen to the NRL. It is cool, but not too bad. The road has some trucks going past (it is the main road from Wagga Wagga to Cobar and Bourke) but it is not too busy. I go to bed at 10:00 pm.
Weather: Fine, max of 18ÂșC Arrived: Wallanthery Time: 10:50 am Distance: 62 kilometres
Click here to read about the next part of this trip.
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