Five of WA’s best inland camp areas

Author: Mrs A

Continuing our incredibly difficult task of selecting a top 20 (in random order) favourite locations from our six months away, here are five which are (mostly) inland (or at least have lots of inland rather than coastal activities).

1. Kennedy Range National Park – Gascoyne Region, WAReason: This was unexpectedly beautiful. It was somewhat of a trek from Carnarvon on the coast, but well worth it. Some great walks, spectacular scenery and the serenity was unparalleled. We enjoyed a fabulous evening around the shared campfire exchanging stories and were awarded with a certificate for completing the escarpment walk! Another few hours’ drive from here is Mount Augusta which we didn’t make, but some of our fellow campers were heading out there for a dinner hosted by a famous chef. Definitely keep an eye out for that one if you’re in that direction – would be a great incentive to do the climb…

2. Wooleen Station – Murchison, WAReason: We heard about this location while chatting around yet another campfire and decided to head on over. Aussies among our readership may have heard about this place on Australian Story. It’s run by a young couple who are trying to make a difference to the ecology of the station, recovering damage to the land done in the 1930s. Very few people were camped there – just 4 or 5 caravans alongside the river, and Mr A and I walked for miles without seeing another human being. The history is fascinating, and we can hardly imagine the hardships of the first settlers dealing with 40+ degrees and little to no water or shelter.

3. Lane Poole Reserve – Dwellingup, WAReason: The day after I came out of intensive care, Mr A brought me here to recover. It was the perfect location. Fresh air, walks of any length, peace and quiet. I could read, doze and generally recover while he popped out on his bike to ride parts of the Mundi Biddi cycleway which winds its way though the forests here. Camping cat was very happy also! Another location rich in wildlife, flowers and great scenery – we enjoyed some glorious walks here too. Mr A even did a ride-paddle here.

4. Margaret River region – encompassing Busselton through to Margaret RiverReason: We had to include Busselton in this because of a) the great cycleways there – you can go for miles off road along the coast, extremely picturesque and b) our first night there we went for an early evening beverage opposite the jetty and made friends with Anne and Chris, owners of Brash Vineyard. We followed up an invitation to visit them and had an incredible tour and tasting, a highlight of our region’s visit. We camped at Big Valley, a sheep station just outside of Margaret River with rolling hills and a bike ride through the woods through to the village. We did some great tastings while there, and made some more friends we later caught up with in Adelaide. The Saturday morning markets were fabulous (and we saw an old friend from Sydney there!) and we felt that MR would be definitely up there as a place we could live, should we not have Curl Curl as our home! Make sure you stop at Bunbury Farmer’s Market on your way to or from Perth…you’ll see why when you get there….

5. Denmark – south coast of WAReason: Now this does break the rules a little bit as it is on the coast, but the majority of our activity here was inland. We stayed at a great campground on the river mouth, surrounded by rail trail cycleways which we made the most of. We didn’t realise Denmark was a wine region until we got there, and of course joined a tour to explore some of the offerings. We could have definitely spent a lot longer here, especially once we had seen the SupaIGA supermarket – definitely the best we had seen in the whole of Western Australia. Put it on your visit list!

That was so challenging! There are many more gorgeous locations around, including Walpole and Cape le Grand National Park, but these definitely were a cut above the rest

Where can you find these?

The top five coastal locations north of Perth

Author: Mrs A

Continuing our top 20 locations on our trip, here are the next five spots we really loved.

1. Dampier Peninsular – north of BroomeReason: We headed up here because of numerous recommendations to visit Cape Leveque (the tip of the Dampier Peninsula), but we would say the whole Peninsula is well worth a visit. Pristine beaches, warm waters (we didn’t see any crocs other than on Mr A’s feet) and perfect weather day after day. We stayed at Middle Lagoon, swam in the waters at Lombadina and also camped at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. Our only regret was leaving the caravan behind and taking only a tent – you shouldn’t always listen to advice on the road. The Zone would have easily made it up there with some careful driving.

2. Eighty Mile Beach – South of BroomeReason: While this is a popular spot (many south WA residents park up here for the whole winter), once you move about 200 metres away from the campsite you are totally alone. Miles and miles (more than 80!) of pristine beach, hundred of shells, great sunsets. We loved it here. It was also our first real experience of grass in a long while (yes, small delights!) – we had an unpowered campsite (plenty of solar and they provide you with water) and just loved the cycling. We didn’t have Princess Tassie with us at this point, but the campground at Eighty-Mile Beach allows cats but no dogs! Another reason to like it!

3. Exmouth – mid way down Western Australia CoastReason: The only reason to visit Exmouth is for its natural wonders, in particular Whale Sharks. We had the most magical experience swimming with two Whale Sharks on our day out. These gentle giants feed on plankton and travel along with their mouths open, slow enough for us to swim alongside them in our masks and snorkels – just incredible. I also did two dives on the Navy Pier there, some of the best diving since Byron Bay. And finally we managed one night in Cape Range National Park – it is otherwise fully booked – fabulous wildlife, snorkelling and paddling. We wished we could have got longer in here.

4. Waroora Station (pronounced warra) – Ningaloo Reef, just south of Coral BayReason: Well surely the photos speak for themselves? This was an incredible find – we booked in for two nights and stayed a week. Some people spend months here (though we suspect they don’t do much washing!). We were camped right beside Ningaloo Reef, turtles popping their heads out all along the beaches, whales breaching out beyond the surf break, spectacular powder soft sand and warm waters. We still miss our view now! This is located just south of Coral Bay (which we suggest you avoid like the plague – wall to wall tourist parks, cheek by jowl – yuck!)…

5. Francois Peron National ParkReason: We had no idea this area was so stunning or we would have camped in here. Instead we visited as a day trip from Denham. It requires a 4WD and tyres to be let down, but the national park provides compressed air at the entrance so you can re-inflate on your way out. We went kayaking in Big Lagoon and drove up to Cape Peron on the very tip. From there we could see a fantastic array of sea life including sharks and mantas swimming past. On the beaches, hundreds of pied cormorants lined up, apparently a sign there were tiger sharks about. The lookout was a long slow drive through sand dunes to reach, but so worth it. The dolphins at Monkey Mia (at the bottom of the cape) had commenced our day, not as twee and touristy as we had feared…definitely worth a look if you’re in the area!

Sneaky 6. Kalbarri Reason: We just had to sneak this one in because we had such a lovely time here. Kalbarri is within about 6 or 7 hours drive of Perth, so popular with the locals, but remains a sleepy little village. We ate dinner at one of the best restaurants we had found since Sydney (Upstairs), hiked in the national park and kayaked on the stunning waters. We were on a bit of a time limit to get down to Perth at this point, otherwise would have definitely stayed longer and done more paddling on the lower Murchison River. Lots to do and see here.

I can’t believe we have reached 10 (11!) already – only 10 more recommendations to make. There is going to be some tough competition for the next slot.

Where to find these locations:

The top five spots in The Kimberley

Author: Mrs A

Since being back in Sydney from our six months away we have constantly been asked which was the one place we loved the most. I have to say that to name just one is quite challenging, but after more than 200 nights away, I think I could narrow it down to the top 20.

Here’s the first 5. These are in the order that we visited them rather than ranked and so are from our first six weeks or so of travelling along the top end of WA and The Kimberley region.

1. Bungle Bungle Range – Purnululu National Park – Western AustraliaReason: Spectacular, inspirational scenery, incredible colours, great walking. We were there outside of the school holidays so it was quiet, and nothing overcrowded. We walked and walked all day, in beautiful temperatures, marvelling at the amazing scenery. It has stuck with me still. It’s so hard just to select a few photos from this location!

2. Barnett River Gorge – off the Gibb River Road, Kimberley, Western AustraliaReason: While other gorges in the Kimberly such as El Questro, Emma Gorge, Bell Gorge, Mitchell Falls are definitely up there, and certainly we enjoyed hiking up them and swimming in the waters, Barnett River Gorge stands out for us because it was so peaceful. We arrived just as a tag along tour of backpackers was departing and enjoyed the whole afternoon just the two of us, relaxing in the cooling waters and watching a massive saltwater crocodile cruising up the deeper section from a lookout. Some great memories there. There are no signs off the main road to reach this, you just have to trust in Google Maps directing you down a dirt track through dusty dry grassland.

3. Mornington Wilderness Sanctuary – Kimberley, Western AustraliaReason: Again, in contrast to other locations along the Gibb, this was so quiet and unspoilt by crowds. We had booked this way in advance and after changing our dates around, thought we had lost our booking here. Fortunately they still had us in the schedule and allowed us to head on down. It is run by the Wilderness Society and restricted to a maximum of 30 campers or caravans on the whole property. Much of the time it was just the two of us, and we had an awesome day paddling down Diamond Gorge on our inflatable kayaks, and there were many birds to be seen. It was a fabulous learning experience in a spectacular location.

4. Windjama Gorge – off the Gibb River Road, Kimberley, Western AustraliaReason: We arrived here with low expectations. Windjama can be reached without travelling down the Gibb River Road and does not require a 4WD. We thought it would be full of people and overcrowded like many other places, but although the campground did get busy, it was not crowded in the gorge itself. We hiked into the gorge through a crack in the rock late afternoon and were bowled over by the incredible light. It has a feeling of power and spirituality, somewhat like walking into a grand cathedral, the walls towering overhead and the late afternoon sunlight reflecting off the sandstone. The feeling we had when first entering was renewed the following morning when we hiked in with our breakfast and a flask of tea. This is a very special place.

5. The Horizontal Falls – The Kimberley, flight out of Derby, Western AustraliaReason: What an adventure this was! We had originally just booked a day trip, but everyone we met along our travels told us to stay at least one night, and so we did. Definitely to be recommended! We flew from a tiny airport near Derby across to the top of the Kimberley, landing on the water near our boat. The warm waters there are not friendly for swimming in, full of dangerous saltwater crocodiles and sharks. But we stayed mostly dry (other than my snorkelling with the Tawny Sharks) and leaped on board a smaller boat to whizz through the flooded bays and observe the waters rushing out with the tide. Definitely a location not to be missed! This trip ended with me in the emergency room at the Derby Hospital (you’ll have to read the blog for that story!) but that didn’t spoil my memories!

We’ll be back in day or so with the next five best locations…it’s taking some debating on what to include and what to leave out – we have done so much!

Where to find these locations:

Day 201: 17 December – Arriving back in Sydney

Author: Mrs A

From: Bathurst

To: Curl Curl

Distance: 214km

An early awakening for us, despite the late night – a 5am storm reminded us that we had left the roof hatches of our caravan wide open. Mr A did the honours and dashed out through the heavy rain to close them. His wet pyjamas meant he didn’t get to sleep again, while I slept soundly until master Rory awoke us in his quest to visit Tassie at 7am. David and Tamara, we salute you and your early awakenings! Rory was gentle and loving as always and gave us cuddles to say he would miss us too when we leave. His brother Felix also popped down for some feline strokes before we left. Tomorrow it will be ‘Catherine and Mark? Who are they? But I sure do miss Tassie Cat!’ And so we farewelled the Cummings family and headed down the Blue Mountains to our next stop, Katoomba. We were off to visit Jennie and David, another couple of English folk happily living in Australia who had also the good fortune to purchase a Zone RV caravan – number 57. Jennie was there to wave us into the parking spot and provide us with visitor passes, and quickly ushered us into their home near the three sisters for a cup of tea and a chat.

Such a lovely couple – sadly another familiar story – they purchased the caravan then six months later David suddenly fell seriously ill. Fortunately Jennie was quick witted and organised an ambulance which arrived within ten (long) minutes and whisked him away to hospital for treatment. Very scary though, how health can take a drastic turn in the wrong direction. Mark and I reflect on our own health situations throughout the past six months and are grateful that we didn’t experience anything worse. Thankfully David seems to be on the road to recovery now, and they have plans afoot for a fine adventure of their own in 2018.

We had a great couple of hours with them and hope to catch up next year. We left with our first Christmas card and a pot of what promises to be delicious home made marmalade – I am thinking it might be our first breakfast back in our house tomorrow morning.

From there it was on to Forestville and our friends John and Eveliene’s house to pick up a few bits and pieces they had been looking after for us while we were away. So great to see them, and our initial taste of being back in Sydney’s grasp!We stopped off for a quick drink and a chat, before heading on through the narrow car lined streets to Curl Curl. We have to say that the streets of Forestville were the most challenging roads we had driven on in the whole of Australia – a combination of cars on both sides of the street, narrow roads, hills and bends!

We made it back to Curl Curl without incident and found ourselves a parking spot outside the Harbord Bowling Club for the night. We hope it’s a quiet one! Such good fun with friends Clive, Donna and Andy coming along to welcome us back and join us for a pizza at the club.We calculated our total mileage for this trip – 22,478km – that’s about 14,000 miles for you counting in old money. Fantastic. We’re pretty chuffed with all we have learned along the way and what an incredible adventure we have had. So far. After tonight we head back into our house for about 7 weeks, and then the cat will be away again to explore more of this beautiful country…we hope you will join us too!

Day 199: 15 December – Edging closer to Sydney

From: Orange

To: Bathurst

Distance: 51km

Clouds and light showers greeted us this morning so it was a slow start to the day. We eventually left about 11 o’clock and drove eastwards to Macquarie Woods recreation area, a beautiful location right in between Orange and Bathurst. We camped here back in January this year as one of our first trips away with Tassie. Our stop was scheduled especially for Tassie, as we felt guilty that she hadn’t enjoyed Orange quite as much as we did (too many dogs around).

As soon as we pulled up beside the small lake, Tassie immediately jumped out of the car and confidently began exploring the long grass. It was brilliant to see her so happy.We stopped there a couple of hours as the showers got heavier and Tassie did a bit of exploring.

Around 3pm we headed off to Bathurst. We had planned to pull up our caravan in our friends’ driveway, but on our arrival found the trees a little low, and pulling in would require some extensive trimming. We said hello to David and Tamara and explained our predicament. They invited us to stay in their self contained apartment below their living area.

Tassie loved having lots of space to run around in, and once she had spent some time sniffing around was very settled and loved the company of Felix and Rory, David and Tamara’s young boys – in fact that was the most comfortable around children I have ever seen Tassie.

We had a great evening of roast beef and pork on the BBQ accompanied by salad and a delicious pumpkin pasta. We shared a couple of our fine wines from Adelaide Hills and Barossa, and decided to stay another night given we are just 215km from home.

Day 197: 13 December – Orange redeems itself

Author: Mrs A

Location: Orange, NSW

Another warm day dawned and the promise of vineyards was on our horizon. First we completed some tasks – popping to BCF (Boating, Camping, Fishing) to pick up some new gas bottles. We checked out which vineyards were open on a Wednesday morning – the answer was not many.

Ross Hill Vineyard is not too far out of Orange, and a quick bit of research revealed they are a relatively small boutique vineyard with a great reputation. Wine critic James Halliday has rated them five stars, meaning he considers them an outstanding winery, producing consistently good wine with at least two bottles rated at 92 out of 100 or above. We headed on over.

The cellar door has recently been renovated, and is modern, bright and airy. We were the only visitors and so got a personal tasting. There are some delicious wines there – Mr A was particularly keen on the Pinnacle Chardonnay, and we both loved the cool climate Shiraz. Their light yet spicy Tempranillo was delicious – and would cope with being lightly cooled – perfect for a hot summer’s afternoon.

All that personal service paid off, and we ended up joining the wine club and wheeling off two dozen wines to magically conceal in our caravanAll this wine tasting had worked up an appetite and a very timely text from friend Karen gave us a list of recommendations. We decided to call into Agrestic Grocer. It turned out to be right next door to the Badlands Brewery, the beer Mr A had enjoyed at The Oxley Wine Bar in Cowra, and they offered a tasting paddle from the bar.

The favourite for both of us was the Pale Ale – not too filling, with the right balance of malty-hoppiness. We enjoyed lunch, though the salad could have done with some vinaigrette – they removed the pesto dressing for me but replaced it with nothing. After lunch we picked up some vegetables for tonight (Woolworths ‘the fresh food people’ this time) – again disappointed by the poor quality of fresh produce available – bendy carrots, soft runner beans, under ripe strawberries and nectarines – not what we expected at all.

One of the bottles of Ross Hill Tempranillo was opened with dinner – beef burritos with stir fried vegetables, after which we joined some campground neighbours for drinks and a chat. Gemma and Sweeney are opal miners from Lightning Ridge who met while holidaying in the Philippines. Gemma is from Cambridge in the UK while Sweeney is western Sydney born and bred. What a different life they live, trying to make their fortune hunting for gems underground – Gemma showed us a couple of opals she had been learning to carve – beautiful strikes of colour, and for small stones, quite valuable. As always, it was so interesting learning about another way of life and a lovely evening had.

Day 196: 12 December – Hello Orange

Author: Mr A

From: Cowra

To: Orange

Distance: 101km

We said goodbye to the lovely Keira and Glen, and hit the road. A very hot road….winding through this park-like countryside and coming to our first hills since Adelaide. We drive through the settlements of Milthorpe and Blayney, looking as fab as ever. Then we rolled into Orange and straight past our caravan park entrance. It looked like it had been abandoned, with a scruffy half derelict building lot out the front. Thankfully once you are in the Canobolas Caravan Park the aspect brightens up…a little. We decide to only pay for one night and see what we think.

We unhitch and leave Tas in air conditioned comfort as we swelter in the 32 plus degree heat of mid afternoon. We decide not to cycle and take the car as we need to grocery shop. It is a productive stop at Bunnings (what would a self respecting caravaner do with out the Big B?) and then into the town centre. Now we have this image in our minds of a very picturesque, tranquil Orange. Wow…it has changed. Catherine literally is millimetres from getting knocked over by a car that overtakes the one that has stopped to allow us to cross the road. I shout out and she just pauses as he whistles past in front of her and flies off. We are back in ‘civilisation’. The local Supa IGA is also a disappointment. For an area that’s known for its produce, the fruit and veg is really very ordinary.

We drive back to our park a little disappointed (and shaken), with our first impressions of the Orange we were so looking forward to revisiting. Tomorrow should be better – we’re not fasting – and it definitely wont be an AFD (alcohol free day) that we compell ourselves now to have two days a week…..and we are going wine tasting. Yippee..!

Day 194 & 195: 10-11 December – Stunning gardens and feeding my inner geek!

Author: Mrs A

Location: Cowra, Central West NSW

Sunday 10 December

Sunday morning began cool and dewy but soon warmed up to the early 30s. It didn’t feel uncomfortable though, parked up under a huge tree casting plenty of shade. A BBQ brunch commenced our day, with freshly baked bread and merlot and pork sausages we picked up in West Wyalong.

We had lots of jobs we wanted to tackle today, along with getting our sheets, towels and clothes washed. eBay was the first port of call, with a generator for sale and a 4WD Water Bra (never used or even taken out of its packaging!). I was chief photographer and advertisement writer while Mr A cleaned up the products to ensure they had no evidence of dust on them. Next was cleaning the caravan, washing and vacuuming floors, and Mr A did a good sort out of the storage areas. Our final task was to apply Velcro to our lock covers on the tool boxes to ensure they stay closed. A fiddly job!

A seven kilometre cycle concluded our afternoon – sticking to the least hilly pathways around town. Camp hosts Greg and Keira joined us for a drink after they finished work at 6pm, sharing their interesting journey from being heavy machinery operators in the mines out near Broken Hill to now tending lawns and helping out grey nomads here in Cowra – how life changes!

Monday 11 December

Today was earmarked for more fun activities. We started off out at the beautiful Japanese Gardens in Cowra. Spanning 5 hectares, the manicured gardens are a place of peace and serenity, benches and stunning views around every corner. As with most Japanese gardens, water played a key feature, with ponds filled with Koi carp and waterfalls abounding.We strolled, admiring the views and marvelling at how comfortable the 33 degree day felt amongst all this green and water.We decided to enjoy lunch in the café at the gardens (sadly not Japanese food – the only menu nod to the inspiration was a miso soup!).

Just a 20 minute drive away, we next headed to Canowindra. Mr A and I went our separate ways – he headed off to a coffee shop while I entered the Age of Fishes Museum. This museum was set up in the early 90s after a significant 360 million year old fish fossil bed was discovered near Canowindra. Going back to my geography roots, this natural history absolutely fascinates me, and it is incredible how this was stumbled upon.

The original find (Canowindra grossi – the only evidence of a fish of its kind in the world, unearthed by accident on a farm) was back in 1956, and a slab of rock has been displayed in Sydney for many years. In 1993 an archaeologist questioned whether anyone had looked for more in the same area. The answer was no, so he set off to investigate further. What he found was the biggest find of ancient fish fossils in the world – more than 100 fish of four species. Just incredible. The biggest find was fish with bone structure in their fins almost identical to human arms and wrists, and the ability to breathe through a nose as well as gills. The feeling is that these fish are extremely close to being the first creatures to start leaving the water and moving about on land – they are still looking for evidence of this, but no footsteps (or fin steps) found as yet.After all this learning, we thought it should be time to go and try some local wine. We headed to a winery on our way back to Cowra, but sadly the cellar door was only open at the weekend. Such a shame. Hopefully the Orange wineries will be more welcoming over the next few days…yes, I know, another wine region in our future!…And so to our final evening in Cowra. We again enjoyed the company of Keira and Glenn for a few beverages while our Weber cooked up our butterflied pork. We shared a few stories along the way, Mr A lamenting that I will never let him have a chain saw. Our close friends will know why…and so do Glenn and Kiera now.

I joked that Mr A would set our roast pork onto his iPad to rest if I didn’t keep an eye on him, and picked up a heat proof mat and a piece of foil so he could set the baking tray safely on the side. Our pork had been resting about 5 minutes when I realised Mr A had actually put it on his iPad and covered it with foil!!! Oh how we cried with laughter! Despite this, it tasted rather good with the roast sweet potato and steamed bock choi. I wonder whether Apple have ever registered a use case for the iPad as a resting tray for meat?

It’s amazing we are still alive….onwards….

Day 193: 9 December – Cycling Cowra

Author: Mr A

From: Forbes

To: Cowra

Distance driven: 91km Cycled: 14km

Another sunny day and the wind had dropped so the BBQ was put to use for baked eggs, mushrooms and toast and Catherine smashed up some avo’s. Now that’s a good start to the day. All packed and ready to go – or so we thought – until I try to level the van – the air suspension had sprung a leak again. Not thinking it was Saturday I called the service line at Zone and immediately got a perky voice on the line asking how they could help. Now that is super service for a manufacturer to provide weekend service cover as well. Warms your heart it does.

We get talked through a fix and 10 minutes later all was sorted. Zone will also arrange for the system to be fully checked out when we back in Sydney. It looked like a couple of hose lines had got bent and cracked. We did feel quite masterful fixing it ourselves 🙂

It was a great drive down the Lachlan Way to Cowra. The recent rains meant we had emerald green fields and lush trees lining the road. We had booked at the Cowra Van Park, based on good reviews on WikiCamps, and we weren’t disappointed. A few minutes walk from town and on the river, its immaculately kept with perfectly groomed lawns and flower beds. The hosts Keira and Glenn were so helpful and welcoming, nothing too much trouble for them. Now why can’t every park be like this? A real cracker.

So it was time to explore the many sights of Cowra, on our bikes of course. Keira even provided a cycling routes map – now that’s a first for the whole trip! The route we chose was described as “rolling” by the ever so competent in marketing at Tourism NSW. My description would be “bloody hilly on a hot day!”. We had chosen the “Peace Precinct Trails, which started with a 2km climb out of town and up to the local cemetery – no, I’d want it in the dead centre of town….groan. The info boards explained this is where several hundred Japanese were buried who had staged a mass escape from the local Prisoner of War (POW) camp. Being captured and being alive was disonouring their family and country, so the way they tried to escape was described as a mass suicide by the garrison commander of the Australian army guarding the camp. They literally wanted to die trying to escape, and several hundred buried here succeed at that.We then went on to the POW camp itself. Not much was left to see, the info boards again though told a harrowing story of several thousand POWs crammed in to the camp, with the last prisoners not being repatriated until 1954!

Its hard for Mrs A and I never being close to war to comprehend what these times were like, for the guards or the captors. All I could think was when Japanese people visiting the site were reading how well we treated their POWs compared to what was happening to ours in Japanese camps, what would they be thinking?

We arrived back at camp and got ourselves ready for a big night out in Cowra, which turned out to be just perfect. A wine bar kicked off our evening, our first in 6 months. It felt so exciting to walk in to a place with such a range of wines chalked up!

Then it was down to the Indian – OMG – this food was sensational – one of the best North Indian meals we’ve ever had. Fantastic – Cowra…we love you.

Day 192: 8 December – Inching closer to Sydney

Author: Mrs A

From: Weethalle

To: Forbes

Distance driven: 162km Cycled: 10km

With just over a week before we are due back in the big smoke we have decided to linger in the outback visiting areas we have previously only passed through at speed. We headed first to the town of West Wyalong for breakfast. Just under 60km from Weethalle, the town is in complete contrast. Looking for a bakery, Google highlighted three in the high street, and we passed wine bars, restaurants, hairdressers and grocery stores, the streets already bustling with people at 9.30am. We purchased a loaf of bread, and in the butchers bought a dozen fresh oysters and a couple of pork chops and and headed on our way.

Our destination for today was Forbes, a town central to the agricultural industry of this central area of New South Wales. Many of the residents not involved in the service industry (eg tourism, shops and cafés in town) are involved in the stock and grain sales, with huge yards close to town. Forbes looks like a prosperous location with a variety of stores and restaurants, landscaped parklands and a generally positive vibe.

We set up camp beside Lake Forbes, a free area provided by the town to encourage travellers like us to stop overnight and spend our money here. When we arrived there were only two other caravans parked up amongst the trees on the lakeside. Tonight there are about 8 or so, including three motorhomes. It’s a popular spot.

(Below: a pair of Australian wood ducks)We jumped on our bikes for an explore. Forbes is pretty flat, and there is a cycleway around the lake. We rode out to the information centre to see what other rides were nearby – other than the lake path they couldn’t really tell us of anywhere else. We collected some brochures about the surrounding regions and continued on our way. We spotted many water birds and a young brown snake which crossed our path – there has been a lot of rain in these parts lately, so there are plenty of frogs, which means numerous snakes. The shared pathway circumnavigating the lake was flooded in many locations.We called into Bernardi’s supermarket – a trendy ‘Harris Farm Market’ style store (our Sydney friends will be familiar with) with great choice and reasonable prices. We hadn’t eaten lunch so it was a bit of a battle getting Mr A to walk past all the goodies he wanted to buy – somehow we managed to depart only with fruit and vegetables, no fruit cakes, pastries or giant hams!

Returning to camp we set about marinading our pork chops then doing some research to make plans for the days ahead. While today was a pleasant 25 degrees centigrade, next week is forecast to soar again, with temperatures heading up to the late 30s. No free camping in those temperatures – we will definitely need to be on power with air conditioning.

We cooked dinner in the mobile apartment as there was too strong a breeze for the BBQ – accompanying our honey-soy-garlic marinaded chops with roasted sweet potato and steamed bok choy. We retire now for the night to the sounds of croaking frogs and chirruping cicadas. The sounds of summer.