Reg and I have been careful to select quiet companion dog friendly, eco-friendly locations for our 2011 tour and the BIG4 Trial Bay Tourist Park, South West Rocks, NSW, is one of the best to combine the well cared for, pet friendly caravan park site with a true nature experience. 

This weekend with strong winds predicted for the area I am grateful to be tucked away sheltered from the winds. I was amazed when we were directed to a caravan site that had an expanse of natural bushland behind and to the side of it and a very short walk to a natural lagoon.  Reg takes the fishing gear and walks to the beach once or twice a day. Whereas I, mostly sit around the caravan enjoying being surrounded by National Park while I work on my Australian bush novel.  It is a pleasure to be interrupted by birds and wildlife.  I met the resident kangaroo family this morning.

This would be an ideal location for international guests looking for nature and history or a family wanting all the facilities including a kids club. For the social couple there is lots of dining out opportunities in the town which is only 2 kilometres away.  The only sounds I have heard in the week that I have been here were the call of the birds and pleasant sound of waves plus one gentle knock on the caravan door. The knock on the door was a neighbour giving us two excess to his own needs, fish he had caught that day.

Did I mention how friendly people are here?  Not that you need meet anyone, the place is so peaceful. There is morning coffee get together every day at 10.30 am if you want to get to know the neighbours, listen to the chat about the area, find out about the great scenic drives and walks your neighbours have been on and learn a bit about the history of the area.

I sent Reg to the morning tea last Wednesday, he came back enthusiastic about the free lemon meringue pie I missed out on and stories about the area he had heard.  

My main exercise has been discovering the gorgeous clothing boutique in the shopping centre that gives a 10% discount to the park residents.  When you arrive, pick up one the discount meals and services cards. The reception is filled with helpful brochures and maps of the many places to visit while you are in the area. 

The facilities here include movie room, camp kitchen, BBQ's resort pool, spa, games room, toddlers play area, playgrounds, jumping pillow, half court tennis, free internet kiosk, and laundry. Of course I am mostly interested in the peace and quiet aside from the sounds and views of nature and Reg has his fishing to content him and Indigo lots of places she is allowed to walk plus a dog friendly beach she is allowed to fun off leash on, about 2,000 human steps away.

To be up-to-date by the minute and follow the BIG4 Trial Bay Tourist Park, South West Rocks (NSW) on facebook and twitter. Subscribe to newsletter and be the first to know about their specials and offers or call them today on 02 6566 6142  They are offering a current SPECIAL of $20. per night for a powered caravan site.  Now that is the best value I have seen this season for the amenities provided.

Books » Travel » Country Guides » Australia & NZ
Camping and Caravanning Guide to the Murray River
By Craig Lewis, Cathy Savage

This looks to be a good book to add to my travel reference library. Some of the best holidays we have had as a family were spent camping on the riverbank.  Even now, Reg and I still love a riverbank caravan site.

Format:Paperback, 250 pages
Other Information: colour photos; maps
Published In: Australia, 20 January 2010

A comprehensive listing of 70+ parks, forests, reserves and caravan parks where you can pitch your tent, roll out your swag, or park up your van. Provides concise and accurate details to sites along the course of the Murray, through NSW, Victoria and SA, including the High Country.

I have a passion for history. Not the stale history in the school curriculum books but the live history as passed down though generations of a family who have cherished and preserved their heritage.

Post and rail fences and old drays have me purring with joy to see.  I only know of half a dozen in all my Australian travels. I'm sure there are more. These totally nail-free constructions are well over a century old. This one is at New Italy in the north east coast of NSW.

New Italy, is a great place for food buffs and history lovers it is just off the Pacific Highway, 12 km south of Woodburn.

These Italians were basically 'boat people,' they left their old country over a century ago to come to an Island continent near New Guinea and begin a new life.  They arrived in Australia at a time when Visas and entry permits were unheard of and needed to be granted permission to stay.  The ten Italian families settled this area near Woodburn and made fine wine and silk, began a school and called this area, New Italy.

The museum tells the history of their journey here by ship and the early settlement in Australia. It is interesting learning the history of these resilient people who made Australia their home and added so much to our culture.

Excellent food, coffee, clean amenities and plenty of parking for the caravan make this a pleasant place to break the journey.

New Italy

Images of Australia in the Paintings and Writing of Artist Author

 Kathy Shell Artist – Kathryn Shell Author Kathryn Shell is a published non-fiction and fiction author currently working on an Australian Novel.
Feel welcome to reproduce the words in the above blog post provided you copy it in its entirety including this section with all its active links.  The images may not be copied without permission of the artist, author. You can purchase prints from the art of Kathy Shell. Art and art print sales are available from Kathy Shell Artist.  ` Flower Gallery  ` Horse Gallery ` Landscape Gallery ` Portrait Gallery – Includes Australian Wildlife, Dogs and Bears and Gollies or by selecting from those offered in the sidebars of her web blogs then Contact Kathy with your selection and these will be listed as a  buy it now bundle for you though secure PayPal.  You are most welcome to link to this blog post.Thank you. - Kathy Shell.

Reg and I had a wonderful day today. We set up our caravan on an absolute riverside frontage beside the beautiful Brunswick river. on the grounds of the Mullumbimby Leagues Club with a backdrop of Mt Chincogan.
There are powered and un-powered sites and club house amenities.

Many of the campers are golfers and take advantage of the Par 3 & 4 x 11 hole golf course.

There are great BBQ facilities and Reg had fun fishing.  I set up my office and logged on to the internet and was thrilled to get all 5 bars for wireless internet coverage on both my Optus and Telstra networks and no need to use additional wireless antennas to strengthen the signal.  This is the strongest internet coverage I have had for the tour so far.

The Elbow Inn is a great undercover kitchen with loads of seating for a big group and chairs facing around the tables and out to the river views.

Book early for the popular riverside sites. I suspect some people would come here and stay, it is such a perfect holiday venue. Even the non riverfront sites are good with green grass and mountain views.  I am pleased I found this peaceful and pretty place. If I had the time I would stay longer. The  shopping in Mullumbimby is excellent and the surrounding scenery provides loads for the explorer to discover. I found this great caravan park site because it is listed in Camps Australia Wide 5 as a reasonable priced caravan park. I prefer not to stay at those high cost resort parks. This one is great value and you don't feel you have to blow wave your hair to step out the door, which for me is what a traveling holiday should be like. Showers were great, plenty of hot water and an efficient water supply, as one would expect in a sporting club.
The Mullumbimby Leagues Club is 2 km NE of PO.

Contact details for bookings !
P.O Box 501 (Manns Rd) Mullumbimby
NSW 2482
Australia
Attn: Caretaker
ph:  0405 19 88 66

Images of Australia in the Paintings and Writing of Artist Author

 Kathy Shell Artist – Kathryn Shell Author Kathryn Shell is a published non-fiction and fiction author currently working on an Australian Novel.
Feel welcome to reproduce the words in the above blog post provided you copy it in its entirety including this section with all its active links.  The images may not be copied without permission of the artist, author. You can purchase prints from the art of Kathy Shell. Art and art print sales are available from Kathy Shell Artist.  ` Flower Gallery  ` Horse Gallery ` Landscape Gallery ` Portrait Gallery – Includes Australian Wildlife, Dogs and Bears and Gollies or by selecting from those offered in the sidebars of her web blogs then Contact Kathy with your selection and these will be listed as a  buy it now bundle for you though secure PayPal.  You are most welcome to link to this blog post.Thank you. - Kathy Shell.

We crossed the NSW border into the fertile farming land close to mountains and rainforests of the far north coast of New South Wales early afternoon today . A 6.5 kilometers of pretty mountain scenery brought us to Mullumbimby which is situated on the junction of the three arms of the Brunswick River about 4 kilometers west of the Pacific Highway and about a 15-20 minutes from Byron Bay.

Brunswick River Mullumbimby is close to Ocean Shores, Brunswick Heads and Billinudgel. We have already discovered the locals refer to their town affectionately as Mullum,  After the natural bush we drove though on the approach to the town from the north I never expected such a large shopping precinct. I will have no problem stocking up on supplies before moving on on Saturday.

For the fitness minded, the Chincogan Festival is held here in September and this includes a foot- race to the top of Mount Chincogan, a conical shaped mountain that is located northwest of the town.
 We have camped beside the Brunswick River Mullumbimby on one of only a few powered sides on the grounds of the Mullumbimby Leagues Club.  I feel privileges to have such a great caravan camp site for four nights. 

I bet Reg has the fishing line in the river in the Morning before he even makes his first cup of coffee.
These photos are of the view from our caravan..

  Images of Australia in the Paintings and Writing of Artist Author

 Kathy Shell Artist – Kathryn Shell Author Kathryn Shell is a published non-fiction and fiction author currently working on an Australian Novel. As Kathy Shell she has represented Australia at the International artist's festival and was the leading artist of highly acclaimed Buninyong Gallery. Feel welcome to reproduce the words in the above blog post provided you copy it in its entirety including this section with all its active links.  The images may not be copied without permission of the artist, author. You can purchase prints from the art of Kathy Shell by selecting from those offered in the sidebars of her web blogs then Contact Kathy with your selection and these will be listed as a  buy it now bundle in this EBay Store.
You are most welcome to link to this page. Thank you. - Kathy Shell.

 I have Reg on the 'job' reading my latest 12,000 word chapter and it is undergoing final polishing by me. Polishing takes time.

I would love to have the fuji cameras  and throw the door open late at night and have Reg and I both take  photos of the intruder in out camp kitchen.

I've still not got up in the middle of the night to see who is working in our camp kitchen at that hour. lol, they sure bang the pots no pans around looking for the food we do not leave out for them. I might 'spring them' tonight and hope they get a bigger fright than me, lol :-)

We are staying at Kupunda Fishing Camp on the riverside. Beautiful quiet location in south midwest NSW

Read more:-
Typical Creative Gray Nomad Day. www.kathrynshell.com

Kathy Shell

The Warrumbungles is a beautiful mountain range that rises above the flat plains in northern NSW and provides the traveller on the Newel Highway a wonderful diversion on their north to south or south to northern Australia tour.  There are some sophisticated facilities in the Warrumbungal ranges for those who love to wear fashionable  urban clothing  and lots of opportunityt for bush style clothes.

The Castlereagh River has its headland land in the Warrumbungle Ranges before flowing inland to join the Darling River.
The Warunbungles are also the site of a national park and being so far away from the cities on the coast they are a perfect location for planet and stars observatories which open to the public.   Certainly the stars at night from our free campsite on the Newel Highway gave us a night view of the clearest sky I have seen for a long while.     Coonabarabran in inland New South Wales, is the nearest town to the Warrumbungles.

The range lies between the moist eastern coastal zone and the dryer plains to the west. Due to this position the mountains have provided protection for flora and fauna suited to both habitats. This interests me as the novel I am writing is set in a country town beside a mountain range that is situated on the edge of the dryer western planes.  My novel is not set in early day's Coonabarabran but it might have been.  Around here they are growing cotton crops.  In my novel it is beef cattle country and sorghum or sunflower crops. 

Over 120 different bird species live in the Warrumbungle Ranges and the colonies of grey kangaroo are relatively tame.

The mountains of the Warrumbungle Range, are many varied and interesting shapes.  The bread knife is a famous abrupt jutting upright rock formation 90 meters high.

Warrumbungle Region is 5-6 hours drive from Sydney, half way between Melbourne and Brisbane, and within 2 hours drive of the regional cities of Dubbo and Tamworth.     Despite the floods this year the road surface is good for most of te way and where it is rough it was well marked with slow down signage.  

There are frequent 24 hour overnight camp sites on the route and we passes several driver reviver stops.  Public toilets were ar many of the free camp sites and of course the road houses had clean toilets and appreciated a purchase if you use their facilities.  

I had planned to take Reg to see the Menindee Lakes, about 111k south of Broken Hill, via a sealed road, but had postponed due to the flooding.I saw this area and painted there, many years ago when I was exhibiting art in Broken Hill.   I painted in watercolours along the Darling River and viewed the sunset across the lakes.

I just rang the Tourist Information Centre at Menindee, (Telephone: (08) 8091 4274) to ask what the current situation as regards access to this area and the flooding is like and I was told Menindee is currently flooded however they feel that by June and July, the area should be accessible.

The Menindee Lakes and the Darling River are apparently some of the best places for inland fishing in NSW.
with  Murray cod, golden perch, silver perch, European carp, crayfish and catfish in abundant supply.  Sounds good to me. Geoff Looney on (02) 8091 4437 is the local fishing and bird watching expert, I believe.  You could also contact Burke & Wills Hire Boat Expeditions (02) 8091 4383.

Remember that many of the local roads are gravel and can be hazardous or impassable after wet weather. Phone (08) 8091 5155 for an up-to-date report on their condition.
Also driving the main road back to Broken Hill after viewing the sunset over the lakes, is very hazardous as stock and wildlife wonder freely on the roads.  This is a road kill area.
Many of the trees along the Darling River are magnificent to look at and for the artist to pain, they are however, typical widow makers. Do not camp under those big limbs, they can drop off without warning.  There are two caravan parks in the area. 
While painting in the Darling River area, I was once startled by wild boars running though the bush.  

Burke and Wills site at Pamamaroo Creek
I first came to Menindee as a part of a bus tour that followed the Burke and Will Trail.
Pamamaroo Creek is the site of the base camp of the 1860 Burke and Wills expedition. The expedition party included 15 men, 23 horse, 27 camels and 21 tons of stores. At the time of Burke's arrival in Menindee it was an outpost with no other settlements between here and the vast interior. On 19 October the small party of Burke, Wills, Brahe, King, Gray, McDonagh, Patton and Dost Mahomet, 15 horses and 16 camels left the Pamamaroo camp and headed north. The balance of the expedition party stayed for the next year.

I am thinking about Easter and that makes me think of gourmet treats like hand dipped and decorated strawberries.  Check out these  SharisBerries discount codes.  I also think of our Annual flu imunisation and the start of our winter travel around Australia. 

This year I still only have the first half of our tour planned.

Travel advice wanted please. 

IF we traveled from Ayre Peninsula South Australia, to Ballina South Northern New south Wales, this year,  what sort of road conditions would we find on the Barrier Highway, given the recent floods.

Also, which is the best route to cross to the coast over the Great Dividing Range to get to the Sunshine Coast.  We will be towing a caravan.
I WRECKED the gear box on the troopy and had to replace it due to stop start driving on those NSW hills.  Hand brake starts on steep inclines is not good driving conditions for a four wheel drive towing a caravan.  I do not want 'stop start' driving ever again on mountains.  It is too wearing on the car towing a caravan.    Al advice appreciated.  Thank you

Our travel plans for this autumn will roberly be dictated to and altered due to the rain that has fallen in the first few weeks of 2011. 

I have experienced te beauty of the Menindee lakes system an dhad wanted to show the area to Reg this autumn but chances are it will not be accessible towing a caravan.   It is not unusual to adapt travel plans to the weather.

Over the next couple of days far western New South Wales could get some of its best rainfall in over 100 years, according to forecasters.

It is predicted some areas, especially those near the South Australian border could get up to 100 millimetres today.

Broken Hill and surrounding towns, have already had a drenching this week with around 78 millimetres, as of 7:00am (ACST) falling in the city since Monday night.

Brett Dutschke from Weather Zone says this January could become one of the wettest on record.

"This 24 hours coming is going to be the wettest 24 hours in quite a while it will make this January possibly become one of the wettest on record," he said.

"I know 125 years ago there was an extremely wet January, (where) 200 millimetres plus fell in the month around the Wilcannia area.


Menindee residents could be isolated for months Some residents in Menindee could be be isolated for around three months by flood waters, according to one local.

Flows coming from further north are inundating the Menindee Lakes system, with releases currently at around 23,000 megalitres per day at Weir 32.

But State Water says because of all the water, releases will have to be increased to 26,000 megalitres starting from next week.

Menindee resident, Ron Page, says further increases will continue to flood his property and many others.

"We are in a situation now where everyone knows the whole system is full of water and there is a lot more to come," he said.

"We need to make sure we know exactly how much flooding will take place and we need to put those plans in place now because in six weeks time I am quite sure we will get a lot more water down here than we have for a long time."

"We will be isolated out here for a two-to-three-month time frame.

"It is a fairly long time to be isolated but the waters in the system, I do not think State Water have any choice other than to keep pushing the water like they are doing.

"So I think it will be an eight to a 12-week time frame being isolated at our place here."


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/13/3111780.htm