Today was always going to be a big day. I was a bit worried when somebody in town this morning chose to start a LOUD party at 2am. It was still in full flight at 3:30 and could still be heard, but at a reduced level, at dawn.
Greg being on the road at 6:45 got us all moving, and a few tips about roads to avoid made for a smooth start to the day.
Lucy had to show off her new tights and then we were off.
Vast areas of flat land under green crops or pastures was the order of the day, at least for the morning. St George for lunch has recovered well from the floods. We chose the river for our picnic, choosing to avoid the vast gathering at the local skate park.
Continuing to make good time, we headed for Hebel. A one pub, shop and fuel at the pub town, it has changed little since I was last here 15 years ago. A little charm has been lost though. I seem to recall there used to be a cockatoo sitting on the bar ready to engage patrons in conversation. No such resident this time. The artwork on the walls outside is still cute.
Leaving at 3pm, we were in good shape to hit our target of Culgoa Nat park before dark. It was looking even better when we saw a brown national park sign in the last town on the way. All good. There was one flaw in the plan though. I had no information about which of the two roads through the park had the camping ground. The sign gave me heart though, but when we wound up back in Qld at the wrong park, I was concerned. The vast flocks of emus and mobs of kangaroos were picturesque, but not really what you want to be tackling on dusk and I was wondering if we had picked the wrong road. Still, nothing else to be done except continue, as the Qld offering had no toilets and so was not the preferred site. The road loops back into NSW and almost right on cue, the real campground turnoff appeared.
The last rays of sun guided us in and we could setup before dark. A big day but we had made it. Our first real setup wasn’t too bad. Dinner went down mostly and then the stars attracted the budding photographers. No moon here.
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