LEODESTRAVELOZZ

20210407 I set the Nav for Split Rock Dam Camp Area that supplies showers and power for a small fee, and apparently it's a popular inland sports and recreation area, well! it was shit, the grass is over grown, we were at a loss where the powered sites were not to speak of, where the hell are the amenities, this can't be it. After checking Wiki we turned the van around and went in search of the Glenriddle Rec Reserve in Upper Manilla and as we drove over the hill our eyes captured the landscape, it may not have showers and power but it has a view to to die for.  After collecting our wood we built our fire then sat back and watched the sun go down. After all the rain the rolling hills at Glenriddle are lush and green with running water in the river still flowing. The sunset over the river as we listen to the cows in the background and watch the Roo's jump by checking us out while the wild ducks frolic in the river, our own piece of heaven.  Look Lee I found a walking stick, n...

20210413 We wake to a freezing morning of about 2 degrees in the van and -5 degrees outside and after breakfast I placed my bowl in the washing up dish when I noticed the water was frozen, yep it's bloody cold.  With our black tank filling we have to leave to flush it out so after we pack up we head to Barraba about 6 ks down the road and book into a caravan park to catch up on some much needed washing.   Barraba is a small town on the Manilla River with many buildings, dating from the turn of the century. As we enter the town the first thing we noticed was the painted silo, the community came together to get a mural on the 40-metre-high silos in an attempt to attract more tourists to the village. T he painted depicts a water diviner, a practice still used in parts of Australia where farmers believe they can find water with two metal rods or, as pictured in the mural, sticks. Bobby is his name or Bob, the owner of the caravan park and a real have a chat, he told many...

20210406  Arriving in Manilla to a town that was larger than I thought so we parked the van and walked the streets with my camera in toe. As like most of these towns there are many shops shut down or struggling but to my surprised I found some interesting gift shops to brows through and get my shopping fix as I send Des on his way.  It was over 165 years ago a George Veness founded the towns first commercial operation and named it after Gamilaraay ( Aboriginals whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland and were one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Australia)  word meaning, Winding River. The first thing I noticed was a poster in one of the shops windows saying “Save Manilla Railway Viaduct” and I instantly thought, now that I have to see, we continued down the street stopping at a News Agents and got direction, this I have to see. And the old railway didn't disappoint, what a beauty she is, these lines we definitely built to last but it is i...

20210405 Calling into Uralla for a bit of a walk and check out the town that's surrounded by rich fertile soil but unfortunately the town relies on the commuters from Armidale and tourist to keep the town alive. Uralla is described as "Thunderbolt Country", another town that takes it's claim to fame from a criminal # bushranger. The Captain Thunderbolt monument stands in the main street, and is the main feature in the museum and his body lies in the towns cemetery, it's fascinating that a bushranger adds fame to a town but also interesting. The main street in Uralla Established in 1881 and it's known as the Top Pub, as opposed to Thunderbolt's Hotel, at the other end of bridge Street, which is known as the Bottom Pub. The Imperial Hotel or "The Bottom Pub" came to life in 1909 as a Victorian style Hotel. Passing through Bendemeer and onto Nemingha for lunch at the local Hotel and I must say they cook a mean steak. Checking Wiki for a camp spot an...

20210329 With easter around the corner Des goes in search of a camp where we can settle in before the mad rush of camper's hit the road, he found it and only 100 ks up the road, that will do me. Entering Delungra and over a one way bridge into a town that has a reputation as the Poorest, Happiest Town in Australia" but the Tax Office named it as the lowest earning town in the country with the average resident earning just $21,691 ($17,089 USD) a year, making it the poorest region in Australia. But don't blink or you will miss it as we drive through the town of Bundarra who takes clame to the legend of the bushranger known as Thunderbolt (Fred Ward) who in 1868 stole two horses belonging to police inspector Brown.   We find a spot on the hill overlooking the camp, fire pit, and all to our self for the easter break and was having a lovely quite time, but then this bloody Winnebago decided to camp beside us with two dogs and we all know how much I love dogs. And here are the ...