Ramblings from the Road – Crookwell , Dungog, Armidale, Dorrigo.
I should have given Crookwell more airtime. With Dungog, Dorrigo and Byron Bay locked in for the return journey, the stop en route had to have a caravan park – (obviously) as well as being a manageable distance from the next location. We set up at the Crookwell Caravan Park with the issue with the left indicator still to be resolved.
Crookwell must have more windfarms than any other area in the country . Why not – it blows a gale from every direction depending on the time of day. Highways out of town promote “Windfarm Viewing Area”. My caravan park buddy Tony earns a very tidy wage as a wind farmer – he lives at the park for much of the year. We have a chat. He’s from SA – but works for a windfarm company. It might be a little rough lifestyle wise, but the money is anything but . I ask Tony about wedgetail eagles arguing with the turbines. His take is that it is a crock of bs.
He also assisted me to check that the pesky left indicator was functioning properly . Earlier that day , Neil the Van Tech Man had walked me through some steps that did restore the connection. Tony produced a can of special stuff that blows everything out of where it shouldn’t be – a must carry next time. There are a few must haves in the tool kit for the van future trip.
So apart from windfarms and a whole heap of wind , Crookwell also has an amazing sock manufacturing business , using merino wool which is unfortunately produced in China , but still operating the looms in the room behind the shop. Really great to see. .
So Dungog Showgrounds from Crookwell is mostly highway driving. The scenic road is twice as long, and really, highway driving is a lot easier although not at all scenic – instead the antics of nutcase drivers weaving in and out of heavy traffic around Sydney requires concentration. Up the M 31, the M7 and onto the M1. Maitland and we peel off with another 50 or so K of ordinary road to Dungog. Their Showground is a beautiful spot, $25 for the night, power and water. I had never set foot in Dungog before today.- it’s a lovely little town, quite historic and many beautiful properties along the drive in. A lifestyle area in some ways, also lot of older, established properties with dairy or beef cattle. It’s green, which is nice, because everything south is pretty much brown or burnt.
An observation on showground camping, v caravan park camping. There’s no comparison if peace and quiet is a priority. Bright gets the noisiest, crowded award – lightly less babble at Beechworth. The NRMA Bright holiday camp are begging for a review – I won’t be going back there in a hurry. Here at Dungog, there’s me, and three or four others. Camping for different purposes.
Fortunately the indicators were working this morning for the trip up the highway – everything appears to be fine in that regard. So looking forward to meeting up with Jill and Ellie/Beyonce. Villanelle has been having the time of her life – she loves travelling and saying hello to everyone . I can let her off here and there are resident rabbits. She’s not into anything other than check out a burrow.
It goes without saying you learn – what works and what doesn’t – what you like and what you don’t, what’s good or what isn’t, assessing routes, times and distances. You also need to include a special kit for glitches – such as Tony the wind farmer’s special spray stuff.
After catching up with Jill and Ellie , I’m scooting up the highway to Scone. Typhoon Bassett is at Annabel and Rob Archibald’s stables there, and he steps out for his very first race on Thursday next, which is Elliot’s birthday. I wonder if there’s anything fortuitous in that. An add-on idea diverting not really out of my way through Scone. The plan is say hello, and hopefully somebody will show me the horse and I can give him a pat. And from there, we go on to Dorrigo, an overnight stop last year but beautiful. Worthy of a couple of nights at least. And then on to Byron Bay . Update – Dorrigo just a little too far for that drive – Armidale is the stop.
A lovely meeting with Jill, her daughter, Kel and Ellie, Ellipat Beyonce. Kelpie mother and daughter were reunited. Coffee and dog talk – lots of it. I am totally confused with the conversation going in various directions over canine families – father and brother and grandfather and whatever. They’re very nice people and I’m really happy that the puppy is so happy and loved. She’s a bit of an old-fashioned puppy, exuberant like her sister but they’re so similar, the 3 pups, in fact. I think now looking at, at Ellie – she’s probably more like Beatrice. They are certainly stamped with their father’s ears and neck. They’ve got quite ruffled necks these 3 girls, which is a good feature apparently. Their mother’s kind face and feminine manner. I do think they look more like dad than mum.
So that was Dungog – from there to Scone. Directions from Jill and Kel to cut through to Singleton, then it was up the highway. Needed to get fuel, and get the racecourse into the GPS . Arrived with the mercury rising at an imposing complex.
Where do I start? All these barns? However, nothing ventured nothing gained -he must be here somewhere. I follow boom box bopping to some young stable hands who steered me in the direction of two huge barns not far away. I found Chris, who was really nice and met Typhoon Bassett. They call him Typhoon. He’s a lovely horse and now I’ve got the visual of what he looks like in the flesh. It’s a fantastic facility , the racetrack, lots of big stable barns, walkers , swimming pools and a massive equine hospital. Scone has always been the heart of the thoroughbred industry in Australia . Annabel’s got something like 60 horses in 2 barns, as well as a property that’s within spitting distance, used to not so much spell ,but to give a horse in full work a couple of days break in a turn out yard with grass before they resume training with no loss of fitness. To forget about life for a while. It’s a fantastic strategy – she is very good trainer. Great to know she knows every single horse; she’s got 100’s of horses in training. But yet, Chris tells me regardless of the age and stage, Annabel will know exactly what it is, who it is, where it is at. And for every horse that races, all the homework on the others in the race is done. How she has the time to do that is amazing. The horse looks great. He looks really fit. He’s a tall, big, strong type. His 1st race is on Thursday – Elliot’s birthday .
I made it to Armidale. The New England Highway is much improved but the geography doesn’t change and it’s a real uphill chug most of the way. Signs from Tamworth to say that Waterfall Way is closed – may as well just stop in Armidale. I lived here for 6 years after – all a long time ago.
The long driving days can get a bit wearing. In future I’d be more inclined to travel shorter distances and be more destination selective. Instead of just 2 nights somewhere, stop for 4 nights, a big drive and then stop for another 4 nights. Avoiding overcrowded caravan parks with families and children at holiday time . An old duck’s take on things, but so be it. Here, it’s lovely. It’s quiet, and summer is the best season in New England . Now it’s Dorrigo and a delicious Australia Day pub dinner . …….
