Lake Chaffey to Dunedoo

 Cloudy and cool today so very pleasant but no use for solar panels. Have paid for another 2 nights. Drinks outside my van – only place out of the cold wind. Fresh Yellow Belly for dinner from neighbours - very nice. Downloaded 8GB of books off a USB stick. 37,000 books apparently. All in author order. Dan Brown – Digital Frontier – read it until after midnight! . Some very loud bangs during the evening. Apparently they are firework bombs – people over the other side in the skiers camp letting them off I think.

11/11

Quiet day – put more books off the Element drive to the Kindle. Read Tim Allen’s ‘Don’t stand near a naked man’ - funny. 

12/11

Packed up the van, said goodbye to the neighbours and left about 11 intending to work my way slowly along the back roads across to Gunnedah then down to Dubbo.

Got to Quirindi, saw the road to Gunnedah and a heap of big trucks coming and going on that road so headed south on the England highway instead. Also decided it would be nice not having to drive on the ‘minor’ road with one eye always on the broken seal edges in case I had to get out of the way! Followed an oversized load that had come off that road until we got to a very long passing lane up a hill. Chatted to the truckies – was going to stay back but they said it was a very long way to the top and he had to go slow down the other side as well.  Lovely drive.

Murrurundi – reminded me of Matamata – stud horse farms with immaculate fences, lawns etc. just not green! I wonder if this area was called New England before or after they planted all the lovely English tree?

Decided to get a scone in Scone and stay the night. Got fuel and then drove straight past the Caravan Park – sign hidden in trees. Didn’t look very inviting anyway! Did a right at the Tourist Drive sign and realised that I was heading on the Dubbo Road. Caravan Park at Merriwa she thinks! Right! – pokey little place right on the main road, and no one there until 4.30 to ask if I could park sideways so I didn’t have to unhitch. Had a very late lunch and headed to Dunedoo instead. Really nice sealed large free camp on the top of a hill near Cassilis but not a soul in sight (4pm) so kept going. Am now tucked up at a $15 per night Caravan Park at Dunedoo.

Then – drove around in a big circle so I could pull up beside the concrete pad – and ran the van wheels up on to it!  Around for another go – am now a couple of feet away – room to put the step on the ground then step on to the pad. How hard can it be!!!!!

10 ducklings down to 3 by Monday. Eaten - scared away?

So have driven nearly 6 hours – but enjoyed the scenery and the good roads most of the way. Seemed like a lot of long hills that got me down into 3^rd and 4^th gear though. Nice to off the vast flood plains. If I got the urge to buy a farm again then the area south of Tamworth would be ideal – if only it had green(ish) grass in the summer.  

Will stay another night night I have decided - washing etc.