Our Four-wheel Drive trip

We went to the Warrumbungle National Park NSW.

We went in my Jackeroo 4WD.It was just after the big floods and we tried to camp at Turon Gates but the river was flooded so we camped on the riverbank with nice green grass just up stream from Sofala, instead.

We had a big campfire the first night and sat talking until late that night, the wattle was in bloom and the fragrance was beautiful. The next day whilst the boys went fishing in the river and never got a bite, I picked daisies, although daisy chains made me feel nice the boys said I looked silly.

That night it got very cold although the next day the sun came out so we went for a walk to the top of the highest hill, it was a good day out. When we started walking back to our camp we saw a big mob of horses galloping though the paddocks, there was a beautiful black stallion with them.

Then we had another cold night so we decided to move on to the Warrumbungles.

We arrived at one pm, in the afternoon and set up camp then we had a look around the area. Later in the evening, a mob of wallabies came into camp. They were about one metre tall and some had beautiful joeys, they were tame and let the boys hand feed them.

The next, day we went for a walk up to the Breadknife, on the way up we stopped for a picnic and the boys fed the currawongs with breadcrumbs. We looked at the breadknife and wondered how the tree managed to grow way up on the top.

Then we walked farther along the trail to the top lookout and stared in wonder at the view spread out before our eyes and then we walked back to camp. After walking around all day, we were tired so we retired early that night

The next morning, we went driving around the park on approved roads and trails only. We went to Siding Springs Observatory, then to Camp Burbie, back to camp for another night. The Paterson’s-curse was out, and the paddocks were just covered in mauve for miles.

The next day, we went to Borenore Caves for one night. although the last kilometre of road is gravel it is in good condition. There are two main caves, the creek runs though one, and the other is just above it, although they are easy to explore with only a dozen or so steps in the caves, you still need a torch, and the time,.

You can walk into one cave, out through the back, and come back through the other to make a round trip and you cannot get lost. Then, on the way home, we went to my uncle's place at Molong for a visit.

Memories of a Childhood Camp

When I was eleven, my father, Brothers, and I went camping at Wyangala dam in my brother's Austin A40. As it had a new motor, he needed to run it in so we could not drive over 40 MPH on the way there.

We hired a boat for five days and four nights but the boat was old and leaked water soon filled the bottom of the boat. When the water reached the flywheel of the kicker motor it picked it up and sprayed all of us and in the hot sun, the water was so cool.

At night, we camped under the stars, by a campfire for warmth. We slept on the ground on a piece of canvas using another piece as a blanket and our clothing as pillows. By day we cooked on open fires

Bathing was the hardest because we had no privacy and I was embarrassed, undressing in front of the men, my father told me to stop being a sissy.

During the day I sat on the grass and made daisy chains for hours but when my father saw me, he made me take them off.

The weather was very good all the time we were away. We fished, looked around, and had fun all day every day. Fish could be seen swimming under the boat in schools, sometimes in hundreds but we never got a bite. although the flies and mosquitos had plenty of bites of us!.

As we drove home, the memory of the boat, flowers and the fun lingered and best of all I remember sleeping under the stars even though we only had canvas as blankets. Even over thirty years later the memory of the tales around the camp fire still lingers

The Flight

One Easter, I went to my sister’s place at Taree for a holiday. I took the kids for a joy flight in a four seater plane which we flew from Taree to Foster and back again. The pilot and I had plenty of room in the front although there were five kids in the back seat.

When we flew over Taree, I pointed out my sister's house and land marks around town. We went along the coast looking at beaches and cliffs and flew over the oyster beds and lakes at Foster and Tuncurry.

Then we headed back north along the coast when the pilot took the plane down low and skimmed a beach the kids started to panic and kept asking to go higher.

Our pilot flew along the Manning River to Taree and the airport, after we landed the kids were still excited and still talk about the flight even today.

The Train Trip

We went on the train trip from Tumut to Batlow NSW. The train is pulled by a diesel engine with open carriages with a roof, hand rails and wire mesh to stop your esky's and kids falling off, although you sit on benches they are not bolted down.

The trip is one of the steepest and tightest wheel driven train rides in Australia. The trip takes you through paddocks and the train has to stop so that the guard can open and close gates therefore you have plenty of time to look around.

When you start to climb the mountains then you can see the valleys dropping away far below. The views are just so fantastic that you can use a full roll of film in no time at all. So beware, or you will run out of film before the trip is over.

As the train is going around sharp corners, you hear this ear piercing squealing sound and this happens on most of the corners. The guard said it is the wheels dragging around corners, at the corners the tracks are double to help stop derailing.

As you continue to climb, the bush comes right up to the train and brushes the sides of the train so you must keep your hands in.

After a while, you come into orchards that go on for kilometres and you can see fruit picking, in season, then you arrive in Batlow for lunch.

I liked looking at the beautifully coloured birds and blossoms on the fruit trees as we passed by.

The fragrance from the blossoms was over powering and as we passed some trees, I was able to grab some flowers to keep for myself.

At Batlow, you can have lunch at the RSL, or you can buy takeaway. Some people take a picnic lunch in an esky with beer, and have a picnic in the park. You have enough time to look around town then it is time to get back on the train.

On the way back to Tumut, the guard has to stay near the emergency brakes so that if the engine brakes fail he can apply the hand brakes to stop the train. If you stand up to take photos, provided that he sees you the driver will stop the train to make it easier for you.

As we went across a level crossing, a car came racing to beat the train and did not give way to the train. The train driver applied the brakes and some of the passengers lost their seating and fell on to the floor. The driver later said, "We only missed the car by a few millimetres."

If you sit on the sunny side of the train, you may get sunburnt so bring along the sun block. The flies can be bad so remember to bring aeroguard in summer. In fine weather, they run evening trips up to a picnic area for a barbecue. They bring you back just after the sun sets.

Gold Fever

We went camping at Sofala NSW and we camped on the riverbank just up stream from the town. The campsite was level with good green grass and shady trees. The camp was not far from the river so you did not have to carry water too far. It had been raining just before we arrived so the river was running and it was quite deep.

We went looking and found the only wood was on the other side of the river so I waded across with a chain saw and set to work cutting timber into logs. To get the wood across the river we used ropes and then with Tom on one side and me on the other we pulled it across.

We carried the firewood up to camp and stacked it then we had a good stock of wood for the camp. Tom went gold panning for five minutes and when he found a small speck of gold in his pan, he got gold fever!

After he found the gold we could not get him to come out of the river until after sun set. There was a man working a sluice just up stream and he watched Tom for a while then come down and said. "I am an expert at gold panning!”

He was using a gold sluice with a pump and other equipment although he was working long hours and digging up lots of ground when he showed us his gold there was very little so I said to Tom maybe he is not be such an expert at all.

One day, we went for a walk down stream to look around at how the other camps were set up. We walked for an hour or so then we walked up a hill until we came to the road and walked along the road back down to camp.

The next day, we went for a walk up the river as we walked along we talked, played, and looked around. We found some mushrooms just up the hill so we picked some to take back to camp to make a meal.

One day we went to Hill End the trip was along a narrow winding gravel road because of the steep drops on one side I had to drive slowly. Then Sandra got carsick so we had to stop and clean her up then back on the road to Hill End.

Hill End is an old gold mining town with narrow streets but many of the old buildings are still standing. We looked around at the old houses, shops, and museum and looked at old mining equipment. Then we went to the lookout to see the old gold diggings in the valley far below.

Then the next day, we had to go home so we pulled the tents down and loaded the cars. Just as we left camp it started to rain and it rained all the way home.

Jessica Blair