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NewsUtes in the Paddock up for a Tourism Award!
Only a few of months ago we started hearing about the Utes in the Paddock project at Burrawong West Station, between Parkes and Condoblin in New South Wales. Last month we told You about it. We were talking to Mike Taylor in Condoblin the other day and he mentioned they were nominated for an award at the Inland Tourism Awards to be held in Narrabri.
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As well as the excellent displays in the Landseer's Building, the museum also has two other buildings at the railway siding near the old wharf. These include the Morgan River History Museum in the Tea Rooms and the Morgan Railway Museum which is housed in the Railway Building. Between these three buildings You can learn about the pioneering farmers of the area, the riverboat trade and how this once booming river port was connected to the sea port city of Adelaide, and about the building of the Morgan to Whyalla water pipeline. There is also the 
Over the past couple of years Eldon has also been working on a bigger project, a scale replica of the original Petersburg Railway Station circa 1895, which in time we hope to see on display at its rightful place in town. After tracking down bricks and stone from the original Station Building that had been dumped locally, Eldon has made individual bricks from these and reconstructed the building from photos and original plans. As a direct descendant from the founding pioneers of Petersburg, Eldon has great pleasure in showing people his, as he puts it, "hobby that has got a bit out of control!"
Events Calendar |
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September 2009
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October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
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We love markets and always try to visit any that are on when we're in an area. You can get amazing bargains, interesting objects and collectables, find the most exciting and diverse presents anywhere, and enjoy great atmosphere, excellent music and just plain have a good time.
Corner Frederick & Hamersley Street, Broome. A great market with heaps of different stalls including local produce, food stalls, hand made crafts, clothing and much more . Held every Saturday and Sunday between April and November between 8am - 1pm. Davies Park, West End, Brisbane. Cool city markets with heaps of stalls selling a great variety of things including jewellery and fashion, bric-a-brac, organic produce and other great food while You listen to buskers playing. Open Saturdays 6am to 2pm. Canal Road, Ballina. A good market with lots of variety, stalls with bric-a-brac, craft, and produce. Open 3rd Sunday each month. There are three markets in Mount Gambier each weekend:
Dundas Street, Riverflat - Avoca. A well run riverside market with handmade crafts, plants, lollies, cakes, candles, soaps, baby clothes, jewellery. Held on the 4th Sunday each month. Station Street, off Austin Street, Wynyard. An excellent market with plenty of antiques, bric-a-brac and craft. Open every Saturday 8am to 2:30pm. Ryan Park, Stuart Highway, Katherine. A strong community market with plenty of fresh produce, plants and various other stalls. Open every Sunday. On Our Way Back From South Australia we used a couple of excellent free camping spots. One we knew of at Lock 9 and one that we had an idea of but only found because of the Camping book that we have reviewed this month.
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Useful Links |
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» Lock 9 Map |
Half way between Renmark in South Australia and Mildura in Victoria is Lake Cullulleraine on the Sturt Highway. The small town of Cullulleraine has a Caravan Park and is a good place to stop on Your travels. But just 10km north of Cullulleraine is Lock 9 on the Murray River. Lock 9 is worth the drive in, even just for the sightseeing value, but there is no camping at the Lock Precinct itself. Just before the grid into Lock 9, on the left is a small dirt turnoff signposted - "Boat Ramp". Down this track is the boat ramp, but beyond the boat ramp is a considerable amount of river frontage accessible to most vehicles in dry weather, and suitably endowed with camping spots.
The Lock 9 stretch of the river is picturesque, perfect for relaxing and fishing. If You have a boat, you can launch it from the ramp and tour the river downstream of the lock. It is also possible to go through the lock but we are not sure of arrangements for this. There is very little firewood left around the area so we recommend that You bring some with You, on Public holidays this is also a very popular spot so be warned, there will be very little space at those times. There are toilets back near the lock but otherwise there are no facilities.
Things To Do
- Fishing and boating in The Murray River. This a very popular fishing location, both from the bank or by boat.
- The river offers great opportunities for photography and painting, as well as very good bird watching possibilities.
- Wentworth, Merbien and Mildura are relatively close to the east, each has numerous very interesting sightseeing possibilities.
- The South Australian Riverland is relatively close to the west, towns like Renmark, Berri and Loxton offer excellent sightseeing possibilities as well.
- South of the Sturt Highway is Murray Sunset Country, this is an area with several popular national parks amongst the sandy mallee country.
Another way from Renmark to Mildura or Wentworth is the Old Coach Road, a mostly gravel road that follows closer to the Murray River and runs through the northern part of Murray Sunset National Park. This is the cross road just before You reach Lock 9 from Cullulleraine. From the Old Coach Road there are several interesting options, including access to other camping spots such as Lindsay Island or Wallpolla Island.
The north west corner of Victoria is a very good place to spend a few days or more, or to stop along the way when transiting to somewhere else.
Reserve, Hay Plains - New South Wales
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» Hay |
Heading east from Hay or west from Darlington Point, there are several good camping spots in reserve areas along the Murrumbidgee River. One we found recently is known as Rudds Point Reserve, situated 62km east of Hay or 53km from Darlington Point and is very good although not in wet weather or soon after rain, as the clay like surface becomes very slippery. The track in is through a gate and is marked at the main road by a small sign saying "River Access". The track gives access along the top of the overflow bank with a few places to camp, but these are only a couple of hundred metres from the road and offer no shelter or buffer from the traffic noise. There is a track down to the lower bank amongst large river redgums and this gives access to the river area. Take care on these tracks, some sections we would recommend as 4wd only, others are fine for conventional vehicles. There are no facilities at this reserve, but a reasonable amount of firewood can be easily collected.
Things To Do
- Fishing in the Murrumbidgee River is popular, the locals often brag about catching good size yellowbelly along these sections.
- The river offers great opportunities for photography and painting, as well as very good bird watching possibilities.
- Hay is 62km to the west, there are several interesting sightseeing possibilities there including the Big Woolshed Display.
- East along the Sturt Highway is Darlington Point and further on is Narrandera.
- North of the Sturt Highway is the large regional city of Griffith, with its wineries and plenty to do.
- South of the Sturt Highway is Jerilderie, Tocumwal, Cobram, Echuca and Deniliquin, all with plenty to see and do.
This may just seem like the quick way from Sydney heading west, but the local area is well worth exploring in its own right.
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Take Another Way - Inglewood to Manilla- Queensland and New South Wales
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» Inglewood |
There are a couple of old sayings I like to quote, "Getting there is half the fun." and "It's not the destination that is important, but the journey to get there." After spending a day travelling the southern end of the Rural Getaway and the Fossickers Way between Inglewood in Queensland and Manilla in New South Wales, these quotes are ever more pertinent.
We decided to take a different route from Brisbane to head south for a change. From Warwick we continued along the Cunningham Highway to the pleasant small town of Inglewood where we joined the Rural Getaway Tourist Route. This route has recently been given the new name and follows the roads that link Warialda in the south to Inglewood, then north to Mundubberra via Millmerran, Cecil Plains, Dalby, Jimbour, Jandowae and Durong. We hope to cover the northern section in the future.
Inglewood is a quiet country town on the Cunningham Highway 110km west of Warwick. Originally established in 1862 the area is now a productive rural community producing sheep, cattle, timber products as well as lucerne, grapes and a diversity of horticultural crops. Over the last few years Inglewood has become the hub of Australia's olive growing industry with over 340,000 trees already in production. From the main street of Inglewood the Rural Getaway turns south towards the New South Wales Border and the border town of Texas.
Texas is a typical small farming centre with the necessary facilities to supply the locals, a couple of pubs, two small supermarkets, a newsagent, hardware store and some specialty shops. One shop in town we will highly recommend is the butcher, twelve years ago we bought some excellent steaks there and again this time the meat was exceptional. As a place to relax and refresh, Texas is perfectly situated. Just south of town on the north bank of the Dumaresq River is a picnic area and parking bay where you can stay overnight. The river is an excellent fishing spot.
Originally settled in 1842 on the banks of the river, the town was named after the largest property in the region, Texas Station, and became an important business centre for the local area. Because of its location on the newly formed Queensland - New South Wales border and the introduction of state tariffs, George Myles was appointed as Sheep Inspector and Border Customs Officer in 1868. The fertile soils along the Dumaresq River, were soon growing tobacco and in 1876 a factory was established to convert tobacco leaves into cakes and plugs. Despite this growth a report written in 1886 describes Texas as a hotel, a store, a few cottages and the factory and says 'the town only exists on paper'. On the 28 March 1890 a huge flood wiped out the tobacco factory and what there was of the town, forcing people to climb trees and wait until the flood waters had receded. After this the town was moved 2 km north of the river to higher ground. Interest in growing tobacco started to decline in the late 1950s and these days there is little evidence of tobacco growing in the area. For a better insight into Texas' history visit the Texas Historical Museum in the old Police house.
From Texas we headed west 40km to the small settlement of Yetman on the MacIntyre River. There is a lovely little park on the east side of town with a picnic shelter and bbq. The MacIntyre is also a very popular fishing spot, well known for good sized Yellowbelly and Cod. Turning south from Yetman we continued on the Rural Getaway through the small settlement of Coolatai with its hall and great little pub, then on to Warialda. The rolling farming country here is scattered with stands of native woodland and is very typical of the areas original native flora. This area is a very popular bird watching location and there are dozens of Bird Trails signposted from the main road. Visit Warialda bird routes and bird list for more local information.
Warialda lies at the junction of the Fossickers Way, Gwyder Highway and the Rural Getaway and is a well set out small town with a population of around 1300, on the banks of the Warialda Creek, a tributary of the Gwyder River. The aboriginal name Warialda means "place of honey", in Weraerai language and the town holds a wonderful Honey Festival in October. The Gwydir region was known to some escaped convicts before official discovery by explorer Allan Cunningham on his 1827 expedition from the Hunter Valley to the Darling Downs. White settlement began in the area in the 1830s, with a police outstation established around 1840. Wariald was gazetted in 1849 and was the first town gazetted in the Northwest Slopes region, two years later the population was recorded as being 45. Warialda became the first administrative centre of the north-west with a mining warden, magistrate and lands commissioner based in the village. The railway arrived in 1901 and the population peaked in 1911 at 1762 but slowly declined thereafter. Local economy relies on wool, wheat & sorghum grown on the fertile soils of the Gwyder River Valley.
‘Captain Thunderbolt’, a famous bushranger whose real name was Fred Ward, was active in the area in 1860s. Another character of note from Warialda's history is Elizabeth Kenny, born in the town on 20 September 1880, who spent her early childhood here and later dedicated her life to helping children afflicted with infantile paralysis, otherwise known as Poliomyelitis. Despite ridicule and derision by the medical faculties around Australia and internationally, Elizabeth Kenny developed a revolutionary polio treatment program that led to the establishment of the Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis, USA, in 1942 and other Kenny Clinics established internationally.
Visit the Warialda Visitor Information Centre to find out about what Warialda has to offer the travelling visitor.
- Warialda Visitor Information Centre
Heritage Centre,
Hope Street
Warialda, NSW 2402
Telephone: 02 - 6729 0046
Fax: 02 - 6729 1020
Email: warialdatourism@gwydir.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.warialdansw.com.au
- There is an excellent collection of rough, cut and polished stones at Wells Gem and Mineral Collection in the Warialda Heritage Centre.
- Along the Fossickers Way, also known as the Gwyder Highway, about 8km east of Warialda is the scenically picturesque Cranky Rock Nature Reserve. This reserve features giant granite boulders, balanced precariously above a large waterhole on Reedy Creek. Facilities at Cranky Rock include free gas bbqs, picnic shelter, kiosk, playground and ample parking. There are also powered and unpowered campsites available. Cranky Rock Nature Reserve is a popular spot for fossicking, bird-watching and exploring.
- There are numerous designated Bird Routes in the area. Pick up the brochure from the Information Centre.
- Local festivals and events include the Honey Festival in October, the Warialda Agricultural Show in May, the Warialda Off-Road 200 in September, and the Flower Show in October.
- Worth visiting in the main street is the historic Carinda House, built in 1889, one of the earliest buildings in town, which has been turned into an art and craft centre and café.
- Fishing in the nearby Gwyder River is a popular passtime, the Gwydir River Bridge and Yagobie are known to be good spots.
- 15km south of Warialda is the very interesting Ceramic Break Sculpture Park created by Kerry Cannon. Stop and check it out, You'll be surprised. The park boasts three stylish galleries, where paintings and sculptures by local artists are for sale.
- A sad part of the local history is commemorated at the Myall Creek Massacre Site on the Bingara to Delungra Road. A premeditated, unprovoked attack against members of the local Weraerai people by white stockmen and a squatter is a reminder that our past is not untainted with violence against fellow man. On June 10, 1838, the infamous Myall Creek Massacre took place at Myall Creek Station where twenty eight Aboriginal men, women and children were massacred and their bodies burned. The ensuing court case marked the first time in Australian history that white men were tried for crimes against Aborigines. Seven men were hanged as a result.
From Warialda we turned south onto the Fossickers Way to Bingara.
Bingara is 40km south of Warialda through typical New England farming country. It is a welcoming country town, formerly a much larger centre than today, its history being steeped in gold, copper and diamond mining. The town's name originates from an Kamilaroi language word bingera meaning "shallow water crossing".
Explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham camped on the junction of Halls Creek and the Gwydir River which he named after his benefactor, Lord Gwydir of Wales during his 1827 expedition. His glowing reports of the area, instigated an immediate flow of graziers and their herds to the region in the 1830's where over a dozen pastoral properties were established by 1850.
Discovery of gold in the Bingera District in 1853 brought a flourish of prospectors and miners to the area and a settlement was soon established. Upper Bingera was the larger of the two settlements in the district after the discovery of gold, developing quicker, but also fading quickly when the rich gold yields diminished in the 1870s. All that remains of the shops, two hotels, a dance hall, a racecourse, gold mines and processing plants is a few numbered triangles marking the sites by the road. A visit to the Three Creeks Tourist Gold Mine, a privately operated reef working mine, can take you back in time to the mines of 1881. It was estimated that some 500 Chinese miners worked in the area, evidence of their presence remains in the historic cemetery at Upper Bingara.
A further influx of prospectors flocked to the area when copper, then diamonds were discovered in the 1880’s bringing about rapid development of the town. Bingera became the largest producer of diamonds in Australia at the time. In 1890 the town was formally established as a municipality, at which time the spelling of both Upper 'Bingera' and 'Bingera' changed to "Bingara". The town's shopping and business centre had contracted to roughly the size it is today by the mid 1930's as modern transport made it easier to travel to larger centres like Inverell and Tamworth.
The town's living memorial to the fallen of both World Wars is a unique feature of Bingara. The orange trees that circle the Gwydir Oval and Finch Street perfume the air in spring and add a new dimension as the fruit ripen in autumn. The annual harvesting of the fruit by the local school children (the orange police) happens on only one day of the year. During the year, all Bingara residents leave the oranges untouched, even the children, who are taught the significance of the trees. This respect, self discipline and pride in this unique memorial has been carried on since the 1960’s, from one generation to the next. In some cases, those picking the fruit are the third or fourth generation to do so. Since 1998 the Orange Festival has provided an entertaining week of festivities including street markets, street parades, pageants, sporting and cultural activities for the community, surrounding district and visitors.
Today with the mines closed and the miners gone Bingara still maintains its wealth from the land. The main agricultural industries that keep the town viable today include wool, cattle, poultry, wheat and mixed farming.
Visit the Bingara Visitor Information Centre to find out about the town and region.
- Bingara Visitor Information Centre
Roxy Theatre Building
Maitland Street
Bingara, NSW 2404
Telephone: 02 - 6724 0066
Fax: 02 - 6724 1726
Email: bingaratourism@gwydir.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.gwydircountry.com
- Take a walk around the historic town.
- Visit the Three Creeks Tourist Gold Mine, a privately operated reef working mine, and experience the mine as it was in 1881.
- There are numerous designated Bird Routes in the area. Pick up the brochure from the Information Centre.
- Local festivals include the Orange Festival in Autumn.
- Try fishing in the Gwyder River.
Further south along the Fossickers Way is the historic mining boom town of Barraba where the complex mineralisation of the surrounding geology lead to rushes on both gold and copper and later on asbestos. Situated on the Manilla River with a population of around 2370, Barraba and its surrounds were originally occupied by the Kamilaroi Aboriginal people who lived in the region encompassing the the Barwon, Bundarra, Balonne, and upper Hunter Rivers and in the Liverpool Plains. In 1827 explorer Alan Cunningham crossed the Manilla River, which he named Buddle's Creek, at a spot 7km west of the town, a roadside obelisk marks the spot where he crossed the river, on his exploration from the Hunter Valley through to the Darling Downs of Queensland. Surprisingly for Cunningham, in the area near where Bingara is now, the explorers came across tracks of a small group of wandering cattle, and on his return journey...
"a shed that had been erected by white men"
on a spot three miles to the north-east of where he had found the cattle traces which led Cunningham to conclude...
"that Europeans had been wandering through that part of the interior."
The settlers soon followed in the footsteps of the explorers and Barraba Station was taken up in 1838, the name said to be derived from an Aboriginal term meaning 'camp by the riverbank'. Within a few years in the mid-1840s, a Scotsman by the name of John McKid had opened the first store on the future townsite of Barraba, with the town being officially surveyed in 1852. The gold rushes of the 1850's were a major part of the opening up of this area of New South Wales and Barraba was right in the midst of the mining boom locations of Woodsreef, Ironbark Creek and Crow Mountain. Woodsreef became a vital village at this time but virtually disappeared when the gold was exhausted in the late 1860s. Though the boom only lasted for a short time, its richness still brought a prosperity that can be seen in the buildings that remain today from that era. The 1860's and 70s were a growth time for the town, with the first school being opened at Barraba in rented premises in 1861, a post office was built in 1866, at which time the population was 80 and the first Anglican church was erected in 1874-75.
In 1899 another boom began in the area with the discovery of copper lodes at Gulf Creek, that were successfully worked from 1892 until the last major company pulled out in 1911. At its peak, in 1901, 200 men were employed in conjunction with the copper mine which was one of the largest in the state, with prosperous village nearby including bark-hut residences, stores, a school, a hotel and a post office. A company with a handful employees continued on for a while after 1911 but with little success. The Gulf Creek school eventually closed in 1957 and the post office in 1965.
One event in the towns history surrounds the Victoria Hotel, which was built as a hotel, but initially the CBC Bank opened it as a bank. On the 18th April 1894, it was held up by bushrangers Alex Lee and John Cummins, and the Manager, Mr McKay was shot dead. At the time the manager was having lunch with his wife and six children in the dining room. Hearing a noise he entered the banking section to find two masked men. Ordered to bail up he refused and made a break for the dining room. Prevented by a gunshot he grappled with one of the culprits for the gun, in the course of which he was shot in the head. When his wife screamed the robbers fired two shots through the door leading into the dining room. The bullet holes can still be seen in the door that divides the lounge and bar of the hotel. The bushrangers were subsequently caught, Lee and Cummins were hung after being convicted of the crime, the first to be hung in Tamworth. The building became a hotel in 1899. The second storey was added in 1909.
In 1906 the area became a municipality, with the railway from Manilla arriving two years later. The town continued to grow steadily, helped by local industry including the first mining of asbestos minerals at Woodsreef from 1919-1923.
The town looked like it was in for another mineral boom in 1972 when development began of a $21 million dollar Chrysotile (white Aspestos) mine, which would offer employment for hundreds of people at Woodsreef. Within a very short time of the beginning of production the long term effects of inhaling asbestos were being brought to the notice of the Australian population and demand declined putting a halt on the mining of asbestos. By 1983 commercial production was ceased and the mine was closed in 1985. Despite each of these booms, the mainstay of the area has been agriculture, mainly wool and sheep, with the town being a regional centre for the local farming community.
Barraba has a lot to offer the travelling visitor.
- To the west of the town is a drive that will take you to Horton Falls, and further along to the eastern edge of the Nandewar Ranges and Kaputar National Park. Camping and picnic facilities are available at both places as are excellent bushwalking possibilities. The walk to the top of Horton Falls from the car park takes about 10 minutes. A more spectacular walk, taking at least 1.5 hours, is the trip to the bottom of the falls. The trail for this walk is clear and you get a really good view of the bush as well as the base of the falls.. The trail down is fairly steep and it is only recommended for those who are physically fit. The road does not go through to Narrabri. Little Creek, with its 25-ha recreation area including picnic and toilet facilities can also be accessed from this direction, it is just past the turnoff to Horton Falls on Trevallyn Road.
- 18km to the east of town is the Woodsreef and the Ironbark Creek picnicking and fossicking area. Gold was discovered at Woodsreef in the late 1850s and a thriving village soon developed with a post office, stores and school, but it virtually disappeared when most miners left in the late 1860s. A small number, employed by larger companies, stayed on. Asbestos was mined here from 1919-1923 and a large open-cut asbestos mine opened at Woodsreef in 1972, furnishing much local employment, though it closed down in the 1980s.
Today there are some remnants of those various phases of the village's existence, such as old copper, gold and asbestos workings. There are only a few buildings left including the tiny wooden structure that was built about 1895 and used as post office. The little wooden church dates from 1923. The site is open to the public at all times. Gold, agate, petrified and opalised wood, and jasper have been found in the area which is popular with fossickers.
- To the south east of town is Split Rock Dam which offers great fishing and water sports opportunities as well as camping as well.
- There are 14 designated Bird Routes in the area. Pick up the brochure from the Information Centre.
Barraba Visitor Information Centre
116 Queen Street
Barraba, NSW 2347
Telephone: 02 - 6782 1255
Fax: 02 - 6782 1255
Email: tourism@visitbarraba.com.au
Website: www.visitbarraba.com.au
- Barraba markets are held on the 1st Saturday of each month.
- Local festivals are BarrArbor, the festival of Barraba, held on the first weekend in November, the Frost Over Barraba Art Festival on the second weekend in July, and the Barraba Potters & Craft Guild Exhibition in September.
- There are several buildings of interest in the main street. The courthouse was erected in 1881 with additions in 1907 and 1936. The Dean and Smith Stores, with their old-fashioned shopfronts, were built in 1900. They are now the Barraba Shopping Centre. The Commercial Hotel (an old Cobb & Co changing station) was built in 1890. The Central Hotel dates from about 1908. The large and very prominent clock tower was erected in 1924 in memory of local men killed in World War I. The Methodist (now Uniting) Church at the Edwards St corner was erected in 1898-99. The porch is a recent addition. Barraba Antiques and Olde Wares at 101 Queen St is located in a 1910 building with an ornate brick parapet.
- Adams Lookout, 5 km north-east of town, is named after Alfred Adams who purchased Barraba Station in 1850. To access the site turn right off Fossickers Way at the signpost, 3 km north of Barraba This is the access road to the old Woodsreef mining site. There are fine views of the town and surrounds.
From Barraba we continued south along the Fossickers Way to Manilla, a town of 2200 people at the junction of the Namoi and Manilla Rivers. Manilla is another town where settlement began in the late 1820's and early 1830s as the squatters followed the trails of the early explorers and took up land. The Baldwins of Singleton were the first squatters, occupying land about 10 km south of where Manilla is now in the late 1820s and took up the Dinnawirindi station, one of six cattle stations which swallowed up all of the local land, in 1837.
The junction of the Manilla and Namoi Rivers was for generations before the coming of European settlers, a camping ground for the Kamilaroi people. During the 1850s, teamsters with bullock waggons were regularly transporting goods from the Hunter District through the Manilla area to outlying cattle stations and the northern goldfield settlements of Bingara and Bundarra. Teams were often delayed at the junction of the Namoi and Manilla Rivers by high water. In 1853, enterprising Englishman George Veness arrived at ‘The Junction’ to setup a store and wine shop at the teamsters’ camping ground. He later became the first postmaster and when asked by the postal department to choose a title for the village he named it after the Manilla River which had originally been called the 'Manellae', either a reference to the tribe which hunted its banks or a Kamilaroi term meaning winding river. It is said an ex-sailor familiar with Manilla in the Philippines instigated the spelling change. In the early 1860s the town was surveyed by Arthur Dewhurst who named its streets after himself, his wife, their English home towns, his chain man and his employer. The town was officially gazetted in 1863, and the following year a major flood swept away a number of buildings and killed four of the twelve residents. Floods of this kind have proved to be a periodic problem for the town.
Notorious Bushranger 'Captain Thunderbolt' began a regular association with Manilla in 1865, taking two horses from Lloyd's station and committing a series of robberies on the Barabba road. In 1867 he bailed up the Tamworth mail 3 km from Manilla. He then proceeded to Hill's public house where he partook of refreshments. At Veness's store and hotel he robbed everyone, pilfering clothes, spirits and groceries. The police arrived and he fled without his pack horse which carried some of his gains. He returned to again rob the mail coach later that year.
Heritage Centre,
Hope Street
Warialda, NSW 2402
Telephone: 02 - 6729 0046
Fax: 02 - 6729 1020
Email: warialdatourism@gwydir.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.warialdansw.com.au
Roxy Theatre Building
Maitland Street
Bingara, NSW 2404
Telephone: 02 - 6724 0066
Fax: 02 - 6724 1726
Email: bingaratourism@gwydir.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.gwydircountry.com
Today there are some remnants of those various phases of the village's existence, such as old copper, gold and asbestos workings. There are only a few buildings left including the tiny wooden structure that was built about 1895 and used as post office. The little wooden church dates from 1923. The site is open to the public at all times. Gold, agate, petrified and opalised wood, and jasper have been found in the area which is popular with fossickers.
Barraba Visitor Information Centre
116 Queen Street
Barraba, NSW 2347
Telephone: 02 - 6782 1255
Fax: 02 - 6782 1255
Email: tourism@visitbarraba.com.au
Website: www.visitbarraba.com.au
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Captain Thunderbolt |
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Frederick Wordsworth Ward was born at Wilberforce in New South Wales on May 15 1833. His mother, Sarah Ward, was daughter of a convict, Michael Ward. Frederick was working as a drover and horse-breaker at Tocal station on the Paterson River when arrested with James Garbutt for receiving seventy-five stolen horses at Maitland on 21 April 1856. This led to a sentence of ten years with hard labour at Cockatoo Island, but he was released on 31 July 1860, after four years and given a ticket of leave to his mother's property at Cooyal near Mudgee in 1860. After his release, he followed Mary Ann Bugg to Stroud where he married her in 1860 and settled down, until he arrived late for monthly muster at Mudgee a few days before his first child was born and was accused of stealing the horse he was riding. He was sent back to prison to finish his sentence, plus a further four years for horse stealing.
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Today the Manilla area is renowned for its local mead production. In fact Manilla is one of only two Australian meaderies where this fermented honey & water beverage is made. The town relies on the agricultural industry for its continuing success, with wheat, wool, mixed farming and fat livestock being the mainstays of the district.
Visit the Manilla Visitor Information Centre to find out about the town and region.
- Manilla Visitor Information Centre
197 Manilla Street
Manilla, NSW 2346
Telephone: 02 - 6785 1207
Fax: 02 - 6785 2503
Email: bingaratourism@gwydir.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.gwydircountry.com - The Manilla Heritage Museum is also located at the Visitor Information Centre and is well worth a look round.
- Take a walk around the historic town, especially Manilla Street where there are Federation vintage houses.
- Royce Cottage and Museum has the Pioneer Gallery, a bakery, a schoolhouse, a machinery museum and the original house. The latter was originally a family home erected in 1884 by G.H. Royce, the building contractor who constructed the original bridge over the Namoi River. In 1900 the home became a bakery which was built on at the rear, with the shop section added to the front. It is the only remaining building of that era on the main street; many others being destroyed by fires in the 1900s. There is also a machinery museum and a display relating to platypuses which are often found in the area.
- There are numerous designated Bird Routes in the area. Pick up the brochure from the Information Centre.
- Local festivals and events include the national paragliding and hang-gliding championships in March, the annual vintage machinery display occurs on the June long weekend, the Festival of Spring Flowers in October and the Choral and Cod Festival in September.
- The Manilla Weir, off Stafford St, at the eastern end of town, is a pleasant spot for a quiet fish or for a family outing. There are picnic, barbeque and toilet facilities.
- The Lake Keepit Recreation Area turnoff is 30 km south-west of Manilla and is a great opportunity for all varieties of water sports including waterskiing, fishing, swimming, sailing, windsurfing and power boating. There are even fishing boats for hire. Children's facilities include a children's pool, a BMX track, a skateboarding area and a roller-skating rink. There are barbeques, a kiosk, toilets, half-court tennis and a five-hole golf course. Before you reach the turnoff to the Lake Keepit Recreation area there is another signposted turnoff on the right into a dirt road that leads, after 3 km, to Manilla Ski Gardens on the eastern side of the lake where there is an established caravan park, a kiosk, playground equipment, barbeques, boat ramps and fisherman's lodges.
From Manilla You have two main options for heading south. To the southeast is Australia's Country Music Capital, Tamworth. To the Southwest is Gunnedah, the Koala Capital of Australia. We were on our way to South Australia so Gunnedah was our option.
Lake Keepit, a man made lake, constructeded in 1961 is just to the west of the Manilla - Gunnedah road and is a popular place for fishing, boating and relaxing.
Gunnedah is a large regional centre with all of the areas neccessary facilities. The main shopping area is well laid out and the town is kept very clean. Gunnedah claims it is the home of the Koala, if there as many of our small marsupials as there are signs with pictures of them then there must be an overload! At the park near the Tourist Information Centre there is a tree with a sign beneath it to tell You if the local koala is in or not. Also in the park is a Statue of Australian Poet Dorathea MacKellar, who wrote the wonderful poem "My Country". Dorathea spent quite a large amount of her childhood in the region on her parents properties. We'll do a feature on Gunnedah in the future.
So we hope that this little rundown of the Rural Getaway and the Fossickers way has given You the insight into looking at other options when You travel. These backways as they are known, are often much more interesting than hauling down the highway, past the same old towns. And better still, You'll meet wonderful people who are proud of their region. As Robert Frost wrote... "I took the road less traveled upon, and that has made all the difference."
Utes In the Paddock
The Utes In The Paddock Project all began when graziers Graham and Jana Pickles from Burrawang West Station at Ootha, east of Condobilin in New South Wales, were travelling along Route 66 in the USA. They were drawn to a popular attraction aptly named “Cadillac Ranch”, in panhandle area of west Texas near Amarillo. The ten partially buried Cadillacs that have been placed for anyone who wants to add their graffiti art, set them to thinking about the possibilities in their area at home. On returning, Graham called in to see Mike Taylor, the local mechanic in Condoblin, who quickly jumped on board and in August 2007 the project commenced. Mike obtains and prepares the Holden utes for the artists and with his great ability to bring people in gets them set in place to withstand the vagaries of the weather.
The first ute to be completed was a 1971 HQ called "Circle Work" by John Murray and was joined in the paddock in June 2008 by Shane Gehlert's “Epitaph to Fossil Fuels” painted on a 1977 HZ. Peter Browne was th e next to join the ute set with his 1976 HJ "Emute". Now there are 14 utes lined up at Ootha, with art by Michael Jones, Peter Mortimore, Eris Fleming, Paul Blahuta, Greg Brennan, Belinda Williams, Stephen Coburn, Karen Tooth, Lewis Burns and the young artists of the local Wiradjuri Arts Group.
Graham sums up the idea with his comment...
“While the gallery certainly adds texture and another layer of interest for guests of Burrawang West Station, the project is really about promoting the bush. ‘Utes in the Paddock’ is an invitation for people living on the coast to cross the sandstone curtain and for people from other states to come for a visit to central NSW. The character of people who live here is at the very heart of the Australian psyche and these are the Aussies who are largely responsible for forging those values in which we as Australians take pride. Values like mateship, having a go, resilience, tough yet compassionate, fun loving, and hard working.”
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- Painted By Karen Tooth |
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Mount Grenfell - New South Wales
Mount Grenfell Historic Site
Situated 73km from Cobar along the Barrier Highway is the significant Aboriginal art site at Mount Grenfell. The turnoff from the highway is 40km west of Cobar and takes You 33km north on a sandy gravel road. At the historical site there is a picnic area with BBQs and a modern toilet block. The walk from the new parking area to the art sites is about 600m via the old picnic area. There are three very impressive art sites here that have been well protected in the last few years with proper cages. These cages though detracting from the look of the site serve very well to protect these precious links with the past from vandalism and from the local goat population which has a tendency to shelter in these overhangs and scratch themselves on the rocks. The managers have thoughtfully had small camera flaps put in the cages that offer the best photographic opportunities.
On 17 July 2004, the Mount Grenfell art site was handed back to the Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan people, and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service lease the land back as a national park. This has given the local people better control of the management of their cultural history and they now have indigenous rangers and field officers working on maintaining the park. As yet an age for these very important paintings has not been determined, but the local descendants of the people who lived here have been working towards recording all of the known knowledge about the site. Although much of the significance of these paintings has been lost through time, the site is of very important value both as a record of the painting styles of the local people and as a focal point of indigenous culture in Australia. The art is very well preserved considering its age and depicts various types of motifs including handprints, animals, human figures and linear and abstract patterns.
These were painted using several methods using ochres and pigments of white pipeclay, black charcoal, and red and yellow ochre. They were made by dabbing wet pigment with a finger tip or with a simple brush, mostly applied thickly and allowed to dry. In some places later paintings have been superimposed over older paintings, creating layers of multicoloured images.
The semi-permanent waterhole near the painting sites provided an ideal meeting place for local Aboriginal groups in this very arid region and along with the natural shelter of the overhanging rocky outcrops and relatively abundant food resources would have no doubt been frequently inhabited.
From the Rock Art site is the Ngiyampaa Walkabout, an easy 5 km loop track that takes You to the top of Mount Grenfell. The path itself is not well defined as the visitor numbers are quite low. That isn't to say you'll get lost as the track marking is excellent with white top posts and marker arrows. The walk is best done in the cool of morning when wildlife such as kangaroos and the various birdlife abound, I counted 25 species in 1 hour, including Red capped robins, mulga parrots and verigated wrens. There are also large numbers of feral goats around to be seen. The summit, though no Everest does have a trig cairn and a good view of the surrounding area, overlooking the western plains and the few small hills around the Cobar area. The descent from the hill is slightly rougher and steeper than the ascent but is still easy enough and well marked.
There are several types of accommodation at nearby Cobar.
Best Points of the Walk
- The Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan art site is an exceptionally significant site with some of the best artwork we've seen in our travels.
- The walk is an easy 5km loop with fairly easy grades, although rocky under foot, with a good view of the surrounding area from the summit.
- For those with an interest in plants the local flora is mostly acacia and shea-oak with eucalypts along the creek lines.
- Very Good Birdwatching.
Grade: Easy to Medium, often loose under foot.
Distance: Approx 5km Return
Time: 1- 1½ hours
Camps Australia Wide 5th Edition
- Cathryn & Philip Fennell
