2000 plus kilometres later ...

Today, I arrived in Brisbane!  Phew!  It seems a much longer distance when you aren't taking your time but travelling to a schedule (the dentist's and mine).  The appalling road conditions might also have something to do with making some of the driving quite tedious and yet tense.  I'm really not sure how NSW is going to be able to afford to fix all the massive pot-holes and destroyed surfaces ... they are trying, and the ensuing endless roadworks also tended to take some of the shine off the trip.  So I haven't been doing the diversions and unplanned stops that I usually enjoy and C-roads (if they are open) are out of the question!  

I shopped up big in the Cobargo - the ice cream was a must (the christmas pudding flavour was my favourite), thanks for the recommendation, Jenny Dunlop - and then Maggie and I explored the streets, made all the more colourful and cheerful by the art on all the power poles.  The local artists had got together with the Cobargo version of Made in Mansfield to decorate each pole with something positive - many paintings had a storyline of rebirth and community.

And then it was off to the coast to Mollymook to visit Merran and Warren who were housesitting at Fisherman's Paradise (Warren says this is NOT the right name since he doesn't seem to be catching any fish).  I had booked into a caravan park in Mollymook which ended up being quite awful (due to the swearing, fighting and frightening neighbours) so I stealth camped out the front of Merran's place.  Maggie, of course, was in heaven!  Beaches, balls (only into the water - remember, she has a bad back), sand and more beaches.  Her fur has turned even curlier from all the salt water.

We all went out to Bendalong Beach, which is a favourite place of the two dogs, Jasper and Milo, that Merran and Warren are looking after.  Apart from a beautiful beach, there were big stingrays in the shallows.  Merran said they wait there for the fishermen to clean their catch.  Unfortunately, they weren't coming in too close and the water was a bit murky but Merran has some amazing footage of them ... it's worth Googling.

Beach? Now? You really don't need that cuppa!

Jasper, Merran & Milo

Then I started on my marathon drive, into the Blue Mountains, around Sydney, up through Singleton and onto the New England highway.  I loved some of the names ... Aberdeen, Scone, Willow Tree ... as I trundled past.  I was also enjoying finding some delightful free camps - the camp behind the Royal Hotel in Murrurundi was made even better by the huge Christmas market, free music and massive schnitzel for dinner.

The Royal Hotel in Murrurundi was established in 1863 and was a Cobb & Co staging post.

I did a little detour to Werris Creek to visit the Railway Museum (closed) but discovered a rather beautiful monument to the more than 2000 workers who had died on the railways since the 1850s.  There were six impressive sculptures and an honour board with the names and occupations of the dead.  It was a very moving place.  There was also a plaque commemorating Ben Chifley, who was an engineman on the railways for 26 years before entering politics.  There were two quotes from him on the memorial.  I would hope that all present politicians also believed in these words.

The Light on the Hill

"I try to think of the Labour movement, not as putting an extra sixpence into somebody's pocket, or making somebody Prime Minister or Premier, but as a movement bringing something better to the people, better standards of living, greater happiness to the mass of the people.  We have a great objective - the light on the hill - which we aim to reach by working for the betterment of mankind not only here but anywhere we might give a helping hand.  If it were not for that, the Labour movement would not be worth fighting for ...

Silo art at Quirindi

Then more and more driving until I got to near Warwick, finding another free camp out the back of Sandy Creek pub.  I chatted with the other campers (well, I listened ... a lot) and then settled down for a quiet night when a HUGE thunderstorm hit the van.  Thunder and lightning, very very frightening!  The van rocked in the gale and Maggie and I cowered in bed as the huge raindrops hammered the roof.  In the morning, surrounded by water, I discovered my chipped windscreen was now a cracked windscreen.  Oh well.  Sigh!

So I'm in Brisbane.  I've organised a new windscreen, confirmed the dentist and have plans to spring clean the van.  For some reason, it's full of sand!

We found the dog beach in Brisbane ... more sand!