Bingara, Manilla,Tamworth, Chaffey Dam, HOME

Last blog from our travels in 2011! Be back late February 2012.

Well, after five months and five days we have arrived home (13th October 2011)...........what a fabulous time we have had exploring Australia's Top. So much more to see and do, I doubt you would ever see it all. I will be signing off today from blogging and have thoroughly enjoyed blogging to share our wonderful trip with you. We plan to travel south next year so keep the blog in mind and look for more adventures late February 2012..... for several more months! Before signing off I must finish by adding our travels from Bingara, Manilla Tamworth and Chaffey Dam (near Nundle) and home to Newcastle.
We left Bingara on Monday 10th October 2011(after camping along the Gwydir River) and travelled along 'The Fossickers Way' to Barraba, Manilla, and onto Tamworth where we stayed the first night at the Cockburn River Camp area near Limbri. The next day took in the many sights of Tamworth, a vibrant city where each year, in late January, many people visit from around Australia for the Country Music Festival (party!) We enjoyed a few days in January this year and would love to visit for a longer period another year.
If you get the chance over the next few months a visit to the Upper Hunter, New England region and its surrounds wouldn't disappoint, the countryside is lush and green, making the scenery awesome.
Whilst in Tamworth we visited and camped, on the front lawn, at the home of a great friend and her husband. My friend and I went to primary school together in the early 60's. A treasured friendship spanning 50 years! We had a good time chatting and catching up - as always we seem to catch up from where we last finished. Thanks to you both for a delicious dinner and as always your warm and inviting hospitality.
Wednesday 12th October 2011 we left Tamworth and travelled to Chaffey Dam (near Nundle) to catch up with friends Glenda and John who we first met at Clem Walton Park in central Queensland several months ago. We camped on the dam's water edge.......another great camp site we hope to revisit sooner rather than later.
Thursday 13th October 2011 we left Chaffey Dam for our home in Newcastle. Travelling along I received a phone call from my friend Anne enquiring when I was going to be home!
We are looking forward to seeing our wonderful children, grandchildren, siblings, friends and to a big event on the 3rd December 2011 - the wedding of our youngest daughter, Nicole to her fiancee, Angus.
Until next February 2012
Cheers
Marea

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CHAFFEY DAM (near Nundle) NSW......

The magnifcent morning view looking out across the water of Chaffey Dam - A fantastic way to end our memorable travelling experience.
Late evening - enjoying a camp fire, good company and sundowners with our friends Glenda and John who we met at Clem Walton Park Qld some months ago.
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BINGARA............The Orange Trees lining Finch Street and circling the Gwydir Oval were planted in the 60's as a living memorial to Bingara's fallen in World War 1 and 11.

The annual harvesting of the fruit by the local school children happens on only one day of the year.










Bingara has a number of murals..........

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MANILLA ............. Sheep, lambs and Lama's in the paddocks around Manilla

A quaint bridge crossing the Manilla River

Clock Tower in the main street Manilla

Beautiful countryside around the Manilla area near Tamworth

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The Cockburn River Campsite Limbri (30 klms north east of Tamworth).......

A bird watching over his mates nest - Cockburn River Campsite

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TAMWORTH..............

Lush green landscapes after the winter rain.

Chris and Buddy - Tamworth Bicentennial Park - a beautiful park in the centre of the city.

The Golden Guitar - stands as a tribute to the original golden guitar which was designed as a trophy for the Australasian Country Music Awards when they started in January 1973. The Golden Guitar was officially unveilled on Jan 22nd 1988 by Slim Dusty M.B.E.

One of only a handful of landmarks still remaining from my Tamworth years in the 1960's - The Post Office - and today only a small section of the building is the Post Office and the remainder retail outlets.

A duck pond in the middle of Bicentennial Park

Water fountain - Bicentennial Park

A lizard rock sculpture forms part of the edge of the the bicentenial water fountain

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Mount Nathan to Goondiwindi and onto Bingara beside the Gwydir River

We arrived on Friday 30th September and have had a wonderful five nights visiting my sister and brother-in-law, Isabel and Peter, at Mount Nathan on the Gold Coast Hinterland. Two of their children, Patricia and Angela along with their husbands and two children each, visited on Saturday 1st October and Peter cooked the barbie and we enjoyed a chitter chat!
Sunday 2nd....... Peter and his mate Tom, Chris and I played golf at Canungra Golf Club.
Over the few days Isabel and I added to the Moran Family Tree (The ancestors of our mother over seven generations). I had gathered more family history from relatives I visited around Atherton and its surrounds and then of course as our own children have married and had children of their own it needed to be updated. This family tree was first prepared by a cousin Dr Barry Moran and another cousin Justice John Slattery and was completed from 1836 to 2006!
Peter has a 'Man Shed' and enjoys doing woodwork. He made me a great chopping board and wood encased biro pen.
Thankyou for a wonderful few days and your ever warm hospitality and great friendship.
We left Mount Nathan on Wednesday 5th October and decided to venture back inland travelling to and staying overnight near Rathdowney.
Thursday 6th travelled on a very wet day (only our third day of rain since leaving Newcastle five months ago) passing through Warwick and onto Inglewood where we caught up with a great golfing friend Margaret and her husband Colin. They are visiting their daughter who lives in Inglewood. We chatted and sipped on a coffee at the local cafe. After saying goodbye we travelled onto Yelarbon where we camped the night at the Yelarbon Recreation Area Camp Site.
Friday 7th October.......travelled 40klms to Goondiwindi to my niece Libby, her husband Drew and their four children's home. Busy household with four very young children. Christian had a slept-over at the school, Imogen arrived home from kindy (pre-school) with a painting she had painted for me and we got lots of cuddles and kisses from 8 month old twins Angus and Patrick.
Saturday 8th October......left Goondiwindi and travelled to Bingara where we are camped along the Gwydir River. We plan to stay a few days and enjoy the serenity and also have a game of golf at the Bingara Golf Club.

The beautiful wooden camphor-laurel chopping board and wood encassed biro made, for me, by my brother-in-law Peter in his 'Man Shed'!!

The small town of Canungra in the Gold Coast Hinterland
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The Wyaralong Dam..................

The Wyaralong Dam - completed June 3, 2011

at Teviot Brook, 14 klms NW Beaudesert.

Storage capacity: 103,000 megalitres - (equivalent to 41,200 olympic size swimming pools)

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Main Street Warwick on a very wet Thursday October 6, 2011.

Warwick Post office

Yelarbon Recreational Area Camp Site

Painting my great niece Imogen painted for me at her kindy (Pre-School)

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Collecting firewood........Chris bent to pick up wood and this little lizard ran up the tree.

The Beautiful camp site at Bingara along the Gwydir River.............

Chris cooking a gourmet delight - another delicious camp fire dinner

Camped along the Gwydir River near Bingara NSW













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Yandina, Mountain Creek, Maleny to Mt Nathan

Sunday 2nd October 2011: We have had a busy but delightful week. We left our campsite at Yandina after doing a few domestic chores and travelled to Mountain Creek to catch up with Chris's cousin, Gordon and his wife Glenda. We camped on their front lawn for a few days and had a wonderful time fitting in a couple of games of golf and strolling along Mooloolaba beach. Douglas, another cousin of Chris's and Gordon's brother, visited. We had a bar-be-que, a few drinks and the men chatted well into the early hours of the morning. Chris thoroughly enjoyed the catch up. Thanks guys for your warm hospitality.
We farewelled Gordon and Glenda and travelled to Coloundra West to visit our friends Agnelle and Geoffrey. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and a chat. Thanks guys. Hope to see you both in Newey in the next couple of months.
On our way south to my sister's home at Mt Nathan, near Nerang on the Gold Coast, we had a quick visit to the very quaint village of Maleny where we browsed the nik nak shops and enjoyed a walk through the village. Near Maleny at the Mary Caincross Lookout, was a suberb spot to view the iconic symbol of the sunshine Coast - The Glass House Mountains. Travelling further south, through plantations of pine forest, planted around the 1980's - 1990's and due for harvesting around 2020, we went to The Glass House Mountain Lookout in the Beerburrum West State Forest. We arrived at my sister and brother-in-law's (Isabel and Peter) and will be camped at their beautiful home for a few days.

Camped at Yandina. Wash time with my swifty washing machine!

Strolling along Mooloolaba Beach
Chris at Mooloolaba Beach

Camped on the front lawn of Chris's cousin in Mountain Creek

The beautiful rolling hills around Maleny

Main Street Maleny

View of The Glass House Mountains from Mary Caincross Lookout near Maleny
The Glass House Mountains were named by Leuitenant James Cook in 1770. It is believed that Cook thought that the peaks resembled the glass furnaces in his hometown in Yorkshire, England.

The Glass House Mountains were once lava plugs within volcanic cones. The volcanic cones and surrounding Landsborough sandstone were eroded by wind and water over 25million years to reveal the lava plugs which you can see today.

Pine forest Plantations in the Beerburrum West State Forest

Fire Tower at The Glass House Mountains Lookout
Rangers and Forest Officers can keep a year-round watch of the surrounding forests. The bearings around the inside ofnthe tower helps pinpoint the position of the fire for the on-ground fire crews.

The Gateway Bridge

A beautiful Rosella in the garden at Isabels and Peter's Home

Camped at Isabel and Peter's home