QI Tour - Warren (Days 18-20)

The drive to Warren was only a few hours so there was no need to hurry.

Exiting the Warrumbungle NP on the western side, we stopped after we made the first turn, one which would take us south to Tooraweenah rather than continue on to Gulargambone and tertiary roads to Warren. The southern route gave us access to Gilgandra and the Coo-ee Heritage Centre.

Stopping just after the turn south, we were able to take in what I would call the "full-discovery" approach to the Warrumbungles. From the west, everything that is staggering about the Crooked Mountains is revealed. It's still stunning but nothing as exciting as the eastern approach, which reveals the lofty treasures in snapshots through gaps in trees and then, just as quickly hides them again. Suddenly Mt Exmouth appears and then hides ... then Belougery Spire and gone ... and if you stop at White Gums Lookout on the way in, you emerge from a five minute walk at the end of the track to the full metal jacket, jaw dropping view, just as suddenly.

From the west, it's mostly all there. There is more of Exmouth to see as successive lava flows tail off to the south west and you realise it's not only the tallest peak but it has the biggest base.

Swiftly through Tooraweenah, where a southern view of the Bungles can be taken in at a thoughtfully placed viewing platform beside the road, we were back on the Oxley Highway again. The Oxley has been the main thoroughfare so far on the trip, both across to Port Macquarie and for most of the way since. It was only about half an hour before we reached Gilgandra.

The Coo-ee Heritage Centre has been expanded and enhanced since our last visit, when I must admit we didn't take much in. From memory, it was lunch on a 800km drive home from western NSW. It is well worth the visit. After a pleasant outdoor coffee at the kiosk at the back of the Centre, we walked through the several rooms of museum it contained. The Coo-ee room celebrates the first of a series of marches which came to be known as the Coo-ee Marches  held in 2015 in NSW in order to bolster enlistments after the setback at Gallipoli. The Hitchens brothers, Dick (whose idea it was) and Bill Hitchens (who led the march) stirred up the Gilgandra locals and gathered 31 enthusiastic men to march all of the 440kms to Sydney and enlist. Along the way, they were warmly received in 28 towns, who held public functions, provided food and shelter and also provided more volunteers as they went, arriving at Martin Place five weeks later with more than 330. 

At one of the first towns they arrived at, the local publican pressed a one pound note into each volunteers hand and asked them to spend it in France!

The Centre also contains stories of local history and artifacts but its the Coo-ee March which is the core of the exhibition - so named because the Mayor of Gilgandra said in his speech as the town farewelled its men, that a coo-ee was ringing out from the Dardanelles calling for help.

Our first full day in Warren had as its central highlight, a visit to the Warren Museum and Art Gallery (the Wam). This refurbished auto repair garage, rotting from the inside out and its two storey high frame topped by rusted sheets of corrugated iron, was one of the oldest in Warren. It had been flooded several times when the Macquarie River broke its winding banks as it flowed through town and was in the minority surviving the devasting conflagration of 1899, in which two thirds of the buildings in Warren were destroyed by a massive fire.

This was a real surprise packet. A superb space has been developed from gutting the old building and using $3.5 million grant to create a museum and build an art space behind it. Standing inside the space, you realise quickly that a highly creative mind, one which is not limited to convention, imagined this. In this case, it was Warren's last full-time GP, Dr Burke (now retired), not content with preserving life in his working days, who breathed his inspiration into the future lives of the people of Warren and all who visit. Brilliantly curated, the displays are carefully chosen, the information short but pertinent and the presentations are highly engaging. I loved the way you seemed to flow through the space, replicating the Macquarie River as it makes its transit through Warren. The use of the subtle audio of traditional owners voices saying words from their language is clever. Its an inclusive space, not with clearly defined sections but with a swirling mix of eddies. A variety of visual presentations engage all visitors but it is the impact of the 180 degree, floor to ceiling projections of aspects of Warren set onto such a big area which is the coup de grâce

. It was stunning. This is a very modern exhibition space and would be quite staggering for any rural setting, let alone for a small town of less than two thousand people. At $8 entry for Seniors it is also great value.

On our second full day, we strolled around the Tiger Bay Wetlands. Established by the progressive Warren Shire Council in 1988 as a Bicentenary Project and opened on Australian Day of 1988, it was funded by the Central West Catchment Management Authority and supported by neighbouring Councils, the local Aboriginal community and the Macquarie Cotton Growers. It had its detractors originally but now attracts tourists to town to spend their dollars, especially birdos. A smaller cousin of the Macquarie Marshes to the north, it consists of a string of small lakes and ponds, either side of the main road to Gilgandra, just on the outskirts of town.

Hundreds of bird species have been catalogued at Tiger Bay. Most of them must have been on holidays while we were there but there was certainly enough to keep us entertained. There were lots of ducks and swamp hens and moorhens. We spotted a Whistling Kite take off and circle on a breeze that was quieter than the previous day but still with enough power to allow the Kite to strut its stuff. A Black Cormorant sat high in one of the dead River Red Gums in the largest lagoon, strangely appearing to be by itself. A Great Egret was standing imperiously in the shallows before making a slow takeoff. There were lots of White Ibis, White-faced and White-necked Herons, Magpie Larks and Red Rumped Parrots. The highlights were seeing the fledglings of a White-Backed Swallow, who gave a new meaning to the term bird hide, as their nest was hidden up in the corner of the ceiling of a bird hide; and discovering a Willie Wagtail on its nest. The irony of the last find, it being the best of all, was it being the last sighting of the walk and only twenty metres from where we parked the car!

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River Smart Australia established their base at Tiger Bay in 2015, naming it the Window on The Wetlands Centre, occupying the Warren's original Catholic Church building. A cafe is included, although it was closed while we were there owing to illness. Warren's information centre is located adjacent to the Centre and some excellent information boards are set up to provide knowledge for those unable to walk either of the two kilometres of track which wend through and around the two loops of the wetlands on either side of the main road.

Coffee in town and a relaxed afternoon made for another wonderful day.

QI Tour - Warrumbungle NP (Day 16)

The splendid amenities block

After a good night's sleep, with showers occasionally playing music on the roof of the Avan and a breakfast of real bacon and eggs, we had a late morning walk along the Wambelong Nature Trail which starts where Mopra Creek joins the more dominant Wambelong Creek at the edge of Blackmans Campground #1. The wildlife made an immediate impact, with a Little Heron dropping in on us for a browse along the shallow Wambelong. It was good news for the heron, as it snared a yabby within the the first minute of its search. A flock of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, which had been grazing slightly below the track, took off en-mass as we climbed away from the creek, complaining as they did so.

Across the main access road, we gradually made our way along the creek as the passage narrows between the two starkly rising sides of the canyon, eventually with enough room for the creek to burble through and still allow us to make out way along the well defined path which hugged the southern bank. Now among the feet of Belougery Split Rock, its twin peak towering above us, this narrow passage between the cliffs is a haven for the smaller birds such as the Superb Fairy Wren and Willie Wagtail, both of which we watched flitting about over the rocks and quickly darting across the surface of the water for a drink.

Wambelong Creek

Where the track makes a rough crossing over the creek, a seat has been strategically placed to allow time and space to listen and watch the birds and soak in the geology. In the foreground, the creek bends past a long bent wall of rock extending straight upwards for up to about 15 metres. Further back, a steady slope increases until the vertical faces of Split Rock culminate in their peaks at 750 metres. Sitting there midst the peaceful setting, I reflected on days gone by when I traveled on younger legs and took my new bride on the first bushwalk of her life, climbing to the summit of Split Rock on a 35 degree summer's day. The last part of it using a chain bolted to the rock surface to help assist you scramble over an open face where any slip might have nasty consequences. She didn't thank me for the experience then but the realisation that it changed her life doesn't escape her now.

Belougery Split Rock

We emerged from the narrow canyon which opens out onto the open area of Canyon Camp, originally the camping and accommodation centre for the park. In 1968, when the park was first opened, Dad packed us all into his work car, a big Ford Falcon station wagon, waking us from our beds at 3:00am for the drive from the southern suburbs of Sydney. We stayed in the old converted Sydney Trams that had been installed as accommodation, with a sink in the tiny drivers section, two double bunks and space designated as the kitchen where the tram had been divided in two by a thin masonite partition. A table, one of those small hotplate and miniature oven sat on top of a bar fridge and constituted the kitchen. We didn't bring a cat which was just as well as we wouldn't have swung it in there. Like Sue, years later, Warrumbungles would change my life.

Climbing up the steep slope of the hill around which we had just walked, views unfolded back across the east of the park: not as expansive as those from Grand High Tops or Split Rock but worthy of the walk, no less. There were lots of Motherumba up here too and into the steep gullies which ran back down to the creek.

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today's photos.

We made our way down the other side and returned to camp via the access round. Our 4kms had been well spent but it drew us to the conclusion that a wished for ascent to the Grand High Tops would still be an unfair impost on Sue's back. Despite our greatly enhanced fitness levels, it would remain beyond us but their was no need for regret. We have walked those 12kms and climbed to that lofty place many times previously, both with and without the urging needed to gets our kids up there. The last, with the youngest who was 16 at the time, as I tested out a reconstructed knee.

The memory of it is enough.

QI Tour _ Warrumbungle NP (Day 15)

 Day 15 - Tamworth to Warrumbungles

White Gums Lookout

We had a happy early start, with son Sam joining us for a cuppa before he started work, as a farewell gesture. It’s always great to sit and chew the fat but good grief, he has such a hard job.

It would have been impossible to leave without a final coffee at Dinesh Goyal’s Cafe Vivaldi. There is nowhere in town that matches the quality of the coffee there ... and even fewer on the road!

Heading west, we galloped on and then through Gunnedah, stopping at the park at Mullaley for lunch. Having lived in the area, we knew we could count on clean toilets … oops apocalypse, not the case. On the way, there was another reminder of why truck drivers get so annoyed with some van drivers, with one old bloke, driving a Landcruiser with plenty of power and towing a van well within its capability, dawdled up the hills at 70kph and then sped up down the other side at 110. This left the following truck with no chance to pass and constant frustration, as the only explanation for his inconsistency would have been conserving fuel. It’s a pretty selfish approach.

After refueling in Coonabarabran, the familiar narrow and at times rough road out to the Warrumbungles more than compensated for it’s condition with the stunning scenery which unfolds as you approach The Crooked Mountains. Timor Road shadows the Castlereagh River for half of the journey to the national park, until you cross it near the Warrumbungle Mountain Motel. Thereafter, Shawn’s Creek joins you at Timor Rock and provides passageway, until the Castlereagh returns near the Siding Springs Observatory turn off.

The John Renshaw Parkway - the main road which passes roughly east to west through the national park - takes over from Timor Road after the Observatory, providing another narrowing and a 60kph speed limit but with the road winding down into the main plain in the centre of the park in quite steep section, no one would have any argument with slowing down.

Motherumba Wattle

We stopped before the main descent, and took in a favourite spot in the park, The White Gums Lookout. Located high in the eastern section of the park, it’s a few hundred metres walk from the parking area to a splendid lookout which exposes the entire vista of this spectacular place. All of the major physical features of the park lay before your gaze. Enormous mountains tower in the distance, most of them volcanic plugs left behind when their outer cones eroded away. This is dramatic scenery. Being spring, the wildflowers were in full bloom. The Motherumba wattle (acacia cheeli), with their fingers of fluffy looking yellow, were profuse and some of them were tall trees towering above us but closer on the ground, the delicate Noddy Blue Lily was scattered everywhere. An old favourite from when we used to bring the kids here, Eggs and Bacon(eutaxia obovata) was also prolific and in full display.

After taking our time to once again drink it all in, we drove the remaining few kilometres down onto the plain, booking in at the remarkable architecture of the Visitors Centre, built out of the ashes of the original, destroyed in the 2013 bushfires. The next hour was spent setting up camp at Blackman’s Camp, where power, toilets and showers are provided but no drinking water.

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As dusk settled, we took a walk across Mopra Creek, which divides the two main sections of the camp. The majority of the very many occasions we have visited the Warrumbungles - in my case going back to the year it was opened in 1968 - the creek has been dry but today, a good supply of water was filling the lower reaches of its narrow, deeply v-shaped course. Much has changed. A pedestrian footbridge now traverses one of the highest sections of bank, making a more direct route for campers to a completely new and ultra modern amenities block.

Light showers passed through as day transitioned into evening, dust not even settled in consequence. The usual
Kookaburra chorus was missing as campfires crackled as a backdrop for the usual casual conversations with new friends and then the quiet took precedence.

AAA Tour - Day 1 - Tamworth to Warrumbungle NP

Where once rampant enthusiasm would have me jumping on the spot at the dawning thought that we left for the road, today, instead, I greeted the sun with little more that mediocre recognition it would shine through the caravan window for a while.

Somehow, I’ve lost my mojo for the road. Somehow? Well having a van written off just a kilometre from the boat to Tasmania may be part of it. Waiting six months for the replacement van may be part of it. Car accidents, ill health, responsibility for others … they have all played their part to blunt the zeal which once had me bursting for the horizon. This trip - the Away to Almost Anywhere Tour - might be the last chance to relight that fire. The first and most crucial discover will be to find the pilot light that used to always burn in me.

There is no such lacking in Sue. 

The last of the packing took about an hour. There were jobs to do downtown - fuel, library, chemist - and then a return to home to attach the rig and make sure nothing had been forgotten amidst my bland disinterest.

We traveled west across the Liverpool Plains for most of the afternoon. First south to Werris Creek and through the Gap and across to Spring Ridge and Premer. By the time we got to the cross over on the Mullaley- Coolah Rd, the weather had closed in to the point of rain. Lightning followed, strong cross winds soon after and my view of the endeavour couldn't be much better.

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We stopped in Coonabarabran to top up the fuel tank for later and then had an easy run into Warrumbungle National Park. It's an old stomping ground but a few days here might just recharge my road batteries. Cynicism has never been a welcome companion but of late, I find myself having coffee with a lot of negative reactions to otherwise positive events and toting up losses more easily than gains.

Its not my thing, blocks my creativity and reminds me of times and places I've left behind. Sunshine, fresh air, new horizons, good company and freedom from the yokes I have too readily worn.

Hmmm. A bit deep for a travel blog, isn't it?