Leaving Blaze Aid

This morning I left Blaze Aid at Coonabarabra behind and headed off solo on my journey.  Before leaving I was treated to a poem reading at the morning muster.  The poem was about me. It was quite embarrasing as it told the story of my fencing career and then my kitchen/laundry takeover. It was however gratifying to know that my efforts were appreciated.

I learned a lot in my two weeks - not just how to erect an electric fence in putting in the insulators, plastic clips on the top two rungs and ceramic "cotton reels" on the bottom two and stringing 3 rows of barbed wire between which had to be twitched onto all the star pickets, and how to stack fallen tree limbs - but also how to wash up breakfast dishes for 70 people without a dishwasher.  Additionally, I discovered that the big 20 litre pink bottles labelled disinfectant which I used to clean the toilets and showers one day when the regular bloke went on strike actually contain detergent as well - there was froth and bubbles so high, it had to be hosed off.  I even took in a water colour painting lesson!

On leaving town, I took a 10km rough dirt track to see the Piliga Pottery which turned out to be well worthwhile, I nearly turned back several times knowing I would have to do the 10km back to the main road.  Everything rattled and when I finally stopped, all my careful stowing had been shaken loose.  However you will see from these pictures it was worth it.  Of course, I bought a jug.

The artist Julie gave a demonstration as to how she etches each pot before the glazers take over and painstakingly colour each section before firing.  Here she did a BIG jug with a bluebird picture.  I bought a little one with a blue bird. They were very expensive.

 

I then went on my journey through the Piliga Nature Reserve to Narrabri where I had lunch at yes, another lake.  Narrabri says it is the cotton capital of Australia.  There were odd shaped big bins that didnt look like wheat bins so I suppose they were for cotton.  No evidence of cotton plantings but later I saw some plants growing by the side of the road with fluffy white bits on them as I  turned North West and drove down a small road through the Mount Kaputar National Park.  Spectacular scenery, mountains that forbad me to look at the side of the road on the hair pin bends.

 

 

This was driving towards the mountains - the photo of the mountains is at the end, I cant seem to move it up here.  After the mountains I went through beautiful farming country - green as anything with fat black cattle everywhere.  That road came out at Bingara where I am camped by the riverside. When I pulled up to park, a donkey (or is it an ass?) was munching away right next to the van.  Most unconcerned as I got out and put up my pop top and my awning and then just wandered off.

 

I took this photo from the front of the van.  I am about 10 metres from the edge of the river, under paperbark trees.  Lots of birds chirping in the trees and ducks in the water. There are two other campers - about 100 m away.

 

This is a photo I took while driving through the mountains. Really spectacular scenery.  I just never thought that NSW would be so beautiful.

Tomorrow I am heading off towards Grafton driving through Inverell and Glen Innes.  That will be testing as I will be driving through the Great Dividing Range and three national parks.