Well since our last blog, we have been out to the fossicking field again, but, alas, Deb did not manage to find her opal. When we arrived at the field, I took a photo of the mound of tailings, just to give you some idea how impossible it is to find any opal out here. Just shows how freaky it was to find the piece that I did.
Not to be deterred though, we headed out to the area again. We called in at the Sheepyard Inn, one of the 3 pubs that are out in this area. It is incredible how they actually survive out here. All of the pubs have good size bars, with pool tables, and a good size lounge.
Just short of the Sheepyard Inn we called in to check out the War memorial. What a great job they have done, with plaques commemorating all of the wars. There are a few photos of the general area, with mounds of tailings, along with varying humpies, caravans, shacks and god knows what else these people live in. Pretty scary really, with most of the locals vehicles, including the tip trucks loaded with tailings, bearing no number plates.
We spent about 2 hours fossicking, with the only excitement coming when Deb decided to take a skiing trip down the side of the mound. She was really lucky that she didn't hurt herself, with the only damage being done to her cargo pants. She tore the butt right out of them, but she put an immediate photo ban on the result. No sense of humour at all. The temp was 28C so I would have thought the added breeze would have been welcome.
We called in at the Glengarry Hilton on the way out of the fields, which is the other of the 3 pubs. I had to act as a distraction and check out the menu, nil, whilst Deb snuck through to the ladies, minus the rear part of her pants. I thought it was funny anyway.
Once back in town we managed to get photos of a couple more murals before heading back to camp. The last day in Lightning Ridge was pretty relaxing but I think the good weather was gone for now. It was still fine, but only about 15C.
We left Lightning Ridge and headed off to Dubbo the next morning. It was going to be one of our longest drives, with the distance being about 360k's. A lot of the roads on the journey, being the Castlereagh Hwy, are really not what you would expect of a main road. Long sections are barely wide enough for 2 cars to pass, with the added complications of the road trains. I think that the authorities think if you paint a white line on the side of the road, then that becomes a passing lane. Pretty scary when the road train passes you.
Arrived in Dubbo and didn't do much that first day. Went to the info centre and that was about it. Had a stroll through the shopping centre, which is really quite large. It has been a while since we have even seen a shopping mall.
The next day we went for a walk from the Caravan Park into the town. It was about 2.5k's, but a pretty easy walk. Got the customary photos of some birds, and of course, a mural. Apart from the Dubbo zoo, there is not much to do here. We weren't going to the zoo, as we had already been to Monarto zoo earlier in the trip.
Today we went and had our culture fix, with a visit to the Western Plains Cultural Centre. Checked out the art gallery and also the museum. I am afraid to report that there was not a lot there to excite us. The most exciting part was the plant that was in the garden outside. I am not sure what it was, but the stems looked like a bamboo plant, with a flower about to come out on top. They were about 10 feet tall. Pity we didn't get to see the plant fully in flower.
Continued on to check out the Botanical Gardens and Japanese gardens. The Japanese garden section is really quite well done, with the usual waterfall and perfectly manicured gardens. They had huge colourful carp in the lakes, with some local ducks acting as security, giving us a very close inspection.
Tomorrow morning we are off to Cowra, which is about 250k's away, where we will be stopping for only 2 days. More on the weather we are expecting next issue.
Barry & Deb.
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