Lightning Ridge to Glen Innes

Around Lightning Ridge there are four self-drive tours, each directing you by different coloured car doors, very original and works well, some of the sites were a bit ordinary bit we did see lots of interesting buildings, landscapes and working mines, the whole area looks a shambles with old machinery lying everywhere, roads just carved through the mining areas and there are shafts sunk everywhere that you look.

Back in town we went to the local IGA and bought some bread, checked the liquor store and they had Bundy on special so bought a couple of bottles then back to our van for lunch, a cappuccino and a short rest.

After lunch we headed of for a longer drive to see some more opal fields about 80k’s from Lightning Ridge, we headed south on the highway for a few k’s then turned right and drove about 40k’s on a good bitumen road, it passed through lots of sheep and cattle properties and the feed was so high we could barely see the sheep and goats;  the cattle and their calves were all very fat and in tremendous condition, the whole area is a huge flat plain and the rains from Queensland have been coming down for the last eighteen months have provided more grass than they could possibly need.

We arrived at a small place called Cumborah and had intended to turn right but the road was closed, we did not know why so had to go to our left and follow the detour signs, we then realised we were on the road to Glengarry, about 40k’s of bone jarring gravel corrugations, washed out bulldust dirt and exposed rocks that threatened to puncture our tyre sidewalls, luckily we had no trouble but I did lower my tyre pressures to 26psi to help smooth out the ride!

The opal fields here comprise of three settlements for want of a better word, they are Glengarry, The Grawin and Sheepyard, and all are connected by what seem like endless tracks through the scrub and mullock heaps, there are some rough signs so that helped us find our way. Our first stop was at the “Glengarry Hilton”, a rough bush pub with an attached food van, a few local characters having a beer at the outside bar.

We had a good chat with the bar lady and found out quite a lot about local area.
We then went on to The Grawin and to the road that we should have come in on, we found out why it was closed, the road ended at a huge inland sea, floodwaters as far as the eye could see, as the whole area is totally flat and there is no river system to drain it so is relying on evaporation to dry it up, will take a long time!
Back at The Grawin we passed through their bush golf course, very rough, well it all looks rough and the greens and tee beds are all dirt scrapes, they have a community run golf and sports club with a rustic clubhouse, again we had a good chat with the locals.
Our last place we visited here was the Sheepyard, they also have a community run pub/club, time was getting on so we did not stop here, we did stop and have a look at their war memorial, it was amazing to find something so picturesque and well-kept amongst all the other disorganised landscape that abounds here.

Beside this memorial is a lake, gardens, BBQ’s and shelters, all immaculately kept and a credit to the community.

Time to head home so off we bounced and rattled back over the dirt and rubble, what a delight to finally get on the black top and back to the “Ridge” where we fuelled up and relaxed back at the van with a well-earned drink to wash the dust down.
Weather report for today: Fine, sunny with some high cloud and temperature topped out at 30°

 Tuesday 17^th April

Another beautiful day in Lightning Ridge, we packed up this morning and started off about 8.30am, we did not get out of the park when a group of caravan club members from Toowoomba decided it was a good time to have a chat with us so we were a bit later leaving than we had planned.
Got about five k’s up the road and had a half hour wait for road works that were resealing the highway, when we did get through it was over nice wet tar, anyway on our way at last, the roads are still rough and chopped up from the floods and road works everywhere, we were travelling along the Gwydir Highway towards Moree, we had lunch here then onto Warialda, Delungra and finished up for the day at Inverell.

Before Moree we came onto a mob of sheep being driven in the “Long Paddock” just one stockman on horseback and he was also leading a spare horse.

This morning we left the rocky opal fields, travelled through flood plains, to lush natural grasses to open broad acre farmlands with cotton fields as far as the eye could see, to the highlands of the New England Ranges, has been a great drive apart from the damaged roads and lots of road works all the way, oh and from Moree on the temperature dropped to 17° and it rained all the way to Inverell.

We camped for the night at a cheap caravan park as all the free camps were right beside the road and not very inviting, but the cheap park turned out to be very nice, one couple next to us booked into for one night and have stayed a week.

Wednesday 18^th April

Awoke to a beautiful sunny morning, much better than  yesterday, we had a leisurely breakfast and packed up ready to head off when the bloke next to us wanted to have a chat…..as they all do!! Anyway he and his wife headed off for a walk and we finished up packing  and started to leave when Lucille noticed water running off the blokes caravan roof, we checked it out and water was running off the roof and awning so we turned off the water tap and power and started to drain his water tanks but the water did not ease off, the park manager went for a drive to try and find the owners while I found a ladder from the park shed and had a look on the roof, well bugger me the water was rainwater running off the roof, the roof was a rubber type that had a sunken centre that had filled with water and as the sun warmed it up it must have expanded and started pushing the water off! Guess we learn something new every day.

From Inverell we continued east to Glen Innes, we have now climbed to over 1,000 metres above sea level and the temperature has dropped accordingly!

For the next two nights we are camped at “Three Waters High Country Holidays “ a 1200 acre property on Bullock Mountain on the outskirts of Glen Innes that our friends Steve and Kerry run as a holiday camping and horse riding destination, we settled into our powered site and then had a look around the property to see what had changed, we both noticed that the amenities block come clubhouse (The Gunyah) had spouting that was over flowing with gum leaves so we found a ladder and cleaned them out which we have done before, Steve is getting on a bit and finds ladders a bit of a challenge.

Spent the rest of the afternoon reading and relaxing under the awning of the van and looking out over the creek and mountains, watching the wild life, in a few hours we have seen wild ducks, horses, kangaroos, Deer with the biggest antlers that we have seen and magnificent skyline, then it rained! Then it cleared up so we enjoyed our own private happy hour under the awning till darkness closed in on us, so we turned lights and sat outside some more!