WE’RE IN BINGARA – AN IDYLLIC LIFE BY THE GWYDIR RIVER

 WEDNESDAY  1ST SEPTEMBER   -   We left our overnight stop in Barraba and travelled through some stunning countryside for an hour until we reached the beautiful little town of Bingara.  We parked in town and went into the Tourist Information Centre to find out about the many free camping areas available by the Gwydir River.  We picked up some supplies and headed out of town and across the bridge looking down on some stunning sights of the Gwydir River below and our first sighting of the gorgeous camping grounds surrounding the river.  As we drove over the cattle grid into the camp ground, we had our first stunning view of open grassland, trees, birds and lots of horses roaming freely all over the grassed areas.  We were totally amazed and immediately smitten with the beauty of the place and eagerly drove further along the river to the designated camping area.  It was very busy with caravans and buses lined along the water’s edge.  We thought at first that all the available spots had been taken.  We managed to find a suitable spot and set up. 

VIEW FROM UNDER THE AWNING

Behind us there were lots of horses chomping on the grass and I felt I’d stepped into seventh heaven being so close to them in such a picturesque setting.  I couldn’t contain myself and had to go and pat as many of them as I could and offer them some carrots and bread which they eagerly took.  Sally wasn’t so sure of them and kept a very watchful eye on these huge creatures.

Bingara is nestled on the Gwydir River in the New England Region of north west New South Wales, in-between the New England and Newell Highways, a 7 hour drive from Sydney and 5 hours from Brisbane.  It is the shortest sealed route between Brisbane and Melbourne. The Gwydir River is a main catchment of the Murray-Darling system.  Bingara has a small population of 1,300.  What it lacks in population it certainly makes up for in friendly faces with a hearty hello to everyone they pass on the street.   They’re all super friendly and helpful and only too happy to have a yarn about their beautiful little town to anyone ready to listen.

Bingara means “creek” and “shallow river crossing” and is one of the few places in Australia where diamonds have been found.

Gold was discovered in Bingara in 1852 which created a boom with many settlers moving into the area.  Copper and diamonds were discovered shortly afterwards.  At that time, Bingara was one of the largest producers of diamonds in Australia.

The area is on the Fossicker’s Highway and a very popular place for bird watching (with over 200 native birds in the area), horse-riding, bush walking and hopeful fossickers looking for gems, sapphires, crystals and topaz.

According to the locals Bingara has over 300 days when the weather is “just perfect”.

Several times each day the horses came down to the river to drink and walked right besides us, sometimes just under the awning and in-between the parked vans. They were all different colours and such magnificent beasts.  I was totally fascinated watching them.  They often crossed the river in a big pack which was another spectacle to see and went to the other side for fresher more juicy grass.

Each day was just as idyllic as the previous one with ducks and water hens swimming past in the fast flowing water.  They were so funny to watch swimming sideways as fast as their webbed feet could go trying to outswim the current and make it to the bank, only to fly upstream skimming the water to do it all again.  We cracked up every time we saw them.  Then they’d all gather in a big clan on the river bank to chill out.

When we weren’t watching horses, ducks or water hens, there were so many beautiful parrots, butterflies, cockatoos and galahs flying past and the most beautiful Superior Wrens flitting about.  The male had a brilliant electric blue head. We often found him perched cheekily on top of our wood pile.

SUNDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER   -   Our friends Penny and Peter arrived to spend a week with us.  We hadn’t seen them since we first met up at Woodgate Beach in May.  We had told them so much about the place that they were keen to get here and see it for themselves.  They’re keen fossickers with all the gear and they were eager to see what they could find around the area. 

We went to the RSL Club for the $11.50 roast dinner including a free midi. The plate was full of meat and veggies and we all left with full tummies.

MONDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER   -   We went to watch Pete and Penny doing some fossicking.  They gave us a great introduction to prospecting and taught us what to look for and how to sift and sort a find.  Unfortunately they didn’t find anything of great value but we had a fun time with them out in the bush.

Their friends Carol and John arrived to stay overnight with their newly purchased van and 4wd.  We had a roaring camp fire and cooked baked potatoes in foil and had a fantastic night with them all.

FRIDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER   -   We drove 64 kilometres through some stunning countryside with deep green valleys and peaks and huge herds of cattle grazing to the northern tip of Mount Kaputar National Park to see the phenomenon Sawn Rocks a 40 metre high wall of  perfectly formed pentagonal (5 sided) basalt pipes resembling organ pipes.  They were the result of slow and even cooling molten rock from the Nandewar Volcano 21 million years ago and are the best preserved examples in Australia. 

They were just amazing to see with different colours of browns and beiges.  We really had to crane our necks to look right to the top of them.

SATURDAY  11TH SEPTEMBER  -   We had an early morning treat watching all the horses being mustered up and taken across the river to the corral where there were weekend trail rides.  Because they were so spread around the area, there were small groups running wild everywhere trying to avoid the inevitable muster.  It was like watching The Man From Snowy River with horses everywhere and it was so quiet all day without them.  Later in the afternoon, they came racing across the river once more very thirsty and tired from their day’s work.   We watched them rolling on the grass glad to be home again until the following day.

We were very fortunate to see 3 brand newborn gorgeous fluffy foals with their very proud and protective mums during the week.  They were kept in the nursery corral for a few days and we drove around to where they were to watch their unsteady efforts to grow into their long, gangly legs.  They were asleep on the grass most of the time, and would only stir to have a drink from their mums before folding down so awkwardly on their legs to sleep once more.  We’ve watched them getting stronger day by day and it’s been a real privilege to be part of their first days of life.   There are still a few heavily pregnant mares around.

MONDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER   -  We went to The Roxy Theatre in town for a tour inside the fully restored cinema and theatre complex with an adjoining café.

 THE RESTORED ART DECO MILK BAR/CAFE

We learnt the colourful history of how the café was started by 3 Greek immigrants from the Island of Kythera who arrived in Bingara in 1924 to establish a café called Peters and Co which became a franchise amongst Greek shopkeepers throughout Australia.  They later decided to expand the café and built an entertainment complex with a picture house, 4 shops and a guesthouse.  Unfortunately shortly afterwards they went bankrupt.  The Roxy operated as a cinema until 1958 when television contributed to its demise and it closed down.  It lay waste for nearly 40 years.  The café and residence above it were sold and became a Chinese restaurant for many years until the owner sold it in 2004.  The café and cinema complex were lovingly and painstakingly restored by committed townsfolk with grants from State and Commonwealth Government to its former art deco glory with most of the original fixtures and fittings and stucco plaster and paintwork still intact. During the restoration 6 dressing rooms and facilities were added to the back of the theatre and an outdoor courtyard for conventions and functions.

There was a very interesting Greek Museum inside the foyer area telling the combined Greek and Australian history.

The original ticket box is still in its spot on the footpath outside the cinema.

It is now used as a modern regional centre for performing arts with the north West Theatre Company putting on plays and musicals throughout the year.  It is also used for seminars, weddings and private functions and can seat up to 400 people.  The Sydney Symphony Orchestra have also performed there.

There was a photo of Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobsen proudly displayed in the foyer, taken during the shooting of their movie together “Charlie and Boots”.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour with our enthusiastic volunteer tour guide and learnt so much about the town’s history as well as the history of the café and cinema complex.

We have had a brilliant 19 days free camping by the magical Gwydir River in Bingara and are so glad we found the spot purely by accident.  It would have been a tragedy to have by-passed this absolutely beautiful place.  We’re very reluctant to leave.  It’s such a picturesque and friendly place.

A MASSIVE TREE BY THE RIVER 

NEXT WEEK:  We will be free camping overnight at beautiful Bretti Reserve 300 kilometres south from Bingara on the way to Gloucester.  We will be in Gloucester for a few days then on to Dungog and on to Nelson Bay. 

BROKEN HILL TO TAMWORTH

MONDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER    -  We left Broken Hill and within half an hour’s drive had crossed the Eastern Standard Time Line and were finally back on NSW time.  We drove through Wilcannia and after 385 kilometres we stopped at Meadow Glen Rest Area for the night.

TUESDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER   -   We left our overnight stop and drove through Cobar and Nyngan and Nevertire and on to Tottenham where Richard particularly wanted to stop to take a photo of himself in his Tottenham Hotspur shirt underneath the Town of Tottenham sign.  Tottenham is located by the Bogan River and is known as the exact Geographical Centre of New South Wales and has a small population of 320.  We drove for 385 kilometres and stopped at Sandy Creek Rest Area overnight with only one other caravan parked nearby.

WEDNESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER   -   We left our overnight stop and drove through Warren and passed some spectacular scenic green undulating deep valleys and peaks along the way,  with the purple flower Patterson’s Curse on either side of the road most of the way to Gilgandra where we stopped in a lovely park for lunch. 










On the way to Coonabarabran we passed by “Sunshine Road” and “Dog Trap Gully”.  We continued past Gunnedah “The Koala Capital of the World” (a very slight exaggeration there I think!!) and passed by Lake Keepit and “Long Hollow Gully”.  Finally after another long day driving 400 kilometres, we reached our destination Tamworth.  We stayed at the Top Tourist park Austin Tourist Park 4 kilometres out of town on the main highway.  We set up on the lower level by the Peel River.  It was a big spacious park with grassed sites and was $32 per night (including our 10% membership discount).  They were very casual and laid back when we rang to book a site telling us “Just rock up and pick a spot – there’s plenty of em”, which we found out was quite right.  

BEAUTIFUL CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES OPPOSITE THE CARAVAN PARK 

Tamworth is located on the west side of the Great Dividing Range, 440 kilometres north west from Sydney.  It is a major regional centre in The New England region of New South Wales, midway between Sydney and Brisbane with a population of 50,000.

It is known as “The First City of Lights” as it was the first city to use electric street lights in 1888.

Tamworth is best known as “The Country Music Capital of Australia” and hosts the ten day annual event in January each year, with over 600 musicians performing in the new 5,000 seat Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre.  This is the main event on the town’s calendar.  It started off in 1960 with the local radio station broadcasting “Hoedown” which became so popular with the listeners that in 1973 the first Country Music Awards began. Busking on the main street Peel Street is where Kasey Chambers, Troy Cassar-Daley, Beccy Cole and Keith Urban began their careers.

Tamworth is also the National Equine Centre of Australia with many equine events on the calendar.  The Australian Equine and Livestock Centre is the biggest in the southern hemisphere.  Because the land is so fertile it is an area rich in farming and grazing.

During WWII Tamworth Showground was used as an army training camp.

In 1947 East West Airlines began operating an air service from Tamworth to Sydney.

We had torrential rain for 2 days which the farmers were very happy about.  They all received long awaited good rainfall.

SATURDAY  27TH SEPTEMBER   -  The rain cleared into a beautiful day.  We visited The Big Golden Guitar in town.  It was unveiled by Slim Dusty in 1988 in recognition and celebration of Australian country music.  The actual guitar is 12 metres tall (40 feet) and weighs over 500 kilos.  It is made of wood and fibreglass with steel reinforcements.  It doesn’t have any strings so as to be an exact replica of the actual Golden Guitar Awards presented to artists.

The Tourist Centre is home to the Gallery of Stars Wax Museum, souvenir and gift shop and café.   It now has the biggest private collection of memorabilia of Sir Donald Bradman, some of it available to buy.

From there we drove for 45 (56 kilometres) minutes through some breathtaking countryside with paddocks filled with spring babies of lambs, calves and foals and it was so joyous and uplifting watching them all frolicking around with their herds. 







We arrived in the beautiful rural village Nundle set at the foot of The Great Divide.  It is a popular place for fossicking with much gold still to be found in the hills, along with zircons, green jasper and sapphires.  It is also one of the best areas in the state for crystals.   It has a small population of 300.

Nundle is the beginning of The Fossicker’s Way to Glen Innes via Inverell, through some of the best fossicking areas in New South Wales.

Gold was discovered in the nearby hills at Hanging Rock in 1852 and helped create the mining boom for the Tamworth area.

We visited Nundle Woollen Mill which still produces 100% Australian wool products on historic vintage machines dating back from 1914.  It was the last of 200 working mills in Australia.  We saw the process of transforming raw wool into balls of yarn from the viewing platform overlooking the old looms and carding machines and the myriad of brightly coloured wools in the finished products which were for sale in the retail shop.  The Mill is open 7 days a week.

We had lunch in the Mount Misery Gold Mine Café restored from the old coffin maker’s cottage.  It had coble stone walls and an open fire place and the original well (safely enclosed) in the back dining area.  It is now a cafe, restaurant and retreat and is one of the oldest buildings in Nundle.

We had home-made quiche and salad.  We were dumbstruck with the serving size of the quiche – half the pie on our plate with lashings of fresh salad and beetroot.  It was very filling and delicious.  There was also a replica Gold Mine Museum. 

We drove back on The Fossicker’s Way through old quaint settlement villages and stopped at the lookout over Chaffey Dam with camping available on the lower level right beside the water. The Dam holds 62,000 mega litres of water and has a maximum depth of 30 metres.





Further down the road we stopped to watch some horses in one of the equine breeding centres.  There was a cheeky foal running alongside one of its parents.  We noticed another small foal laying on the grass with the other parent standing over it and licking it.  We watched them for a while and I got a bit concerned that the little one on the grass wasn’t moving much and got the impression its parent was standing guard over it, licking it with concern.  The little one’s tail flicked up and down but there was no sign of it getting up.  I said to Richard I wasn’t going until I checked with the owner that the horse was ok, so we drove up to the house and met the breeder.  He told us the foal was only 2 days old and the vet had been to check the newborn out.  He said it was quite ok and it was normal for the newborns to sleep lots when they’re first born, but thanked me for my concern.   He probably thought I was a nutty tourist, but at least I left happy in the knowledge that the foal was ok.

SUNDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER   -  We went to Oxley Lookout high up the hills at the top of Tamworth.  It had lovely views looking over the town with picnic areas and the Great Dividing Ranges surrounding the town on the horizon.

Next we went to The Botanic Gardens which were established in 1995 and set on 28 hectares, 3 hectares have been developed.  There were walking trails through the gardens with beautiful relaxing gazebos and ponds to look at.  There was also an on-site nursery and Bush Chapel which can be hired for weddings and functions.

SOME OF THE LOCALS HANGING OUT AT THE POND

THE MINIATURE RAILWAY CLOSE TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS

We had lunch in The Old Bell Tower in town which was just gorgeous with a country cottage garden outside with tables and chairs to sit and have a relaxing meal.  It was set in the old church building.  There was a lovely arbour in the middle of the garden with wisteria in full bloom growing all over it. Inside there was a variety of antiques and giftware for sale.  The café did lovely home-style meals in a really relaxing atmosphere with very friendly staff.  I had a gorgeous vegetarian stack with sourdough bread with basil pesto.  It was just delicious and a very big serve.

PART OF THE BEAUTIFUL COTTAGE GARDEN AT THE BACK OF THE RESTAURANT

With full bellies, we headed to Tamworth Marsupial Park, a free family recreational park completely maintained by volunteers with some funding from the council and mostly donations from visitors to the park.   It was set on 20 hectares.  In 2009, The Friends of Marsupial Park formed a volunteer brigade and helped to upgrade the run down park.

We headed straight to the free flight aviary and saw some beautiful bright green Superb Parrots, Regent Parrots, Little Lorikeets and King Parrots and several varieties of finches, some white ones that I hadn’t seen before.  There were lots of doves nestled in the trees and branches and black ducks waddling on the ground and taking a dip in the ponds.  It was lovely to see so many free flying birds in a big free flight space.

Each afternoon our neighbour Ken entertained the park for over an hour singing and playing his guitar practicing the routine he uses to entertain in old folks homes and other venues. He was very talented with a wide range repertoire, so we really enjoyed being entertained by him.

We were quite pleasantly surprised by the size of Tamworth and the variety of restaurants, theatre, cinemas and shopping centres available in the town.  The surrounding areas were so lush and green and picturesque.  Being here in spring was probably the best time of year to visit Tamworth. 

TUESDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER   -   We left Tamworth and drove for an hour north to Glen Riddle Reserve to check it out.   It was 9 kilometres off the main road.  We were only going to stop there for morning tea, but we decided it was a pretty good spot for a free overnight stay, with full phone and internet reception and cow companions roaming around the van and in the riverbed.  It was a very warm day.  We parked at the top of the hill with a lovely breeze going right through the van, overlooking the river bed.  There were 4 other vans in the area also.   

SALLY STRESSING OUT FREE CAMPING!!!!!

NEXT WEEK:  We will be heading north to Barraba and Bingara two very scenic rural towns.