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.