Northey Notes

We arrived at Kidman’s Camp at 4pm, peak hour for caravan parks everywhere. They had no record of my email booking of course but fortunately they did have powered sites aplenty and our onsite cabin is spacious and well appointed. We declined the ensuite deluxe log cabins in order to keep the campers company and I/m glad we saved the money – see Rob’s photo of the view they have from their decks! Yes the Darling River (2m, down from its February peak of 9m) is nearby but there is a kilometre of ugly, sandy scrub between them and the river except in flood. The facilities are clean and close by so we have not suffered. In fact the kids were delighted by the sight of a couple of small roos grazing on the park lawn near their campsite (see the slideshow). The grass is green and some flowers are blooming, making it a very pleasant spot to stay a couple of days.
The weather has been generally kind – low 20s and little wind although we came through some sun showers on the drive into Bourke. The sun is yet to rise today but I expect a clear day in the 20s again. We plan to visit nearby Mount Oxley and then walk around the sites of the Port of Bourke. BTW, that was the name of the Pub we ate in last night and I can recommend their beer garden and Bistro (T-Bone and salad). At 2.30pm we hope to catch the MV Jandra (see Mike’s word document in an earlier post) for a one hour cruise along the muddy Darling. Things are not quite as they may be advertised on the Web out here but reflect country common sense – there is no special Sunday cruise and they need a minimum of 4 adults before they venture out but on the plus side, the prices are also generally a bit lower than advertised.
My travelling companions have been enjoying my CB banter as you would expect (call signs “Chatterbox” and “Batman”) while co-driver has been a little less effusive about my GPS Navigator, the Nokia 6110. To be honest, she hasn’t had to say or do much on these long straight stretches, once Mike had finished with his unscheduled detours, which did upset her. I remain impressed with its capabilities – you never know when it might be handy to know the back streets of Nyngan – and the tracker has faithfully plotted our progress – see Google Earth file.
The Darling River Run doesn’t really start until tomorrow but the holiday has been enjoyable already. The Grey Nomads in the caravan park are unfailingly polite and quiet and I am sitting here in a comfortable double bed – Rob has spread his gear over two double bunks – while Bev and her family seem to be sleeping peacefully on the ground next door. Mike caters for all eventualities and his base camp would do Everest climbers proud. The kids are welcome company as this might be Hannah’s (or should I say “Mal”) last family holiday. Her Nikon camera is impressive but Rob and I are pleased with our respective point and shoot digitals. This Blog is not the place for award winning photos anyway.
Time to close. No internet coverage here so this Journal will probably be uploaded in one great burst once I’m home.
C’est La Vie.
Rob


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