Lightning Ridge - Opal Caravan Park

We left Moree and travelled , not far, to the Collarenebri Free Camp run by the council. It was a lovely bush primitive site with a new toilet and shower block - The showers were hot and it had a dump point. It is not in the Camp 5 book we have, but I believe it is in the Camp 7, we must get a new one asap.

We spent one night there and then travelled to Lightning Ridge to the Opal Caravan Park which is a Top Tourist Park. We could only book in for 2 nights but it is the most beautiful caravan park we have been in.

It was opened in 2011 and the amenities block puts all others to shame, the showers have glass doors on them so your clothes don't get wet and there isn't a puddle of water flowing over the floor where you stand to get dry. It is also a large block with (approx) 8 showers and 10 toilets  plus a laundry room. They even put pegs in baskets on the washing lines for you to use.

When the cleaner cleans the amenities block it takes her an hour to do the ladies and approx the same for the men, which shows they are cleaned properly.

There is a brand new pool and gazebo with outdoor furniture and a large camp kitchen and a smaller one. They also have an on site store and booking desk and a courtesy bus that takes you shopping in Lightning Ridge. (the park is just at the northern end of town and is a lot quieter). The free artesian bores are just 200metres away from the entrance to the park and are open 24/7. 

At the moment there is entertainment between 6-7pm at the camp kitchen - it is a bush balldeer (and he is very good)

Swimming Pool - Gazebo to the left of the picture

This is only part of the camp - it is huge

Smaller camp kitchen in the middle of the Park - there is a grassed area at the back with tables and chairs and this is where the entertainment plays

New camp Kitchen next to the pool - large flat screen TV on the left hand wall

Moving On

We left Chaffey Dam on Monday 18th March and travelled to Narrabri and stayed overnight at the Showgrounds ( cost $18 for a powered site and toilets and showers). The toilets and showers were basic but adequate if you needed them ( I preferred to shower in the van). The next day we travelled to Moree and booked in at the Gwydir Carapark (for 7 days) as it has thermal pools and you can go in them all day everyday from 7am to 10pm at night. Stephen wanted to try them for his bad back and painful knee, they did help but we stopped going in them after 4 days as I got a case of what we think was flu but it left me with sinusitis and it is taking a long time to go away.

We visited Warialda a small  town nearby and had a lovely lunch in the bakery, we then carried on to Bingara as this was another small town that I wanted to see. Both of them have empty stores and it is a wonder that any of these small towns are thriving as they rely on tourism a lot more these days than a few years ago.

Stephen has also been fishing in the Mehi river which runs through Moree and unfortunately all he seems to catch lately are Carp which we cannot eat and we have to kill as they are considered to be a pest.

It is our last night in Moree and we are going to the local pub for dinner. There is an old plane from Papua New Guinea outside the pub and I think you can go inside and have a look, will see later.

HF Batterham Memorial Lookout Bingara

Papua New Guinea Air Service Plane outside the Amaroo Tavern in Moree

Gwydir Carapark - this is only a small section - this park is huge and has lots of cabins and different types of sites

The thermal pools - there are four of them degrees are 34,35,37,39 and there is a lap pool too.

Chaffey Dam

Chaffey Dam is approx 45klms se of Tamworth and is such a beautiful spot. They charge $5 per car or $2 each per night and there are toilets, showers ($1 each) and drinking water.We are camped by the side of the dam and Stephen just has to walk to the water's edge to fish. Which he has been doing every day. We were going to stay for 2 nights but it is so beautiful and sunny and warm that we are staying approx 6 nights before moving on towards Moree.

We went to Nundle yesterday and visitied Hanging Rock Lookout and then found out there was a quilt shop there which I am going back to visit Saturday morning to see if I can get a Sun Bonnet Sue Pattern.

Today we visited Tamworth to do all our food shopping and get my prescriptions, such a large place, didn't expect it to be this big and have all the shops that are usually associated with other larger towns.Also visited my Daughters house that is being built there and took a picture for her. Funny that the plasterers are from Brisbane. They told us that they bring all the plaster and stay there while they do the house and are still cheaper than local builders - doesn't figure does it.

Fishing on Chaffey Dam at 7.40am

Hanging Rock Lookout

Another view from Hanging Rock Lookout

2nd fish of the day (Carp)

First fish of the day which was actually larger than the second, it is just the way the picture was taken

Hopefully he will catch something we can eat as carp asre not for eating. There is a water skiing event here on Saturday so that should be fun to see.

Places visited whilst at Dumaresq Dam

We decided to stay at the Dam for another couple of weeks and we are leaving tomorrow for Chaffey Dam just below Tamworth. whilst we have been here we have visited some spectacular falls and Gorges even Ebor Falls where a gentleman fell to his death the day before we went to see it.

Apsley Gorge

Apsley falls

The swing bridge over the river to get to the other side of the falls

The next day we visited the following places

Ebor falls - The top fall area where the man plunged to his death

Ebor falls from the lower viewing platform where you can see two distinct fall areas

Bakers Creek falls

Wollomombi Falls

Stephen on one of the viewing platforms at Wollomombi falls

Dumaresq Dam

Well we are still at Dumaresq Dam just outside Armidale, the weather everywhere is either raining, blowing a gale or on fire so we decided to stay in this very picturesque place and wait until the bad weather went away.

We have been here for 11 days and have managed to fix some small anomalies on the caravan. we have found out why we are always thinking we have lost water (it's because the tanks didn't fill up in the first place) we also found out that a breather hole in the filler pipe has been filled in by the manufacturers instead of leaving it open and connecting to the overflow pipes (that's another one we will fix) then the tap between the two gas bottles broke so we had to fit another one, some of these are minor but if we were moving we would not have had the time to fix them.

We still need to give the wheels a check over which we will do before we move anywhere.

We went to Tamworth last Saturday just for a look. Nice town and lovely people

Tamworth - The Big Guitar

The Camp area at Dumaresq Dam

Dumaresq Dam

Picnic Area at the Dam

The weather at the Dam has been extremely changeable but we are high and dry and in no fear of flooding and can get into town for any things that we need. There have been some extremely hot days when I have had to put on sunscreen as I thought I was going to burn but there have been some very wet days too but we still love it here.