Outbacking our way home

As promised, this blog is coming from somewhere along the track on the way home from BumbleF......

We left Longreach and I can't say I was sorry to say goodbye to the town.  It seemed that even the wildlife here had picked up the negative vibe, as part way along the road and an emu decided he'd wander out across the road, just because he could. Some clever braking from Kevin and we managed to avoid him as he casually trotted across the road and out of our way. The road is in pretty bad condition and there is heaps of road kill, so the crows are looking pretty fat!!

Come 9.30 and I was already hanging for a coffee, so I was on high alert for anything that vaguely resembled a decent coffee shop but wasn't having much luck. At this stage, I was pretty much getting over outback towns, chatty old people in caravan parks, and worst of all being classed as a 'grey nomad' when I think I've got some pretty good years in me still. One of us is still loving the outback experience, and the chatting for hours with random people he meets, but one of us is not relishing it quite as much!! 

Along the road we stopped at a few random towns, some better than others. We stopped at Barcaldine for coffee, and found a really nice coffee at a very clean bakery. We were pleasantly surprised with Barcaldine, it was a very clean and tidy town.  After Barcaldine, we turned onto another highway and started to head south.

There were heaps of emus on the road. We saw a dad emu and several chicks, but he wouldn't let us photograph them and took them into long grass to hide them. He was pretty clever actually. Lots of other random animals were about too. The wild pigs are ugly things, really rumpy looking and feral as!!

Our next overnighter was at Charleville. We arrived at our caravan park after traveling quite a few kilometers off the beaten track to get here. It was not what we were expecting and with no phone, no TV, and no Internet, can't say I was thrilled with the place. The couple who met us in reception were not filling us with a whole heap of confidence, and by the time I booked in, i was feeling like this was a very big mistake! We decided not to stay here two nights, so unpacked the van, then headed into town to give ourselves time to look around and decide what to do.   In town, we booked into a town caravan park so we could stay in a reasonable park before heading in the direction of Bourke.  By the time we headed back to where we'd left the van, it was pretty dark, and we had to dodge the huge kangaroos along the road. I was feeling an early night coming on!

The following morning Kevin took a farm tour. This was an experience i allowed him to enjoy alone. I forced myself to stay behind and sit in the sun. Then it was into town to stay at a caravan park closer to civilisation.  The rest of our stay in Charleville consisted of a communal lamb spit roast at the caravan park and an observatory tour at night, which was a new experience. Who ever thought I'd be star gazing in the outback?

And so it was time to leave Charleville, and head to Bourke. We were on the road by 7.30 which was a record for us! The weather was pretty fresh -translation bloody freezing. But it was shaping up to be a pretty nice day. I was a bit nervous about what Bourke would bring, but decided to wait and see how I felt once I got there. What the town was like, was going to decide just how long we stayed there.

The trip to Bourke was fairly uneventful, which loosely translated means 'boring'. I did discover though that Kevin does a great impersonation of an emu, a talent he has managed to keep hidden from me for thirty odd years. There are so many emus on this road. Mind you emu impersonations shows what we've been reduced to on the road!!  

And just  when i thought it couldn't get any  more BumbleF**k, we were now officially out the back of Bourke!!   We arrived in Bourke and headed straight to the caravan park and got set up. We decided to take a paddle boat up the Darling River, which was OK. The town of Bourke though, was less than ordinary, and we understand now why we were warned not to stay right in the town. We did visit Heritage Centre before we left town though, and were surprised to read about those famous Australians that have links to the town.

The road home then took us towards Dubbo. The traveling was pretty hard though, as we had encountered a fair bit of turbulence on the road and this had played havoc with backs, necks and arms. The roads are pretty rough in general, and i must say my back is pleased that we are now on the home stretch!!   Kevin did get very excited as we passed through Nyngen, as there is an Ag Expo on in the town, however it isn't on till Saturday and there was no way I was staying in Nyngen for another three days so he could go!! I did mention I was more than happy for him to go while I stayed in Dubbo, however AG Field Days in Nyngen were definitely not on my 'bucket list'!

We arrived in Dubbo and found the caravan park with very little fuss. After unpacking we headed into town to check out what might be there. We found the main city block and a shopping centre, but Kevin got a bit flustered with his driving in and around the shopping centre. He can drive all over Australia, but give him a shopping centre carpark, and he just doesn't cope!!

Our first day in Dubbo, and Kevin decided to go out for breakfast. He'd been on rations for big breakfasts after he overdosed on them while we were in Darwin.   Then it was time for retail therapy for me - they even have a Myer in Dubbo!!  I was wondering if the kilometers I'd walked shopping would wear off the kilojoules I'd inhaled eating pancakes and strawberries at breakfast. 

So with all of our gourmet and retail needs met with our visit to Dubbo, it is now time to pack up and head for Wagga Wagga. Our jumpers have been pulled out of the cupboards, and the thongs and shorts have been stowed away. We are officially on the way home.