Friday, August 1, 2014

From Ugg Boots to Crocs and back: Index page

Over the years we are finding the Winter in Canberra to drag more than somewhat.  Even though it has taken until late June for Winter to really arrive, in terms of cold and mountain snow, the weather in mid-2014 has been cloudy and miserable (which I refer to as English Weather).  So let's use the camper to get outtahere for a few weeks.

The plan is a clockwise loop in Western and Northern NSW as shown by the red line below.
There will be other, single day, stops along the way, but those are the main places.  By the end of the trip we had done 5727 km
As with a couple of other safaris I am using this post as a navigational aid to get the posts readable in the correct order.
Day 1:   The road to Dubbo
Day 2:   Interesting things around Dubbo
Day 3:   Not a hat but a bowler
Day 4:   Not a hat but Trilby
Day 5:   Not a black Commodore
Day 6:   Not Slim, but definitely dusty
Day 7:   Visiting Fred (and Louth and Fort Bourke)
Day 8:   Noises of Western Towns
Day 9    Lightning (Ridge) strikes twice
Day 10: The green, green lawns of Moree
Day 11: The day the ice formed
Day 12: Hell, then Hosanna!
Day 13 :Heads of the North Coast (marine version)
Day 14  Heads of the North Coast (Inland version)
Day 15  Blowing in the wind by Sandy Shore
Day 16  A Wynn-win situation
Day 17  Hell is in Hosanna
Day 18  Stone the Beach Curlews!
Day 19  Revisiting the beaches and heaths of yesteryear
Day 20 Sawtell is now Seen and Told
Day 21 I wonder where the birdies iz?
Day 23 Handy art work at Red Rocks
Day 24 Bats: several thousand. Belfries: zero
Day 25 Best question and worst road!
Day 26 Definitely Slim and Dusty
Day 27 Ordering some home delivery (liquid)
Day 28 Rolling through the rock
Day 29 The last lap!
Birding Summary
Towns Summary
Motoring Summary
Weather summary
Campsite Summary
Field Guides for Plants

A common theme just about everywhere we went was telling coal and gas companies to stay away.  The view was best summarised in this sticker at a winery in the Hunter.

The other major bit of planning was loading the camper so that we could fit everything we need, including most food for a 4 week trip.  Step 1 was positioning the camper in the drive.
The tricky bit of this was lining it up so that when the floor came down it didn't swat the bird bath. (Another factor which determines sites is the need to have clearance as the floor rises up, but that wasn't an issue here.)

I then opened the camper and raised the bed, under which all the kit is to be stowed.
Being a twerp I forgot to download the photos I took of the stacked area when I had filled it!  That will be remedied when we get to Dubbo.  In fact the remedy waited until we returned home about 4 weeks later, but here it is!
I said above "all the kit" was to be stored under the bed.  That wasn't quite true as some of it was stored in the side compartments of the camper ...
... and a bit more in the back of the car.
Of course, essential supplies were in the fridge.
As with a couple of other safaris I am using this post as a navigational aid to get the posts readable in the correct order.
Day 1:   The road to Dubbo
Day 2:   Interesting things around Dubbo
Day 3:   Not a hat but a bowler
Day 4:   Not a hat but Trilby
Day 5:   Not a black Commodore
Day 6:   Not Slim, but definitely dusty
Day 7:   Visiting Fred (and Louth and Fort Bourke)
Day 8:   Noises of Western Towns
Day 9    Lightning (Ridge) strikes twice
Day 10: The green, green lawns of Moree
Day 11: The day the ice formed
Day 12: Hell, then Hosanna!
Day 13 :Heads of the North Coast (marine version)
Day 14  Heads of the North Coast (Inland version)
Day 15  Blowing in the wind by Sandy Shore
Day 16  A Wynn-win situation
Day 17  Hell is in Hosanna
Day 18  Stone the Beach Curlews!
Day 19  Revisiting the beaches and heaths of yesteryear
Day 20 Sawtell is now Seen and Told
Day 21 I wonder where the birdies iz?
Day 23 Handy art work at Red Rocks
Day 24 Bats: several thousand. Belfries: zero
Day 25 Best question and worst road!
Day 26 Definitely Slim and Dusty
Day 27 Ordering some home delivery (liquid)
Day 28 Rolling through the rock
Day 29 The last lap!
Birding Summary
Towns Summary
Motoring Summary
Weather summary
Campsite Summary
Field Guides for Plants