Home · FAQ · New Posts · My Posts · PMs · Search · Members · Members Map · Calendar · Profile · Donate · Register · Log In |
Home > Photos, Videos & Media > My little driving adventure |
|
|
iain cooper Member Since: 27 Aug 2007 Location: north of Glasgow Posts: 1989 |
great pictures Vesko, looks like you are having a brilliant time.
|
||
27th Jan 2012 11:02 am |
|
npinks Member Since: 28 Jun 2007 Location: Ls25 Posts: 20092 |
just read this, great days drive out, something that i would love to do if i ever got to visit that way Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis |
||
27th Jan 2012 11:08 am |
|
Vesko Member Since: 18 Jan 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 184 |
Thanks iain, I truly had a great time, despite the miserable weather. |
||
27th Jan 2012 12:09 pm |
|
Vesko Member Since: 18 Jan 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 184 |
Hey npinks, don't hesitate coming. I'll be happy to show you around |
||
27th Jan 2012 12:11 pm |
|
jaksbak@freel2 Member Since: 26 Dec 2010 Location: Fraser Coast Posts: 225 |
Hey Vesko. Perhaps your wife wasn't aware but the minute you purchased a grey FL2 you were destined to get it dirty and enjoy the great outdoors. We grey folk, buy them so the dirt doesn't show up so much. It's weird, but within 24Hrs of washing mine, I have to find somewhere to get it dirty again. Only yesterday, the stress levels from waiting for another flood (almost 12 months exactly since the last 2 floods), compelled me to drive out to my fathers farm with an excuse of checking his tractor (in case we needed it for evacuations). Everything was fine, Dad was ready to go if need be. I'm not sure why, but with a clean FL2 I couldn't help turning the DSC Off, turning the dial to 'Sand" and hitting those wet, soggy, slippery paddocks at pace and a handful of SD4 revs. Whooooo Hoooooo!!!. In the corner of my eye I could see Dad staring at me from the distant hill, wondering what the hell I was doing. Somehow, I figured these genes were handed down and he knew I was letting off some steam. I didn't hit any livestock, nor did I do any apparent damage, but it sure felt bloody great. Happiest man alive at that moment and now back at the Caravan Park we own, I only have to look at the mud splattered all over the Freely and the stress subsides. Good news is that we have avoided flooding for at least a day after a fairly dry day in the catchment area. |
||
28th Jan 2012 9:52 am |
|
chicken george Member Since: 05 Dec 2007 Location: N. Yorks Posts: 13291 |
tell the caretaker to get of his arse and care for some of those shacks At work
|
||
28th Jan 2012 10:17 am |
|
julytourist Member Since: 16 Dec 2010 Location: West London Posts: 409 |
Great stuff Vesko, looking forward to the next installment....... JT Upgraded to an ex demo, 7 mth old, Rimini Red/Ebony Napoli Auto HSE on 28th Jan 2011, added roof rails, mudflaps and side strips.
|
||
28th Jan 2012 11:25 pm |
|
Vesko Member Since: 18 Jan 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 184 |
jaksbak@freel2, I keep my fingers crossed for you guys, you've had enough floods, that's enough!
|
||
29th Jan 2012 3:24 am |
|
Vesko Member Since: 18 Jan 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 184 |
chicken george, you are right - the caretaker looked relieved that I wouldn�t require him to open one of the cottages. |
||
29th Jan 2012 3:31 am |
|
Vesko Member Since: 18 Jan 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 184 |
Thank you julytourist, comming right up |
||
29th Jan 2012 3:32 am |
|
Vesko Member Since: 18 Jan 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 184 |
The Yerranderie birds wake me up at 6. I cook myself a hearty breakfast of fried bacon and eggs, complemented by a large mug of strong coffee and enjoy the company of three kangaroos nibbing grass peacefully nearby. Then, after packing up, I am ready for a bit of exploration of the ghost town, the cemetery and the abandoned silver mines, scattered around the bush, taking care not to slip accidently into some hidden mine shaft.
I climb the hill to Silver Peak Mine.
Silver Peak Mine.
A lonely fireplace is the only remnants of somebody�s house at Yerranderie.
Around 10 o�clock I am heading back to Oberon. Out of curiosity, on the Garmin I set as destination some street in Oberon and amazingly it works, the lady starts telling me where to drive and how far is the next turn (I thought for the bush I would need Topo Australia and New Zealand). Today I drive more carefully, anticipating the dangerous turns on the track. There is some traffic � a few Utes driven by guys in National Parks and Wildlife uniforms, who greet me cheerfully when we pass. In Oberon I fill up the diesel (just in case), replace the melted ice in the cooler with a bag of fresh ice and then have a pleasant drive to Bathurst. Initially I wanted to get to Sofala through Sunny Corner, but now I realise there wouldn�t be time for Sofala or Hill End and decide to skip this part of the plan (unfinished business, that will make me come back another time). I stop to investigate where the smoke comes from. They are just burning the fields.
Sofala reminds me of Europe, especially when driving down the hill and you catch some glimpses of roofs amongst the trees in the valley. I immediately feel at home here, although it is very sleepy. A few relaxed artist types enjoy fogged schooners on a table in front of the pub. I am tempted to join them, but resist the temptation � there is still some driving to do. Sofala has a special atmosphere, amazingly, the buildings from Drysdale and Friend�s pictures are still there � the pub is actually one of them. The final turn before Sofala.
Yellow house, red roof and grey Vesko
I also do some gold mining at The Son of Hope Mine � History Hill.
There is a short stretch of gravel road between Sofala and Hill End which is nothing like the corrugated track to Yerranderie. It�s beautiful drive into the green mountains. I stop to see History Hill Museum, which deserves more time, with the underground mine and the numerous exhibits explaining the workings of a gold rush town. Then at Hill End visitors centre I get a map and find the village camping area. Tonight I am not alone. Shortly after my arrival two more cars enter the campground � Steve from New Castle, who pulls out a handy antenna for his portable TV and then a retired couple, who unfold their trailer to make it look like sharply pointed alpine chalet. I set up my camp (now much more efficient with the tent) and use the remainder of the day to explore the village. Lots of the buildings are missing, but instead there are plaques, erected in front of the empty plots with photographs and sometimes short stories, which make it even more interesting. I try to imagine how Hill End was once the largest inland center in NSW. There is a 5km round walk in the bush (Bald Hill Walking Track) through the Irish Town and orchard. I cannot believe my eyes � plums and pears thriving amongst the Australian eucalyptus! The type used in Europe for making very strong spirits like rakia. Apparently there where many Irishmen trying their luck in the goldmines. The landscape around the bush looks fantastic � colorful earth, eroded by the digging of numerous gold prospectors and now covered with vegetation. Hill End Pub.
The village camping ground.
Beyers Cottage. Louis Beyers was once a respectable mayor of Hill End.
Some machinery left to rust by the miners.
Around the bush on the Bald Hill Walking Track.
Night has come to Hill End.
It�s nearly dark when I get back to the village. Sadly, the pub is empty and I head back to the camping ground where Steve, the guy from New Castle has lit a fire. We chat a little around the fire and he gives me advice about driving on the dunes at Stockton Beach. The chicken soup I cook for diner with a bit of onion, carrot, potato, parsley and some dry herbs has never tasted so good! With a few beers and the wonderful day I had, I am still the happiest man alive� Tomorrow I will drive to Anna Bay. Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated Last edited by Vesko on 29th Jan 2012 6:13 am. Edited 4 times in total |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29th Jan 2012 3:52 am |
|
Vesko Member Since: 18 Jan 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 184 |
Sorry, duplicated post - can't work out how to delete it. |
||
29th Jan 2012 3:52 am |
|
mikehzz Member Since: 04 Sep 2009 Location: Springwood Posts: 749 |
Great trip report Vesko . I could have shown you a few excellent tracks from Sofala through to Capertee that would get you to Stockton in a most interesting way. Also, you can get to Yerranderie via Jenolan Caves and Dingo Dell....much better than Oberon but best not to attempt it on your own. Maybe another time
|
||
29th Jan 2012 7:43 am |
|
npinks Member Since: 28 Jun 2007 Location: Ls25 Posts: 20092 |
Again some great photos
|
||
29th Jan 2012 8:16 am |
|
|
All times are GMT |
< Previous Topic | Next Topic > |
Posting Rules
|
Site Copyright © 2006-2025 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis