An annotated walking tour of Campbelltown

Campbelltown is situated on land traditionally owned by the Dharawal people.  I would like to acknowledge this as we commence our exploration of the area. 

There are a number of excellent resources available for people who want to understand more about the Dharawal culture, traditions and knowledge:

1. Dharawal seasons and climate cycles by Francis Bodkin and L Robertson. Available in the gift shop of the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney and the Australian Botanic Garden Mt Annan. This is a beautiful and fascinating book about the climate and seasonal cycles, cultural information and stories. Beautifully illustrated. 

2. Dharawal by Les Bursill and Mary Jacobs available from the author.

The Dharawal version of Advance Australia Fair makes a nice beginning for us.

Modern Campbelltown is a diverse community on the very outskirts of Sydney's south west.  It is well located with easy access (that is, pleasant uncongested driving routes)  to the Blue Mountains, Canberra, Southern Highlands and the coast. The local community includes members who are rich and poor with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds represented. As such it is as good a place as any to have a look at modern Australian life (and with easier parking than most).

The Visit Macarthur website provides a self guided heritage walking tour. This article is intended to supplement the information provided about the heritage properties to give the visitor a run down on the other things you will see as you go along.

The heritage walk commences at the Campbelltown visitor information centre which is run out of Quandong Cottage which dates from 1840.  Next door is Campbelltown Catholic Club aka "the Catho". The Catho is a  community club. Pretty much every community has one or more community clubs where members are provided with more or less in the way of services.  Even some of the tiniest outback communities have one. The Catho is a particularly successful one, but there are bigger ones around. Inside most clubs you will find the ubiquitous "gaming room" and usually some good value eating and drinking and lounges for congregating in to talk or watch large screens. I am told that once upon a time clubs offered interesting activities and games for members. As you will see on the website of this and other clubs, these days the activities offered to members seem to predominantly involve a varied array of gambling opportunities. It is definitely worthwhile stepping foot in a club at some time during your trip.. if you want to be able to say you've really "seen" Australia you should aim to return home able to do a comparison of the differences between a leagues club and a rissole (see below). 

The walking tour now guides you up Queen St. The Millhouse suffered a fire a while ago and has since been standing abandoned. As a heritage building the cost of restoration is high. It is hoped that someone rescues the shell before it is beyond help. It is also hoped that whoever decides to spend that sort of money might be planning to do something really worthwhile with the site.

What they don't mention in the walking tour brochure is the handy and sympathetic presence of all the essential multi-national fast food chains here in the heart of the heritage precinct.  I think we can score that up as a fail, but if you want to indulge in some "international" local culture this might be a convenient moment to do so. Now, I know that this suggestion may seem a little strange, but there are quite a lot of differences in the multinational fast food chains between countries. We have variously been shocked and delighted by our forays into KFC whilst travelling for example..

11. The coaching house, Bursill's Shop and the Railway Hotel are located along an attractive and speed limited shared traffic zone.  Opposite is the entrance to Campbelltown Mall. This is a fairly typical small shopping centre development. Much like many another sprinkled across the country. 

You may have heard of that icon of Australian life and comedy - the bogan.  It is only a matter of time if you spend long enough in Sydney, that someone will tell you some sort of joke about Campbelltown Mall and an alleged population of bogans therein.  This is a dead give away that the person so mirthfully entertained is very ill informed, and more than likely they are a snob. Such people should be ostracised immediately or treated to steely gazes and requests for explanation. Campbelltown Mall is not your best opportunity for bogan spotting at all. Your best bet is Queen St on a week day during business hours, peaking on every second Thursday. Of course bogans are not the only people you will be mingling with. You will find in Campbelltown's main street a broad array of people and backgrounds reflective of the diversity of the community at large. This is Campbelltown's greatest strength. It is one of the things that make it a nice place to live. Lower than average per capita snob ratios; you can duck down the shops in your trackies if you're feeling lazy or you're in the middle of cleaning the bathroom or mowing the lawn and run out of something. Noone will look twice at you. On the other hand if you feel like making an effort and putting on a nice outfit you can do so ... and again.. noone will look twice at you. Live and let live. That's the idea. Just mind your own business and live your life.

As you move on down Queen Street to the Old Post Office, look about you, there are all sorts of nooks and crannies leading to shops of various sorts. Across the road from the Old Post Office is an arcade next a medical centre. This leads to what I strongly suspect is the best and most successful pet shop in NSW.  That too has been there for decades. It doesn't carry the wide array of fascinating creatures that a pet store in the US might have, we have very restrictive laws about pet ownership. However if you want to check out an Aussie pet store this may well be your best opportunity. 

Pass along by the chemists. David Wilson Chemist is another local icon. Been there for decades. The owner also owns Glenlee olives or so I'm told. You can buy their olive oil in the chemist if you really want to. 

Queen Street intersects with Dumeresq St. Waiting at the lights to cross is your best opportunity for observing the people around you. I mean what else are you going to do when you're just standing there. It's less conspicious than eyeballing people as you stand in the street.  If you're going people watching in an area that's not a dedicated people watching place, you need to be discreet. This isn't Bondi. At Bondi people go there because they want you to stare at them. It's not like that in Ctown (pronounced See-town).. but no doubt you have deduced that from the discussion about minding your own business....  

Aside from the people watching opportunity provided at the lights, there's a few things worth mentioning here. Looking down towards the railway line on the right hand side of the road is the barber shop. Excellent barber shop it is too. Been there for decades.  They open early on Saturdays to deal with the weekend rush of men and boys lining up for a no nonsense haircut. 

If you look to the right you will see some of Ctown's growing range of ethnic grocery and food stores that are adding considerably to the interest and variety of life for the local community. My daughter specifically recommends the various drinks available at Pho Real. Milk teas and avocado shakes she reports that all their drinks are excellent value and very good. Pho Real is a noodle house, but they have bowed to pressure and will prepare everyone's favourites - crispy chicken with tomato rice, or rice vermicelli with spring rolls too.

On the upper level of the premise that houses the chemist is the head office of Marsdens Law Group. Marsden's are also a bit of a local icon established by the late and fairly flamboyant John Marsden a tireless campaigner for the local community and a proud local.

Oops the lights will have changed by now, surely.

A considerable effort has been made to beautify the main street and attract people back after the impact of the shopping centre developments like Ctown Mall and Mac Square (that is Macarthur Square, a very large shopping centre not too far away) lead to the traditional heart of the community having something of a near fatal coronary. This has been fairly successful but Camden it aint. 

19. Glenalvon is a special heritage property in Lithgow Street just off the main part of Queen Street. You will read about it in the heritage tour guide. Equally important for a cultural tourist in this area is the Rissole, ie the local RSL (Returned Services League) club. From the corner of Lithgow St and Carberry Lane outside Glenalvon you can look at the present and past locations of the RSL. Started in a shed in 1957, the RSL grew to a large site in Lithgow Street (converting the shed to into a scout hall) before being again redeveloped into an even bigger site in Carberry Lane. The RSL runs the annual ANZAC day Dawn Service in nearby Mawson Park on 25 April each year.  It makes sense to head from Glenalvon via Carberry Lane and the RSL to Mawson Park which is next in the heritage walking tour.

You will notice little discernable difference between a rissole, a club like the Catho, and the various other clubs, prominent among which are the leagues clubs run by or affiliated with the various rugby league teams.  There is however one very important difference. Every evening in an RSL club there is a moment when the remembrance for fallen ritual is conducted. There may be some variation club to club, but typically they make an announcement telling everyone to be upstanding (ie stand up) then they recite the Ode and play reveille, then you go back to what you were doing. 

20-22. Also adjacent to Mawson Park is the Campbelltown City Bowling Club. This is a good example of the more traditional style of community club. There used to be a club like this in most communities, but they're harder to find than they used to be.

Cross Browne Street and pretty soon you will come to Kings Charcoal Chicken (110 Queen Street). Just an ordinary take away you might think.  Not so fast. This place is pretty much a license to print money. It is a local icon and it is not unusual at all to find queues out the door. Peak periods being Thursday and Friday night.  It's a family run business. Most of the family have tertiary degrees in areas like law, but they found that it was more lucrative and lifestyle friendly to work in the family business. They are universally acknowledged as the best chicken and chips outlet in the district.. check out their awards which are on display in the shop.

Opposite King's is the Campbelltown City Council Chambers. Also discretely located on the site behind the bush shelter is the local senior citizens club.

If you haven't already, now would be a good time to cross the road, so back track if you need to, and cross at Mawson Park and walk down past the modern section of the court house. You can have a quick squizz (ie look) at the railway station if you really must. Of course if you have come out to explore Campbelltown by train, appreciating the heritage station buildings is no problem.

For those who have driven, as you head back down Queen St to get back to your vehicle you will pass Stockade Pies. This is a very good pie shop.

A little further along is the Spotlight plaza. For those who like quilting and patchwork Sew Many Stitches is a comprehensively stocked store buried down in there opposite spotlight. When last I looked they had a very very good range of Australian pattern fabrics.

Back on your route you will arrive at Milgate arcade. Particularly in the morning your arrival here may be heralded by a lovely wafting aroma of fresh breads. If you wander down the lane there is Yasmin Lebanese Bakery. Follow the links and read the reviews. They say it better than I could... but they seem to keep strange hours. The latest review is about a year old, but they are still there and still getting good word of mouth.

Yasmin's is on the edge of one of the local car parks. Around the car park there are a number of extra asian grocers. 

The best way back to Quandong is to retrace your steps and continue back along Queen Street in the shade. 

And there you have Campbelltown City centre. A cross section of Australian life.

Some contextual trivia:

Rainfall annual averages in the different areas of Sydney.

Parramatta - 959.5 mm (averaged over 46 years)

Observatory Hill (ie The Rocks, Sydney) - 1213.1 mm (averaged over 153 years)

Campbelltown - 829.1 (averaged over 25 years)

Camden - 764.0 (averaged over 37 years)

Backroads: Sydney to Canberra Pt 2 - Southern Highlands (Berrima) to Canberra

I ended the previous article at Berrima. As you would expect as we move out into the really rural areas there are less stopping opportunties and attractions.
As you plan your visit to the highlands you may find the schedule of local village markets useful.

From Berrima head back a short way towards Mittagong and take the turn to into Oxley's Hill Road which will get you to Bowral. If you're looking for something to eat there are numerous cafes in Bowral. The Gum Nut Patisserie is a local icon which has outlets in Bowral, Mittagong and Berrima.
Bowral is the most up market area of the highlands. It is a traditional area where the wealthy of Sydney maintain a country home to escape the heat of the summer at lower altitudes. Bowral is also the home of the Bradman Museum which has evolved into the International Cricket Hall of Fame.
When you have had your fill of Bowral head for Moss Vale. You will pass through Burradoo which is dominated by large properties worth rather a lot of money, though most don't flaunt themselves at passers by.
Between Bowral and Moss Vale you will pass the entry to Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve. This reserve is a nice spot for a picnic lunch without going out of your way. It is also an excellent bird watching location. Even in the picnic area you can see such things as superb fairy wrens, thornbills and flame robin if you keep your eyes peeled.  The water here is known as somewhere you can sometimes see rarer waterfowl such as musk ducks.. but you'll need to be lucky!  The Barren Grounds is an even better birdwatching spot closer to the escarpment and the roads down to the coast. I would definitely include that at some stage on your trip, but I won't discuss it further here.

Moss Vale is the main service centre for the local agricultural industries. It's more functional with less touristy shops to tinker about in. There is a nice park alongside the railway line and next to the railway station, but overall, not a lot to detain you.  Head out of Moss Vale along the Illawarra Highway and travel by an area of vines and grazing cattle to Sutton Forest.  At Sutton Forest you will find a small group of browsing shops.
Follow the signs to Exeter which is a small and pretty village. Like most highland villages exotic trees and shrubs are popular here.  The General store and post office sells Devonshire (cream) teas and there is an antiques shop.
The next village is Bundanoon which is a traditional base for walks in Morton National Park. This is reflected by the numerous guest houses and the youth hostel along the road as you drive into town. Ye Olde Bike Shoppe and Cafe hires bikes for exploring the area and the national park.

You enter Morton National Park at Gambells Rest and here you will find nice camping spots with facilities and a well equipped picnic area with gas bbqs. This would be a good spot to pull up in a campervan. You need to book camp sites by contacting the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre before occupying them.  There are lookouts and walks of varying lengths and difficulty and excellent bird life.  Whenever you are in the highlands keeps a listen for bird calls that sound like a creaky door. This will be either black cockatoos (more usual) or gang gangs (consider yourself lucky). Both are worth seeing when you get the chance. Both tend to call as they fly over so watch the sky for them if they sound close.
As we pulled into the car park little bronze cuckoos were calling consistently.

It is a pretty drive from Bundanoon down to Penrose and on to Wingello and Tallong. These are tiny blink and you'll miss it places with nothing much more than a general store come post office.
The area around Tallong is more bushland than pastures and Tallong itself really feels like a little bush village with little church and small cemetary. My first thought as we arrive at Tallong is of A Bush Christening.. but when I think about it, that makes no sense at all. A Bush Christening is set in the middle of nowhere were there were no churches. That's the whole point. In those days ministers of remote areas had roaming briefs and they would travel the countryside marrying the couples and christening their children in some cases both on the same day! Marriage before children was something of a luxury for the pioneers.
You may have had your fill of lookouts from Gambells Rest, but there are another couple of options out of Tallong.  The first sign you come to is for Badgery's Lookout and Picnic Area 7kms off the highland way. The last couple of kms are signposted as winding, but it shouldn't be a problem for you in a two person campervan.
The picnic area there has bbqs and tables.

There are two lookouts, both of them are fairly rough under foot. One of them is very rugged and is simply a fence around a natural rock outcrop. Neither is suitable for people who need a level surface (maybe bung knees or hips or such), but you can still get pretty good views from near the picnic tables. I won't put an outright photo of the view in here, but here's some shots to show you what I'm talking about.

The stairs to the main lookout have uneven risers and are caked in leaf litter. You need to step onto or over the rocks at the lookout itself, there's not a level area to get in. Fine for people with no restrictions on their mobility. Indeed I like rough lookouts like this. :o) I like my bush tracks rough too.

The rugged lookout has views down to the Shoalhaven River on the eastern end of the view and across to a large industrial mine/quarry in the western end of the view.

 The smaller lookout is natural earth with the undulations and irregularities this involves.

There is a more "civilised" lookout at Long Point as we shall see. On the road to Badgery's Lookout, we saw native clematis or old man's beard. At this time of year when we have had some rain they are covered in fluffy seed heads. Earlier in the season they smother in lovely white flowers and are easily seen from the road. 

Our visit was at about 9:30 am in early January and the heat by that time is starting to build. The birds have gone quiet and the only sound is the rasping of the cicadas. A white eared honeyeater quietly hops around the branches of a tree overhanging the bbqs, but he'd be easily missed.

We made our way back to Tallong and shortly after rejoining he highlands made the turn to Long Point Lookout.  Along the road as we travelled we saw a few lizards. Blue tongues have come to grief in a number of places so it's wise to keep an eye out for them.  It's sensible to moderate your speed so you don't hit one of our more impressive reptiles.  Lace Monitors - more generally referred to as goannas - are common in bushland areas. Their first instinct if they get a bit worried about you is to head for the nearest tree. This one was crossing the road as we drove to Long Point. He's only fairly small for a goanna.

In Morton National Park and along the roadsides  in this area grey gums are common. When their bark is newly shed the smooth patches are a bright orange and look very striking. To the uninitiated one eucalyptus tree looks much like another, but observe as you travel the many sorts of bark. Gum leaves are often quite similar and many species have different juvenile leaves to their mature leaves so the way you tell one from the other is by bark then by seed pod shape and character.  The common name of the eucalyptus trees are usually descriptive of their bark eg Stringybark or grey gum, or red gum. Bloodwoods tend to excude sap and have bark that appears tesselated. Scribbly gums are those who's bark is eaten by insects leaving marks that look like someone has scribbled all over the tree. Scribbly gums have a soft spot in most Australian hearts through the adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie a children's story in which the main characters are gum nut babies who get up to all sorts of adventures. In the stories the scribbles on the gums are imagined as writing left by the bush creatures with messages to eachother. 

This is the sort of scribbly gum that you will see along the roads and in Morton NP. The scribbles are easiest to see in the top left hand corner of the photo.

Long Point Lookout is in the national park. When you enter the park the road becomes gravel, but well graded and very smooth. As the day warms the bushland gives off a lovely fragrance. This is much more noticeable when there has been some rain. At the Long Point Lookout the infrastructure is more user friendly. The stairs are even and have hand rails and there are picnic booths with a shady roof.  My apologies for the image issues.. but they'll do the job until I can figure out what the problem is!

There is an easy, fairly level, though natural track to more lookouts that are more rustic. This is only 20 minutes return.  The furthest looks out over the big industrial quarry that is seen from further away at Badgery's Lookout. A longer more challenging walk, with sign in book, goes down to the shoalhaven river commences at the lookout.

Back at Tallong it's only a short way before you rejoin the highway to get to Marulan. 

Marulan is a sweet little town with a lovely cafe and playground. The historic buildings along the main road have interpretive boards.  Marulan makes an easy rest stop for people who are just doing a dash via the fastest route ie sticking to the Hume Hwy. 

The only obvious ways to keep off the highway between Marulan and Goulburn are to detour more significantly out of your way. We chose to sample the route out to Bungonia.  It is a pleasant drive through grazing pastures to Bungonia. You can get a feel for the nature of this village from the photo gallery of their website. I found the photos of the 2010 floods very interesting. As you drive throughout Australia you will see flood posts along the roads. In many areas where you see them the land looks dry and as though that much water surely would never happen, but Australia is a land of extremes.  The drive is equally pleasant out to the Bungonia State Conservation Area which is subject to a day use fee that you pay at the information office.  This is a shot of the bush just by the entrance to the Bungonia State Conservation Area.

Heading into Goulburn from Bungonia you pass by the Old Goulburn Brewery which is a significant piece of industrial heritage and the oldest surviving brewery in Australia, but in need of some capital investment.

Bungonia Road forms an intersection with Braidwood Road. This is where to come to do the next backroads leg, but for now head into Goulburn and turn left into Sloan road where the information centre is conveniently located opposite the Belmore park.  Belmore Park Goulburn is significant in the history of railways in NSW. It is a sister park to Belmore Park opposite Sydney Central station and marks either end of the railway line as it then was. Goulburn Visitor Information website has some great resources to help you explore the area. We enjoyed visiting Goulburn Historic Waterworks.

When you are ready to leave Goulburn you have a possible dilemma... or at least I have a dilemma because it's hard to choose which route to recommend.. so I'll recommend both!

The backroad is along the Braidwood Road to Bungendore via Tarago. This is scenic route 8 and it is a lovely drive with beautiful rural vistas. We really love this drive and do it regularly when heading to Canberra. (For locals or those able to go on the dirt, the turn to the left at Tarago heading down to Braidwood is even better). At Tarago there is not a lot other than The Loaded Dog Hotel. The pub website saved me another dilemma by providing a link to Henry Lawson's story that inspired the name of the hotel. Do read it, it is an Australian classic.

As you head between Tarago and Bungendore you travel behind the wind turbines that form such a spectacle from Weereewa Lookout on the opposite side of Lake George.

Bungendore is a great spot. It's a really nice village and there is heaps to do there but the absolute must do is the Bungendore Woodworks. Don't miss it. :o)  I have to say it has a particularly good display at the moment. I always go into wood galleries when I travel.. I've yet to find one that is even half as good as Bungendore Woodworks. Can you perhaps guess that we love the woodworks a lot? The cafe at the woodworks is good too. We have always enjoyed our meals there.

The other route to  get to Bungendore is to continue from Goulburn on the Hume Hwy and then of course, turn onto the Federal Highwy. In my opinion this stretch of the Hume is really nice.. and the Federal Highway is very nice too. Hills on one side Lake George on the other, and then there's the Weereewa lookout over Lake George and the Capital Hill Wind farm we mentioned earlier in relation to Wariapendi.  On balance I would have to say that you should stick to the Hume and the Federal through this stretch and on into Canberra. Though you should definitely take the side road to Bungendore then back track to the highway. .. just don't be fooled by the large brown tourist attraction signs along the way directing you to Bywong historic gold mining town. I'll save you the trouble with this photo. It's all you see of any such place if you follow those signs.

You can go from Bungendore down into Queanbeyan and Canberra, but I really think a first time visitor should go into the ACT and Canberra via the front door. From that route it's been designed as a welcoming entrance and it is also easier to find the information centre and get your bearings as well. Canberra's layout can be a bit confusing for visitors.

So that is stage two of Backroads Sydney to Canberra. Happily I have avoided needing to talk about Queanbeyan and it's attractions. I know bugger all about Queanbeyan other than that there is apparently an awesome bakery there!  Hmm. I might have to do something about that! It's all Canberra's fault. Canberra has so much great stuff to do.. try to spend several days there. :o)

Backroads: Sydney to Canberra Pt 1 - Sydney to Southern Highlands.

This drive is designed to suit people who like to get off the beaten track and stay off the main highway and motorway routes. The Southern highlands can also be accessed by one of several beautiful routes from the south coast. This article does not cover those routes. Instead it concentrates on the western areas of the highlands closer to the Hume Highway. If you love to drive or would like two or three of days out of Sydney without going too far, then a circular drive down to the highlands and down to the Illawarra coast and back up along the Grand Pacific Drive is an excellent option.

First of all (and this depends very much on the precise timing due to peak traffic periods) you could consider driving out of Sydney along Henry Lawson Drive. You might choose to do this if you are one of those people who would like to have a quick squizz at the "real" Sydney rather than sitting on the motorway with sound barriers for the whole drive out of urban Sydney.  To take this route, I reckon the easiest access is to exit the motorway at King Georges Road and head south (left) down King George's Road. Turn right at Stoney Creek Road and continue on to Forest Road which becomes Henry Lawson Drive.

Henry Lawson Drive follows the Georges River and is leafy and pleasant. There are stretches of bushland and riverside parks you can stop at such as Georges River National Park.  You need to be careful swimming in the Georges River as sharks do enter the waters, though this is noted as unusual on the Georges River website .  Keep an eye out for the beware of sharks signs along the river as you pass by. 

In places along the river you will see some large houses.. the George's River used to flood regularly and the houses were fairly inexpensive by the river as a result. They've done some flood mitigation works and clearly the current owners feel their investment is safe enough. Consequently redevelopment has been enthusiastic. Perhaps some of them might be feeling nervous after the experience of the people of Brisbane recently when areas considered safe since the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam, were again inundated following a series of major rain events.

Rejoin the motorway when you come to the on ramp from Henry Lawson Drive. Continue and you can then exit the motorway at Camden Valley Way to make your way to Camden straight down Camden Valley Way. This section is also heavily dependent on timing.  Camden Valley way is a pleasant leafy drive through rural hinterland.  

As you approach Camden you pass a development called Harrington Park. You might be curious to take a brief detour to cruise around in Harrington Park and see this reasonably typical recent outer Sydney housing development or perhaps the website and the drive past is more than enough. The large houses that are commonly built to consume the majority of the housing block they sit on are derisively termed "McMansions". They are a subject that is not quite a barbeque stopper, but certainly one that is likely to bring out some strong emotions in many people. McMansion is a term derived from the fast food hamburger outlet known the world over.

Also at the intersection of Camden Valley Way and Narellan Road there's a shopping centre. Camden Council resisted such developments in the area as long as possible but in the end with the population growth they allowed this one, and the fast food joints nearby.  So far Camden itself has been carefully protected by the local council. However, it seems the writing is on the wall.  The NSW government is currently working on drowning the lovely rural land around Camden with housing developments. The resumption of productive farm land for housing is an increasingly controversial issue.

Also at the intersection of Camden Valley Road and Narrellan road you can turn towards Campbelltown and visit the Australian Botanic Garden Mt Annan...Entry is free and it's worth a stop. There is a pleasant circuit drive, lakeside picnic spots, remnant critically endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland; some walks with outstanding views across the district, an excellent children's playground and a good cafe. As you drive on the circuit you cross a bridge over a canal. This canal is entirely gravity fed and is apart of the infrastructure of Sydney's water supply. It was built in 1880 and moves water to Prospect Resevoir.
To the south of the Gardens as you travel on the circuit or pause to enjoy the views you can see a large historic house with an area of olive plantation. This is a beautiful private historic home called Glenlee. It is owned by a local Chemist and accordingly it can be purchased at David Wilson Chemist in Campbelltown.. and you might also be able to buy it at the gift shop in the Gardens....I will do a separate article on a walking tour of Campbelltown.

From the Gardens (or Campbelltown) head back out to Narellan along Narellan Road and turn left at Camden Valley Way to continue down to Camden.

Camden is a very pretty little village with a charming main street. This district was originally set aside as government land called "the Cowpastures" after escaped cattle from the earliest days of settlement were located thriving on the fertile grasslands. Having been firmly rebuffed by the Governor who had reserved the land to ensure the availability of food for the young colony, John Macarthur, as a result skillful manoeuvring, obtained a large land grant here through the intervention of the Colonial Secretary, Lord Camden. Hence the name. When John Macarthur arrived back in the colony the Governor of NSW was furious to say the least.  The whole area is very historically significant. You might recognise the name of John Macarthur if you've come across mention of the Rum Rebellion. He's one of our more interesting/notorious historical figures. His wife Elizabeth is also very important historically and you will see her name here and there if you're paying attention as you drive through.

You will find more information about sites around Macarthur on the visit Macarthur website. In particular the website provides a self guided walking tour of Camden... but take some of what they say on there with a grain of salt, (especially in their history section!) They talk some things up a bit much to say the least.. indeed as someone quite interested in history I'd say their claims are a tad outrageous. If you really want to see the "birthplace of Australian agriculture" you could consider visiting Experiment Farm which is in Sydney.   Another very interesting place to visit in Sydney is Elizabeth Farm which was built for John Macarthur in 1793. It is the oldest European building in Australia. You'll get a much more balanced representation about John Macarthur's contribution there... but I digress.

It's a pleasant back roads drive across the Razorback, out to the village of Picton. The George IV pub (known as the George) brews it's own beer and has an excellent reputation for a quality drop. 

Also in Picton r.coffeeco is a good cafe for breakfast or lunch.

Another option from Camden is to head out to Burragorang lookout which overlooks Sydney's main water supply and the world heritage listed Greater Blue Mountains area. At Burragorang there are beautiful wildness views and beautiful and shady picnic tables, a nice childrens play area and electric barbeques. The bushland at Burragorang is beautiful and when we visited in January the Sydney red gums were shedding their bark to reveal beautiful beautiful red beneath.  There is a day use fee which has been imposed since they upgraded the facilities. To go out to Burragorang, drive straight ahead at the roundabout near the Camden Showgrounds into Cawdor Road; straight ahead at the roundabout at Sheathers lane and then turn right into Burragorang Road. Stay on it and it will take you to the lookout. Along the way you pass through the Oaks where volunteers operate the Wollondilly Heritage Centre which is open on weekends and public holidays. 

On the return from the Burragorang lookout turn right into Barkers Lodge Road and follow it all the way to Picton from there. We're talking serious backroading now :o) and this is a lovely drive leading you to a lovely little country town.

From Picton there are two notable options, you can head through Tahmoor and Bargo and catch up some time by rejoining the highway for a while at Yanderra. 

 Alternatively you can turn from Picton to Thirlmere where you will find the Train Works Railway Museum, which has recently had a big capital investment from the Government.

Also nearby is Thirlmere Lakes National Park

From Thirlmere you can head to Tahmoor and catch up as described above, or you can continue through the bushy route via Buxton, Hill Top and Colo Vale. If you are a gardener you might find it interesting to have a quick look at Wariapendi Native Nursery at Colo Vale to see the sorts of things we might plant here that you might not expect to find at home. You drive straight past their entry and they sell icecreams if you fancy stretching your legs. There is some interesting information on their website about some things they have been involved in that adds background for later in this stage and a  later stage of the Sydney to Canberra backroads trip.  Eg  restoring the Gib  and Wariapendi’s contribution to the re-vegetation of the site of the Capital Hill Wind Farm at Bungendore.  

Once again you have a choice to join the highway for a quick run in along the main road of Mittagong, where you will find the tourist information centre. I recommend this route for a first time visitor although it does spend a while getting through the industrial zone before you get into Mittagong itself.  Mittagong's main road is very nice and lined with deciduous trees that colour in autumn. If you enjoy needlecraft you may be interested in a stop at Victoria House where you can find Australian themed designs as kits or pattern sheets. If you have skipped some or even all, the stopping opportunities so far, you might feel like a break at Lake Alexandra, a man made lake with picnic and playgrounds and toilets and an opportunity to take a short walk. In the streets surrounding Lake Alexandra there are numerous old stone cottages. 

Alternatively you can cross the overpass above the highway and drive along the Old Hume Highway for a short way, turning right into Old South Road. At the intersection with Range road turn right and drive until you come to the Sturt Craft Centre. The left turn at the same intersection is a nice scenic drive out to Robertson and this is recommended for people who have done the highlands before and are looking to explore deeper.

Nearby lovely district views can be enjoyed at the lookouts on Mt Gibralter, which is known as The Gib. 

From the Gib, it's a short drive into the busiest (and most up market) centre in the highlands: Bowral. However, I recommend heading back to the main street in Mittagong and heading to Berrima first as the route to Berrima from Mittagong is more scenic.

As you head out of Mittagong, scrapbookers might like to visit Paper Roses scrapbooking shop at 113 Main Street Mittagong.

Taking the route from Mittagong, about a km after you cross the overpass across the highway, you will come to sign directing to Wombeyan Caves. This road is a very rough, difficult route. If you do want to visit Wombeyan Caves - don't go this way. Especially in a camper.  However if you turn here you can follow the signs to Tertini Wines cellar door. We recently enjoyed a stop at Tertini Wines and walked out with some lovely Noble Reisling, Pink Lady cider and (delicious) rhubarb and ginger jam. :-)  This is not the only winery in the area, but it is one I can recommend.

About 3 kms out of Berrima you will come to the Berkelouw book barn.. which comes with a warning.. those tempted to enter sometimes lose track of the time....  

Berrima is an historic village with many shops, galleries, an historic licensed hotel - The Surveyor General - and national trust listed buildings such as Harpers Mansion (only open on weekends and public holidays) and Berrima Courthouse (open every day).. Visitors who are looking for Australian themed patchwork fabric can find some at Berrima Patchwork.

Aside from these options there is a lot to explore around the Southern Highlands. You can enjoy a pleasant drive through or you can stay a night or two or three.... There are a number of cellar doors in the area, gardens, scenic drives and historic properties.  

More to follow :o)

The view from the Gunner's Barracks

Silver City Sojourn - Day 8 - Hay to Cootamundra

Day 8 – Thursday 28^th April

First departures at the Saltbush about 6 am but I am already awake.  A pretty good night. Comfortable room. Quiet fridge.  I catch up on my journal while mum potters about getting ready.  We won’t hang about in Hay today, we have plenty of things to see between Narrandera and Cootamundra and I want to save those things in Hay that I haven’t yet done for another time, when I plan to rent a riverside cottage and spend a bit longer.

Before leaving Hay we decide to pop down to the river at Bushy Bend.  I don’t remember seeing the three lovely stainless steel sculptures when we last visited.. but as we contemplate them I think to myself that at least the one with the river levels depicted I think I have seen before. They are great sculptures and are very effective with very good interpretive panels to help visitors understand the inspiration for each monument.  

There are great birds around this morning, yellow rosellas, treecreepers and diamond firetails as well as a couple of peaceful doves.  It’s a lovely spot for a picnic and a break from the highway or the motel.  I am really sorry to be leaving Hay so soon, but there are routes to explore to the east and I want to be home for weekend.

We head back south to join the Sturt Highway to take us across to Narrandera. The scenery is quite different to the saltbush plains we would cross if we headed directly for West Wyalong.  It is a fairly quiet, straightforward trip through to Narrandera with just the one stop at a rest stop situated nearby or among a signposted “significant roadside area”.  These significant roadside areas are those where the vegetation remnants along the road provide good quality habitat for various creatures including birds.  The rest stop in question is called “The Birdcage Rest Area”.  We have wizzed past an inconspicuous sign saying “The River” with an arrow.   

We pull into the forecast rest stop and find a fairly modest strip abutting a small watercourse which must feed into the Murrumbidgee.  There are lots of fallen trees.  In one spot there are some discarded truck tyres, but the area could be made very nice. Just a short stop and we move on as I am anxious to get to  Narrandera before 10:30 so we can take the tour at the Inland Fisheries Centre.  I don’t see any signage, so with just five minutes to spare I dash into the information centre and ask for directions.  I am assisted with good cheer by a nice friendly man and I go on my way.  

The Fisheries centre is along the Sturt Highway as if you were heading to Wagga Wagga.  I drop mum near the entrance and go and park.  We appear to be the only people here today.  Sure enough this is the case. We’ve picked the right day and we have the guide all to ourselves.  Cheap as chips. $7.70 per adult.  The first part of the tour is in the aquarium section where there are banks of fish tanks of various sizes housing a range of fish and creatures that are found in inland waterways of NSW.  First we learn about Golden Perch which is better known as Yellow Belly, and it’s close relative the Silver Perch. These are able to be caught in some places, but never out of a river.  You can only keep perch that are at least 30 cms long. The perch are bred at the centre. When conditions are right they are tested and if the tests are satisfactory they are injected with a hormone to bring on spawning and put into a large tank male and female together and allowed to spawn.  They lay eggs that are not sticky and that float around in the water.  The perch can produce 500,000 eggs in a season. All the native fish can only spawn once each year. In the tank there is a catfish The catfish make their nest on the bottom on the river bed. Here’s where the evil European carp come in,  they are bottom feeders and they muddy up the water and they can clean up a catfish nest in seconds.  The European Carp can spawn twice in a year. One female can produce a million eggs every year.  Contrary to popular belief, Carp is OK eating and in most other countries people are happy to eat it, even serving it as a treat at Christmas time.  We are surprised to learn that way worse for the environment than the European carp is the red fin.  It is also a feral exotic.  All red fin are born carrying a virus which when times are bad they release the virus and it kills of all the other fish, and plenty of the red fin too, but the red fin survivors are the strong ones.  Red fin are very popular with anglers they are considered good eating. Perhaps this is why they don't get such bad press as the carp.  Due to the very damaging effect the red fin have it is now illegal to return a red fin to the water if you catch it regardless of the size of the particular fish.  Anglers are encouraged not to return carp to the water but it is not illegal to do so.  Carp are incredibly good at getting themselves back in the water so it is recommended that anglers kill and bury any carp they catch.  The research station has a number of projects on the go, including ways to selectively extract the ferals from the river systems via mazes and clever things like that.  Goldfish are also in the waterways and can get very large.

Another highly endangered fish we learn about is the trout cod. Very similar in appearance to a Murray Cod, except the trout cod has an overbite, so its top lip sticks out further than the bottom.  It also has a black line back through it’s eye.  The trout cod is a very aggressive fish and popular with anglers.  It is in big trouble and is completely protected.  The fisheries centre breed the trout cod also and numbers are improving.

The Murray Cod is very intelligent. They spawn sticky eggs and are also bred at the centre.  They spawn inside a drum with removable wire mesh.  In the wild the female leaves the male to guard the eggs.  Fishing for murray cod is illegal in their breeding season.  You are not allowed to keep any Murray Cod less than 60 cms long.  They are only breeding size at 30 cms.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/centres/narrandera-fisheries-centre

Moving right along we consider the Macquarie perch which is a very finicky fish into which research continues.  It was first bred in captivity at Narrandera only last December and they don’t know why the fish bred – but they are working on it.  The breeding has occurred in a set up that the centre has made as close to their wild environment as possible and it worked. They just don’t know what about the conditions brought the breeding on.  The Macquarie perch on display is black and this means that it is a happy camper.  So much as somebody wandering near the other Macquarie perch in the centre's ponds and they can go all pale and sulky and refuse to bred.  Research continues.

In the biggest tank is a Murray Cod that is about 17 years old. His name is agro. The Murray Cod are doing ok but not thriving.   In other tanks along the wall are other native fish and creatures for us to see. One little fish is hiding under a rock shelf which his lunch, a water beetle swims around unmolested.  This fish is nocturnal.  Then there are yabbies, and shrimp, smelt and rainbow fish among others.  The whole display is excellent and the information fascinating.  When we have asked all the questions we like we move outside to see a pond where the breeding stock is kept and we are told how they go about getting the fish from the pond. Then it’s into a large shed with the big breeding tanks and paraphernalia around and we see some baby perch that will soon be released and have the process for that explained.  How to count the fish, we look at some baby Murray Cod also.  It’s all just fascinating.  Surely up there with the very best tours you can do in both interest and value.  Don’t miss it if you are in the area. 

We depart having spent an hour 45 mins at the centre.  Next is Narrandera for lunch.  We have a quick squizz at the royal doulton fountain in the nice memorial park, but we don’t get out.  We stop and look in a great photography studio and pick up a card for the photographer. He’s really good. Some beautiful photographs among those on display and I am seriously tempted. I’ve spent enough this trip though, so I’ll keep him in mind for the future.  Perhaps we could hire him for some family shots if we have a family holiday in the area.

We toy with the idea of eating at the café next door but end up deciding to sample the bakery which we enjoyed.  By now it is getting fairly late.  We pull up by the road just out of town to eat our stuff. At least here we have some gum trees to look at.

There is a string of sweet little villages between Narrandera and Coolamon. Grong Grong, Matong, Ganmain was particularly nice with a pretty streetscape.  All with pubs of pretty reasonable façade. There are heaps of things to do in Junee and a museum we understand in Coolamon, but we are both fairly tired and decide to press on to Cootamundra leaving the other sights for exploration another time.  We don’t actually go into Junee township, so that will be a surprise for next time. 

As we travel delightfully traffic free country roads we stop here and there to soak up a beautiful view.

Eventually we arrive in Cootamundra. It's a pleasant town and we have no difficulty finding Bradman's birthplace Museum. This is actually once a small local hospital and of course you can visit the room in which Sir Donald made his first appearance.  

There is a good range of memorabilia and the place is spotless and beautifully maintained. Exhibits are not restricted purely to the Don of course and among my favourists is a collection of barbed wire!

The yard attached to the museum and its adjoining buildings is very nice and makes one long for a quiet rural life.. for a few moments at any rate!  Bradman's birthplace is a lovely little attraction and we're glad to have visited.

We make our way to our accommodation. The Southern Comfort Motel, where we are greeted with a warm and sincere welcome from the host. Lucky we booked ahead there is a Jaguar motor club booking tonight.  We make ourselves at home in the beautifully appointed room and rest for a while before dinner.

It is a long time since I've been in a motel room that was so immaculately maintained and such lovely furnishings. I would not hesitate to return.

For dinner we head down to the Globe Hotel where we have a very nice meal of steak. Cootamundra has been a lovely stopover and I look forward to returning for a longer visit sometime.

Day 9 - Cootamundra to Home Via Grenfell (of course)

We decide to take a curious route home.  Seldom one to take the most direct route to anywhere, we are heading from Cootamundra to Grenfell, planning to arrive close to opening for Grenfell Quality Meats where we will stock up our two eskies full of delicious lamb and steak. The best souvenir.  We take a fairly direct route through Young and stop at the bakery in Young to sample there for brekkie. We give Young an opportunity to redeem the performance of the cherry pie we had at the Young Maid shop a year or two ago. We saved that for home, but really, we think we make a better cherry pie ourselves.. which I guess is not so very surprising. 

In Grenfell our first stop is the servo for some ice and then we say Gday to our favourite butcher.  It's quite a trek home from Grenfell if we don't want to be too late and so it may seem strange that we decide to take a chance and go a rather strange route. Well, strange if you think you must always travel as close as possible to the route a crow might fly.  Grenfell to Cowra.. nothing strange about that choice, but then we decide that rather than heading for a mountain crossing we will head south again towards Boorowa. This route looks an aweful lot like backtracking, but its a lovely scenic quiet route and its not long until we're expressing pleasure in our choice.  From Boorowa we head across towards Crookwell and thence to Goulburn where we do the obligatory stop for some awesome sour dough bread at Trapper's bakery... and some pumpkin bread too actually.  Goulburn is only a skip and a jump to home and we are thrilled to find that this apparently circuitous route has been quicker than the trip would have been going across the mountains. Success all round. 

It has been a lovely little holiday and we have enjoyed the journeying as much as the destination.  Only one more decision to be made. Where to next time?

Silver City Sojourn - Day 7 - We move on to Hay via Wentworth and Mildura

Wednesday 27 April

An early leaver thismorning before 5pm wakes me.  Mum is awake by 5 am also and neither of us will be getting gback to sleep so we decide to just get up and go.  We are hitting the road by 5:45 am. Servo’s aren’t open yet which foils our plan to buy some milk and have cereal along the way.  Also means I’ll have to make do with the petrol I have, which after checking the distance we have to go I decide will be fine.  The sunrise is pretty and we stop briefly to capture a few images but they're not very successful.  We’re not travelling real fast due to the risk of animals on the road.  The landscape is very flat and even in the dark you can see it is covered in vegetation.  The sun rises and about an hour out of Broken Hill we come to a lovely stretch of happy looking mallee. Spinifex in the understorey and the short multi-trunked mallee eucalypts.  We leave the mallee and come into an area with many trees with fibrous dark charcoal grey bark and there is a strong fresh and delicious aroma in the air that seeps in through the car even with the windows up.  I wind down the windows for a while to enjoy the fragrance of the bushland. Lovely.  Beyond this area we reach another regions of flat plains and the sky reaches out beyond the 90 degree arc above the road to stretch down the 180 degrees horizon to horizon.  As we travel south the cloud cover is thickening.  I can’t wait to drive the Hay plain this afternoon.

We take a fairly lengthy stop at the rest area at the great Darling Anabranch.  A tidy but slightly whiffy toilet and there are a few campers among the trees lining the water.  Cars rumble across the bridge nearby and the air is full of soft twittering bird song. The croaky rasp of a restless flychater floats to us from slightly upstream. 

About 15 – 20 mins and we’re back on the road for an uneventful run into Wenthworth.  We miss the signs to Perry’s sandhills so  head in to fill up and check at the information centre for directions.  A nice friendly lady behind the counter provides us with a map and a leaflet detailing the things to do in the area.  For now it’s back to Perry’s sandhills which is not far away.  I'm keen not to skip the sandhills as a colleague has recommended them highly. On arrival we pull up in the car park and I dutifully make my way up to climb the dune near the old buried tree while mum does a little birdwatching near the car. 

My objective is a very old gum tree whose canopy emerges from the depths of the sand.  Hmm. I find this totally underwhelming.  I guess you’re not going to see the place at its best on the first day after a long long weekend.  The dunes are trampled with footprints.  There is rubbish all over the place, some of which consists of improvised sand sleds made from flattened beer cartons.  Having skipped this on past visits to the area we conclude we really weren’t missing much.    

I pause to admire some delicate flowers on what looks to be some type of saltbush then it's into the vehicle and wagons roll.

Next priority is to see the confluence of the Darling and Murray Rivers.  First we stop by to see if the Artback Gallery is open for brunch. Nope. They’ve closed for a break since Monday and reopen tomorrow.  That's understandable if a little disappointing.  On to the park near the junction of the rivers.  The observation tower is out of action. It is clear that the park has been partially under water recently and perhaps this has destabilized the tower, or perhaps the ground is not yet sufficiently dry for them to allow people to climb all over it.  The ground is muddy and only just drying. Cracked mud lines the shores and the general area is a little tatty as a result. But the rivers are flowing beautifully. 

I can see the line between the two rivers pretty well I think, but not good for photos.  What we really need to do is take a trip on the river.  I really feel like a trip on the river. A change of plan.  We need to head into Mildura.  So this we proceed to do.

Our first stop is the Alfred Deakin Centre which houses the information centre.  You can tell we’re back in Victoria, it has a subtly different feel to NSW.  We have only just missed the morning cruise on PS Melbourne. Bugger.  Next one is not until 1:50 pm.  Hmm.  I really want to take a paddle steamer trip on the full river though, so we pay our $27/25 and go off to find some lunch.

This is an easy choice. Stefano’s Café and Bakery just down the road.  We’re a bit too early for lunch, so we order a canoli and a fresh fig tart to share and settle down under the grape vine canopy which is a mix of vibrant red overhead with tendrils of green waving like a fringe around the edges.  The canoli and the fig tart are delicious. So is the smell of the coffee.  The temperature of the day is ideal with the whispering touch of a zephyr caressing bare arms.

We linger for about 40 mins just relaxing and then it’s time we can order lunch.  Mum is rarely adventurous and she goes for the beer battered barramundi with rustic cut chips. Assured that the house made tart is not full of mushrooms I go for that.  The chips were lovely.  I’m never much of a fan of fish. The tart though is great. You’d go a very long way to find a more delicious delicate and delectable tart.  The salad is a nice companion dressed with balsamic.

We order a fruit tart and lemon curd tart for Ron and get on our way to get into position for the cruise.  We watch as the PS Melbourne returns to the wharf and passengers depart and we board nice and early taking our pick of the places available.  It’s a big vessel with plenty of room and nice opening windows.  Those who wish can sit in a sort of deck chair arrangement in the front of the boat, but I didn’t find those comfy so we relocate back to some blue sebel numbers arranged in rows inside.

The trip on the PS Melbourne takes a couple of hours.  We pull out from the wharf and prompty turn around and travel downstream.  We note the weir and turn into Lock 11 where a detailed commentary explains the process of going through the lock, the history and points out the white board on the flagpole which marks the levels of the floods since white settlement.  The biggest was in the 1880s but not far below that is the 1956 flood and numerous others since.  The weir is a trestle construction and we see the spare trestles up on lock island which are rotated through to enable servicing of the various sections now and again.  At times of big flows the weir at Mildura is removed completely letting the river follow it’s natural course.  With recent flooding around the catchment the weir was removed the week before Christmas and was only put back in place three weeks ago. There is no charge for using the lock but you do need to book a time so the lock master can organize groups of small vessels into the lock or keep slots free for larger ones.

When we leave the lock we head back up stream for a look at the weir from the downstream side then we turn again and follow the river downstream for a few kms. The river down from the weir is currently running about 1 meter higher than usual . above the weir the river is maintained at a constant level.

The commentary on the trip is OK.  Some things are repeated several times, so I guess people who miss it the first time can catch it when next it is mentioned or pointed out.  It is very relaxing sitting on the boat as we steam along and there are periods without commentary which is OK.  There is a kiosk on board and they are licenced so a glass of wine or whatever as you cruise is available.  The river itself is in NSW. When you step onto the wharf or over the water you are in NSW.  Victoria starts from the shore on the southern side of the river.

We are back at the wharf by 4pm and promptly get on our way to Hay.  We are too late to stop in at Yanga National Park which is disappointing. Oh if only we’d skipped perry’s sandhills, we would have made the earlier cruise time and then had plenty of time for a quick squizz at Yanga.  Oh well.

The sun is behind us as we drive and we are grateful for that.  There is some very nice mallee between Mildura and Balranald. Some really beautiful mallee trees with their smooth and glossy chocolate brown bark and multistemmed trunks.  The foliage is also looking very vibrant and happy in this season of good rain.

Beyond Balranald we reach the hay plan and 360 degree views of the horizon.  No clouds, but still I enjoy the Hay plain.   

We are about half an hour out of Hay when it gets truly dark after a lingering twighlight.  In the almost dark I see a line of glowing red in the distance to the north. A car is driving towards us from the direction of the flames.  A closer look confirms smoke rising.  Fire. 

Soon we are in Hay and when I go to check into the Nicholas Royal Motel I find that I have managed to book the room for tomorrow night. OOPS.  Luck is smiling on us though and the Saltbush Motor Inn across the road, which has been turning people away earlier in the evening, has had a late cancellation. Another full house.  Business is strong for accommodation today with so many people returning from their Easter breaks.  We duck down to the Wok in Hay to grab some dinner. Mum had a chicken schnitzel burger which she thought was pretty ordinary. OK but a bit too much bun for the amount of schnitzel and the chicken was over cooked.  I ordered the pad thai which was nice but I forgot that they don’t automatically give you lemon here and I forgot to ask. I enjoyed the pad thai though.  Not a huge amount of meat in it, but it was tasty and a pleasant change from what we’ve had along the trip so far. The Wok in Hay remains probably the most spotless take away food joint I've ever seen.

Lights out by 10 pm.