Getting the red dust between our toes (and everywhere else) in Outback NSW

Gunderbooka National Park & Bourke, NSW.

Friday 22nd - Monday 25th April

After we left Parkes we were headed towards Gundabooka National Park, near Bourke.  As we'd left Parkes late afternoon (after we reluctantly dragged ourselves away from the Elvis festival) we found a stop over for the night on the way. The place we chose was Nyngan, which happens to be home to the Big Bogan. We couldn't resist a photo in the morning and Jackson was quite impressed to see that his mullet was about the same length as the 'Big Bogan's'! 

We arrived at the Yanda campground in Gundabooka about midday the next day. The campground was right next to the Darling River, which was high and flowing fast due to the recent heavy rains. The flood water had turned the river a muddy, caramel colour, and it did not look appealing at all. The banks were also VERY soggy and we sank in the mud if we got too close to the edge. Although I found this unappealing, the kids LOVED it. The spent a day and half playing in the mud with the many shrimp they caught (they even starting naming the shrimp). They used empty plastic bottles, wool and sticks to make home made 'shrimp catchers', then put some salami in and submerged the bottles. Then they checked them every 10-20 minutes and they caught shrimp or small fish nearly everytime! The kids also coated themselves in mud and jumped as hard as they could into a big mud pit they found. They loved it.

Although the river was muddy we still all had a swim, staying close to the shore and the current was quite strong the further you went out. 

At the remote and quiet campsite we met a few resident goannas. One was huge and he enjoyed the several carp Jackson and Daniel caught and left on a log for him. There were also emus and kangaroos wandering nearby. One of the other positives of the park was the night sky. As we were far from any towns the stars were incredible. We had a fire each night and relaxed under the gorgeous outback sky.

After enjoying some much needed down time just relaxing at camp on Friday afternoon and Saturday, we set out on Sunday to explore two of the attractions of the park - the Yapa Indigenous Art site and the Little Mountain walk. We ended up seeing a few more attractions as we stumbled upon an old homestead and shearing shed from when the area was pastoral land (from the late 1800s). We spent time wandering through the ruins, finding many old pieces of machinery and cars. This was an added bonus to what was a great day. The walk was lovely and ended with a great view, then the Yapa Indigenous Art was the most preserved I have seen. We did a short walk down to a creek bed, bordered by huge rocks. The art was under a rock ledge and was still so vibrant. The place was very special and you could see why the traditional people (the Ngemba and Baakandji) from the area used this as a meeting place.

We left Gundabooka National Park on Monday (Anzac Day) and arrived in Bourke in time for their Anzac Day memorial service. It was a lovely service, with some excellent speakers, and we were honoured to be a part of it. We began our journey towards Lightning Ridge, hoping for a nice free camp on the way (and hopefully somewhere to wash our dusty bodies).

**Whilst writing this I found out that Gundabooka National Park is now closed due to the flooding from the last few days of bad weather. Luckily we got there (and out) when we did.

The Big Bogan at Nyngan (and Jackson's new idol)

The Darling River at Gundabooka NP (about 30kms from Bourke). You can see from the arrow (wonkily drawn by me) where flood waters in the past had reached. It was mighty enough at the level we saw it at, it would be extraordinary to see it at the height shown by the flood marks on all the trees.

One of the local goannas (this one was busted checking out our campsite when we went for a walk).

Daniel and Jackson got a few bites, and also cleared the river of a few carp.

Emilia with one of her 'pets' - Shirley the shrimp.

Performing some sort of interpretive mud dance!!

The MUD PIT- it provided hours of entertainment

Of course Jackson put his arms in and nearly got stuck!

Jackson checking his yabby nets - 'just one more time'.

One of the many car relics from the old homesteads that used to be there before the area became a National Park.

Little Mountain lookout

Yapa Indigenous Art - the swirling pattern is a brewarrina (a fish trap) used a long time ago in the local rivers. You can still see sections of one in the nearby town (Brewarrina). They are thought to be one of the oldest man made structures in the world.

One of the many rocks in the currently dry Mulareenya Creek, where the rock art is.

All set with his hiking stick!

The old sheep station and shearing sheds we stopped at on our way back to camp.

All the equipment was still there.

After the moving Anzac Day service in Bourke. Lest We Forget.

Elvis, 'The Dish' and singing apes - just some of the unique experiences we had in regional NSW

Goobang National Park & Bumberry Dam - near Parkes and Dubbo, NSW.

Friday 15th - Thursday 21st April

We have all enjoyed a change of scenery and the unexpected experiences we've had in this part of NSW. We were fortunate enough to be in the area for the annual Parkes Elvis Festival (where we spent a day listening to outstanding singers and gawking at the costumes of many of the revellers), we had an incredible time at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo and we marvelled at the vastness of the galaxy at the Parkes Observatory ('The Dish'). 

We have free camped the whole time, so, after the zoo, we stopped off at the pool in Dubbo for a much needed shower!

It has been a great week, lots of adventures and unique experiences, interspersed with Easter and the consumption of a lot of chocolate!

On our first afternoon at Goobang National Park we did the Burrabadine Peak walk and were lucky enough to see several wedged tailed eagles whilst we enjoyed the scenic views.

It was a steep, rocky 45minute climb, so we were all hot by the time we made it to the top

.

On Saturday we decided to explore the local area. Our first stop was Peak Hill and an old open cut gold mine.

All the old machinery from the mine was there to look at (and climb in).

We weren't expecting anything this big, it was quite impressive.

Then we headed towards Parkes to visit the CSIRO Parkes Observatory (made famous in the movie 'The Dish').

We watched three mini 3D movies where we got some background information on the 'dish' and we learnt some incredible facts about the size of other planets/stars in galaxy and the recent discoveries in space. We also learnt about exoplanets and the possibility of other planets outside of our solar system sustaining some sort of lifeform. It was super interesting. We're all looking at the night sky in a very different way now.

There was a dish like this on either side of the garden area. When you whispered into it, the person at the other dish could hear. Daniel tested it by saying 'If you can hear this I will buy you an ice-cream' (it worked!).

  

The obligatory 'I am holding up the dish' photo!

Freshening up in Bogan Weir (yes there is a river, town and weir called Bogan!).

In the afternoon on Easter Sunday we went to a nearby river to freshen up (and get the kids away from their chocolate for a few hours!). They spent most of the time catching yabbies and little fish.

On the way back to camp we checked out another lookout in the National Park and we were rewarded with an aerial display from several eagles.

On Easter Monday we went to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo (less than an hour from where we were camping). It was a fabulous day. It is a really big zoo with a wide range of animals and it is designed both for maximum comfort for the inhabitants and maximum viewing opportunities for the visitors. You can drive, cycle or walk the 5km loop. We walked and got to see so much. It ended up being about 7km by the time we did all the side tracks, and it was a warm day, so we were all grateful for a swim and shower at the Dubbo pools afterwards.

The zebras were so close, only separated from us by a large ditch.

Emilia's cute footage of a young zebra

The newly born Greater One Horned Rhino - Hari.

Hari's mum having a moment to herself!

The White-handed Gibbons put on a show for us, swinging and doing flips!

One of our favourite animals (and one none of us had ever seen before) were the Siamang Apes. We heard them before we saw them! Apparently they all have unique sounds that they make to mark their territory. It was so incredible to watch as the male ape sucked air into the section on his throat then let it go at particular intervals to make specific sounds. The female added to the 'music' and the result reminded us of beatboxing. It was an awesome sight.

The male ape at the crescendo of the 'song'.

A giant (and very old) Galapagos Tortoise

The meerkats were very amusing to watch. A girl dangled her hat into the enclosure and they quickly grabbed it and began playing (while she cried and told her parents it fell off her head!).

We left Goobang National Park on Tuesday and headed towards a free camp we'd been told about near Parkes: Bumberry Dam. We just needed somewhere free to stay to wait for the Elvis festival, but it ended up being a really nice spot. We did a walk and bike ride around the dam that afternoon and thankfully made it back before a mega storm hit. We awoke to blue skies on Wednesday though, and Emilia and I spent the day in Parkes (doing our blogs and grocery shopping) whilst Daniel and Jackson enjoyed fishing off the dam wall and catching redfin. On Thursday we spent the day in Parkes at the annual Elvis Festival. We wandered up and down main street listening to all the buskers, went to a car show and a photography exhibition. Wespent most of the day listening to many different singers that graced the main stage at the heart of the festival. Everyone really got into the spirit of the festival and some of the costumes, especially the ladies dresses, were very impressive (as was the rock and roll dancing).

The free camp at Bumberry Dam

The kids enjoyed the bike tracks around the dam.

This is ShElvis - Australia's only female Elvis tribute artist - she was even recently inducted into the International Elvis Tribute Artist Hall of Fame. She sounded very much like Elvis!

The theme of this year's festival was the Elvis movie 'Speedway'. At the car show they had the go-kart Elvis rode in the movie.

The car show also featured some of Peter Brock's race cars