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Central & Outback NSW 2021Central & Outback NSW 2021
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Making memories one road trip at a time - Cowra, Parkes, Bourke, Lightning Ridge & Coonabarabran (Warrumbungles NP) Lue lisää
  • McDermotts Travel Oz

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    Cowra NSW

    4. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Today we headed out over the Blue Mountains, detouring to complete a lap of Mount Panorama (caravan in tow!) to the charming country town of Cowra, where we’ll be staying at the Cowra Caravan Park for the next couple of nights. We have a lovely big site along the banks of the Lachlan River, complete with a family of curious possums.

    We ended the day with a stunning sunset happy hour and picnic dinner at Bellevue Hill Lookout and Fauna Reserve, with its panoramic views over the Lachlan Valley and town.    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    Japanese Gardens & POW Camp

    5. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    Today we were moved by the essential decency of the country people who in 1944 were (and still are today) capable of reaching beyond racism and hatred and seeing the humanity and cultural differences which define Japan.

    First up, we stopped at the Visitor Information Centre to watch the story of the Prisoners of War (POW) outbreak as told by the hologram of a small girl, a resident of Cowra, who describes the events of 5 August 1944 when 378 Japanese POWs escaped from the camp over the hill from the town. The display is beautifully executed and well worth the time.

    Next up, we explored the actual site of the Cowra POW Camp and the Cowra Breakout. With four compounds of just six hectares each, it was hard to imagine how over 4,000 prisoners - mostly Italians, Germans and Japanese - once fitted in. A solemn but tranquil resting place.

    But the highlight of our visit to Cowra was the superb Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, established with the aid of the Japanese Government in 1978-79 to honour both Australian and Japanese dead.

    Last but not least, we gave the World Peace Bell (a replica of the original which hangs in the United Nations Building in New York) a loud and proud ring to acknowledge how the dramatic trauma in the history of the district has led the town to focus on and promote the values of pacifism and internationalism.    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    Parkes NSW

    6. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    On the road again, heading north-west.

    After a delightful bakery brunch in beautiful Forbes, we rolled into Parkes soon after lunch and quickly set up at the Spicer Caravan Park on a handy drive-through ensuite site. Without delay, we jumped back in the car and continued heading west to check out the Utes in the Paddock installation at Condobolin. More on that to come...

    Back in town, we explored the Henry Parkes Museum - named after Sir Henry Parkes, often referred to as the Father of Federation - showcasing a treasure trove of national and local heritage, and checked out the King’s Castle Elvis Exhibit, boasting the largest collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia in the Southern Hemisphere. Full of sequins, jumpsuits, vintage vinyl, and even a pink Cadillac, this was clearly a highlight. We'll have to come back one January for the iconic Elvis Festival!

    Fun fact: In 1981 Parkes locals, Bob and Anne Steel, opened a restaurant and reception centre, which they named Graceland in honour of 'The King'. In 1992 an Elvis themed party was held at Graceland for the editor of the local paper. Someone came up with the idea of turning the party into an annual event and so, in 1993, 200 people came to a festival which comprised Elvis movies, a Tribute Concert, Elvis Lookalike and Soundalike competitions, and a street parade. It has just kept on growing from those humble origins. Today it attracts over 18,000 people to the town for a 5-day festival celebrating all things Elvis.    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021
    The best ute in the paddock LOL

    Condobolin NSW

    6. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    After setting up camp in Parkes, we made the hour or so long trip to check out Condobolin’s Utes in the Paddock - a unique and quirky display of Australian art on the iconic Holden Ute. There are currently nearly 20 Utes on display painted by some of the best outback artists.

    The story goes... While travelling Route 66 on a trip across the United States, Graham Pickles and his wife Jana were drawn to an unusually popular attraction named “Cadillac Ranch”, located in west Texas near Amarillo. Intrigued by the ranch’s popularity, the 'Utes in the Paddock' concept grew from a whimsical ‘what if’ and in August 2007 the Utes team began working on the project. Utes were donated by residents from the area who caught the ‘utes bug’ after learning that many of Australia’s most gifted outback artists were donating their time and talent to create this unique tribute to life in the bush.

    It was fabulous, I love this sort of outback quirk and ingenuity. Must say though, the trusty charcoal Hilux has to win best Ute in the paddock on the day, right? 😉    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    The Dish

    7. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Today we visited the iconic CSIRO Radio Telescope on the outskirts of Parkes (affectionally known as 'The Dish' thanks to the 2000 Australian historical comedy-drama film of the same name). Towering above the surrounding fields it’s hard to fathom that this enormous structure has been listening to the universe since the 1960s.

    The boys were amazed to learn that The Dish helped beam the Apollo 11 moon landing to Earth 52 years ago. Even more incredible, that most of the historic footage we’ve seen over the years was transmitted via this telescope right here in rural NSW.

    Inside the Visitor Discovery Centre, we explored interactive exhibits explaining how radio astronomy works and learned about how scientists use the dish to study galaxies billions of light years away. The boys particularly enjoyed 'listening' to space and contemplating whether aliens might be out there trying to contact us.

    After wandering around the grounds, we relaxed at the cafe where we watched on in awe every few minutes as the dish slowly turned and repositioned. An amazing piece of engineering! It is a must-see when travelling through this part of the country.

    P.S. The Dish remains a part of NASA missions to this day. And it's still in the middle of a sheep paddock.    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    Bourke NSW

    8. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We’ve made it to Bourke and I can officially now tick off two bucket list items:
    *The longest straight road in NSW
    *Being able to say I’ve been out ‘Back-O’Bourke’.

    At the Back O’ Bourke Discovery Centre we learned about the first inhabitants of the area alongside some of the resilient pioneers, through storytelling, multimedia exhibits and a wraparound theatre experience.

    The centre highlighted the significance of the river, reminding us that water is life, and as Henry Lawson once famously said, “If you know Bourke, you know Australia” we did feel connected to the cultural and environmental roots of this landscape.

    Tonight we’re staying at Kidman’s Camp on the northern side of town and we’re very pleased with this selection. It’s like a little oasis in the middle of nowhere and thankfully punching well above its weight for the area.

    We explored around town and down by the river with its huge multi- story wharf - a hangover from when the river was the main form of transportation and trade.

    The mighty Darling River was in flood and we nervously watched on as some local kids backflipped from the top deck into the very swiftly flowing water. That was our cue to the heck get out of there before we became key witnesses in a sad misadventure story.    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    Cunnamulla QLD

    9. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ 🌙 32 °C

    Given the direct route from Bourke to Lightning Ridge is closed at Brewarrina/Walgett due to flooding, we decided the best way around would be via Cunnumulla. And that's how we find ourselves in Outback Queensland!

    It does mean we've departed Bourke a day ahead of schedule, but that's no great loss. Sadly the last paddle boat ride was the day before we arrived. Today the river is too high and the boat won’t fit under the power lines.

    I think we are all comfortable we've seen enough of Bourke!

    I have to say there's not much at Cunnumulla, except of course the great Cunnumulla Fella - the fictional stockman immortalised in song by Slim Dusty, whose eponymous statue now sits proudly in the town centre.

    We set up in the Cunnumulla Tourist Park and after scraping the copious number of splatted bugs off the front of the car and caravan, retreated for a quiet night.    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    Lightning Ridge NSW

    10. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We came the long way, but we've made it to Lightning Ridge!

    We're staying the Opal Caravan Park, just 200m from the hot bore baths, and it's fabulous. We have a huge drive through site with our own ensuite.

    'The Ridge' is unlike anywhere else. As a town, it is a bizarre and compelling combination of rural sophistication vs wildly eccentric. On one hand, the main street is sealed, curbed and guttered and has rows of regular shops - and evidently there is a lot of money around. On the other hand, it seems perfectly normal that there's a house made from bottles and a rough cement 'castle' casually referred to as the Astronomer's Monument. And it's all surrounded by a moonscape of mullock heaps under which literally hundreds of obsessed miners search and dig for the black opals which have made the town famous.

    We love all the quirkiness that Lightning Ridge has to offer. Everywhere you look there's a little joke or dig at conformity to be found if you open your eyes.

    But perhaps the best part of the Lightning Ridge experience for me is sous-viding ourselves in the famous hot pool. The Lightning Ridge Bore Baths, which are the result of an artesian bore sunk by local graziers in the 1960s, provide a permanent supply of warm (more accurately described as HOT) mineralised waters bubbling up from 900m below the surface.

    It is definitely a special experience to sit in the hot pool, especially on a cool April night, and gaze up at the vast outback skies. I've never been so completely relaxed, nor slept better. I could do this every night ☺️    Lue lisää

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  • McDermotts Travel OzMatkaajaCentral & Outback NSW 2021

    Yellow Car Door Tour

    11. huhtikuuta 2021, Australia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Today we followed the Yellow Car Door Tour, a self-guided driving trail that took us through some of Lightning Ridge’s quirkiest and most iconic sights.

    First stop was the Big Opal Mine and Jewellery Store where we braved the self-guided underground tour – let’s just say the rusty spiral staircase made things feel very authentic! Interesting, though not exactly WHS approved.

    We also stopped at Lunatic Lookout, where you can gaze out across the mining fields and spot the air vents that lead down into the maze of mines below. This is also the spot where the legendary (and never found) “Halley’s Comet” black opal is said to be buried.

    The Miners’ Cottages offered a glimpse into early settler life, made from local stone and full of character.

    A definite highlight was the Chambers of the Black Hand, where we followed a guided tour through an old opal mine filled with amazing wall carvings. From Egyptian gods to superheroes, the art carved straight into the sandstone is impressive, weird, and wonderful. Many say it's the best attraction in Lightning Ridge, and we can see why.

    We also visited the under-construction Australian Opal Centre, a two-storey building built entirely underground, with big plans to become a world-class opal museum. Nearby, the Black Opal Heritage Shed and the Graveyard of Rusty Treasures gave us even more glimpses into Ridge history and mining life, with a collection of vintage trucks and machinery slowly returning to the earth.

    And just when we thought the day couldn’t get any more random, we posed for a 'selfie' with Stanley the Emu – a towering 18-metre sculpture made entirely from recycled materials, standing proudly by the Castlereagh Highway.

    A day of dust, underground adventures, and one very tall bird. Classic Lightning Ridge.    Lue lisää

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