ANZAC day and the Murrumbidgee

When we woke this morning it was dark and a cold 8 degrees outside. For about 3 microseconds we considered finding out where the dawn ANZAC service in Wagga Wagga was being held; but then we decided it would be better to stay warm and sleep in. So we had a late breakfast, went for a walk along the nearby Murrumbidgee River, packed up, and got underway about 9:30am towards our next free camp near Hay.
To our surprise we discovered the petrol station next door to the Wagga Caravan Park was selling diesel for $1.81 per litre - very cheap! So we filled up all 275 litres of the Landcruiser tanks which will keep us going for another 1500km of towing. We could have filled up the two caravan fuel jerry cans but we forgot.
Arriving at Narrandera we were just in time for the ANZAC day march. The city streets were cordoned off and the marchers came past to the beat of the brass band accompanying them.
After the mandatory morning cappuccino at the Tangles Cafe, but with no sign of any ANZAC biscuits, we headed out again for Hay. Lots of trucks in the road despite being ANZAC day and we chatted to a couple of them along the way on the UHF.
Arriving at Hay the first stop was the famous painted water towers in the City. Fittingly these paintings depict the men and women soldiers from Hay who fought in WW1 and it was a nice way of remembering the ANZAC spirit and dedication that made our armed forces famous back in those years. Then we went to the Shear Outback Shearing Hall of Fame. However the shearing events had been cancelled for ANZAC day so we might come back tomorrow.
From Wagga Wagga to Hay the Sturt Highway follows Australia’s second longest river, the Murrumbidgee. On arrival in Hay we drove to our free camp at the Wooloondool Campgrounds on the Murrumbidgee operated by the NSW National Parks. A permit is required to camp here and we had organised that several weeks ago. To Carolina’s initial dismay the area was very quiet. She likes the security of having lots of people around. But now that is officially an Aussie she needs to re-jig her thinking to the Australian way of getting “getting away from it all” and today we found a lovely secluded camp spot right on the banks of the Murrumbidgee at a campsite called Mad Dog Bend (I assume this was not named after Dave Maddern). We set ourselves up for a campfire and stars evening.
But before dinner we had been recommended to go to the Hay Sunset Viewing site where “the sunsets are amazing”. So as the evening approached we unhitched and headed out to see the end of ANZAC day via the setting sun. The location even had it own reclining steel chairs that Carolina made good use! It was a lovely sunset with just the right amount of cloud to set the sky alight!
Back at the campsite Carolina cooked a delicious spaghetti bolognaise which we ate on the banks of the river, admiring the stars, and being kept warm by the lovely campfire. The perfect end to a good day and Carolina had to admit that she enjoyed staying here.Read more