We spent today at the”heel” of the Yorke Peninsula which looks like a leg with a big foot. There is even a Heel Road. So today we will focus our travels on the “heel” – it is usually the furthest thing from my mind. We had a fine start to the day but it turned … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 6 – Day at the Heel

Today we travelled from Clare along the western side of St Vincent Gulf. Our motel at Clare has alpacas in the grounds. The allama clock went off early, the birds were singing and we hoped for some alpacapella (they make a humming sound). Things could take a turn for the worse – well… spit happens. … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 5 – St Vincent Gulf

Broken Hill Solar Plant – Watt a great view! Powering 22000 homes. Also powering up with some morning solar energy. The Pinnacles outside Broken Hill where family ancestor Joe Matthews explored for minerals in his younger days. The South Australian Border Gate – South Australians are known by the slang term “croweaters” – early settlers … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 4 – The Land of the Croweater

Old Butcher’s facade in Cobar. Thought for the day – If a vegan is complaining, are they having a beef? The Barrier Highway is a favourite on our roadtrips in Australia. The easy 456km from Cobar to Broken Hill allows for time to stop at the many rest areas and take in the arid landscapes. … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 3 – Darling River floodplain

We returned to Cobar today after a two week gap to pick up where we left off. The Big Plane at Moree. It started life as a Douglas C47 plane for the US Army and transported across the Pacific in World War II and transferred to the RAAF in 1945. It became a Foreign Aid … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 2 – Back to Cobar

As before, we have some rough plans but in this crazy world we are unsure how far we will get on our shortened vacation. We stopped in Brisbane for brekkie and found this Big Garlic at West End – we asked at a local cafe if they had garlic bread but they had naan. It … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 1 – Cunningham Highway

The ever improving Bruce Highway provides a safe, easy drive to our beautiful Sunshine Coast. The Elliott Fire Tower between Bundaberg and Childers built in 1970. It is now closed to the public. Isis Central Mill where a family ancestor worked in the 1910s (CWD’s father). It is a run of the mill place. Workers … More There and Back Again 2022 – South from Bundy on the Bruce

On the edge of the east side of Bundy is the wonderful Baldwin Swamp – a haven for birds and reserve for some of the Woongara Scrub species that have been mostly cleared for cane plantations. A squadron of magpie geese coming in to land at Baldwin Swamp. Take a gander at that! Magpie geese … More There and Back Again 2022 – Bundy’s Bayou – Baldwin Swamp

Big things abound if you know where to look – the Bundy Bottle is an obvious one but there are other gems to be found. The happy workers here were in high spirits. The Big Bowling Pin. Most Bundy locals love bowling. You get over an hour eating and drinking interspersed with a few periods … More There and Back Again 2022 – Big things in Bundy

Bundaberg is a big town made famous by Bundy Rum. You can take the girl out of Bundy…… I will now go through the paddock to palate story and try not to sugar coat it. Flowering sugar cane Burnt sugar cane ready for harvesting. Cane be cut burnt or green. Before the 1940s, all sugar … More There and Back Again 2022 – From Paddock to Palate

Well it wasn’t as sweet a homecoming as Bilbo’s but we returned home to sort some things out and hope to resume our vacation (and blog posts) sometime in the next fortnight. An overcast and somewhat bleak start to the day travelling from Moree to Goondiwindi. This is a brigalow tree – a wattle whose … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 5 – Back

Today we headed east on the Barrier and Mitchell and Oxley Highways before heading north on the Newell. Cobar is the home of the Wongaibon people (within the Ngiyampaa group associated with the arid plains and rocky hill country bordered by the Lachlan, Darling-Barwon and Bogan rivers). The name ‘Cobar’ is derived from a Ngiyampaa word kubbur … More There and Back Again 2022 – Day 4 – Four Highways