SUNDAY JULY 14     MULWALA TO YOUNG   365kms

I had the usual early morning start, courtesy of dog. John stayed in bed until 8.30am. Given the still damp conditions outside, we did well to be ready to depart the park at 10.15. Only a little after the regulation departure time.

The annexe matting was wet, muddy and most unpleasant to pack up. My problem ankle chose this morning to be unusually painful, which didn’t help at all.

We had decided to head roughly NE, staying on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, to intersect the Golden Highway around Dunedoo. That would then take us east to the coast at Newcastle, thus avoiding both Sydney and the steeper gradients to the north. We were not in a great hurry, and some of this country was new to us, so it wouldn’t matter if we took a week or more on this part.

Stayed on the NSW side of the Murray, taking Spring Drive towards Corowa. Even in dull weather conditions, this was a pretty way to go, with the trees of the river reserve to our right, all the way.

Following the Murray River valley towards Corowa

Refuelled in Corowa: $144.9cpl.

From Corowa, took a meandering way north, firstly through Howlong, then back roads to Culcairn, via a little township quaintly called Burrumbuttock. This was new country for us, interesting, and the back roads were quite good. This was good looking farming country growing crops and sheep, mostly. One lot of really frisky lambs briefly entertained us.

There was some mizzly rain on and off through the day. Saw lots of parrots flitting about the roadsides, and then apostle birds made their appearances.

Stopped in Culcairn – toilet stop for us and dog. Admired a beautiful old hotel there, and were able to give Couey a run and ball chase in a side street by the hotel.

Hotel at Culcairn – and nice quiet street for doggy ball games

From Culcairn, we were on the Olympic Way, which I think we might have travelled before, but ages ago. On through Henty to Wagga Wagga. From Culcairn to Wagga the highway was paralleled by a railway, maybe the one slated to maybe one day be the main inland north-south rail route.I had thought we might stay here for the night, but John was enjoying the driving and wanted to continue, so we took the bypass route around that centre, crossing the Murrumbidgee River – for the umpteenth time in our travels over the years.

Murrumbidgee River at Wagga Wagga

Ate our packed lunch at a roadside stop north of Wagga, then continued on through Cootamundra towards Young. Around Bethangra went through a low range of hills, an interesting change from the rolling farmland. The gradient was sufficient for there to be stretch of highway with passing lanes. Encountered one of the railway crossings where the road has been engineered into a big, sharp, S bend – to slow traffic right down – in this case, to 35kmh.

I hadn’t realized, until we came into large areas of orchards, that the Young region is a major cherry growing one.

John decided this would be far enough for today, so I did a quick scan in my caravan parks reference book and found the Young Tourist Park – the only one in the town.

The caravan park was not the easiest to find. We had to negotiate the centre of town, roundabouts and all. I was pleased it was a Sunday afternoon and not a weekday.

Having misread the caravan park book, I was pleasantly surprised to find the park had some en-suite sites, so we booked in for two nights. $50 a night was a bit on the high side, but there was no competition.

It was after 4pm by the time we got onto our site, which we were able to drive straight onto. By now John was tired, so we left the car hitched up for the night. The site had drive through wheel strips to park on, and a small paved area. The solid brick ensuite was spacious, clean and nice.

Took Couey for a quick walk, on lead, around the park. It was not very busy. Guess mid-winter would not be peak tourist season in these parts.

I made John a hamburger with the lot for tea. I had the same, minus the bread roll.

Watched MasterChef on TV, then had an early night.