Mines and More Wines

Day 28  Dubbo to Mudgee

Today was set to be another travelling day, but we knew there would be some interesting stops along the way.  The first place we stopped was Peak Hill (we actually hadn't planned this one), where there is an "Open Cut Mining Experience".  As we can't resist an 'experience' of any kind on this trip, we had to stop.

The open cut mine stopped operating several years ago, however it has been preserved to allow people to 'experience' what an open cut mine looks like...

We trekked around the area and could view all the pits and the kids had a great time looking for gold while we walked around.  They picked up lots of 'gold rocks' so they could do their own mining later on.  Here's their stash...

From Peak Hill we headed towards Parkes and the infamous 'Dish'.  The Dish was all that we'd hoped for - big, interesting and quite mesmerising.

It sits in the middle of a plain where there is little wind and interference for the radio waves.  As a result, it dominates the landscape for many miles and no matter which direction you arrive or depart from, you can't miss The Dish. 

After having lunch in The Dish carpark, we headed towards Wellington where there are some caves you can visit.  At one stage we could hardly see the road for tumbleweeds.  It was amazing how many there were...

Unfortunately, the cave tour was leaving too late for us, so we had a quick look around and learnt about Diprotodons - they're a bit like giant wombats...

Time to head towards Mudgee for the night and it was my first drive of the caravan.  I got plenty of 'useful' instructions and haven't enjoyed so much attention in a long time - the kids had forgotten I know how to drive!  We did manage to arrive in Mudgee safely with the caravan still attached, so I did OK.  But I must say, I'm glad I don't have to do the driving all the time (and Wack/Steve is happy he doesn't have to feed and entertain children while travelling).  It was a nice little role reversal for the afternoon.


Day 29  Mudgee to Dunns Swamp (Wollemi National Park)

As we are people who like our food and wine, we couldn't resist exploring some of Mudgee's offerings this morning.  Mudgee Gourmet gave us a chance to taste most products the area produces and after the kids had tasted nearly everything in the shop (breaking all the health and safety regulations with their "double dipping") we purchased a good selection and headed to the wineries.

With only a limited time we only visited a couple.  The Small Winemakers Centre was a great spot and we were greeted by the very hospitable Johnny Furlong.  Here he is with the kids (and his wines are great)...

The kids were made to feel very welcome and enjoyed looking at a replica of Ned Kelly in the attached gallery, especially Mitch who has developed a fascination with Bush Rangers...

One other winery we had to try was Robert Oatley, which is the oldest in the district.  We weren't disappointed and consequently left Mudgee with even more wine for the (caravan) cellar.  I think we now have more wine than food!

Once the wineries were done, we swung back to the caravan park, picked up the van and started towards Dunns Swamp in Wollemi National Park.  As we drove into Dunns Swamp, we knew it was going to be a beautiful spot and we weren't disappointed.  Here's the scene down by the water...

 We managed to find a spot for the van (it is quite popular) that would allow us to have a camp fire in the evening and after a quick setup we headed down for a swim in the lake.  It was very cold, but refreshing.

After the swim, the kids and Steve headed back to set the bait trap for the night.  In the process, Maggie managed to lose our last remaining fish net.  She's now lost all three of our nets and thankfully she hasn't touched the bait trap or that would be gone too!


They also tried to catch some yabbies with fresh meat - no yabbies, but they did attract the attention of a couple of turtles.

Day 30   Dunns Swamp to Katoomba (Blue Mountains)

This morning we started with a 'weir walk' to explore Dunns Swamp further.  Stewart dressed himself accordingly - pens in shirt and sandals with socks (Disclaimer:  His parents had no part in this outfit)...

Part of the beauty of this area is the large rock formations called rock pagodas.  We climbed into a few of these and there were lots of nooks and crannies for little people to get lost in...

Steve and I took turns to climb to the top of a lookout (a bit too treacherous for the kids) which gave fantastic view of the whole area...

When we finally got to the 'weir' that dams the water for local irrigation...

On the way back from our walk we stopped and checked the bait trap, and guess what...we'd actually managed to trap a few freshwater prawns.  So, the boys decided to have a quick fish...

while Maggie braved the cold water and went for a swim...

and I got THE tangle of the trip to date...

Unfortunately there were no fish caught today, although Mitch did have a brown trout (?) that got away (he knows this from reading fishing books).

After a quick lunch and pack up, we turned the van out of Dunns Swamp and towards the Blue Mountains for the next leg of the trip.

Love to all until next time.  Please say hello -  click on 'Comments' below and leave a message.  We love to hear from you.