Tamworth

 30/07/2012
 Many of the highways here have names as well as numbers, usually they are named after pioneers like Mitchell, Sturt, Stuart, Burke and Wills. Today we drove the Black Stump Highway, we wondered if it was named after a vertically challenged Aborigine! Anyway we travelled through some really nice countryside and actually saw some  hills. It has been very flat these last few weeks.
 We arrived in the N S W town of Gunnedah, the Koala capital of the world, so it says in the brochure. We walked into town but there weren’t any koalas hanging around the shops . We will go koala hunting tomorrow before we head off to meet up with our old mate Hamish in Tamworth.

 31/07/2012
 Our koala spotting safari came to nothing despite mountain climbing and bush bashing. It was a hard hike and all we have to show for it was a stiff neck from peering up gum trees. Next time we want to see Koalas we will go to the zoo!
 We were quite happy to get away from Gunnedah as several cars were broken into last night, even a caravan was done over with people asleep inside, obviously not a nice place. Come to think of it, maybe someone nicked all the koalas.
 It’s just an hours drive to from Gunnedah to here in Tamworth where we have met up and had lunch with Hamish. We met at a country pub in Kootingal, and Hamish brought an old friend of his, 95 year old Betty. A really nice lady.
 We shall probably stay here a few days as Hamish is scheming. If we weren’t here to see Hamish we would definitely be somewhere else because Tamworth is the bloody Country and Western Capital of  Australia! If any of his schemes involve a musical evening……….I’m off!!

 01/08/2012
 Last night we went for a pretty average Indian meal with Hamish, it was the restaurants opening night we found out later. It was a bit disorganised but no back ground music which was good. We did finish two bottles of vino which explained why Jane woke up this morning wearing the fleecy beanie! ( It was cold though last night I have to say)
 Today we went out for a drive, Hamish chauffeuring, into the hills above Tamworth ending up at the nice and  tidy town of Walcha. The scenery around here is quite spectacular reminding us of home, well, the area is known as New England. At times we could have been in the Cotswolds. Other parts could have been the Lakes without the lakes if you know what I mean!  It’s been a long day……

02/08/2012
 Another box has been ticked today as we have been out to look at Bobadil, a 5000 acre sheep cattle and arable station. Hamish took us the 100K’s or so to visit his cousin who farms on a spur of the Great Dividing Range. We arrived for lunch and then were taken out by Adam and Edette in their 4X4 to look around the station. This was serious off road driving as we climbed up one of the hills that form the border of the property to a small plateau. Here we could see across the Liverpool Plain and out towards the Dividing Range, the view to die for.  The weather was perfect with the blue skies making the view crystal clear
 Lambing time is just about to  kick off, and we found two dead lambs born earlier today. We spent some time looking for the ewe, but with no luck.
 Adam and Edette then took us to the shearing shed, built in 1901 and pretty much in it’s original state, except for mains electric to run the shears and a brand new roof. We drove across the farm spotting lots of wallabies and kangaroos, an echidna that was trying to hide itself in a stack of wood (similar to our hedgehog but much bigger) then later we were introduced to the 8 sheep and cattle dogs that work on the farm.
 It was so quiet and peaceful, but being 30K’s away off the main road it would be. I always wanted to see a typical Aussie station from the inside so to speak, it was magic.

 03/08/2012
  The freezing cold nights we have been experiencing are getting a bit boring now, the last two nights the temperature has gone down to -3. Not good trying to keep warm in our metal box on wheels.
 Today we spent most of it fruitlessly trying to make a doctors appointment just to get a prescription. We will have to try again when we get to our next big town. We achieved one mission which was to buy some warm socks as we are now wearing them in bed! A new beanie is also required as I seem to have lost the spoof for who gets to wear mine!

 04/ 08/ 2012
 We had a meal at the Hogs Breath Café last night, a licensed restaurant that specialises in steaks and ribs. They do other stuff  but steak is their thing.  It was very good but a bit on the expensive side for a not very posh eating house.
 We (that’s the royal we) are finding following the Olympics very frustrating as we can’t actually watch anything live due to ‘rights issues‘. We follow it by live text which sometimes appears to be half dead as there are times when updates are 10 - 20 mins apart. Listening to the radio from the BBC is also a bit of a trial too. We often listen to Radio 2’s morning programmes, but on the odd times they are broadcast from the Olympic Stadium or an Olympic event somewhere else we can’t get it because of ‘rights issues‘. All a bit of a pain really, but aren’t we doing well? The Aussie press aren’t taking it too well as their team seems to be quite  good at coming second in everything! (Getting TMS OK!)
 Hamish took us out to another lovely country pub where we had lunch with his brother and Betty. I actually liked the food more than last nights expensive dinner and it was a lot cheaper.
 Looks like we are in for another very cold night, the locals are saying that it’s unusual to have such a long period of below freezing temperatures. Can’t moan too much as the days are beautiful, until the sun goes down around 6 pm.

 05/08/2012
 Our last day with Hamish, we move on tomorrow having had a great time. A lot of it seems to have been spent in pubs but we have seen a great deal of the countryside travelling to and fro. We had lunch at Bendameer pub about 35K’s out of Tamworth. The pub is by the side of a river and a nice spot to have a meal and a beer, but it’s just not warm enough to sit outside. Should be warmer nearer the coast which is where we are heading.