Nundle, Gulgong - Sofala

Next it was off to Nundle which is a historic gold mining town where there are quite a few campsites that you can stay at along the river while you try your hand at gold panning. We also visited the local Woollen Mill which had beautiful woollen products for sale. After spending a few dollars at Nundle we headed to Scone then onto Gulgong which is another 19th Century goldrush town thtat was also the home of Henry Lawson. The town of Gulgong is like stepping back 100yrs with old shop fronts and narrow streets which wind between quaint clapboard and iron buildings, you will also find the Henry Lawson Museum. We noticed as we drove into town that The Old Fella (Rodney Gregory) who was a contestant on Australia’s Got Talent was appearing at the Gulgong RSL. David and Alison made some enquires and found that the show had been booked out for weeks, but if we like to rock up we may stand a chance of getting in, if we didn’t mind standing at the back for the show. Not only did we get in to see the show we enjoyed a BBQ there at the RSL, and ended up with front row seats right in the middle of the stage only having to pay $12 each for the BBQ. A great night was had by all.
We left Gulgong this morning (Tuesday) passing through the town of Mudgee with it’s historic buildings. Then once again heading off the main road, passing through Rylstone and Kandos to the little town of Sofala, Australia’s oldest surviving gold town. We again experienced hilly climbs and steep descents to arrive at this very unique little town, with a narrow main street and very old dilapidated buildings only the nucleus of the town remains today.

Crescent Head to Woolomin

After leaving South West Rocks we travelled further south stopping at Frederickton to sample the Freddo Pies,they have about 50 different varieties to choose from. Then it was onto Crescent Head, passing through the town to a free campsite backing onto to a beautiful sandy surf beach. We made our camp there for two nights we had some lovely hot sunny days, allowing sunbaking and walks on the beach, we were also able to enjoy campfires of a night.

Heading further south we tuned West just before Port Macquarie travelling to Wauchope to once again stay at a free campsite at Ellenborough. The next day we crossed the Great Dividing Range which was a long steady winding climb sometimes needing to stop at road works as the road had been washed away, leaving only a single lane at times. We arrived at Walcha where we had our lunch then it was back on the road again this time heading south for about 50klm then it west again on a gravel road for awhile until we had to negotiate a pass which was very similar to Elephant Pass in Tassie. It was a long steady windy climb and then a slow steep descent where trucks and heavy vehicles are advised to use low gear, we were about 2klm from reaching the bottom when Bazza experienced serve brake fade ! The brakes on the Pajero were emitting a strong hot smell, so decided he had better adjust the brake controller up on the caravan brakes and locked the car into second gear, it was a great relief when we reach the floor of the valley safely. We are certainly experiencing some very challenging road conditions since we have been travelling with Alison and David as they prefer to travel on the minor roads instead of busy highways. We stayed that night at Woolomin once again free camping, many of these little inland towns welcome travellers & provide areas in or near their town to camp. Travelling the back roads through the mountain rangers allows you to enjoy the beautiful scenery, small towns and friendly people who love to have a chat.

Fee camp Crescent Heads