Long drive

Today my work took me north from Dubbo where I stayed last night. There are rolling hills for the first little while but then the land flattens out into grazing and cropping country.

After about 65 kilometres there is the first township of Gilgandra where I stopped for a coffee. Of course in these little towns you always see someone you know ... so stopped to chat to Andrew one of my work colleagues. Next village is Gulargambone (500 population) followed by Coonamble a town of about 2500 people. That means in 165 kilometres there are only two towns and one village.

The land as I said is flat. 180 million years ago there was a lake in this area where the silt formed into sandstone. Between 13-17 million years ago volcanos, known as the Warrumbungles, dominated the landscape and now after years of weathering there are jagged outcrops of rocks which are surrounded by the fertile plains. This area is classified as a National Park which had terrible bush fires last year. In the valleys there are rain forests which is unusual in such an arid climate. There is a world class observatory Siding Spring, also severely damaged in the fires. The blip was taken from about 40-50 kilometres away - up close they are a splendid sight. Good spot for bush walkers, bird lovers and of course all the Aussie wildlife is found in this area.

I have been trying to blip a kangaroo for DevonDumpling but since my promise I haven't seen any. They must be shy. I was pleased not to see any today as they often come onto the road causing accidents, very big hazard.

There has been recent good rain in this part of the country and the grass is growing well. The main livestock are cattle and sheep. The main crop is wheat. There is one river, the Castlereagh which is dry and sandy at the moment.