Caves and Sculptures in the Bush

 We set off on our Sunday Drive in beautiful weather.

We left the sealed Newell Highway and joined a dirt road, the Pilliga Forest Way, towards our first stop the Salt Caves. These are situated in a well resourced picnic area in Timmallallie National Park. Thankfully we were in a large 4WD as the road was uneven. 

We passed on climbing the viewing tower

Robert explored inside the cave

From the inside looking out

Picnic Area

After scoffing our picnic lunch we headed for our next stop The Sculptures in the Scrub further south in Timmallallie National Park. As we drove towards this second site we noticed clouds gathering in the direction of the sculptures.

By the time we reached the turnoff to the sculptures light rain was falling but we continued on our journey.

Turnoff to Dandry Gorge where the sculptures are situated

The rain followed us all the way to the carpark. We sat and pondered, I decided to pass on the hike as I was concerned about falling on the slippery path and I didn't want to get wet (we had no rain gear or change of clothes) and end up with chest issues. Robert decided to take off on a truncated walk to view the sculptures while I sat in the car and enjoyed the peaceful environment. 

Following are some of Robert's photos. Having seen them I hope to return one day when the conditions are more suitable.

In spite of the rain we had a splendid day. As this post is already long enough I will post another with some other images we captured. What made this excursion even more special was that it was in the lands of my Kamillaroi/Gamilaroi ancestors.

Reading Challenge Progress - April

On the 27th December 2021 the Goodwill Librarian launched on Facebook her 2022 reading challenge. I made a hasty decision to join this challenge. 

Each month I will report my progress in reading books that fulfil her criteria. I will add a link to the Librarything entry for each criterion I tick off.

Following are details of titles I ticked off in April You can see the full list of criteria here.

I'm late in posting this list because I have been Unplugged for the past two weeks. 

10. About health and wellness Remember me by Charity Norman

18. With a one word title Stiff by Mary Roach

25. Set in the 1800s Curious epitaphs : collected from the graveyards of Great Britain and Ireland by William Andrews

32. That you heard about from a co-worker Dead Horse Gap by Lee Christine

33. Bought from your local bookstore  Fremantle Prison by Cyril Ayris

48. That's a coming-of-age story Where the Crawdads sing by Delia Owens

Although I managed to slot some of the books I read into the challenge categories this is not a full list of the books I read in April. The remaining titles can be seen on my Librarything and GoodReads accounts.

Unplugged

After nearly a fortnight offline while we cruised through Australia's Kimberley area on the Coral Adventurer I am now back at my keyboard playing catchup.  I considered buying an expensive internet package several times during the cruise but  was cautioned by those who had done so that it was a waste of money for poor and patchy connections. 

Ready to board our floating home in Darwin, NT

On my "to do" list today was an update of my GeniAus Travel Map on Google's My Maps. I was so disappointed to find that many of the remote places we visited are not in the Google maps database so my update is not complete. I am loathe to add the places now as I'm not sure how to determine correct GPS coordinates - a task for another day. I wish I could have added them at the time I was there so I could gauge accurate GPS locations. 

Some people find being unplugged from the internet and mobile phones restful. I found it most frustrating returning to a world where I wasn't able to connect with my family, share the joy of my journey with friends, post to my blog and find answers or seek information on many topics. I was concerned that the kids would hear about the Covid cases on board and worry about our health and welfare. I wish I could have been able to avoid this.

This display which didn't provide much info was only available in the ship's lounge

In the cabins or on the ship there were no TVs with access to news channels. I missed knowing what was going on in the world but was pleased that I wasn't being bombarded with pre-election nonsense. As the journey's itinerary was flexible it would have been helpful to have been able to follow a livestream of our journey's progress and the view from the bridge. 

I have travelled on other cruise lines eg Regent Seven Seas, Scenic and Viking that include internet in their packages and/or have TVs in the rooms. While we don't overuse the TV or access the movies on offer it's a facility I love to have. Being able to have reasonable internet access (no need for super high speeds) would have further enhanced our wonderful journey of discovery. 

Home Again

 When we finally emerged from our holding pattern somewhere near Sydney thanks to air traffic congestion this morning it was wonderful to fly past the harbour and city as we made our approach to the airport.

The congestion in the air is an indicator that things are getting back to normal post Covid. Alleluia!

All Aboard

Looks like I'll be allowed on board Coral Adventurer - Robert Ball too .

Covid test - Negative

Reflections

I grabbed the phone and ran out onto our verandah to snap this PaddleBoarder enjoying the calm conditions in the backyard this afternoon.

It wasn't quite the Eurostar...

 ...but I had a very comfortable train ride from Narrabri to Newcastle yesterday. I can't remember the last time I took a long train ride in Australia. I think it was probably Sydney to Melbourne on the new Southern Aurora in 1969.

On The Southern Aurora in August 1969 (Note the bouffy hair)

The Xplorer two carriage train was spotless, the staff very pleasant and helpful and the $10 hot meal was good value and more palatable than expected. I was expecting the seat to be a bit more spacious but there was plenty of leg room. I was surprised to find that the train was fully booked so I thanked my lucky stars that the seat beside me was unoccupied for more than half the journey.

Always the earlybird

I didn't take as many photos of the countryside as I had hoped as the scratched and spotty windows were a hindrance. Nevertheless I enjoyed the changing landscapes we passed on both sides of The Great Dividing Range.

I particularly enjoyed the free entertainment provided when our two carriages hooked up with a few from Armidale to make a longer train. We were given the option of remaining on the train or "stretching our legs" and watching the procedure. I am so pleased I took the opportunity.

Note the little old lady taking a photo