Western New South Wales

Another trip to Birdsville to attend the Big Red Bash, just like we did last year.
 
Due to recent weather events, our planning for this year's trip involved four different options. And just like last year, this trip will be a relaxed drive, taking just over a fortnight to reach Birdsville.
 
Our preferred choice was to go via the Birdsville Track. We've driven the track before, but that was over twenty-five years ago, and we wanted to revisit Farina. Our last visit there was in 2013, on one of our many trips along the Oodnadatta Track.
 
With all that in mind, we have been patiently waiting for the South Australian outback roads to open. Thankfully, the Birdsville Track opened cautiously, with towing just shy of two weeks before we left home. Provided there is no more rain, we won't need to revert to plans B, C, or D.
 
Over the past month, the van has been receiving some TLC, including a wheel alignment and the installation of our Maxtrax on the rear of the van. Apart from that, bearings were checked only 5,000 km ago, so they should be fine until we return home.
 
Our Landcruiser has just undergone its 80,000 km service along with a wheel alignment, and we have recently purchased a set of Staun tyre deflators, which will speed up reducing tyre pressures on all eight of our tyres.
 
Ros has been much busier than I have, attending to shopping and preparing slow cooker meals that she freezes for backup or when we just want a quick meal.
 
We must be jinxed, because on most occasions when we head away on a trip, it usually rains, just like it did this morning. Thankfully, we hooked the van up yesterday afternoon; otherwise, it wouldn't have been much fun.
 
Our late start had nothing to do with this morning's weather, or like having to call the NRMA to replace our 4WD's battery, as we had to do on one of our previous holidays. We don't have far to travel today. Our route will take us south past Kempsey, Port Macquarie, and Taree.
 
The rain continued on and off throughout our trip today, sometimes coming down quite heavily. It's not the ideal weather when out and about, especially towing the van.
 
Tonight's camp is at Lions Park in Bulahdelah, beside the Myall River on the southern outskirts of town. It’s far enough from the highway to ensure a peaceful night’s sleep. We are also happy to make a donation to help with the park's maintenance.  

Weather-wise, we experienced much the same conditions as yesterday when we left home: a damp, cold, and grey morning, while our van's diesel heater kept us warm and toasty. There was no real rush to hit the road early for our second day of travel, as our drive today was just over 320 km, mostly along the Pacific Highway.
 
After a pleasant and peaceful evening, we rejoined the highway, happily staying in the left lane as we continued south towards Raymond Terrace. The traffic congestion increased at this point, as did the rain, especially while crossing the Hunter River at Hexham and continuing until we reached the Golden Highway.
 
We again took John Renshaw Drive and the Hunter Expressway before joining the Golden Highway to head westward. We planned a coffee stop at Jerry's Plains, approximately 40 km west of Singleton, where we often camp.
 
Our route then led us to Denman and through Merriwa. While we can't begrudge the farmers the rain, it does make towing a caravan more challenging, especially with the current state of the roads.
 
An hour later, we arrived in Cassilis, where we spent the night. The local bowling club offers powered sites with all the necessary facilities for $12 per two adults; however, we chose to park on the adjacent oval and still donated some money while enjoying a few beers at the club.

Tonight, we ate one of the meals that Ros prepares in the slow cooker before we leave home. She prepares a variety of meals that we store in the takeaway packs available from Woolworths and Coles. Tonight's curried chicken meal is one of our favourites. We also keep them as backups, just in case the weather turns nasty and we can't cook over the fire, which to us is one of the pleasures of going away camping in our van.
 
The same weather conditions prevailed again this morning, so the diesel heater was turned on before we dressed and had breakfast.
 
Today, we travelled to Dunedoo, where we joined the Castlereagh Highway on our way to Gilgandra. From there, we joined the Oxley Highway to spend the evening camped on the outskirts of Warren.
We have previously camped at Bob Christensen Reserve, so we have decided to stay here again. It’s quite a large area, with no facilities apart from several covered tables and benches, and it sits beside the Macquarie River.
 
On our last visit, we camped on green grass. Unfortunately, the drought has really taken hold here, and it’s very sad to see the effects on the surrounding countryside.