Outback journey

11th August, 2005
Westward Ho.

We packed the Celica, watered the plants, made sure there was lots of food for our slimy mates in the laundry worm farm, gave the compost bin a stir, climbed into the car at 4pm and turned left onto Parramatta Rd smack into peak hour traffic.

Grinding along the M4 at 20kph until Westmead, we were able to accelerate to a reasonable escape velocity as we turned into the mountains and climbing hard, finally broke the surly bonds of greater Sydney.
It had snowed and we drove through Katoomba streets emptied by the mornings frozen roads.
The crisp sweepers of the old mountain ridges tightened as we began to drop down the western face of the Great Dividing Range towards Lithgow where we joined “freezing zombies on the lost highway” until calling it quits when greeted by the welcoming light of Bathurst and the Ben Chifley Motor Inn.

12th August, 2005
Giant crinoids and little horses.

Bathurst seemed nice and after warming up the car with two runs of the panorama circuit the dynamic duo investigated downtown. We were gob smacked by the beauty of the Somerville mineral & fossil collection and celebrate both the passion that drove the life-long work of Charles Sturt University Adjunct Professor Warren Somerville and the wisdom of the Bathurst City fathers for housing so well this world class collection that many more people should see.

Uranium minerals
 

Oh Bathurst, where is your Giant Crinoid?

Heading towards Dubbo we passed through Orange, Molong and Wellington where we spotted dad, mum and the boy in a town paddock.

Narromine and Trangie spooled by and by not tiring as we reached Nevertire, we were able to press on past the Silos and railway tracks of the wheat belt towards Nyngan. We drove into the setting sun but escaped the vanishing point and turning onto the Barrier Hwy, phoned home. The hills and trees got lower and as darkness fell we accelerated for Cobar.
 

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