Outback journey-Page5

19th August, 2005
The Shortcut that wasn’t.

Behind Narrabri stands Mt Kaputar and we planned to take a short cut via the sawn rocks, but headed out the road that took us to the summit of Kaputar, instead. Twenty-one million years ago the Indo-Australian plate drifted over a 'hot spot' and molten rock poured from the earth over four million years to gradually form the Nandewar shield volcano, present day Killarney Gap and Mt Kaputar. We wanted to cut through the park to Bingara.

We began our assault on the summit. As we got closer, we could look back at the lower peaks.


Finally we reached the top and were ready for the trip down the other side.

But we ran into a gate and that was it, wrong way, this was not the road to Sawn Rocks. We drove back to Narrabri and headed north, our appetite for dirt sated. The Newell runs from Melbourne to central Queensland and had traffic to match its economic importance so it was great to turn right at Moree, join the Gwydir Hwy, lose the traffic and head towards the tablelands along roads with beautiful curves, cows and countryside.

We climbed the North West slopes past towns with intriguing names: Biniguy, Gravesend, Warialda and Delungra, then reached Inverell and climbed up to the tablelands to Glen Innes.
We went to the Celtic stone circle and had coffee and pie.
 

20th August, 2005
In a great park, a small tragedy.

Spent the morning looking over Glen Innes, a beautiful little town that cultivates everything Celtic, including the weather, that freezing morning. We headed down the Fossickers Way to Armidale before turning onto the Waterfall Way which runs to the coast. The weather cleared as we entered the Oxley Wild Rivers National park, a World Heritage area, and stopped off at Wollomombi Falls, a most famous waterfall, commonly cited as the tallest in the country.

A few more pics can be found here.
http://www.armidale.info/nationalparks/wollomombifalls.htm
Winding down the road to the coast, I overtook a pain in the ass station wagon first place I could where the road was still tight and steep. The Celica was moving fast and as I pulled back into the left hand side we heard a sickening thud; a most beautiful bird had hit the right front driver side indicator, with its head. No chance it survived and the road was such that it was impossible to stop. Bellingen was crowded with people at the jazz festival and we finally reached the Pacific hwy. The shock took out the bulb. Pulled up at my brothers place in Port Macquarie.

21th August, 2005
Crunching the numbers.

Spent the morning with my bro’s. Drove down the highway in the afternoon. The adventure was over.

Total 4478Km   409.87 litres

409.87 Litres pushed the Celica 4478 Km, 0.09153 litres/100 kms. Would have done much better, but as it was the first time out, the schedule was tight and there was a need for speed. I’ll slow down and enjoy it more next time.
Great trip, would recommend it to anyone but suggest you take the dirt from Wilcannia to Bourke and the right road to Sawn Rocks.
 

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