Cootamundra, Gundagai & Surrounding Areas

by David Sloane | Apr 21, 2019 | Camping Trips, Day Trips, Our Travel Blog, Weekend Camping Trips

Cootamundra, Gundagai & Surrounding Areas

We spent the Easter long weekend in Cootamundra at the caravan park. We planned on looking at properties around the town so the Cootamundra caravan park was nice and central for us. It’s an older caravan park but everything is exceptionally well maintained and very clean.

Set Up in Cootamundra Caravan Park

Australian Cricket Captains Walk Cootamundra

The Captains Walk features 42 bronze sculptures of former captains of the Australian Cricket team. Sir Donald Bradman was born in Cootamundra and of course he features amongst the captains in the walk! On Friday after setting up we went and had some lunch and did the Cricket Captains’ walk in Jubilee Park again. Amanda was hoping that they had got around to installing Steve Smiths’ bust but alas she wasn’t very happy.

No Steve Smith Bust on the Australian Cricket Captains Walk in Cootamundra NSW

Trungley Hall

On Saturday afternoon we went for a drive out to Temora for a look around. We decided to take the long way back and ended up visiting a cemetary at a little abandoned place called Trungley Hall. I am guessing that in it’s day it must have been a German/Lutheran farming community like the ones in SA around Hahndorf as every name in the cemetery was clearly of German heritage.

Trungley Hall Cemetery NSW

Gundagai And Cootamundra Backroads

On Sunday went for a drive along backroads between Cootamundra and Gundagai with a little side trip to Tumut thrown in for good measure. We visited the Gundagai Cemetery and checked out Captain Moonlights’ grave – we love our Aussie bushranger history.

Captain Moonlights Grave Gundagai Cemetery NSW

Loads To Do – Explore The Backroads Between Gundagai And Cootamundra

There is heaps to do down this way, much more than what you see alongside the Hume as you roll on by. We saw quite a few nice little free camping spots in some out of the way places you’d never know existed.

Hema Maps Cootamundra and Surrounds

Cootamundra Caravan Park

Cootamundra is located 379 kilometres south of Sydney, it’s a small town of 5,900 people best known for being home to cricketer Don Bradman. His birthplace is now a museum well worth a visit. Located in the Riverina Cootamundra is an excellent base from which to explore the region. Cootamundra has a very good golf course and picturesque scenic views. In addition to being neat and spacious Cootamundra Caravan Park is easily accessible from town but sits off the main road. In fact you can walk to everywhere within Cootamundra from the caravan within five or ten minutes. The Cootamundra RSL Club is about two minutes walk from the caravan park. The RSL has a very good bistro and meals are both cheap and generous.

Getting To Cootamundra

Cootamundra is situated on the Olympic Highway, not very far off the Hume Highway. It’s easily accessible when travelling between Sydney and Melbourne. It makes a great stop to break up your journey.

Travel From	Distance	Time
Adelaide to Cootamundra	978km	10:28
Albury to Cootamundra	238km	02:24
Canberra to Cootamundra	171km	02:00
Melbourne to Cootamundra	562km	05:38
Sydney to Cootamundra	379km	04:01
Wagga Wagga to Cootamundra	90km	01:08
Young to Cootamundra	48km	00:36

Wingello State Forest Free Camping For The Weekend

by David Sloane | Dec 7, 2018 | Our Travel Blog, Weekend Camping Trips

Wingello State Forest Free Camping For The Weekend

Wingello State Forest is only about an hour from where we live in Southwest Sydney. As with all NSW State Forests it is dog friendly. If you are in to mountain bike riding then this is a great place for you. There are many marked mountain bike trails throughout Wingello State Forest. Many mountain biking clubs use Wingello State Forest for events.

There’s a main campground area in Wingello State Forest with drop toilets and we have camped there before. You can fit about a dozen vans/tents in there. It gets jam packed on weekends near Christmas and also over any public holiday weekends. If you’re a bit more adventurous like us there are at least half a dozen really good sites out in the forest itself where we are this weekend. If you are really adventurous (like us) and don’t mind getting your vehicle in to low range there are even more great sites down some little tracks.

Dog Friendly Free Camping Wingello State Forest Two Hours From Sydney

Wingello State Forest is only about an hour from where we live in Southwest Sydney. Distance wise it’s about 70 kilometres for us, plus whatever you need to add for getting to your camping spot out in the forest.

As with all NSW State Forests it is dog friendly. There is no drinking water available so you have to bring your own. Fires are allowed but with restrictions and only at certain times of the year. State Forest Rangers patrol the area.

Free Camping Wingello State Forest Sunset View

If you are in to mountain bike riding then this is a great place for you. There are many marked mountain bike trails throughout Wingello State Forest. Many mountain biking clubs use Wingello State Forest for events.

One last thing to keep in mind. Wingello State Forest is an actively logged area. Logging operations take place almost all year round so pay attention to logging trucks in the area when driving through the forest.

Camp Site Location

Mars Enthusiasts 2018 NSW Muster at Wee Jasper

by David Sloane | Jun 11, 2018 | MARS Enthusiasts Facebook Group

Mars Enthusiasts 2018 NSW Muster at Wee Jasper

Had a great weekend camping with the crew from the Mars Enthusiasts group at Wee Jasper down near Yass. Had a heap of fun with them – they’re a really good group of people. I think Tracey Kelly added up we had 11 trailers/vans, 21 adults, 9 kids and 10 dogs. Bloody great turn out.

Beautiful Views At Billy Grace Reserve Campground Wee Jasper

Firewood Collection & A Bit Of Exploring

Thanks go out to Sean “Big Daddy” Weaver for organising the even and to Peter Woolsey for doing all the behind the scenes stuff.

We got there early on Saturday morning and it was raining a bit. After setting everything up we went out with a few utes and some chainsaws to get some firewood for the nights big camp oven cook. Out of Billy Grace Reserve we turned left and the wood was pretty ordinary but we got a couple of ute loads of the best we could find. We probably drove maybe 10 or 15 kilometres down muddy twisty narrow tracks, it’s pretty spectacular scenery. On the way there we drove through another 3 or 4 camp grounds similar to Billy Grace Reserve that are worth checking out in the future.

Firewood Collected At Wee Jasper

Muster Night – Camp Ovens Everywhere!

Muster Night Camp Oven Cook Up

Saturday afternoon we had a beer pong tournament. I’m rubbish at it. Dinner was great, it was cooked on the fire in camp ovens and everyone had a great feed. Took a while to get it done but it turned out great.

We also had a trivia competition, we were rubbish at that too. Afterwards we sat around for ages and talked and had a great time. Oh and at some stage of the evening for whatever god knows reason I apparently agreed to go for a swim in the river the following morning. The evening finished off for me by being the subject of the NSW Muster’s pillow talk session.

On Sunday we got up early and Amanda and Johnathon made some damper for everyone. A couple of plain ones and a couple of fruit ones, they all turned out great albeit they tool a while to cook as the coals we had available weren’t all that hot due to the dodgy wood we collected on Saturday.

A Great Day On Sunday

After breakfast it was time for my swim. It was freezing, absolutely bloody freezing but I said I’d do it so I did it. What an idiot I am! To be honest it wasn’t too bad once it was over and I got out. The creek was only about waist deep in most parts but they managed to find a deep hole so I could get in and do my swim spa thing and flop about a bit.

Cold Morning At Billy Grace Reserve Wee Jasper – Ice Everywhere!

After my swim I had a nice hot shower and sat around the fire for a bit to warm up. When I had thawed out properly Simon, peter, Matthew and myself took a couple of utes and chainsaws out to get some more firewood. This time we turned right out of camp and a couple of kays down the road found a heap of nice dry gum halfway up a really steep hill. Simon and I climbed up with the chainsaws and cut a few uteloads. At one point Simon rolled down the hill a bit and tried to shishkebab himself on a branch. I was worried for a second but he was ok.

Lunch was cooked on the fire and then we all settled in for the afternoon and evening. We had a bloody great time and had heaps of laughs.

Lunch Was A Group Effort Cooked Over The Fire

All up the first ever NSW Mars Muster was a huge success. We met up with some friends we already knew and made a heap of new ones. Amanda and I are really enjoying the whole muster thing and we are really looking forward to going to Menindee late September for the national one.

Graciee Loved Billy Grace Reserve Wee Jasper

Free Camping Near Robinvale On The Murray River

by David Sloane | May 16, 2018 | Cameron Corner & Farina

Free Camping Near Robinvale On The Murray River

Free camping near Robinvale at Happy Valley Landing on the Murray River. It’s a nice, quiet secluded spot. I found it on WikiCamps not that far from Robinvale VIC. I’m not going to tell you the name of it or exactly where it is suffice to say it’s on WikiCamps. You can look it up for yourself.

It’s such an awesomely great spot that I’m not going to plaster it’s precise location all over the interwebs. Otherwise the nice quiet secluded spot could be overrun with people. Running generators 24/7 and blasting about on their quad bikes scaring the sheep. Send me an email if you are interested and I will give you the exact location.

Happy Valley Landing On The Murray River Near Robinvale VIC

From Berri To Robinvale

We drove through from Berri to near Robinvale in VIC, the roads were excellent. Most of the way we were on B and C roads so traffic was at a minimum. Mostly local trucks and a few cars travelling between small regional towns. If you don’t know the difference between what the M, A, B and C classifications for example “C727” mean for roads within Australia it’s worth your time to look it up. WikiCamps has a good explanation of it here. It can help you assess the quality of road and the amount of traffic you are going to encounter. All of the states we have been in use a similar system.

Free Camping Near Robinvale On Murray River

The track in is a bit tricky. It’s not too bad but you definitely need a 4×4 and an offroad camper trailer or SMALL high clearance offroad van to get in to it. No it isn’t suitable for on road vans. Same goes for semi-offroad vans, motorhomes or big rigs and you can forget bringing in your 5th wheeler. It’s quite sandy in patches with some fairly tight turns and some humps and hollows to climb up over or through. It’s really 100% guaranteed your effort if you can get in there though. At a few places the track forks off and it’d be worth your effort to get out and go for a walk down them to assess their suitability. All up I reckon there are about a dozen spots all spaced well well from each other along the track.

Awesome Spot To Get The Camp Oven Out

And there is heaps and heaps of deadfall firewood lying about for you to cut up. There’s literally more than you could poke a stick at. After setting up camp we got the fire going and sat around all afternoon reading or books and playing UNO, it was very relaxing. Just before dark a big mob of sheep wandered down the bank for a drink on the other side of the river. They were the only other things we saw all day, very peaceful.

Lamb Shanks In The Camp Oven

For dinner we cooked some lamb shanks in the camp oven and they were absolute monsters, the biggest lamb shanks I have ever seen. They were absolutely beautiful. Later in the evening while sitting by the fire and having a drink Graciee got all stirred up about something – scared shitless would probably be a more accurate description. Turns out it was an echidna that had wandered in to camp for a bit of a poke around.

Marree & We Explore Around Farina A Bit More

by David Sloane | May 13, 2018 | Cameron Corner & Farina

Marree & We Explore Around Farina A Bit More

We drove 60 kilometres up to Marree for a look around. Again it was very good gravel road all the way. Marree is where both the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks start so we will be going through there again one day for sure.

We had some lunch at the Marree Hotel. It’s was a very nice old hotel and our lunches were great. The chef was a nice young bloke out here from Canada. He was staying for about three months at Marree and then he was off somewhere else.

Lunch At The Marree Hotel

Ghan Railway Relics At Marree

After lunch we went across the road to check out the collection of old Ghan Railway stuff they have on display at the disused station and park. We had a chat with some people who were heading off up the Oodnadatta Track on their way to Darwin. It would have been great to have had another month off work so we could go too. Some other time for sure.

Marree Ghan Railway Old Engine

Looking Around Marree

The town of Marree itself is very small. They have a health services station, a caravan park, a pub and a roadhouse so they pretty much cover everything you’d need when out bush. We filled up at the roadhouse and bought some basic supplies including more insect repellent – you tend to use a lot of it out this way! On the way back we very almost ran over an emu who decided to jump out in front of us. Luckily I didn’t have the van on and was able to brake in time. It was all a bit much for poor old Graciee as she slid off the back seat and on to the floor. It was pretty funny although I don’t think Graciee saw it the same way..

Marree Hotel

Farina Underground Bakery

Once we got back to Farina we went for a bit more of an explore around. We had a look at the famous underground bakery. We were there about a month too early for it to be open which was a shame. Maybe another time. Farina really is a cool old town. It’s surprising to see just how fast it has gone to ruins as all of the buildings were seemingly strongly built out of local stone. For example the police station and post office were in use up until about 1960. In the last 60 years they have all but fallen apart. Perhaps a lot of the roofing timbers and flooring was pilfered for use elsewhere or for campfires maybe?

Farina Underground Bakery

Camping At Farina

Farina was really one of the better places we have camped. I recommend it highly to anyone who can get out there. If you are expecting a Big4 caravan park type experience then give it a miss. If you are like us and love the Aussie Outback and bush camping then add it to your bucket list.

Camping At Farina Ghost Town SA

Getting To Marree And Farina

Marree is at the junction of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks 655km north of Adelaide SA. Farina is about 50km south of Marree. If you leave Lyndhurst SA and head north towards Marree you drive right past Farina. Road conditions can vary greatly in the outback. It’s always a good idea to check conditions before you travel. Check conditions by calling the Marree Hotel or looking up https://www.dit.sa.gov.au/OutbackRoads.

Travel From	Distance	Time
Adelaide to Marree	655km	07:07
Brisbane to Marree	2215km	23:43
Melbourne to Marree	1378km	14:27
Sydney to Marree	1851km	19:22

Location Map

Marree Google Maps Location

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