Day 1 – Friday 29 May – Home to Numurkah - 227 km
I rose just before 8am, Shirley just after. We were in no rush. Multiple check lists were completed and double checked. Recent Covid & RSV jabs made for slightly tender arms.
Car was connected to caravan. Lights were checked. The gear stick moved into 'Drive" at 10:28 am and off we went.
As we hit the freeway we thought of the "far too many" good friends who are on the sick list - a couple in hospital. Rest assured, we are not deserting you. I read recently that prayers work better if transmitted from a warmer climate. So that is what we are going to do. We hope they work.
Driving conditions were ideal. Some sun, some cloud, no wind. Around 15-16 degrees. We stopped for lunch somewhere. Great coffee. Terrible chips.
We had two days to reach Griffiths so we stopped half way - at Numurkah - on the bank of the Broken Creek - about 4 metres from the water and a mere 500 mm above it. Rain is not forecast - I hope.
The creek was populated with Black Swans (photo below).
We are 200 metres from the local netball courts so tomorrow morning could be interesting.
The caravan fridge was OFF all day as the person in charge was a bit rusty - even after the verbal reminder. We did the sort of caravan organising that always seems to be required for us on day one.
It was an alcohol free night.
[Route today: Wallan, Shepparton, Numurkah]
Day 2 – Saturday 30 May – Numurkah to Griffith - 285 km
I rose about 7:30 to find out that Carlton had beaten Geelong last night. A great start to the day. Shirley rose when the caravan was somewhat warmer than 16 degrees. The screeching of the cockatoos dragged me outside where I spotted a pelican close by searching for breakfast.
I had to swap gas bottles as there was no gas to heat the whistling kettle (or power the fridge).
We departed about 9am and headed north. Diesel was $2.20 at Tocumwal, the gas bottle was extra. The bakery at Finley beckoned. The coffee and lamington were both excellent.
The first two hours provided ideal driving conditions, the third provided gentle patchy rain with a slight head wind. All good.
We soon turned left from the Newell Highway onto Kidman Way.
Much of the countryside for the rest of the day was growing rice, almonds, walnuts, olives, citrus, cotton, grapes, carrots and tomatoes. A veritable fruit bowl.
We crossed the impressive Murrumbidgee river at Darlington Pt and pressed on.
We arrived in Griffith around 12:45 and visited the Visitors Centre. The lady who helped us had about 12 highlighter pens in different colours. She used them all. We left with loads of information - in different colours.
Incidentally Walter Burley Griffin designed two Australian cities - Griffith was the other one. The same theme is evident - circular streets and large roundabouts.
Soon after, camp was established at Lake Wyangan around 12 km north of Griffith.
After a late lunch we headed back into Griffith and checked out some of the art.
We had a stroll around "Campbells Wetlands" but saw very little apart from acres of bull rushes.
Day 3 – Sunday 31 May – Griffith
The entire day alternated between superb sunny conditions and overcast conditions with a cool breeze. It started foggy but that soon wore off.
Our first activity was to visit the Farmers Market. Quite unimpressive but the 'Crimson' grapes were excellent, which we bought along with some other fruit and veges - including a $1 butter-nut pumpkin.
Next was our first serious activity of the trip with a two hour walk around the mural in a lane just off the main street.
Click here to see some of the Griffith art on display today. It was not a great day for photography.
It was time for coffee (see a theme here) and we were well accommodated - sitting in the sun.
Lunch back at camp preceded some jobs and some relaxation.
Around 3:20 the fire was lit in the new "Arc Pit". It was not long before the beef stew was cooking in the camp oven - Beef, onion, capsicum, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, beans, zucchini, tomatoes and a few herbs and spices.
A small flock of Australian Ringnecks entertained us.
Damper was later added to the fire in another camp oven.
Day 4 – Monday 1 June – Griffith
The day started chilly and sunny, then went to sunny and warmer, then overcast and downhill from there.
Our first activity was a 50 km drive south to the Southern Cotton Gin - a place where they take the harvested cotton and process it into a product ready for export. This is a service to the grower who delivers the crop and later picks up the processed product.
It takes around 45 seconds to process each bit of the 2.5 tonne 'bundle of cotton' and produce the end product which ends up as a '250 kg bale of cotton'.
Riverina cotton is the most water efficient crop in NSW, maybe Australia. It is up there with other advanced countries.
Each cotton flower pod contains 3 to 5 seeds which are high in protein and are used for cattle feed.
All 'bundles' are wrapped in plastic. Pink bundles are reserved for cancer charities and blue bundles are reserved for mental health charities.
Above: 2.5 tonne plastic-wrapped 'bundle' being unwrapped to enter the process. 45 seconds after leaving this position the processed cotton is being pressed into a bale.
Above: Four machines that progressively clean and polish the cotton, from right to left in the photo. The pipe running across the top of the photo is carrying extracted seeds off to another process.
Below: The machine that presses the cotton into a 'bale' (left of the machines in the above photo). Note the 250 kg bale at the bottom of the photo.
On the way back to camp we stopped and took a photo of an impressive sculpture that was attached to a water tower in the oldest town in the Riverina - Whitton.
Day 5 – Tuesday 2 June – Griffith
The birthday girl scored egg on toast for breakfast before we broke camp and headed into town for a shower. On the way we stopped and refreshed our 15 year-old memories of the Hermit's Cave and the view from the lookout.
Valeri Ricetti was a young Italian immigrant who lived in the caves below between the late 1920's and 1952. It had to be very cold in winter.
We bought bread and checked into the caravan park for one night.
Around 1:15 we arrived at the Catania Fruit Salad Farm for a 90 minute tour - that took 2.5 hours. It was the best $25 (each) that we have spent in a long time. Seventy year old Joe was our guide and absolute 'salt of the earth' character.
Without mentioning the many types of grapes Joe and Sharon have (on their 50 acres) Pecan nuts, two types of persimmon, Feijoa, Valencia oranges, pine nuts, artichokes, kalamata olives, pistachio, cara cara (pink) orange, almonds, carob tree, walnuts, locust tree, chestnuts, cherries, multiple stone fruits, prunes, water melons, capsicum, chilli, mandarins. We sampled the fruit in red as well as Merlot grapes. Some of the above were not in season.
Above from top left: Pecan nut fresh, pecan nut after 2 years, pine cone containing nuts, Feijoa, persimmon opened, persimmon 1, persimmon 2, kalamata olive, artichoke, Cara Cara orange. Photos not to scale.
Joe drove us around the farm in a pre-loved Nissan bus that had to be seen to be believed. It was clad in corrugated iron.
Above: the Catalina Bus
We came home with two Cara Cara oranges and six persimmon and some great memories.
For dinner I took the birthday girl to a restaurant called "Little Italy" - her choice. No prizes for guessing the cuisine. The pasta dishes we had were superb.
Some stats after 5 days: 733 km, 147 km/day, diesel $19 per day, accommodation $8 per day, food - about the same as home, drinks - less than home.
Day 6 – Wednesday 3 June – Griffith to Condobolin - 244 km
It was to be a short day so we had a leisurely start and a 9am departure. We had very ordinary driving conditions for the 75 km to Rankins Springs - a town of around 240 people that lays claim to being one of the smallest Aussie towns to have a rugby league side. The guys look pretty tough going by statue of a famous player below.
We smiled at Wally's Junk art and pressed on to Lake Cargelligo - our resting place for the night.
We arrived at Lake Cargelligo before noon and had an early lunch. The weather was not conducive to walking and we looked like sitting in the caravan for 18 hours. So we changed plans and headed to Condobolin - after chatting to a couple that we met at the Griffith cotton gin. They were heading the same direction.
We took three photos of the water tower before we departed.
Above: Lake Cargelligo water tower from three positions
We arrived at the Condobolin visitor centre and were amazed at the "Ute in the Paddock" display. Very impressive.
[photos to come]
I chatted to a couple of local police officers while our coffee was being made clearing up a NSW road rule question. They also passed on some local knowledge and supported our belief that Gum Bend lake was a good place to stop for the night. A (free) site among gum tree, free amenities, concrete path around the lake, great sunsets. Excellent.
So we headed there and established camp before again chatting to the 'cotton gin' couple. We attempted a lake walk but the rain drove us back to the caravan.
Above: Our rig from Gum Bend Lake
Below: Gum Bend Lake
*** This chapter is incomplete ***
Last updated at 4:30 pm on Wednesday 3 June 2026
