4/11/12

Today we planned to drive to Sydney to visit cousins we had not seen for a few years. We left at 9.15am and Brendan the GPS guided us through traffic to our destination at Five Dock. It was wonderful to see Grantley, Joanne and their daughter Michelle, as well as Michael, @ Brother, and Marcia (Grantly's dad and mum.). We went for a walk with Grantley, Michelle and doggy Lucas to the Parramatta River. When we returned, Joanne had a wonderful lunch waiting for us which was delicious. We all had a great time and, before we knew it, it was 7.00pm and an hour drive lay before us. Again with Brendan's help we arrived safely back at the caravan park at 8.30pm.

 

Walking alongside Sydney Harbour at Five Dock

 



Karen & Mike with Grantley, Michelle & Lucas

 



Lucas just had to have a swim!

 



Michael practising for playing dolls with Stella

 



A family photo with Joanne in the middle

 



Grantley's Mum & Dad, Marcia & Michael



3/11/12

We left our Rest Area at 8.50am and drove through the Southern Highlands and some very spectacular scenery. Our first stop was at Bargo a short distance after leaving the Hume Highway. We drove through the towns of Picton, Camden, Narellan, Penrith, Windsor and Richmond. We stopped at a Rest Area and Visitor Information Centre at Richmond which was right across the road from the Richmond RAAF base. We had lunch there before returning to Windsor and finding our caravan park at Vineyard ,which is close to Windsor. We went for a quick drive around Windsor and Richmond in the afternoon and did some more shopping at Aldi before returning to the caravan park for the night.

 

 We stopped at a park at Richmond to have lunch

 

The park was across the road from

The Richmond RAAF Base

 

The Avina Van Village, Vineyard

 

 



2/11/12

We woke to beautiful sunny day. We packed up and were on the road by 9.10am. Our first stop was for fuel at Goulburn. From Goulburn we joined the Hume Highway and drove to the Albert Chowne VC Rest Area. The rest areas on this part of the highway are named after Victoria Cross winners. We had lunch there before driving on and spending the night at the James Gordon VC Rest Area. It was set back a bit from the highway and we arrived to greet the lunchtime crowd. We did manage to find a beaut spot big enough for both caravans and set up camp. In the afternoon we went for a walk and saw lots of rabbits. It was coolish in the evening and the right temperature for a great night's sleep.

 

 The Albert Chowne VC Rest Area

 

 Camping at The James Gordon VC Rest Area

 

 After the lunchtime rush we had plenty of room

to spread out

 

The rest area is set in a picturesque countryside



30/10/12

We left Boorowa at 9.10am and drove to Yass. We didn't stop at Yass but continued on to Murrumbateman where we had a quick toilet stop. It was on the road again and our next stop was our caravan park at Canberra thanks to Brendan the voice in my GPS. We set up in sites across from where we stayed in 2009. We had a quiet afternoon and a quick drive to Cosco to check out all the bargains. We had a BBQ for tea after Mary-Anne's son Michael arrived. He was the first family we had seen for 8 months and it was great to catch up with him.

31/10/12

We had been to Canberra in 2009 and visited all the must see places then. It was wonderful this time around to be there and not have anywhere that we had to go. We lazed around during the morning and in the afternoon started cooking a roast meal for tea. Michael and Mary-Anne's nephew, Matthew, were coming for tea. We all had a great meal and it was good to see Matthew again as well as Michael.

1/11/12

It was wonderful to have nothing to do again this morning. In the afternoon we drove to Aldi and picked up some bargains and great stuff to take to Michael's house for tea tonight. About 4.30pm Brendan guided us through peak hour traffic to Michael's home. We had a few drinks and nibblies before sitting down to marinated split chook cooked on the BBQ. Michael's two house mates Josh and Jay arrived home from work just before tea and they joined us. We had a wonderful feed and evening and before we knew it, it was time to leave. Nephew Michael had a little tear in his eye as he waved goodbye to his mummy, aunt and uncle.

 The Two Michaels

 

 Michael & Matthew came for Tea

 

 'Little' Michael's home at Chifley

 

 'Little' Michael cooked chicken on his BBQ

 

 Mary-Anne & Michael

 

Michael & his housemates, Jay & Josh

 

 

 

29/10/12

It was with a sad heart that we left our favourite caravan park and ancestral homeland and headed towards Boorowa. On the way we came to a small town called Gooloogong and we stopped at a park with public toilets. It is a war memorial park as well a pioneers park. At the rear of the park is a free caravan park with power and water. 

Our next stop was at Cowra. We were all delighted to find our first Aldi shop in 8 months. There wasn't much left in Aldi after we finished shopping and we had trouble finding space in the vans to fit it all. Then we drove to Brougham park and had lunch in the lovely surroundings. 

After lunch we drove to Boorowa and set up in the caravan park. In the afternoon we went to the local arts and craft shop before having a drive around the town. We were surprised at how big the town was and how well kept the old buildings were.

 

 The Township of Gooloogong was not very big

 

 Gooloogong Pioneer Park & War Memorial

 

 Our first Aldi store in 8 months!

 

 Lunch at Brougham Park, Cowra

 

 Brougham Park was lovely & peaceful

 

 The Arts & Crafts Store situated in the old

Boorowa Court House

 

 It was pretty quiet in the main street of Boorowa

 

 The Boorowa War Memorial

 

The Boorowa Caravan Park



28/10/12

We had a lazy morning and the girls did some washing and fridge defrosting. After lunch we went to the McFeeters Motor Museum. 

There are about 62 different motor cars and trucks in the museum and all but 2 have been fully restored to original condition. It was facinating to see a range of cars from early 1900 to 2008. I think I like the older cars better as they have more character. 

We left McFeeters and went to McDonalds and had a flake cone each. Then we went to the Forbes Museum and had a look around. We found some more information on our great great grandparents there before driving to the Forbes Cemetery to say goodday to them. We found the graves of our great great grandfather, Edward Joseph Smith, and also our two great great grandmothers, Eleanor Mary Smith and Bridget Curry.

From the cemetery we went back to McDonalds to have a lamb burger each for tea. What a huge mistake that was!!! The burgers were crap!!!!

After our dreadful feed we drove around the western side of town to the area where our great great grandfather, Edward Smith, had a small farm. We also found the street where our great great grandmother, Eleanor Smith, lived after our G.G.Grandfather passed away.

 

 The McFeeters Motor Museum

 

 We got to sit in one of the vintage cars

 

 A 1953 Silver Dawn Rolls Royce

 

 A Model T Ford

 

 There were cars of all shapes, sizes and ages

 

 This is just a small section of the display

 

 There was even a caravan!

 

 The caravan was being 'towed' by a 1955 FJ Holden

 

 The display was on 2 floors and was extensive!

 

The Forbes Historical Museum

 

 The grave of Bridget Curry - one of our Great Great

Grandmothers

 

Our Great Great Grandparents, Edward & Eleanor Smith



27/10/12

We were on the road by 9.00am and had a quick drive around Parkes before heading for Forbes. Forbes is not that far from Parkes and we arrived about 9.45am. Our first stop was at the Visitor Information Centre situated in the old railway station building. They have plenty of arts and crafts and a Ben Hall exhibit. He was a famous bushranger in the district around the 1860's. 

The girls wanted to stay at the Big 4 caravan park because a brochure stated they had free washing machines there. I wanted to stay at the Apex Riverside Tourist Park because it is the park I always stay in when I visit Forbes. 

We went to the Big 4 and the lady there told the girls that there were no free washing machines. It's a 'no brainer' where we then decided to stay. *(see note below from Karen & Mary-Anne)

After we set up in my favourite caravan park in Forbes we went for a drive out along the Wongajong Road in a hope of finding the area where our Great Grandfather had a property called 'Pine Hill'. We may have passed the location without knowing but it was fun trying to find it. 

We then drove into town and went to the Forbes Family History Society. There we found a lot of information on our great great grandparents and a little about our great grandfather. We came away with reams of paper full of family history.

 

*We parked the caravans in the driveway of the Big 4 while we went inside to book in for a couple of days. Michael stayed outside with head and shoulders drooped walking around complaining about the kids in the park making noise on the jumping pillow. When we discovered that the washing machines were not free, there was no other option for us but to change our plans and go to Michael's favourite caravan park in the whole world, the Apex Riverside Tourist Park, where he always stays when he visits Forbes (even though that has only been ONCE before!). We swallowed our pride and asked the Receptionist if she could open the boom gate to allow us to turn our caravans around in the Big4 park to save us having to back them out.  We were blocking their driveway!  After a while she found a key to open the boom gate for us.  Meanwhile, on discovering that we were going to the Apex Riverside, Michael was beaming with joy, was in the car in a flash and was revving the motor at the gate waiting for it to open.  It's a wonder he didn't break it in his haste to leave.

 

 The Forbes Information Centre

 

 Michael's favourite Caravan Park in Forbes

 

 As its name suggests the Apex Riverside Tourist Park is

situated alongside the Lachlan River

 

It really is a lovely caravan park!



26/10/12

We left the rest area at 8.25am and drove to Nyngan. There we had a pit stop and a drive around town. It was bigger then we expected and it had some very old buildings. We walked past a museum that had an Iroquois Helicopter mounted on a stick. It was gift from the Federal Government to commemorate the evacuation of the town during flooding in 1990. 

Our next stop was Narromine where we had lunch. Narromine is the home town of Glen McGrath, the Australian fast bowler, and there is statue of him in Tom Perry Park. 

From Narromine we drove to Peak Hill and visited the Visitor Information Centre. The Visitor Centre sells arts and craft as well as antiques and old hand tools. 

We stopped for the night at the Currajong Rest Area, on the outskirts of Parkes and free camped.

 The Iroquois Helicopter on at stick at Nyngan

 

 Glen McGrath's Statue at Narromine

 

 Sunset at Currajong Rest Area just outside Parkes

 

Watching the trucks go by

 



 



25/10/12

It was cool this morning and we left about 8.55am and drove to Cobar. We got there about 11.00am and parked the vans in a caravan friendly parking area across the road from the Visitor Information Centre. We walked to the Visitor Information Centre and found there was an attached Museum. We decided to have lunch first and then return and pay the admission to the museum. The museum was full of atrifacts from Cobar's early days and we spent about an hour in there. We left Cobar about 1pm and drove another 80 kilometres to the Florida Rest Area where we spent a lazy afternoon and restful night.

 

 The Great Cobar Heritage Centre

 

 The disused Cobar Open Cut Mine adjacent to

the Heritage Centre

 

 Some of the many artifacts on display

 

 This 'Mystery Box' was used at a nearby Station

as a Food Safe

 

Our campsite at the Florida Rest Area