The Big Loop again ... The Ladybug Loop 2017

Time to go ... dawn at Sancrox, near Port Macquarie, looking out the front window of the van on Wednesday 12 April, 2017.  We helped son Pete clean up after his 50th birthday party held around the fire pit, ringed by many of the guest's camps, on his property, There were somewhere upwards of 140 guests, many camped on the property like we were. It was then on the road in the Ladybug!

Some of these first few days have been a bit torrid - we returned south down the Pacific Highway, swapped a few things at home, things we could do without and a couple of things we forgot, then headed West on the Golden Highway. The first stay was for a couple of days at a free camp in Jerry's Plains, right on the edge of town (very popular with travelling caravanners and campers).

That was too easy - we weren't getting West quickly enough, so it was on to Merriwa by Saturday night so we could get to church for the Easter Day service the next day, pressed on to Dunedoo and turned off the Golden Highway there with the intention of bypassing Dubbo and stopping at a free camp we knew by the river at Mendooran.

We decided at Mendooran that we should go on a bit further towards Gilgandra before nightfall, then via Warren and back to the Mitchell Highway at Nevertire ... renewal of lesson number one in navigating - take your time and get it right!  We missed the Gilgandra turn at Mendooran and veered back Southwest towards Dubbo!  By the time we worked that out we had to find an alternative camp. We got lucky then and found a Conservation Area by the Macquarie River called Terramungamine.

(The lower picture is of aboriginal sharpening grooves in rocks by the river. This area has great significance for the local people)

We were back on track the next day heading West. The pictures below (in order) are of our camps between Nyngan and Wilcannia, and then of the Darling at Wilcannia (Note: You can enlarge the view of any of these by clicking on them).

That middle one we called the BB camp - Bugs and Burrs!

Wet weather then set in, stopping us from going down to Menindee (Kinchega NP) so we have been doing it easy in a van park at Broken Hill for 3 nights - hence the photos below from our visit today to the sculptures in stone on a hilltop a few kilometres outside of town

The roads have re-opened in Kinchega National Park, so we are off again in the morning (Sunday 23/4/17).   More news down the track.

... Ron and Marilyn