We left Brewarrina a tad before 8:30am after morning walks and breakfast. The countryside is looking really lush and green, the best we've seen since we started caravanning. Saw several mobs of emus, each mob consisting of 30 odd birds. First stop was at Walgett for fuel and then mornos. At $2.20, this was the cheapest fuel we've had for a while. A van-brewed coffee was as good as we've had anywhere.
Onwards we travelled on a new road for us, and we didn't stop until we reached Collarenebri. Not the most salubrious place around, in fact it's actually a dump, but this was one of the towns Wendy's family lived in after they moved to Australia from Zimbabwe. So for old times sake we're staying for a couple of days. We made camp at the Collarenebri Primitive Camping Ground, just over the bridge on the road to Moree. Nothing too primitive, flushing toilets, dump point and potable water. There are eight marked sites and we were one of five vans at the time of arrival. The sign says not to park anywhere else other than the marked sites, however, the grounds are large with numerous camping areas, so there's plenty of room for everyone. Numbers grew substantially as the day went on.
After lunch and a little rest, we walked into town to see if Wendy recognised anything. She immediately recognised the Bowls Club as that was where she hung out every Thu night with the workers from Colly Farms where she worked during her Uni holidays. Other recognisable places were the Tattersalls Hotel, the supermarket and the cop shop, although the building has been upgraded. Inside the Bowls Club has not changed, although the Chinese restaurant is no longer operating. In fact they no longer serve meals at the Club at all. We have yet to look for the house they lived in for a few months before moving out to Colly Farms.
After a wander it was back to the van for some reading and crocheting. About 5:30pm, we set off for the pub for our usual Wed night dinner. Upon entering the beer garden we found the locals sitting around a very smoky fire which was actually inside the building! Nearly every person was smoking and amongst all this were young children! That's how the other half live. However, as it is the only place in town to have a meal, we found a nice outdoor area as far from the smoke as possible. To our surprise both meals (chicken) were tasty and large, so large, we have some for tomorrow night as well. The walk back to the van in fresh air was most welcome.
A quiet night of reading and blogging followed.
