Pilliga – Roma

Looked at the map this morning and Cameron saw Come by Chance a good name let’s go there on our way to Hebel. We head out of town and the way to Come by Chance is a dirt road of approx 100kms. Interesting country changing from treeline and scrub to large paddocks of either cotton or as we found out chick peas or mung beans as cover crop between cotton crops and plowed back into ground to help with moisture levels and build nitrogen levels in the soil.

What a quaint little town only one house a closed shop (looked like a garage with a picnic setting out the front), a playground, a grass (weeds) tennis court and a hall with a dunny outside. (Not trees this year looks like outside dunnies) A cotton field and two bales of cotton in the middle of nowhere.

On to Walgett where two rivers meet, the Barwon & the Namoi. Population 1400. A few groceries, alcohol & fuel and of course a couple of murals.

Under duress I am including a stanza of a poem Cameron has found about Walgett by Banjo Patterson.

The Sun Strikes down with a blinding glare,

The skies are blue and the plains are wide,

The Saltbush are burnt and bare.

By Walgett out on the Barwon side,

The Barwon rivers that wanders down,

In a leisure manner by Walgett Town.

Finally at 4pm we arrive at Hebel an even smaller place than Pilliga but a lot more active. A quaint pub and General Store, now even boasts a caravan park. We free camp behind The pub and decide to a pub meal and a few ales are the go tonight.

We could see a helicopter flying in and watch it land behind the pub, and a comment from Cameron that ‘here for a beer’ and the guys said yeah and laughed.

The story is that they yes were here for a beer but two of the guys were here to pick up a bus to drive back to St George so they could take the football team to an away game on Saturday and the pilot (a mate) was then flying back to St George, all good mates. So the beer was payment. Only in Queensland.

Enjoyable meal and another G&T this time Hebel special, so good I bought a bottle.

After taking more photos we head off to St George through Dirranbandi. Resisted the urge to buy from bakery in Dirranbandi and only took photos. (Bakery was packed good enough excuse not to indulge).

Dirranbandi claim to fame is the end of the railway line running west.

Arriving in St George check on the availability of tour through Cotton gin but only Tuesday’s & Thursday’s. Today is Friday so missed out. Booked into River Gum on the edge of town for 2 nights and what a find lovely clean park & amenities and friendly staff showing us where to go not just on a map.

Today we are washing and touring the area. A 94kms self drive showing Beardmore Dam, where we had lunch, St George irrigation area and cotton gin.

As we were driving Cameron spots a harvester in a crop of cotton, so we stop and how exciting beside the harvesting of the cotton we get to see the bale being wrapped and deposited on the ground. Couldn’t have asked for more. Get back in the car and realise that fuel gauge is showing near empty and decide to head back to town rather than chance it so Cotton gin is given a miss, we then realise the cotton gin has been closed since 2014. Stopped off a a self serve fuel depot and a guy filling up says this the best place to buy fuel the others just rip you off, he was such a pleasant fellow. (Ha Ha)

More photos but what a great way of showing off the areas we are visiting. Very impressed with St George and I am sure the weather has had a lot to do with it.

Here we are on the move to Surat what an interesting little town population 402. Cobb & Co staging post.

Original building built in the 1880’s as a General Store and purchased in 1921 by Cobb & Co and wound up in 1929. The local shire council purchased the building in 1996 and converted to a museum.

Cameron as usual found a fellow who was an ex shearer and talked non stop feeling the fleece with a glint in his eye!!!

Quite a unique memorial for returned serviceman. A freedom tree with photos of the soldiers who went to war organised by Jillian Waud.

On the road after lunch we now headed to Roma for 3 nights….