Aug 29-31 Narrabri, Coonabarabran, Mendooran

From Moree, we drove on to Narrabri and checked into the Showgrounds. Lots of space, away from main roads and powered site for only $14. Enjoyed a wander around the main street of Narrabri and thought it a nice town.

The Narrabri Showgrounds

The Australia Telescope Compact Array is located 23 km to the west of Narrabri. The following day we went for a visit. I found it quite interesting. Not so sure about Judith. I think she's looking forward to seeing the Dish at Parkes though in just a couple of days time.

Judith enjoys whispering to me about 20m away in front of another parabolic dish

Two of the six 22 metre dishes that move along a railway line to track radio wave emissions from deep space

A scale model to help one understand how the Compact Array set-up works

The telescope array is in the middle of almost nowhere. There was one place on the map nearby called Yarrie Lake so this became our destination for lunch. There was a camping ground but unfortunately dogs are not allowed. We thought it was a lovely spot for our lunch and a bit of a play.

The very pleasant Yarrie Lake, about 30kms west of Narrabri

Our lunch spot on the shores of Yarrie Lake

I found a rope in good condition and went for a swing. Not quite hot enough to let go over the water though...

We got confused (the GPS as well!) on the way back from Yarrie Lake and got stuck on about 20km of dirt tacks. Nothing too scary, but it did cause the shelf in the van to fall off the wall. (My fault for not putting it up properly in the first place.)

The next major town was Coonabarabran. The most notable difference for us was the blossom trees lining the streets. We haven't seen such trees for a long time; certainly not on our trip so far. After a shared coffee and apple turnover, we decided that we didn't want to stay in town and drove on further.

We stayed the night at a free camp site in a little town called Mendooran. We thought the town and the camp site was great, so we stayed for another day. No power, but with our new battery and solar we are fine.

The campsite by the river at Mendooran

Our morning view from the van

Our first night, in the shade of the beautiful trees

Second day, we moved into the sun - for warmth and solar charging

Mendooran is known as the mural town

Another mural on the side of an old shed