 | New England Range General Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 20 |  |
Popular General Tips | Miscellaneous General Tips Tips | All Tips (20) Glen Innes, like most of the reasonably sized towns in the New England area, has a museum. This particular one is called History House, a rather simple but definitely to-the-point name.
One thing many of them have is room, lots of it; so invariably they have space to store items such as you see here.
The prominent wheel is an "Albion" horizontal steam engine which came from London & Colonial in 1886 and was used to power a local sawmill up until the 1960's whilst on the left is a winch that was used in the same mill but originally was a ship's winch.
The museum is open in winter from 10-12 and 1-4 weekdays and 1-4 on weekends. Summer hours are the same for the morning session but 2-5 in the afternoons. Leave a Comment |
Taking a quiet country road and experiencing the pleasures listed below.
On a winter's afternoon with a low-angled sun filtering through the bent grey gums shrouded in their stringy drapes of of old bark, the light flickering, strobe-like, across your windscreen as you cruise the coarse blue metal, waving to the occasional other motorist as you pass by in a reassuring gesture of friendship, you reflect on how good life can be.
As the earth spins and the rays' angle becomes more acute, the first soft yellow tinges appear on the cumulo-nimbus clouds, heralding the beginnings of sunset. The later pastel greys and pinks soon are dominant before they in turn are overcome by the oranges and last-gasp deep reds ond the western horizon.
In this most serene of landscapes the final squawk of the parrots can be heard along with the last rustlings of the echidnas as they settle for the night and the rarely-seen nightbirds like the tawny frogmouth take their turn in the never-ending queue for food.
It's an atmosphere I never tire of and have come to appreciate even more after overseas trips where none of the above, save the sunset, exists. Leave a Comment |
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I think I mentioned this elsewhere but, if you haven't got the message yet, I am a fan of parks.
Every town and village in this area has at least one park and, the larger towns have several.
This particular one is in Armidale, between the Tourist Information Centre and the RSL Club. It offers a few sculptures, the fountain and some nice trees. When it rains, unlike the three years before I took this shot, you might also get some lovely green grass. For the time being though, they have to put up with the parched reality of drought. Leave a Comment |
Initially this is just another photo. The devil is in the detail.
Here I am wearing the jumper I bought from the wool shop in Armidale. How appropriate seeing as I am only about two blocks away from where the shop is!
Next notice the brown stream. It's actually chock a block full of leaves since there has been no rain worthy of mention for months.
Then you can see what you can do to brighten up what would be a dull little bridge and turn it into an eye-catcher.
Yes, when you know more about what you're looking at, it came become a little interesting. Leave a Comment |
On a tranquil evening in Bingara the Gwydir River presents a reflective surface. The Gwydir in this part of the country is fed by water from Copeton Dam, ironically a dam that's only been near full once in its entire history of a few decades. Thus there is always some sort of flow for the farmers to utilize for irrigation.
It's also a good river for fishing but, watch out for the snags.
Bingara is situated on the Manila Road out of Tamworth, just over an hour from that city. Leave a Comment |
On the Bingara-Copeton Dam road, approx 6 kms out of Bingara, there is a spot beside the Gwydir River that I find absoutely enchanting.
On occasions I have just pulled up and sat there to soak myself in it, figuratively speaking. Last time I penned the following, "Listening to the prolific bird life whose squawks, screeches and titters bounce off the water, the surface of which is moving almost imperceptibly towards an ocean a couple of thousand kilometres away through the twists and turns.
The rich light green spring cloak of the willow is dazzling in its reflection while the tall weary river gums show the ravages of passing years, their wounded branches still defying the elements, knobs oozing resin, bark flaking to reveal the glowing grey trunks beneath.
One day they, too, will become a snag in the river, a haven for fish, until they trap too much and the flow moves elsewhere.
As the spring sunshine casts an ever-lenghtening shadow across the banks, the night creatures stir for their nocturnal foraging but I will return another day." Leave a Comment |
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Just driving through the countryside is a pleasure in Australia, that's why so many people do it, and New England is no exception.
It pays however, to keep your eyes open as you will miss things otherwise. Here is an example. Shot during drought time this river is, rather obviously when you think about it, not really running that fast. In truth, it's not even running at all, hence the algal bloom all over the surface of the water so that it appears solid like a dirt road. Caution, do not try driving your vehicle on it! Leave a Comment |
The New England area is one of the best in Australia for bushwalking, a fact it is only now becoming known for. Within easy distance of Armidale you can do Dangar Falls, Wollombi and Chandler Gorges and Gara Gorge. These are all fairly dramatic canyons. Some over 1,000 feet near vertical.
Walking around the rim or delving into the valley floors with the echo of crashing water somewhere on the granite below interspersed with bird cries or the rustle of an echidna takes you into a world away from all others. Take time out if you're there, sit down and simply take it all in for a quarter of an hour. We call it recharging your batteries. Leave a Comment |
The Oxley WIld Rivers National Park is one of Australia's best kept secrets. The reason is - limited access and rugged terrrain.
There are, however, a number of places you can see, a few very easily. Some that I would suggest are Wollomombi Falls, Dangar Falls and Apsley Falls. These are easy to get to, spectacular, yet, for the keen adventurer, offer much more. They also have facilities such as barbecue areas and Apsley has a caravan that sells basic food and drink (we're not talking haute cuisine here).
Australia, it is important to remember, has very few recent geological features. Most of what you see is eroded plateaus and this area is exactly that. It is vast and don't expect to go from one waterfall to the next in ten minutes, even in a helicopter! However, it is rewarding and does give you a taste of true Aussie bush country.
A couple of my favourite places are Tia Falls, especially in late winter/early spring when the wattle colours the place yellow and the spot in the photo at Enmore.
This is a tricky one to get to and you should consult with the National Parks and Wildlife for directions. Leave a Comment |
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March to June is when all the colours happen and this example (oh where was a horse and carriage when I needed it) is just a few short kilometres north of Armidale on the New England Highway. Leave a Comment |
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on September 9, 2004
