Thursday, September 4th to Saturday, September 6th, 2025 – Yay! The Park IS Open.

Sunset at Whitegum, Warrumbungle National Park

 As we had planned, on Thursday, we drove to the start of a short walk, Whitegum, near the eastern entrance to the park, and were thrilled to see the gates wide open. We had been told that it offered a good view of the range and we were not disappointed. The photo above was taken at the end of the day, but I have put it here because it is a fabulous photo for us start with! (Sorry, I don't mean to brag – but I love it, especially the way the light reflects on the white trunk of the gum tree.) It is a view to the west, and the peak over which the sun is setting, is called Split Rock.

Panoramic View Looking South From Whitegum

This is the view looking south from Whitegum, from earlier in the day, where you can see most of the peaks. From left to right, they are Crater Bluff, Belougery Spire and the very small bump after Belougery Spire is the elusive Breadknife. The big one almost in the center of the photo is Bluff Mountain and the tallest between the two tree trunks is Mount Exmouth. They are all volcanic remnants from a shield volcano which first erupted around 18 million years ago, when this part of the earth's crust passed over a hot spot in the earth's mantle.

Warrumbungle Volcano Formation from Crystal Kingdom, Coonabarabran

Shield volcanoes are the nice gentle ones, like Hawaii – things don't blow up, the lava just flows and makes a nice mountain. Much of the original volcano has eroded away now, leaving the hardest remnants of trachyte rock forming the crooked skyline of today. This diagram above shows it pretty nicely.

Egg and Bacon Plant

I had come here in spring, hoping to see wildflowers and there were many examples. This delightful little guy is a variety of Eutaxia, that we used to call 'egg and bacon plant'. It always made me hungry when I saw it.

Australian Bluebell

This pretty blue flower gave a contrast to all the yellow surrounding us, and is the Australian Bluebell - Billardiera fusiformis.

Crater Bluff and the Breadknife

We were very pleased that the park was now open – they said the culling had finished early because of the good weather, so I felt very fortunate. I still nursed my quest to get closer to the fabulous Breadknife, which was quite difficult to see from the Whitegum lookout. It is a formation which is nearly 360 feet high, but only 12 feet wide. It was formed when magma squeezed between two layers of rock – possibly sedimentary rock - to form this thin volcanic dyke. I thought it was fascinating as a child and images of it are iconic for this area. You can see the shadowed side of it here slightly below Crater Bluff. Note also the yellows of the wattle along the side of the road – clearly I want you to really appreciate how vibrant it was.

Typical Australia Bush

In an effort to get a closer view, Nadine and I followed the recommendation of a ranger and took a trail called Gould's Circuit to a spot called Macha Tor. He said there were great views from there. Again, the day was beautiful, just a few wispy clouds in the otherwise intensely blue sky..

Bearded Dragon

Some of the locals were not so happy to see us. This little bearded dragon held his ground against the two giants pointing their cameras at him – we thought he was awfully cute. I think he's a species of Pogona.

Grey Kangaroo

Equally oblivious was this grey kangaroo, who ignored my attempts to capture an image of him through the brush. He was busy chomping on grass and was the only kangaroo we saw away from the roads. He seemed a little rough looking - although he was not skinny. He wouldn't get his head out of the grass, so you see him all crouched over.

A Goat!

Unfortunately, in spite of the just-finished culling, the bleating of goats was an almost constant background noise and they were the animals we saw the most of. They appeared to have discovered a small cave/crevice near here and no doubt had a grand old time hiding in it from the expensive and deadly helicopters flying overhead in the previous days. I have never seen these in the wild in Australia before and I'm very saddened that they have become so abundant. This is not their natural environment and they compete with the native species for food and resources.

Belougery Spire and the Breadknife

The path we had chosen was challenging for our old knees, even though the distance was only around 4 miles return It was the steep uphill with many steps that challenged us, but we managed to navigate it steadily. When we reached Macha Tor, we decided the final rock scramble was too much for us – while getting up might have been possible, getting down would likely have been dangerous, so we satisfied ourselves by sliding around the base of the rock and sticking our noses out as far as we could get. It did not allow the vista I sought, but the Breadknife was clearly visible. In the photo above, we have Crater Bluff at the back, Belougery Spire in front and the Breadknife to the right.

The Breadknife

Add a little telephoto lens and finally! Mission accomplished! Here is the Breadknife in all its glory. Ahh, yes. Now you can see how it got its name.

Eastern View From Macha Tor

Before we took our tired legs back down all those steps to the Pincham Camp, we sat and relished the view to the east. I love the softness of the tree covered hills. Considering that 90% of the park had burned in the 2013 fire, the recovery has been robust.

Sunset Over the Warrumbungles

Our return that night found two tired people who were very pleased that we had pushed ourselves, yet neither suffered injury or anything more than short term tiredness. It had been a very satisfying day. An additional day to make up for the park closure would have been welcomed, but this was it, we were headed back to Dubbo the following day - Saturday.

Welcome to Gilgandra Sign

During our drive back to Dubbo, we passed through a little town called Gilgandra. It's slightly bigger than Coonabarabran, with a population of 3,126.

Royal Hotel, Gigandra, New South Wales

They also had a Royal Hotel. Could it be a franchise?

Heartland Church - Formerly Western Monarch Theatre, 1934

Gilgandra also had a magnificent art deco style former theatre, built in 1934. Originally called the Western Monarch Theatre, it is now a church.

Country Women's Association Table at the Saturday Market

There was a Saturday market and I stopped at the table for the Country Women's Association, a very important service organization for women in rural, regional and remote areas. The organization was established in 1922 with the purpose of improving the conditions for women and children. To many people it is not seen as a powerhouse organization but more focused on food and domestic issues. They lobby and have exercised political clout in improving dental services, child care, road safety and crisis relief for rural people.

'Sconversation' Mental Health Guidelines from CWA 

The woman from CWA was interested in where I came from and wanted to know if there were women's organizations on Amelia Island. She seemed genuinely interested and gave me a flyer that has a scone recipe on one side - a very traditional act that the organization is known for (tea and scones) - but the flyer has a twist by calling on people to start 'sconversations' to share what's on one's mind to boost mental wellbeing. Mental health in these communities is a concern, when people face adverse conditions resulting from fire, drought and flood, in this fragile climate. This can lead to consequential financial losses and enormous emotional stress. In Australia, the suicide rate increases as one moves further away from major cities. The other side of the flyer she gave me had a very thorough flow chart to help people assess where they're at emotionally and mentally and encourages seeking out help when indicated.

Coo-ee March, 1915, Commemorative Statue

We ended the conversation with her pointing out the statue of this First World War Soldier, which commemorated the Coo-ee March of 1915, when 25 young men left Gilgandra and walked the 320 miles to Sydney, arriving a month later. The word coo-ee travels well through the air and is used in the bush to find people or be found if one is separated. It is an ancient Aboriginal Australian word meaning 'come here, here we are, where are you?' as a long distance greeting. During this march in 1915, the cry of 'Coo-ee! Come and join us!' attracted 238 other young men to support the homeland (England) at Gallipoli in Turkey. It was a proud moment in the country which had only become a nation fourteen years prior.

'Instagram' Pic at the Crystal Kingdom, Coonabarabran

Oh, but I do go on, so lets end on a silly note. I had shared photos of Nadine and me in the previous blog, showing us as the nine and 11 year olds that we were in 1960. We were headed for Dubbo airport where Nadine would go on home to Canberra while I am headed to the North Coast of New South Wales to visit my other, younger sister Toni. It seems only fair to share a photo of the two of us now, to commemorate our time together. This photo was taken in the Crystal Kingdom in Coonabarabran, and I thought we still look like two silly girls, sitting on those kid size dinosaurs. LOL!

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable, albeit brief venture for me, into the Australian bush. I'm sorry you can't hear the birds, smell the eucalypts and feel the sun on your skin.

 Thank you for traveling with me.

Monday, September 1st, to Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025 - A Walk Back in Time - Warrumbungle National Park, NSW

 

Skyline of Warrumbungle National Park, New South Wales

Warrumbungle National Park is about 280 miles north-west of Sydney – a 5.5 hour drive - but for us it was just two hours from Dubbo. The name means 'crooked mountain' in the Gamilaraay language, one of the indigenous groups who have lived here for close to 20,000 years. As you can see from the skyline in the photo above, it is well named. I could not find a lot of information on Google about the Aboriginal heritage of the area, but it is said to have been a spiritual place for the Gamilaraay, Wiradjuri and Weilwan people. I like to imagine it was a meeting place for these groups, just as it was for my sister Nadine, and me.

Alwynne (Left) and Nadine in 1960 - Warrumbungles (Photo by Geoff Hood)

It was not our first time here in the Warrumbungles. We had been here in 1960 with our father for a 'bushwalking' trip (the Australian term for backpacking). I believe it was my first experience of hauling camping equipment in a backpack. You can see me on the left and Nadine on the right – I was nine and she was 11. You can see that technical development in the world of backpacks has improved greatly. I have no idea how one would have fit tents, sleeping bags, clothing and food into the packs we carried then! Nor can I imagine that my little legs could carry it up the hills!

Belougery Spire - Warrumbungles

Nevertheless, the beauty of the landscape was held in my heart and, I returned with a friend in the 1970's when I had aspirations to be a rock climber. Together, we scaled this rather phallic looking peak, called Belougery Spire. When I look at it now, I am just a little astonished that I was able to do that. I don't recall it being particularly scary or difficult – I think we must have followed that diagonal crevice you see across the face of the rock.

Goats? What the........!

For some reason, these mountains have been calling to me again for the past couple of years – I yearned to go back to this area to re-experience this fantastic landscape again. Nadine and I allowed ourselves five full days so that we could travel at 'old lady' pace, which was a good thing, as we discovered on arrival, that the park had been closed for the week! They were conducting an operation with helicopters to cull the wild goats and pigs that have become a nuisance and are destroying areas of the park. They don't let anyone in, for fear they might be mistaken for a pig or goat and get shot! While I recognized the need for this – I have never seen goats in the wild in Australia before - I was profoundly disappointed, to have come so far to find myself unable to accomplish what I had planned.

Clock Tower, Coonabarabran

We began by getting supplies from the nearest town – Coonabarabran, population 2,387. They had a wonderful bakery which made excellent sandwiches with gluten free bread. We were very happy to find that in such a small place.

Hotel Royal, Coonabarabran

The town had several classic old hotels like this one. Although the town is small, it is a tourist destination and with the observatory, people are coming and going through here all the time.

Fish and Chips, or 'Coonabarber'

I like the juxtaposition of the solar panels with the almost crooked building here – and you know you can't visit a country town in Australia without a fish and chip shop. Note that you can get a haircut from the Coonabarber! LOL!

Window, Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal Land Council

I think this was my favorite window, though – 'Many Mobs, One Community!' at the Local Aboriginal Land Council. I like that sentiment. I was trying to find the difference between the term mob, clan, tribe etc, and it seems that 'mob' is a widely generic term that can apply to any of the above! I like it and hope to learn more as I travel. After wandering the town a bit, we picked up all the supplies we needed for the hotel we were staying at, which was about six miles out of town.

Siding Springs Observatory on Mount Woorat

In addition to being a national park for the beauty of its landscape, this area is also a dark sky park, home to the Siding Spring Observatory – the most important location for optical and infrared astronomy on the Australian mainland. All was not lost yet, so we visited the observatory and took a guided walk to the top of the mountain it is located on, Mount Woorat.

One of the Telescopes at Siding Springs Observatory

We learned that the funding for this complex was initiated through the actions of a scientist, Bart Bok, in the late 1950's. He was an astronomer who worked at the Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra and got the first photo ever taken of Sputnik 1 – the first ever satellite - with his telescope. He took it to the politicians in Canberra (the national capital) who were all freaking out about the potential hazards of the Russians having such an object in space, He was successful in persuading them to approve funding for better equipment so that they could keep better eyes on the skies, to get forewarning of possible threats coming from this new direction. They had been scouting potential sites already, none of which were ideal, as all were below the clouds. Because Australia has no high mountains, like they have in places like Chile, they settled on the Siding Springs site for its low humidity, dew point and relative proximity to universities.

View to the Northwest of Mount Woorat - Toward Pilliga National Park

The landscape to the northwest – the opposite direction from the Warrumbungles, was also very beautiful.

Many More Telescopes at Siding Springs

There were many telescopes up there, from so many different nations – including Korea, America, the UK, Poland, Hungary, Germany and Russia. They are big and small, optical and radio. The searches attempt to probe the cosmos for 'Dark Energy', and other planets with signs of life. We learned the astronomy in the southern hemisphere offers a unique view of the center of the Milky Way, like the Magellanic Clouds, which are not visible in the north. The astronomers we spoke to said this difference makes southern observatories  highly valuable to the science. Most of the observation is managed by robots today – partly due to safety concerns that arose following a huge fire in 2013, which just spared the telescopes there at the time, but destroyed the dormitory housing. There is a significant potential for people to become trapped on the top of the mountain if there is a rapidly advancing fire.

Moonscape! My Camera, Their Lens! Dubbo Observatory

Siding Springs is closed to the public at night, but we were able to visit a smaller, nearby observatory called Milroy Observatory which houses a big 40” telescope, that was the original one at Siding Springs. It was donated at the end of its professional usefulness on the condition it would be made available to the public. Unfortunately the 40” is not operational at present – repairs are hard, as parts are expensive and have to be custom built. (You might be amused to know that it was knocked out of operation by a plague of rats that chewed through all the wiring!) However, they provided an excellent stargazing show with another smaller scope and I particularly loved marvelous views of the Southern Cross, Alpha Centauri, Venus, Mars, the Jewel Box, and much more. I had hoped to get out my tripod and set up my camera to get shots of the Milky Way, but is was quite cold - in the 30's - and the moon was much too bright, so I abandoned that plan. The photo of he moon above was taken with my camera that used the lens from another observatory I had visited in Dubbo – it felt very much like cheating to say 'I took that picture'!

A Real Australian 'Bush' Feel Here - Mount Woorat

Once here, I found it absolutely glorious being back in the Australian bush, it is unlike any other vegetation I have experienced. Here you see the white trunk of a gum (eucalypt), spikey bushes and the strange grass 'tree' in the middle which we used to call 'black boys' (Xanthorrhoea) I'm not sure if that terminology is still common today. The grass like top grows a long spear-like structure from the top. We used to love finding them on the ground and pretending to throw them, or threated each other with them.

Wattle, Wattle Everywhere!

As you see, the wattles here were also particularly abundant – I don't remember ever seeing them so resplendent before. Even through the entire park had been thoroughly burned in wildfires 12 years ago (2013), the vegetation has recovered extremely well. Many plant species require fire to activate seeds. They said thee were even a number of new native plant species that regenerated after the fire. The sides of the roads where ablaze with the yellow of these small trees – it was wonderful. There were also many kangaroos alongside the roads – it required enormous diligence to keep eyes peeled in case they jumped across the road. Their dead bodies on and alongside the roads, told the story of unfortunate encounters and implied expensive repairs to the vehicles. We had a few misses, but managed to avoid them all.

Nadine (Left) and Alwynne with Belougery Spire and Breadknife View (Photo by Geoff Hood)

I am going to keep you in suspense as to what happened next – I don't want this entry to become too long. The photo above shows what I most wanted to see again – the narrow formation you see on the right, called The Breadknife. There were rumors that the excellent weather had allowed the culling process to succeed very well, so they might open the park a few days early. Our plan was to drive in early on Thursday in hope that the rumors were true – otherwise we planned to drive to the Pilliga forest to the north if my hopes were foiled. You'll have to stay tuned to see what happens!

Friday, August 29th to Monday September 1st, 2025 - 'Welcome to Country', Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia

 

Here at Last!

I'll admit, Dubbo, New South Wales, is a rather odd destination to choose at the end of a 36 hour journey from Florida. It's just an hour plane ride north-west of Sydney and I decided to spend my 'jet lag recovery' here instead of the bustle of the city. I may have driven through Dubbo as a child, but I was curious to discover a new place.

Propellors - Oh, My!

The journey from Florida went as well as one could hope, in spite of a potentially disruptive delay in Dallas. The Economy Sky Couch offered by Air New Zealand allowed me to rest and sleep pretty well on the twelve hour flight from Los Angeles, so I was happy to land in Sydney, knowing there was just one hour left. The little plane that took us to Dubbo was a turboprop. It has been many years since I've seen propellors!

Sydney - Cell Phone Through Hazy Window.

It was a beautiful day - puffy clouds floated above. One rarely sees the full extent of Sydney Harbor, otherwise known as Port Jackson. Here you can see that it is a drowned river valley which extends about 12 miles inland, but the shoreline offers 150 miles for prime property and docking. You can see the CBD (Central Business District) right of center in the photo.

Green! - Notice the Yellow Wattles

I was astounded to see how green everything was. Dubbo is the hub of a geographic area they call the Great Western Plains, a vast region of gently undulating land west of the Great Dividing Range. (I'm noticing a theme here with all those 'GREATS'!) Usually, the Australian landscape is more of a browned off grass color but this year they had had an unusually wet winter. It almost felt English! Someone told me one week of solid hot sun will brown it off pretty quickly.

Wattle - Australia's National Flower

I was thrilled to be able to see the wattle from the plane, and relished being up close and personal with those lovely, fluffy yellow balls of golden color. It helped me understand why the national colors of Australia are green and yellow - although the green should be a somewhat khaki color to reflect the eucalypts.

Spring is Sprung

I have not been in Australia for a spring in decades, so was delighted to find some streets already in bloom with exotic pear trees.

Pear Blossoms

It lifted my heart to see the fluffy white blossoms falling like snow and announcing a year of new growth. Although it is spring, it is still quite cold - getting down to the mid-30's at night. The locals say it is a convergence of two cold fronts and is unusually cold for this time of year.

Pink Magnolia

I was also pretty happy to find a pink magnolia downtown, outside a law office on Macquarie Street. In Florida we get the beautiful creamy yellow variety and I had forgotten that anything else exists. These flowers were not as open and downward facing as the ones in Florida, so without a step ladder, we can't see its inner beauty.

CBD - Macquarie Street

Spring hasn't arrived everywhere, though. The trees downtown were waiting their turn.

The Old Bank

As is the case with many smallish Australian towns there are remnants from the early days of settlement. This old bank building was built in 1867 - just a few years before Dubbo officially became a gazetted 'village'. It is 'old' for this part of the world.

Not Historical!

Sadly, the few charming remnants form the past were scattered about and new development did not appear to be limited in appearance to preserve or enhance a historic feel. I'm grateful that we don't see signage like this in Fernandina! (My Florida locals might appreciate that the Coca Cola sign on Centre Street in Fernandina might have been considered repugnant at some point in Fernandina history - now it's iconic! Perhaps this pharmacy sign could meet the same fate? ) 

Macquarie River

Dubbo, with a population of over 43,000 is located on the Macquarie River and is the largest city and hub of this region. It is where three major highways meet and has a rail line stop. The name is believed by many to mean 'red earth' in the Wiradjuri language and before European settlement this was an important area for the Indigenous Australians to obtain ochre for art, ceremonial practices and other culturally important uses. (According to Google AI, the word means 'headdress', so I'm not sure what is accurate. I like red earth better!)

Aboriginal Artwork on Old Railway Pylons

In spite of it having been important to the First Nations People, I didn't see much evidence of that ancient culture beyond this lovely art work on the old railway pylons that were created by local people. I thought them very lovely.

My Favorite Pylon

This was my favorite. I liked the dreamy feel and the fact that the colors used were probably very similar to those that have been available for millennia. I also love the hand-prints. I had first seen similar stencils of hands when I was a child and was very impressed that someone could blow the paint out from their mouth to create them.

(A note on language - in the past, I grew up referring to indigenous people as 'aborigine'. Times have changed and this is no longer considered respectful, especially without being capitalized. I am still figuring out the rules. The terminology 'First Nations People' seems a little bit wordy, but is a bit more user friendly than the most accurate terminology which is 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples'. Even Indigenous Australians is not fully correct - the addition of the word 'Peoples' acknowledges the great variety of culture and language that exists within that designation. Please allow me to stumble my way through and hope I can do so without offense.)

Diprotodon - Giant Wombat at Wellington Caves

Saturday was cold and windy, so I decided that visiting nearby caves was a great idea. The Wellington Caves were only an hour south and are noteworthy for being the site where the first Diprotodon fossil was found. It gave evidence of the existence of giant 'cousins' to the animals that remain here today - not just wombats, but kangaroos, goannas, birds and many more  . It was a time when the climate was wetter, so vegetation was abundant for supporting the massive animals. They died out around 40,000 years ago and it is thought that increased aridity, more frequent fires and possibly the arrival of humans led to their demise. The guide pointed out that the bricks on the right of the steps would be the size of this creatures 'scat' (that's their poop)! (He suggested this, as wombats are peculiar for creating cubic poop!)

Cave Bacon - Gaden Cave

I visited Gaden Cave, which had some nice formations. It was small and is actually two separate chambers. The limestone was formed when atolls developed around a series of volcanoes offshore from the ancient coastline of Gondwanaland, which is the supercontinent that broke up around 180 million years ago. 

Rillenkarren on Limestone

The topography around the caves is referred to as 'karst', but unlike the beautiful vertical landscapes that have drawn me to the places like Halong Bay in Vietnam, the drama of this karst is underground, within the caves. The surface is fairly flat, but rocks like this one reveal what might lie below. The channels you see here are called 'rillenkarren' or grooved rocks. They form when slightly acidic rain rolls down the surface and follows small grooves created by the previous flows which dissolved the limestone. This is the solution that then evaporates in the caves below and creates the stalagmites and stalactites etc. (About now, you might be regretting that you are reading the blog of a former science teacher! LOL!)

Wellington Waste Warrior

One of my favorite things at the caves was the 'Waste Warrior', made by local kids from tetra packs (Juice boxes) and coffee cups. The motto was 'I Choose to Refuse' - on the back it says to refuse single use coffee cups and other packaging, in order to to reduce landfill. Considering that 'refuse' also means 'rubbish', it is a lovely play on words. 

Crested Pigeon - Dubbo Regional Botanic Gardens

Although I came here to rest and 'do' jet lag, I found there were many activities and sights to see. Fortunately, jet lag is best dealt with by being out and about in the sunshine, so I headed to the botanic gardens, a Cultural Centre and a lovely old homestead from the 1830's. This meant that I rejected the much touted Taronga Western Plains Zoo, The Old Dubbo Gaol (Jail) and Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Experience.

Sandstone Frog Sculpture - Dubbo Regional Botanic Gardens by Brett Garling

I was a little disappointed in the botanic gardens. Pride of place was a Japanese garden which was being tended to carefully. Other cultivated areas looked unhappy - but perhaps I'm unkind, as they are emerging from winter. I did enjoy a series of lovely sandstone sculptures of larger than life animals - perhaps an echo of that megafauna! The sculptor, Brett Garling, is a local.

Gymea Lilies at Western Plains Cultural Centre

The Cultural Center had both an art gallery and museum, but my first excitement was these amazing, enormously tall red flowers outside the building. They are called gymea lilies and are normally found near the coast. They bloom one flower per year, so I felt fortunate to see them in bloom.

Old Classroom in Western Plains Cultural Centre

When I walked into this classroom, which was one of the museum displays, I was astonished to recognize it as the very same as those I sat in more than sixty years ago. I was taken aback to realize that I am old enough to be museum-worthy! I can't fit into the desks any more, but the ink wells took me right back. We used to use pens with nibs - I always ended up with ink stains on my fingers and clothes and probably splats of it on my papers. Blotting paper was my friend. When refillable fountain pens became a 'thing' - by the time I was in middle school -  they were seen as very modern. Biros only started appearing late in my high school years.  Girls with long braids were at risk of having their braids dipped into the ink if they had a mischievous boy behind them!

House Banners and Iconic Maps - Western Plains Cultural Centre

The back of the classroom held the banners of the 'houses' that we were divided into. I don't know how that was done - it wasn't a ceremony like in Harry Potter. Generally they tried to assign siblings to the same house. I believe the intent was to bring in some excitement and competition into sporting events and create a smaller community identity within the larger student body. The maps on the wall were identical to those that had hung in the classrooms of my childhood.

Globite School Cases - Western Plains Cultural Centre

The final, fun, memory jogger was this little collection of Globite school cases that we used to carry our supplies in.  They were sturdy and made a very satisfying and accomplished 'click' as one opened them. They also made excellent stools when turned on end, especially if one had to wait for a bus. They also nearly ripped your arm out of your socket if books were heavy! We had a particularly large and robust, blue science book that was a nightmare to haul around. I think the introduction of back packs for school supplies was an excellent improvement, other than losing an always available seat.

Dundullimal Homestead - Built 1850's

My last destination was this lovely old homestead, which is believed to be the oldest surviving slab house in Australia. The name of the property came from the group of around 40 First Nations People who lived and slept on this site. The word means 'thunderstorm'.

'Slab' refers to buildings that were constructed by materials that were all sourced locally. Without skilled woodworkers, it was a common form of putting up a hut in the earliest of days. Everything here (other than furnishings) was gathered from within a half mile of the structure. The 'slab' consists of thick pieces of split or sawn timber that are placed vertically into a horizontal 'grooved' piece of wood and secured at the top with another horizontal piece to secure it. There are wooden shingles under the corrugated iron roof. (The corrugated iron was ballast on a ship!) There was a wing on either side of this structure - one side burned down, the other was destroyed by a flood.

The first owner was a squatter - people who just took and settled the land without any papers to signify ownership. The second owner, bought title to the land for ten pounds. He had come from India, so unlike may others early buildings,  he maximized its position on the property for best cooling and breezes.

Dining Room - Dundullimal Homestead

When it was first settled, the homestead was the furthermost outpost from 'civilization', about a days ride from the nearest town of Molong. The second owner was a wealthy man - he arrived in Sydney with five thousand pounds - a lot of money in those days. He extended the holdings to 26,000 acres and upgraded the homestead to reflect his wealth and social standing. It was on its way to becoming totally derelict, used by sheep for shelter and falling down. It was rescued and renovated by the National Trust in 1982. The furnishings in the dining room pictured above, represent the very high quality of life they were able to accomplish so far from the developed world.

Bedroom - Dundullimal Homestead

The bedroom was also very lovely. Homesteaders were expected to provide food and accommodation to anyone who came past, but the guests did not sleep inside the house, unless they were known by the owners. The guest room was off the porch, so the householders could secure themselves at night. There was no telling who some of these 'guests' might be!

Horse Stables - Dundullimal Homestead

By the 1860's there was a stonemason in the area, so they were able to construct this beautiful sandstone horse stables. It includes a blacksmith's workshop and rooms for the groom who was responsible for caring for the horses.

The Old Dubbo Gaol

And, so ended my time here in Dubbo. I leave you with a photo of the jail that I decided not to visit. When he woman told me there were very good displays about how the prisoners were mistreated, I decided we don't seem to have learned much from history, as even today these types of abuse are being perpetuated. I decided to leave my brain and soul uninformed!

My sister Nadine will be joining me for the next step of the journey, when the two of us travel about two hours north to the Warrumbungle National Park, where we had bushwalked with our father in 1960. More on that later. I hope you will join me.