ARMIDALE - 25 TO 30 NOVEMBER 2020

25 November

At Walcha, we visited relatives and had lunch at an old pub converted into a cafe. The gardens were a treat and we sat around a garden bench beneath a cabana of wisteria enjoying our food.

Next stop was Armidale, where we settled into the Highlander Camp and later had dinner with our daughter, Kara who was doing intern work there for the three months.

26 November

We drove to Gara Gorge in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

We parked the car and followed the track on a 5.5 loop track. The scenery started off as a slow moving creek amongst the granite boulders. The track was an old aqueduct of sorts so it was relatively flat. The creek gradually disappeared from view as it cut deeper into the valley. The boulders became a dominated feature along with a variety of wild flowers.

We eventually reached a viewpoint where the creek was far below us. The track veered inland and became a meandering track through the grasses, logs and trees.

We soaked our feet in the water for awhile at the end of the hike as the temperature and the dryness of the air had increased.

We drove back to the Highlands camp but it was very hot and uninviting so we moved to Big 4 camp which was cooler, greener and had a pool. Luxury!

We met up with Kara and visited her dwelling in Armidale and then had dinner in town.

27 November

Jacinta wasn’t feeling well so we had an easy day at the camp and booked another two nights.

Later in the afternoon, we drove to Uralla to visit the various lagoons.

Barley Fields Lagoon had no water and looked ordinary.

Racecourse Lagoon had no water but still looked impressive. There were some birds in the bush around the lagoon.

The final lagoon, Dangars Lagoon had water and quite a variety of aquatic birds. We watched the foraged for food in the shallow waters.

After the lagoons, we met up with Kara for dinner at the White Bull Hotel. It had a good atmosphere and food.

28 November

A mountain bike ride at Pineys Mountain Bike Park art Armidale.

A long ride with some long flowing sections. I followed the black most of the way though I became a bit lost where the track had been cleared due to logging. I hit a pole at one stage which brought me to a dead holt and took my breath away. The day was hot but it was relatively cool in the pine forest.

29 November

A mountain bike ride on the cassina track in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

A long drive to reach the picnic area and the start of the track. There was a slight setback with my front wheel buckled. Must have happened at Pineys or someone nudged the bike with their car while we were in the café yesterday. Anyway, the ride was okay but it was a bit too hot/rough for Jacinta so we only did the short track.

Back in Armidale we had coffee and cakes in the park under the shade of a park tree. Nice and cool on such a hot day.

30 November

We had an easy morning. I strolled around the ponds of the holiday camp where we were staying. The ponds had beautiful lilies in bloom, an island in the centre and koi carp.

We drove into Armidale for supplies and a new wheel for my bike.