Day 62 (21 Jun) – Wilcannia to Yass

We got up at daybreak again with the temperature at a brisk 1 degree Celsius.  Ice on the car so had to run the engine for a while to defrost the windscreen and annoy the other campers.  The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous through the fog.

The roads in western New South Wales are atrocious for a major highway.  Rough, bumpy and very hard to hang on to the steering wheel.  And that was for 100s of kilometres.  We had fuelled up yesterday at Port Augusta and had over half a tank at Wilcannia.  So I thought that will be heaps to do the 260km to Cobar when the trip computer said we had 456km of range.  We plugged in the GPS to Yass and it was going to take us south through Ivanhoe then east through Griffiths and Temora.  I looked at the distance through Cobar and Nyngan and it is 100km and an hour longer so off to Ivanhoe we went.  Got to the turnoff 20km out of Wilcannia and there was a sign saying the road is closed with a number for information.  Called it and, yes, the road is closed.  They’ve had a lot of rain out here, so I guess that highway is under water too.  So off to Cobar.

I was watching the fuel gauge and the trip computer as there is no fuel between Wilcannia and Cobar.  The fuel gauge was dropping quicker that I was comfortable with, and the trip computer was dropping even faster.  In the end we made it to Cobar and as we pulled into the service station, the low fuel light came on.  That was close.

Onwards to Nyngan.  We stopped there for a coffee and found the “Big Bogan”.  Nyngan is called Bogan Shire and the Bogan River flows through the town.  So, they made Big Bogan and set it in the middle of town.  Nigel No Friends found the Big Bogan a nice guy to talk to.

We thought about stopping at Parkes or Cowra today but then I thought we’re almost home and a short stint into the evening should be ok.  As darkness fell we were in Boorowa about 60km from Yass.  This was our worst stretch of road today.  It was at night and the road was full of trucks, semis, and cars coming the opposite direction.  It was just so straining and exhaustive on this winding road.  Should have stopped at Cowra.  Too late.  We’re now home.  Arrived about 6.30pm.  Of course, we were going to unpack in the morning, but Helen changed her mind and did it tonight, as well as a few loads of washing.  Glutton for punishment.

Took this picture the following morning of the filthy rig.  Lots of cleaning to come.

Here are some statistics from our 62-day trip:

Distance Travelled: 18,189km (11,302 miles)

Fuel Consumed: 3,736.9 litres (822 gallons)

Fuel Cost: $5,610

Average Fuel Consumption: 21.95 litres/100km (12.87 miles per gallon)

Tank Refills: 52

Helen’s Highlights/Minnie’s Musings

What an amazing trip we have had. The final leg from Wilcannia to home was quite interesting. The run from Wilcannia to Cobar had hundreds of goats along the way. They are actually smarter than kangaroos as they moved quickly away from the roadway whereas kangaroos can’t make up their minds and you have to be ever alert to them possibly hopping into the traffic.

We also saw a very large mob of emu. Usually, we have seen 1 or 2 but there were about 30 in the mob. Very interesting. The rest of the trip was long and the closer we got to Parkes I knew Michael would end up wanting to get straight home. Fortunately, I had 1 meal of lasagne left in the caravan freezer, so we were able to have it for dinner.

It is great to be home. So looking forward to catching up with everyone as I have really missed them all.

Complaint of the day

Michael – Way too many heavy vehicles on a fairly narrow country road.

Helen – I don’t have anything to complain about…..that is my complaint of the day.