The morning started with a bit of drama when the roof of the caravan got stuck as we were winding it down. So much for an early start!
Peter climbed into the corners to figure out what had gone wrong with the winching system. A bit of a bash with the mallet and all was working again and we were on our way.
Although we were not originally planning to visit the Australia Telescope outside of Narrabri, the car seemed to just turn itself at the sign. We spent an enjoyable and informative hour or so there, watching archive footage of the original radio telescope array and reading up on radio waves and galaxies.
After returning to Narrabri we ate lunch in the park near the visitor information centre and then dropped in to purchase a spoon, key ring and sticker to add to our collections. The kids were surprised to see a full size harvester inside the centre and climbed in to 'harvest' some cotton.
Before we left home, Tim had written a list of places that he would like us to visit. One of those places was the Sandstone Caves just north of Coonabarabran. The turnoff to the caves is not marked as such so we ended up driving straight past it. We managed to find a spot for a u-turn a little further up the road and headed down the corrugated track to the start of the walk. A short walk brought us to a series of caves of differing sizes, formed by rain and wind.
Although we were not originally planning to visit the Australia Telescope outside of Narrabri, the car seemed to just turn itself at the sign. We spent an enjoyable and informative hour or so there, watching archive footage of the original radio telescope array and reading up on radio waves and galaxies.
After returning to Narrabri we ate lunch in the park near the visitor information centre and then dropped in to purchase a spoon, key ring and sticker to add to our collections. The kids were surprised to see a full size harvester inside the centre and climbed in to 'harvest' some cotton.
Before we left home, Tim had written a list of places that he would like us to visit. One of those places was the Sandstone Caves just north of Coonabarabran. The turnoff to the caves is not marked as such so we ended up driving straight past it. We managed to find a spot for a u-turn a little further up the road and headed down the corrugated track to the start of the walk. A short walk brought us to a series of caves of differing sizes, formed by rain and wind.
One cave showed evidence of Indigenous art and grinding grooves. I'm glad we made the effort to stop here.
We realised as we left the caves that we wouldn't have enough time to get the the Siding Spring Observatory today so decided to head to the campground at the Warrumbungle National Park and start our day at the observatory tomorrow. Driving through the Warrumbungles we could clearly see the devastation still evident from the January 2013 bushfires. Whole hillsides of blackened trunks and no foliage made for a surreal landscape. The views of the mountains were spectacular as we wound through the them.
Our chosen campground proved to be quite popular but was spacious enough to have our own little section away from the others. The $19 fee was worth it for the glorious hot showers and the stunning view.
We realised as we left the caves that we wouldn't have enough time to get the the Siding Spring Observatory today so decided to head to the campground at the Warrumbungle National Park and start our day at the observatory tomorrow. Driving through the Warrumbungles we could clearly see the devastation still evident from the January 2013 bushfires. Whole hillsides of blackened trunks and no foliage made for a surreal landscape. The views of the mountains were spectacular as we wound through the them.
Our chosen campground proved to be quite popular but was spacious enough to have our own little section away from the others. The $19 fee was worth it for the glorious hot showers and the stunning view.
The dark skies gave us a fantastic view of the Milky Way and we spent some time staring up at the sky pointing out different planets and constellations and just generally taking the vastness in.
We have decided we need to return here for a holiday and really explore the area.
No comments:
Post a Comment