Granite Belt Parks (Girraween etc) near Qld NSW border

Thanks Alan - the dreaded school holidays!

We are currently not far north of Stanthorpe, at Davleen. A bit close to the road and railway for our liking, and we have had thunder and light showers.

I note from the latest news "Total fire bans will be brought in across Queensland as firefighters prepare for extreme fire conditions across the southeast coastline and inland Queensland." With this we will be reluctant to go into parks.

Mh

Hi Chris and thanks

There are two camp sites listed - Bald Rock Creek and Castle Rock - which one is it? We had to use the dreaded on line booking system for Mt Moffatt. This method has an alternative 13 phone number, but our neighbours at Injune - also going to Mt Moffatt at the time - couldn't get an answer on it, so got their friends they were travelling with to book on line. This gives no guarantee that you will fit! Do they also have on site registration? This seems to vary from park to park.

Mh

Thanks Rob and Liz. We will try for Castle Rock if the weather is OK. What about the NSW side?

No Mt Moffatt was not busy - only about half a dozen rigs over all the camps at any one time - most in Dargonelly. However, there is no self registration on either entry to the park, or at the camp sites. If not pre-paid, you have to go 9 kms through the sandy track to the ranger station to pay, and return. The whole system is not camper friendly, and a system i was going to boycott. I plan to give them 'feedback' on the system when i get home.

Will let you know when we know what we are doing and I welcome your travel tips. We wouldn't have known we could get into Dargonelly without your advice, and the park was a real highlight of our trip.

Our route depends on whether we can contact friends and visit them, or not. Friends are one at Bellbird and one south of Newcastle. If we don't go that way, we will head more directly towards Ardlethan where we hope to purchase rams, still picking up on good tourism places along the way.

Mh

Thanks Rick and Julie - Nice to know which ones are worth stopping at. Not sure which way we'll be going as yet.

Mh

HI MH....

Yes the falls at Apsley is our pic of the lot and the camp ground there is a sealed road which travels a circle from a "P" shape and has bollard campsites. With your rig, the best campsite there is the one on the far right as you enter the ground. This is best accessed by taking the right turn after the initial turn in and this way you will keep the toilet block on your right. As you do the second left of the "P" and are straight accross the top, simply reverse the whole rig straight back into that site. It's long enough to stay hooked up if you pick the bollards right.

I forgot to mention that the walks around the chasm are well defined and fenced for safety.

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The falls are too big for one photo from the viewing platform...to get them all in one pic you need to cross over the river on the foot bridge and take the walking track to the other side of the chasm.

Cheers
Rick

I found a pic of Dumaresq Dam near Armidale....great free camp as mentioned above.
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Cheers
Rick

Rick, someone who dropped by at the rest area where we were this morning told us about the Thunderbolt Way - sounds like the one you describe leaving Uralla. Thunderbolt Way goes through Gloucester and then southish to near Newcastle. Caravan friendly road?

Mh

Hi MH,
Sorry I didn't get back to you on that yesterday...a busy motel this one....

Yes, that's the route....Thunderbolt's Way. It will take you right past Apsley Falls which are 18k's East of Walcha...which is 40k's South East of Uralla.

Heading through Uralla's main street....when you are in the bottom of the dip, turn left at the bronze statue of Thunderbolt on his horse...also on the left.

You might like to check out Thunderbolt's Grave in the town centre at the cemetery....a story of his exploits on his grave site..."the Gentleman Bushranger"....also, if you drive South of Uralla for about 10 or 15k's, you will see Thunderbolts Rock and a small pull in reserve. It's 2 huge granite rocks that form a cave like hide that Thunderbolt used to hide himself and his horse in while lying in wait for the mail coaches.

Then back into Uralla and turn Right at the Statue....now you're heading north not south....and through to Walcha.

Others have clued you up on the road to Gloucester....

Hope you enjoy.....the campground at Apsley Fall is just great.

Cheers
Rick

Hi Rick and Julie

At Dumaresk Dam tonight; very pretty and the birds are friendly and colourful. Short of bailing out of the dam, the only water i could find was from the tank at the picnic area - nice, but it just trickles out, so only using to fill the kettle. We will have to fill our tanks soon. We spent four days at a lovely caravan park (Tenterfield Lodge) but the water there was 'musty' so i didn't want to put any in the tanks.

A motor home was plugged into the power spot, so we parked some way away. Now were are out of the hot far north, our solar is working very well, but it was so cold in Tenterfield that we bought a small fan heater yesterday - it would have been nice tonight.

Next we will go the Dangars Falls, Uralla and Apsley Falls, but may not go any further out of our way chasing waterfalls before heading down the Thunderbolts Way.

Mh

Hi MH,
Good to look at your words again and hope you're both enjoying the New England...OK on the power at the dam...ask the people using the power if you can plug in with a piggy back lead to them as that is the done thing there.....Julie and I are leaving Rockhampton in the morning...Wednesday...and will be in Armidale on Friday afternoon to take over a motel down there. You will probably be long gone, but, if you're still in the area, we can offer you water and a dump point at the motel we're going to from Friday night onwards.

Dangars falls was less than spectacular for us as it was just a thin column of water all be it roaring over a cliff face in a pencil round column dropping over the edge of a cliff. Apsley falls had water cascading over rocks and you could see the falls in their entirety...as compared to Dangars Falls which you could see only the top...without a lot of effort.

The camp grounds at Apsley are far better and more spacious than Dangars Falls. However, Dangars Falls are only 25 k's out of Armidale and if you have time to spare...worth a look, but woudn't bother making a night of it.......maybe a lunch time stop over at best.......a good set of falls are Woolomombi falls, 38 K's East of Armidale at Woolomombi Gorge and they are the Second highest falls in OZ... then heading East.....from there....80 k's East of Armidale is Ebor...and the falls there on the road before the town are very nice too....3 tiers from a large lagoon on the Guy Fawkes River. Now remember......these falls are are better seen in and soon after Summer...the wet season...now is the Spring and this is after the long dry of Winter.....so they may all be down on water flow.

Anyway, if you are still there on Friday night or after that...give us a call and we'll have a coffee at the motel we're doing...Rick 0408 875 475 or Julie 0407 137 000.

If not...safe travels and we'll try to catch up with you next time you're in the EAST.

Cheers
Rick & Julie

Hi Rick and Julie

We went to Dangars today - yes and only a trickle, but the walks were nice (my legs might say otherwise). Tomorrow i plan to go to Wooloombi and if time, Gara Gorge, site of a 1894 hydro electricity project. I thought Ebor a bit far out of our way considering the lack of water in the falls.

Not fussed about the power - although if we'd had it on, i would have used the heater we bought the day before as it got quite cold by bed time - but we have never used heating before. Our solar panels keep the batteries full (even by the time we left this morning, still in the shade of a tree). We could use the genny, but it wasn't that cold, although by morning i had bedsocks, doona and sleeping bag on top! It warmed quickly in the sun.

Last night we had only the company of two motorhomers, but tonight the campers are pouring in. Hard to get to the loo without being delayed for hours talking to everyone. The free camps are so friendly. Lots of boats and canoes out on the dam today too.

We may still be here Friday - would be lovely to meet up with you.


Mh

Hi MH,
All sounds lovely...wish we had the time to play BT too.....we'll have 10 DAZE break at the end of November and will go and park beside Boondooma Dam near Proston....a couple hours NW of Brisbane. When we get to have that break we will have worked 5 months straight without a day off....so we'll be ready for it.

We left Rockhampton this morning and are now in Hervey Bay overnighting with Julie's Mum. Brisbane tomorrow night with more family and Armidale Friday after lunch sometime as we have to take over the motel by 4.00PM. We normally wouldn't do the hand over til the following morning, but the moteliers have asked us to cover for them as they're going to their daughter's High School Social on Friday evening.

We don't mind helpiing out as they're lovely people and it's an easy motel to run.

So if you're about the place, give us a call and we'll boil the billy...well flick the switch on the kettle at least.....be great to see you.....

Cheers
Rick

Hi CD & JW

No, i put this request on the open forum, where we have some very good non BT owner members, usually travelling with off-roader type caravans. The camps Innkeepers have mentioned are not exclusive - but for all to see in Camps5. It helps to know ahead of times those which are accessible to rigs such as ours, and those which are good quiet ones. We have our own camp site index on the website. Without Tellem Bugrem's advice, we wouldn't have gone to Mt Moffatt - we have been to NP campgrounds where bollards prevent entry by anything much bigger than a 4 man tent.

Cheers

Motherhen

Sharing the good times with all travellers - what ever your rig may be.

Hi Ern

I looked at Sundown on the map, but didn't know if there was much to see from the campground or if we could even get into it. Most of it is listed as 4w driving. Worth the trip out their? What is it like?

Mh

"Puccini", unless it was his wife who wrote one.

Just kidding Chris & Val, we love opera as well. Would enjoy sitting around your campfire.

cheers

Stephen,
that was quite humourous! I only picked up the error after posting. The typo is in the original trip report as well...

Look forward to being around your campfire too.
Chris

Hi Chris

Is that the Dangar Gorge campground? It is listed as fees $10 per person ber night. Apsley Falls campground $5 per person. I think the Oxley Wild Rivers park is entry free, but we have purchased an annual parks pass so we don't have to worry. $7 entry to the ones that charge is a bit steep considering it is for 24 hours only then you have to pay again.

Mh

Thanks Rob and Liz - the guy we were speaking to this morning mentioned the 'must use low gear' hill.

Best sights to see along the way? Which way we go all depends on whether we make contact with our friends.

Grandchild due very soon?

Mh

A good overnighter (or longer) in the area is the Kalbar showground.
Caretaker is Harry, fellow BOG member who will give you a big welcome.
An opportunity to top up water and dump the can etc.

A good free National Park campsite is at the junction of the Macintyre and Severn rivers, Kwiambal Nat Park between Bonshaw and Ashford.

The campsite referred to by Rob after the "Bloody Big Hill" is Bretti, well worth a stop.
Deep drop toilets only.

Regards
Bob

I haven't been to Bald Rock for a while but memory seems to tell me it is not very van friendly. Opposite Bald Rock is the Basket swamp area which is great with several large waterfalls etc but you would need care and be limited to take a van in there.

If you travel the Gwyder Highway from Tenterfield towards Casino, there is a great free campsite at a rest area about 50km east of Tenterfield. The rest area (very ordinary) is just off the road on the right (going east) but the you beaut campsite is an old forestry camp site which is behind the rest area.

As you enter the road to rest area it goes down a short hill and enters the rest area. As you enter the rest area there is a road to the left. Take this around to an old firestation and turn right just before it. The large open area becomes obvious and is on your right. The area is sometimes used by horse riders so large trucks and horse floats get in there. The area is large enough to hold a muster in it.

Alan

Good advice John and Sharyn. Our camp sites section does not grow very fast (and i am also guilty, having put a number of sites in when it started, but nothing recently). It certainly helps to have the extra knowledge that we can fit our rig in, even if they are listed in Camps 5. I will only list those that are above and beyond the ordinary - places worth visiting as well as camping at.

Mh