We left our home in good hands with our good friend Lee on 26th April 2021. Lee will be looking after the garden and our old dog Abby while we are away for approx 8 months. However, we are taking with us “Princess Grace”, our toy poodle Gracie….
Before we could really unwind we had stop off at our local doctors surgery to have our first COVID vaccine. After sitting in their “tearoom “ for 15 minutes to see if we had any adverse reaction to the “jab” we headed on our way to Lake Keepit. Lake Keepit is situated on the Namoi River approx 40klms from Gunnedah NSW and 60klms west of Tamworth NSW.
We stopped for a picnic lunch along the Breeza Plains at the Square Bush Rest Area which is a free campground that is really accessible for large caravans and motor homes.
It wasn’t long before we were all set up at Lake Keepit and sipping a cool ale while taking in the sunset and the vista of the lake.
Lake Keepit is beautiful any time of the year, but to visit in Autumn the weather is just divine, a slight brisk morning but the days are filled with clear bright sunshine. Kangaroos, parrots and eagles are just some of the wildlife you will see around the area. Gunnedah is a nice drive from Lake Keepit as is Tamworth.
We took a drive to the Lake Keepit Soaring club where it is the ideal place to learn to fly gliders. We heard that flying a glider is pretty affordable and for me personally I think gliding would be more enjoyable than skydiving.
After four relaxing and carefree days at Lake Keepit we began our journey to our next overnight destination Bingara.
From Lake Keepit it is only 28klm to the little township of Manilla, which is really worth a visit. We didn’t stop this time, however, we did spend a day there last year and found it to be a quiet service centre in a rich wheat-growing, wool, and mixed farming area. Life was buzzing in the Main Street of Manilla and crossing the Manilla bridge is a challenge in our van when another vehicle comes the other way as the bridge is quite narrow.
Not far from Manilla is the sleepy town of Barraba. We stopped on the outskirts to take a picture of the Silo Art Water Diviner. This mural depicts a local water diviner searching for groundwater, using a y-shaped twig or two L-shaped ones. It took the artist Fintan Magee four weeks and 280 litres of paint to complete this silo art.
When we arrived we set up at the Bingara Riverside Caravan Park which is in an idyllic position as it is opposite the Mighty Gwydir River, next door to the Swimming Complex and within walking distance to the town and Batterham Lookout. Bingara is surrounded by hills, and the town rests in a natural amphitheatre. The spectacular Gwydir River, which is the life blood of the town, pulses through Bingara’s heart.
We always head to the local information bureau when we go into a new town and we were pleasantly surprised to find a ‘Maitlandite” behind the counter. Jen Mead a former Maitland Mercury girl is now the Gwydir Shire Tourist Officer and we chatted about all the people we knew in Maitland. Jen also told us about the musical “Margaret Fulton The Musical” that was playing the next day in the Roxy Theatre. As I love the spontaneity of life, we quickly bought our tickets and were looking forward to seeing an ‘ordinary” show. However, we were extremely surprised by the calibre of the story and the actors who were in great voice. Splendid show.
Having never been to Warialda we took a short drive there in the morning before going to the musical. We were intrigued by the Cranky Rock Reserve we read about, however, we have earmarked that for a visit on a return to Warialda. Meanwhile due to time restraints we stopped by the local butcher and then noticed Carinda House a local tourist attraction and the hub of so many local community events and groups in Warialda. We were fortunate to be there on the day of the Carinda Markets so, of course we had to pay the markets a visit.
Our next destination after leaving Bingara was to head to the hot pools at Boomi which is approximately 90 kilometres North West of Moree. The Boomi Artesian Baths has 3 pools, a 25m Lap Pool, a Kiddies Pool and what most people enjoy … a HOT ARTESIAN SPA with temperature sitting between 38-40 deg.
We love having a dip here at Boomi in the hot pools as it is a way to relax your muscles, soothes your joints, clears your passages and melts away stress and anxiety. At Boomi you are able to alternate between hot and cool pools which helps to get your circulation flowing.