Committed Travellers

We were woken by the sound of rain on the van. There is a large window at the head of the bed. We never open this window because of its position, and because we have read these have a tendency to leak. An external protective screen is made from hard plastic which amplifies the sound of the rain. In hindsight we would not have this standard window fitted, and would have preferred an insulated section of wall.

I whisked Bluey outside for a toilet trip during a brief lull in the rain. Water had flowed across parts of the concrete under the van awning. I had put up a waterproof screen at the eastern end of the awning as that was where the breeze was coming from. There are two sailtracks on the awning deflappers either end of the awning. I put the shadecloth-style privacy screen on the outside and the waterproof panel on the inside. This reduces wind buffeting our lightweight waterproof screen.

I didn’t want to be swapping the front privacy screen for the waterproof screen in heavy rain, so I jury-rigged the waterproof panel on the inside of the privacy screen. There is only one sailtrack across the front of the awning so I had to hang it upside down. Individual awning deflappers came in handy as clamps. When the rain stopped long enough I swapped the waterproof screen for the privacy screen.

We went back to the Village Bakery for breakfast. The outdoor area had one dry table so we were able to sit with Bluey without getting wet. There was no point loitering in town in the rain so went back to the van and turned the heater on.

Dubbo is in an area where BOM radar coverage is not optimal. The lighter areas indicate optimal radar coverage. Sow moving bands of rain will affect us for the next few days. Flooding may be an issue over the next couple of weeks when we head further north west. The rain in north Queensland is likely to flow down into the rivers in the south east of the State, potentially disrupting our Aussie Road Crew trip.

I took Bluey for a run in the off leash park. This tree stump was once quite a large tree.

I was researching current flooding and found these pics from the Oodnadatta Track in northern South Australia. Let’s hope we won’t have to deal with such conditions. We once stayed at William Creek shown below, about 80kms from Coober Pedy.

For dinner we went to the Royal India Restobar which has classic Indian decor. We watched lots of takeaway orders go out the door. The food and service were good. Over 400 people in Dubbo are of Indian descent, and lots of them work in this large restaurant.

Contrary to caravan park rules we left Blue and Tilly alone in our van. I have a camera to monitor them and can see when they move – handy for countering any allegations Bluey was barking.

Our day started at the Village Bakery which has an extensive selection of breads, cakes and pastries. They even sliced our sourdough loaf. Breakfast and coffee were both good.

Anita bought groceries and I bought Blue two new coats and a bed in the hope he will stay in his crate – it worked. We needed food from Petbarn but inside the store Bluey was shaking, presumably because of the smells from other critters. Their dogwash was out of order so we took him to one in the Mitre 10 carpark. Not happy! While Anita was waiting in the pharmacy, I put one of his new coats on him and we sat in the back of the car to make sure he was warm and recovered from bathing trauma. He slept in this coat in his crate.

In earlier blogs I am sure I would have posted photos of the historic lattice railway bridge in Dubbo. It was built in 1884 with ironwork manufactured in Middlesborough England.

Back at the caravan park 20+ caravans and motorhomes had arrived. This group is on a 2 week tour with one of the caravan and motorhome clubs.

Bluey met our new neighbour Frankie, a black Moodle the same size as him. That friendship was short lived as Frankie tried to hump Bluey and wasn’t fussy which end he chose.

This park has been good in the past but obviously no additional bins or rubbish collection was organised over Easter when the park was full. A leaking hose at the dump site had made the ground muddy. There is an off leash dog park but we haven’t explored that yet.

We walked across to the Thai restaurant and had a lovely meal. The staff there are friendly and efficient. Back in our van I spent the evening crocheting with one eye on the TV.

We packed up and left Tamworth heading for Dubbo. I had planned to stop at the historic Werris Creek railway station, but hadn’t expected to see a passenger train stopped at one of the platforms. Services run to Central and Armidale, and out to Narrabri. Unfortunately passengers were off the train smoking on the platform so I didn’t loiter. There may have been more than the usual number of passengers because a union-won period of free travel doesn’t end until midnight tonight.

We passed through several small villages at different stages of their ANZAC Day marches, and decided we should have taken two days to do this interesting drive.

When I walked Tilly in our Dubbo caravan park she attracted a crowd of kids. Later when they tried to pat Blue, I had to tell them he is scared of children. There is another poodle nearby, but it was a fleeting greeting between them. Tilly and Blue have been part of our family since ANZAC Day 2020.

There are no great views from our caravan park but I did catch this sunset photo. Weather forecasts suggest there may be heavy rainfalls here in central NSW and outback Queensland. On our drive I enlisted my navigator to take some photos of the interesting cloud formations.

We made a late decision last night to get tickets to see Lyn Bowtell at the Longyard Hotel because we learned Beccy would be making a guest appearance. It was a good concert with Lyn hosting several other performers. Beccy sang two songs and was a crowd favourite. I captured this photo of Kelly Brouhaha before the show started. She played electric guitar on stage for the first time. Liam Kennedy Clark was on the keyboard. He is a current musician with the Bushwackers.

I could have stayed at the Longyard to see the Bushwackers again, but we will be seeing them in about three weeks at an outback music festival with Aussie Road Crew.

We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and playing with Tilly and Blue. Instead of playing with each other inside their playpen, their new game involves Blue on the outside and Tilly inside. Tilly launches herself at the flexible walls of the playpen then retreats into the tunnel. Blue tries to jump on Tilly from the outside. I took them for separate walks. Tilly met Molly the puppy. She is more likely to be friendly with dogs than with other cats.

There is a large pine tree in the caravan park which might be causing my never-before-experienced hayfever symptoms. I have had very itchy eyes but eased this with anti histamine eye drops. These tree lovely cones are on the tree and many have blown down.

I packed away a few items but will do the rest tomorrow morning before we move on to Dubbo. It will be another cool night so I expect to hear Blue asking to come to our bed.

While we were at the unveiling of Beccy Cole’s Roll of Renown plaque on Thurday morning, a photographer from the Northern Daily Leader took our photos and these were published in Friday’s edition. Neen and I were wearing our Beccy Cole T-shirts. Anita was chatting to Roadies we haven’t seen for two years. The photographer didn’t realise he also took a photo of Beccy’s dad and brother, who didn’t enlighten him.

We had breakfast at Hissy Fits Cafe on Peel St – I like the name as it sounds like Hussy Hicks. The only table in the shade was occupied by a man, but he was happy for us to share the table with him. It was very busy but the food and coffees were served promptly. Anita was happy with her eggs and my fruit and nut sourdough toast was very good.

While Anita was shopping at Woolworths our Toyota suffered a flat battery. I left it for a while and got it started, but kept it running until we drove to the Toyota Service depot for a new battery. It is not worth taking the risk of further battery issues travelling in remote areas of Australia, and it was Friday afternoon before a long weekend.

Our evening concert was the Hussy Hicks and Ricky Albeck, Beccy’s son. Beccy was there so we had a brief catchup.

On Saturday morning Anita had an early morning appointment to have her nails done in town. Bluey waited with me while I enjoyed another breakfast at the Hissy Fits Cafe. I then took Anita and Blue back to the caravan park as I had a ticket to see the Bushwackers at the Dag Sheep Station out past Nundle. On my way there I stopped at the historic Nundle wool shop to stock up on balls of 4 ply wool. There is some lovely scenery out that way, such as these hills draped with low clouds.

I enjoyed the show, more so than the lunch that was included in the ticket price. The Bushwackers first played in 1971 and about 100 musicians have been members of the band since then for differing periods of time. Dobe Newton is the longest serving member of the group. He and Bruce Woodley of the Seekers wrote I Am Australian. Today Dobe implied he only wrote the chorus, but he is generally self deprecating.

The highlight of the Festival was Beccy’s show Saturday night. It was the only sold-out show held at Wests Leagues Club this Festival. Most of the crowd was there to support Beccy, being aware of her struggles since the sudden ending of her marriage to Libby O’Donovan.

Beccy shared some of what she has been through since being “ghosted”. One day she had a loving partner, but the next day she was gone without any explanation why. Three days later Libby had involved lawyers in the inevitable property settlement. Beccy said she has experienced a broken heart in the past, but she felt this time her heart dissolved. She has been in a very bad way but seems to have benefitted from intensive therapy. Ricky and some dedicated friends have literally been looking after her and managing her businesses.

The concert was probably the best we have ever seen. While there were times when she struggled with her emotions, Beccy was back singing her old songs. She even managed several funny lines – such as she is the only country singer to have divorced a husband and a wife. Beccy’s last album includes a clever song about Libby titled My Wife’s Got Balls, but of course Beccy quipped she does not have balls. Not once did she use Libby’s name, but all of her comments were fair and matter-of-fact.

The late nights are catching up with us! It was close to midnight by the time we drove out of the crowded car park last night and back to our caravan park. It was significantly colder so we put the diesel heater on for a while. After being left in the van for hours Blue and Tilly wanted attention. I didn’t even bother trying to put him into his crate to sleep, leaving him in our bed.

Our first outing today was the unveiling of the plaque recognising Beccy’s induction into the Roll of Renown. She was still on a high from being granted this honour, and for so successfully co-hosting the awards night with Adam Harvey. The Governor General was impressed with their humour. The edited show will be broadcast on the ABC on Sunday. We will be watching to see if the naughty bits survive editing.

The 50th Anniversary Concert started at noon and didn’t finish until after 3pm. The sign for the show looked like a speed zone sign. I was concerned the critters might get too hot in the van, so missed part of the show to drive back and check on them. I was back in time to see Beccy’s performance with the Hussy Hicks. She managed to rouse the sedate crowd singing Wine Time and Are you coming over, or am I getting drunk?

Tilly and Blue continue to provide entertainment. Last night they were playing rough and tumble in the van. Just as Blue jumped up from the seat onto the bed, Tilly launched herself from the top of the crate landing on him. Other times they are cute and cuddly like when Tilly used Blue as a warm pillow during a quiet period this afternoon.

Kasey Chambers’ concert at the Town Hall was terrific and there was no risk of nodding off. At times we could think we were at a raucous rock concert. Other times she was chatty and funny. There was no social distancing with the band as five members gathered around the one microphone. After 40 years her dad Bill Chambers is still performing with her for “free”, and Brandon Dodd is “cheap”

Anita went with other Roadies to a concert focussed on Australian made Maton guitars. They enjoyed the show but were disappointed the Hussy Hicks and Ricky Albeck did not appear because someone had to go to a funeral.

I spent the day at our caravan park walking Blue and Tilly, but it was overcast and cool so they were happy to go back into the van. Blue was trying to play with a 4 month old Jack Russell crossed with Chihuahua, but they were both on leads.

This evening we were at the 50th Golden Guitar Awards hosted by Adam Harvey and Beccy Cole. It was a fabulous evening with Adam Harvey winning another Golden Guitar, and Troy Casar-Daley winning three Golden Guitars taking his tally from 37 to 40 surpassing the 38 held by Lee Kernaghan and 38 awarded to the late Slim Dusty.

The highlight of the evening was Beccy being inducted into the Roll of Renown for making a significant and lasting contribution to country music. She was so surprised and thrilled being granted that honour in the “shittiest” year of her life. More on this tomorrow.

We are not seeing as many events this year as we have previously, avoiding crowds to minimise our risk of contracting Covid. There are over 200,000 reported cases in NSW so there are probably dozens of cases in and around Tamworth.

Our only Festival event today was the fund-raiser for the McGrath Foundation held in the fabulous Tamworth Town Hall. The building has many intricate features such as this ceiling sculpture. During the interval a police bus was parked outside the Town Hall. The police station is close by and about 10 police cars were parked in the street when we first arrived.

Last time we were in this Town Hall social distancing and masks were mandatory. We had our masks on but felt way too close to others sitting next to us and behind us.

Unfortunately the hall was only half full. While our caravan park is full, the number of people in and around Tamworth is definitely nowhere near pre-Covid levels. Ricky Albeck was one of tonight’s performers and we spotted his proud mum Beccy Cole in the wings. It was a good show but went too long as it was close to midnight by the time we got back to a frenetic dog. During the day Tilly was practising her meerkat routine.

The country music festival started today. We spent the evening at Wests Leagues Club to see Gina Timms introduce some little known female artists. We did not stay late as it was not a particularly good show.

This morning we drove to the Botanic Gardens for a walk but at the entrance there is a sign stating dogs are not allowed. Instead we secured a lunch booking at Hopscotch Cafe, but on our way I spotted a dog on the street. We stopped and I took Bluey with me in the hope I could catch the stray. It took a while as the dog and Bluey were playing, with Blue firmly on his lead. Eventually I was able to hold the dog’s collar and clipped him onto Blue’s lead, and put Blue under my arms.

Anita called the phone number on Harvey’s tag and we had to wait for his grateful owners to come and collect him. He is a lovely Cavoodle pup but Bluey went off Harvey when he tried to hump him!

By the time we got to Hopscotch there was no lunch crowd and we were able to park nearby. Back at camp I walked Tilly who greets every new arrival who comes near her, sometimes rolling over for a tummy rub. The caravan park owners were busy all day fitting in as many vehicles as possible.

Later in the afternoon other Roadies called in to catch up with our small group. Tilly and Luvvy managed to close the distance between them to 2 feet. Luvvy hopped onto my chair and they glared at each other through the seat mesh.

We took one of our Roadie friends to Tamworth for a community market. It was pleasant weather for a walk around town, but the markets were a waste of time. Peel St is blocked off ready for the country music festival, but few shops were open and every cafe was amazingly busy. We walked past the statue of Slim Dusty and Joy McKean and were able to take photos without any crowd.

While in town we decided to go to West’s Rugby Club to get our short term festival membership cards. These make it much easier to enter the club and get into the shows, minimising queueing. The cards were made in January after we signed up online before the festival was postponed. All cards say they expire 30 March but the computer has been adjusted to accept all of the cards.

Yesterday afternoon I spotted this shadow of clothes hanging on the line. It looked like each peg had been placed the same distance from the next, but the clothes were hung randomly on three lines.

I walked Tilly and when she came close to Poppy our Roadie Yorkshire Terrier she rolled over, then Poppy rolled over. The interactions between our two cats and three dogs has been entertaining.

I cleaned the cobwebs off the rear vision camera mounted at the back of the Bushtracker. My next job was to replace one the potable water filters. This would have been easier if I had thought to fill the filter holder with water before screwing it back into place, because the air had to be removed from the system. Fortunately the potable water system has a “prime” option.

When we all gathered for a drink late in the afternoon, Tilly and Luvvy were checking each other out. This is as close as they got to each other. Each of the cats has no drama being close to any of the dogs. Bluey and Luvvy touched noses when they saw each other after a few months of being apart.

We soon started to feel the cold so retreated to our respective vans for the evening.