2 Geckos Travelling Australia: Fri, 31st May, 2024 Bush camp by Lachlan River, Euabalong to Cobar Rest Area, Cobar, NSW (exploring Cobar)

Warmer night, 16 degrees in the camper. The predicted rain started at 3am but has stopped now at 8am. The BOM says we received 18mm here.

It isn’t boggy here so we packed up and headed off through the little township of Euabalong.

Heavy cloud over the top of us but there is a band of blue sky down low then a dark band of cloud on the horizon. Continued on this minor road to Mount Hope. Back into the red soil country now we are further away from the river - that has turned and headed southward towards the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers system.

Nice view from the top of a rise.

Through Round Hill National Park according to the map but nothing much to see. Pastoral land on the other side of the road.

The sky is clearing as we near Mount Hope. We have spotted 2 kangaroos, 1 emu, 3 bright green parrots and 3 vehicles along this stretch of road this morning and it is a nice smooth road too.

Turned onto the Kidman Way. It is not named after Sir Sidney Kidman but in tribute for his inspiring vision to open up inland Australia. He had set up a butcher shop in Cobar when copper was discovered there and with the profits bought his first station, Owen Downs in the NT in 1886. He went on to be the largest land owner in the world.

A short way along we came to a pub on a rise and into Mount Hope. We pulled into the rest area for a cuppa and chatted with some other travellers. They had spent the night at the weir we had visited and had a very slippery drive out this morning after the rain. Pays to check the weather and road conditions.

The township was established in 1878 and the hotel built in 1881. We are now in Mallee country.

I walked down to the community hall to check out a plaque about the WW1 soldiers from here.

Wandered back up to the hotel and went inside. The fireplace was still warm from last night which was nice. The bar lady said it was made to heat the irons on and showed me a brochure about it in the history book about Bill Clark, who owned most of Mount Hope township. Great photos on the wall too.

We followed the track up the hill to check out what is left of the mine. It operated from 1881 to 1943 as an underground copper mine. Between 1949 and 1965 leach mining was carried out. Looking back on the pub.

Unfortunately there is no history signs here so we just wandered about. Nice views from up here.

Back to the truck and continued northward towards Cobar on the Kidman Way. In a short distance we saw roos, emus, goats, sheep and cattle with only one goat roaming along the roadside. Passes the time looking for animals.

Margaret rang to say the our parcel had arrived - boy that was quick. I was going to email them to see when they were sending it. Jon will be flying home next Thursday so we might try and get there to see him before he goes.

Lots of goats now in and out of the paddocks - so many little kids that are so cute.

Stopped for lunch at Gilgunnia Goldfields Rest Area. Great sculpture and poem and information about the area. Great loo too.

No gold for us here but unfortunately I found some sheep poo that got stuck in the tread of my sandshoes and all over the mats! Steve had the job of cleaning my shoes while I got lunch ready - I got the good deal!

We continued on. Clouds are coming over again. Something different - a wild pig was slowly wandering along the fence line. Flat country with a small hill/rise here and there.

More goats - we have changed the saying - Breeding like goats, not rabbits. Had to look up with a group of goats was called - Trip, Tribe or Herd according to Google.

Long straight road.

Keeping alert with our ‘spot the goat’ game, as some are quite hidden in the grass on the side of the road. Obviously road safe as there aren’t any dead ones by the roadside.

This group didn’t get the memo about road safety though.

Catching up to a shower of rain that has been wetting the road ahead of us.

Before Cobar township we turned off to check out Peak Gold Mines (Aurelia Metals Ltd). Plenty of goats here too. We followed the history walk up to the viewing platform. A few locals were watching us. We watched the ore come up from the mine and be tipped onto the conveyor belt to travel across to the pile.

There is a free bush camp on Glenhope Station, east of Cobar that sounds fabulous. Established in 1874 and the Johnson family (5 generations have lived there) are celebrating the station’s 150 year anniversary in August. They opened it to travellers with bush camping in 2018. I noticed though it said, not open if there has been rain. I rang to check just in case and the lady said yes they were closed from that storm and they have already had to get a few bogged travellers out. Maybe next time.

Next detour is up to Fort Bourke Lookout. This is the site of the first gold mine in Cobar area. The water tanks etc are up here too.

Before the lookout was an info board about some huts on the other side of the mine area.

Lots of info in the viewing hut.

Fabulous view over the open cut mine. You can see the large quartz vein known as the Great Chesney Fault.

Back down and continued on. As we near town we see big tailing dumps of the old copper mine that created Cobar. Fabulous sign too so parked the truck for a photo.

Had a cuppa then drove around to the Information Centre which is in the old copper mine’s administration building (built 1912). There is a great museum inside about the copper and gold mines and life here in general. So much to read and look at - very interesting.

Fabulous photo of the Great Cobar Copper Mine in 1908 and more information about copper, lead and gold mining here.

I asked the lady about the goats and she said they were farmed at one stage when the price was over $4/kg but now it is down to less than a dollar so nobody is bothering so they just get to roam free. Obviously they aren’t a problem to the sheep/cattle growers with eating the feed?

Back outside we wandered along the road. There is a history walk but the boards are in need of replacing. The museum has all the info but it is nice to wander and see the area they are talking about.

Along the fence and around to the corner to overlook part of the old mine site.

Wandered along checking out the signs and pictures etc.

The Great Western Hotel was completed in 1898, taking 3 years to build. It boasts of having the longest iron-lace verandah in the Southern Hemisphere - very impressive.

Continued along the street. Love the way they made the words out of tiles.

Fabulous tile mural of the area and amazing photos on the fence.

The goats are here too. Great mural.

Fabulous time line with photos.

We walked back to the truck. A lovely autumn tree for me.

Further along is the Miners Memorial. Lots of information and very moving.

Beside that is the Heritage Park which is on the site of the Cobar North Mine.

Two beautiful parrots landed on the wire - must be a male & female as the colours are very different. The usual, he gets all the colour and she has the drab coloured feathers!

There is an old electric loader (bogger) from the CSA Mine but no information. Sent a photo to Jodie as this is similar to what Sam drives underground in Orange.

I saw that you can camp out at the old reservoir so we drove out there to check it out. The bitumen goes right up to it but the last bit around the reservoir is all dirt and very muddy so we headed back to the rest area.

Lots of travellers here - they will have fun when the truck pull in. We found a spot up on the rocky gravel at the base of the tailings pile, out of the way.