Slept really well (from about 20:30!). The mattress was a bit soft and the bed quite small, but the pillow was thin enough so it was ok. Woke up at 5am-ish with a bit of hurty, and never got back to sleep after that, but had plenty of sleep so felt pretty good.
We prepaid for breakfast, which I assumed would be buffet style in the restaurant, but you just had to choose items off the room service menu to the value of $20 each. I got eggs benedict which was actually pretty decent.
Our breakfast at the Zig Zag Motel Lithgow
Then we headed off. Drove past Wallerawang (is that thing even running anymore? edit: no) and up to the Wolgan Valley.
Old Wallerawang Power Station
Steam from the Mount Piper Power Station
Found the shot of cliffs Dad took in 1981. Then down into the Wolgan Valley for another very pretty drive. The road is actually paved all the way to the Emirates One & Only resort which I thought was pretty funny. Wonder if doing the road was part of the development conditions.
Cliffs along the Wolgan Valley
Cliffs along the Wolgan Valley
Stopped at the Newnes Hotel for a look around.
Newnes Hotel
Old mining works at Newnes
Old mining equipment at Newnes
Old rail cart at Newnes
Then headed up to the ford to cross over to see the old platform. But when we got there there was a sign saying 4WD only. So I got out to go and have a look to see about crossing on foot while Stu moved the car back out of the way. As I was walking down I heard something, turned around, and the car was butt first in a ditch. !?!? And Stu couldn't get it out. OMFG. As we were pondering what to do, two young guys came by and offered to help push it, but I was dubious - that would be pretty dangerous if the car rolled back on them. Then a couple of guys in a big 4WD came over the ford and immediately took charge. They got Stu to find the tow bolt and screw it in (I didn't even know it existed!), then hooked it up to their winch. They pulled, and I drove, and out popped the car, no harm done.
Gulp.
Stu accidentally backed into a ditch
So we parked the car, then took our shoes off and walked across the ford barefoot. We ended up walking barefoot all the way up to the platform, and I recreated the shot from 1981. We didn't go all the way up to the ruins though - next time!
Crossing the Wolgan River
Stu on the old Newnes railway platform
Old mining equipment at Newnes
Old railway platform at Newnes
Old railway platform at Newnes
Wolgan River
Headed back out.
Cliffs along the Wolgan Valley
Cliffs along the Wolgan Valley
Cliffs along the Wolgan Valley
Cliffs along the Wolgan Valley
Cliffs near Wolgan Valley Lookout
Wolgan Valley from Wolgan Valley Lookout
Flowers at Wolgan Valley Lookout
View along Wolgan Road to old Wallerawang Power Station
Had a toilet break in Capertee. Then down into Glen Davis. This drive was even prettier than the last!
A very pretty drive down to Glen Davis
Fields and cliffs near Glen Davis
Fields and cliffs near Glen Davis
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Fields and cliffs near Glen Davis panorama
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Cliffs near Glen Davis
But when we got to Glen Davis, the whole area at The Poplars was closed off with lots of big scary "private property" and "keep out" signs, and a big gate. I was confused because that's where we wanted to go. There was another guy there going through the gate, so I asked what's the deal, and he said the whole area was closed off for filming a movie. !?!? I was devastated, because seeing the shale works was one of the main things I wanted to do this trip. I may have had a slight meltdown.
Entrance to The Poplars - closed due to filming at the Shale Works
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Mountains near Glen Davis
Then I missed a shot I was after because we went a different way to the way we went last time (up to Glen Alice rather than back the way we came). So that was annoying too, but I guess we'll have to come back anyway. Sigh.
Union Church at Glen Alice
Cliffs near Glen Davis
Crown Mountain
Stopped in Rylstone for a light late lunch. Went to Cafe on Louee for a pie and a pretty average ham and cheese toastie (and a potato scallop), but after lunch I went to use the toilet and she said it was closed, and I'm like why, and she was like, oh we had problems with them getting dirty so now it's only for staff, and I'm like, um, isn't it the law you have to provide a toilet if you sell food, and she's like just use the servo toilet. OMFG. I should report them.
Old Post and Telegraph Office at Rylestone
So after stress and failed photo attempts and now the crap I got from the cafe, I was pretty damned cranky. We listened to some podcasts (The Sure Thing) and pressed onto Gulgong. I got the two photos I was after, but Stu didn't feel like going through the Pioneers Museum, and I was pretty cranky anyway, so we gave that a miss.
Ten Dollar Town Motel at Gulgong
Gulgong Pioneer's Museum
Prince of Wales Opera House at Gulgong
Field burning near Guntawang
View along Muronbung Road east of Dubbo
Dubbo sign
Got to Dubbo and found the motel. Was on edge so every little sound got to me - people talking outside, dogs barking, some smoke detector going off somewhere. We headed along the southern main road to try and find some dinner. The road was busy and noisy and Dubbo drivers flat out refuse to give way to pedestrians, even when I have the little green man. What a bunch of buttplugs. In the end we got KFC, but I couldn't even finish it so saved the leftovers for later.
Our room at the Atlas Motel in Dubbo
Bathroom in our room at the Atlas Motel in Dubbo
I was tired and cranky about the whole day, and we had an early night.
Comments