It's a long reach to Longreach!!

A very cold start with ice on the windscreen and very thick patches of fog. I timed my run through Sydney to miss the peak hour traffic and arrived late morning to meet John, Suze and Millie. They were just recovering after an exciting time in Alice Springs (Two Weddings and a Birth).

Just a short hop to Port Macquarie the next morning. Dad and Irene were just finishing their cups of tea on the balcony. Dad and I went on a PMQ Tour including some new estates and the new Golf Course. The All You Can Eat Buffet Dinner was too much - I should have stopped after the second lot of ice cream.

On Wednesday morning we headed of early along the Oxley Highway to Tamworth and beyond. The weather was wild across the plateau - very high winds and constant rain. We were very happy to arrive at the Pie Shop in Narrabri for a well earnt lunch.

The Australia Telescope is located just outside Narrabri. A series of 6 small telescopes which, when combined together, are equivalent to a dish 6km in diameter!!! We managed to arrive at our overnight stop - Caloola Farm Stay - just before dark. A long days travel - starting with the twisty climb and ending in the long outback straights.

Richard and Bev were our very friendly hosts. Bev made a "basic meal" of satay beef and vegetables followed by pavolova - thoroughly enjoyed. However, the conversation of meat cuts, abbatoirs, etc didn't help my digestion.

Thursday was a long day of travel via Bourke to Charleville. At least we managed to keep the rubber side down. With approximately 200km between major towns - it was a day typical of the long distances and sparse population of outback travel. A visit to the COSMOS Centre after dark was illuminating!!

I was glad to roll into Longreach - 2800km and 6 days after leaving home.