BATHURST

We turned up to Bathurst which is home to the famous Bathurst 1000 km V8 Super Car race.  I have watched the V8 super cars since I have been a child.  Watching Allen  Moffet win in the ford GTHO  and  the famous Peter Brock win 9 times for Holden much to my excitement I was able to stand on and drive the famous track. 

The famous start line!

With much inspiration I decided to try my luck as a race car driver in my Nissan  4WD! The first time a 4WD has ever raced in Bathurst!

View the famous lap here!

Race control can you please confirm my win!  Thank you, thank you!

and the winner is me!!

And I got much of my inspiration from this man, Peter Brock.  I won't hold it against him that he drove for GMH.

Strolling around the 'not so frequented areas of Bathurst you can see remains of car parts such as this alternator.

Interestingly Bathurst was the home of our former Prime Minister Ben Chifley.

But there was much more to Bathurst than the 1000 km super car race.... Take for example this beautiful building brilliantly crafted of sandstone from the area.  Only thing is to stay here is at Her Majesty's pleasure, only thing is once you get in they don't seem to want to let you out, verrrry strange!

Just some of the magnificent trees that change colour in Autumn

And time to say goodbye to my beloved Bathurst and hit the road.  Actually at the insistence of Karen I have been told I have to change up the road theme!  So here we go.....

Hit the road!

ORANGE

And we head further north to the beautiful region of Orange and Bathurst.  The area reminds Karen and I of Canada in the Autumn with the incredible colours of the trees changing and dropping their leaves

There are so many pictures it's hard to know which ones to show you....  This was from the botanic gardens in Orange with a carpet of leaves

Inside the beautiful furn garden in Orange

and there's no time like the present for a nap on a comfortable innerspring leaf mattress

Hey!

Ello, ello, ello, wat have we ear then?

A stroll a round the beautiful lake just out of Orange was some welcome exercise

Some of the trees on the trail were to die for.

The sounds of Autumn

The Rosella of the Orange. 

and a day passes at our camp site in Maquarie Woods, middway between Orange and Bathurst.  Tomorrow we head for Bathurst for some more fun! :)

COOTAMUNDRA / MONTEAGLE

So we call into Cootamundra to get supplies and replenish our water and came across the house Sir Donald Bradman was born in.  The man attained a test cricket average of 99.94 runs per match!

So we replenished our supplies, took on more water and headed about 26 kms out of town to a beautiful out of the way spot in Monteagle.

We arrived here on nearly a full moon and decided to stay here for the ANZAC weekend.

Some of the full moon shots, sunrise and sunsets from this beautiful part of Australia were unforgettable!  The following 2 shots were of the sunset prior to ANZAC day.

The morning of April 25th is ANZAC day and is commemorated by Australia waking before the dawn and remembering those who are fallen for country.  Karen and I made sure we were awake for this very special day in this special place and took photos of the rising sun whilst listening to the  NSW and then the Canberra ANZAC services.....

And we are the fortunate who witness each day.

Lest we forget.

And they say the coldest hour is right before the dawn.... They were right!!!

Nothing that a few tunes belted out at the hill top couldn't fix though....  Hahaha no people to throw stuff.....Yeah!

Karen decided it was too cold and was going back to bed to read

So I thought it was a good idea to build my garden shed on top of these grain silos.  Only problem is I don't think I built the windows big enough!

And so sadly we said goodbye to Monteagle and the friendly people here to head north east to check out the towns of Bathurst, the town of my beloved Bathurst 1000 race track and also the town of Orange.  So of course it was,,,

time to hit the road

BETHUNGRA DAM

So we head north again to the very small town of Bethungra where we get a chance to stop and do some needed domestic duties....

Bethungra town was established around 1875 however now consists of a couple of houses and a B and B.  Just a few kms out of the town is this dam where you can camp 

our camp

Doing the washing with friends....

.
and more friends.  Now Karen as a Matodor your mean't to have a small red cape not a big white sheet and the animals need to be bulls not cows ;)

hmmm getting closer

Meh just hangin around

At one with nature....

Time for exercise

Surf's up

Ye old Combie.... Ah yes I remember them well.

and after completing our domestics we decided it was time to hit the road and head north through Cootamundra which is where Sir Donald Bradman was born so we will have to stop and check it out...