Total km: 1097 (we cracked the ton!)

Awoke to the morning chorus and 6.30 sunshine. Leapt out of bed (at least in our minds) and got the coffee pot humming.

We aimed for an 8am departure and were on the road, coffee and banana in hand- unshowered but hey, we’re camping!

First stop to take a picture of the local playground for you know who…then on to Condoblin

Arrived in Condoblin round 9.30. The town was a mass of people and horses with the local camp draft underway. It’s a beautiful, thriving regional  town, beautifully preserved buildings and obviously a vibrant community. 

Resisted the temptation to buy a prized lam- or property but could see us living here in a parallel universe.

Stopped off at the ‘Utes in a Paddock’ art installation which has a couple of dozen Australian utes painted by famous artists reflecting outback history (mostly post colonial mind you).

Fully caffeinated and fed we continued north.

Next stop was Tottenham whose claim to fame is being the geographical centre of NSW. On arrival we discovered the true centre is marked 20km west of town. Given the long drive ahead we opted out  of the photo op and decided near enough is good enough.

Followed the ‘Bogan Way’ today north through long miles of lush cattle and canola country – easy to see how this region gets its Kings in grass castles reputation.

We are listening to the book ‘Outback Stations’ as we go – a historical account of the Aussie meat industry and the 8 biggest cattle stations in Australia, some of them along the route we are taking.  A & J you’d love it!

Arrived in our riverside camp spot right on the banks of the Barwon River. We stayed here a couple of years ago and it’s still magical. We are all set up and David’s in the process of cleaning the 5000 mashes insects off our windscreen (no exaggeration) before settling in for our sunset G&T.