Tingha to Ashford

Woke up this morning to Gem FM's school report. So now we know Bundarra is having its school sports..bring warm clothes and a hat, it's Inverell's Year 2  Library day so don't forget your library bags, the lunch special today is half chicken and gravy and any helpers get a free lunch. Pre-primary at Tingha are focusing on the letter M and the junior primary Count Me In Maths game is Bubble Game. That's local radio! The name Gem comes because this is a great spot for fossicking and in years gone by had diamonds, topaz, quartz, tourmaline  and sapphires. But we didn’t try our luck. How nice to have a caravan park to yourself. The dam was next door, along with roaming cattle who seemed to be walking through the town.
Today we did a big loop ending up about 60 kms north of where we started and travelled about 350 kms in the process. First stop was Inverell. Its not that easy negotiating the van around the roundabouts in the main street, stopping for crossing pedestrians and parking is almost impossible. We found a spot and luckily enough found a baker and vegie shop so stocked up on the needed basics….oh forgot - also a carton of beer.
We headed off up the Gwydir Highway through the Great Dividing Range and into Glen Innes which is on the Northern Tablelands. This city has the coldest climate in Australia outside of the Southern Alps and Tasmania. There was a lazy breeze blowing. The city is full of European deciduous trees


Next stop was Tenterfield. The country started to look quite dry and a bit of research indicated they are in the middle of a drought. Lots of tuffs of tough looking grass.

Plenty of hills to go up and down, some nice rock formations and great vistas, but these photos were taken on the move.

A lunch stop in another town surrounded by hills.

Stopped to look at the Tenterfield saddlery built in the 1860s and made famous by a song written Peter Allen about his grandfather who worked as a saddler from 1908 until 1960. It has been closed for renovations.

We headed west on the Bruxner Highway and then turned off to a small village called Ashford.  More high tableland country looking very dry. Some spectacular hills and mountains.



We are free camping on the River Severn. Greg tried fishing but just lost his tackle. We are puzzled at what the shed below, on the right is used for. We have seen quite made out of various materials including stone, wood and iron.