Bathurst to Warwick
Information about the Nat.Pk.
an old crossing to reach the Liverpool plains
Here is some historical information about the pass
Coolah: Overnight at the "Black Stump Motel". As basic as they all used to be; built from timber, fibro, corrugated iron - maybe by the owner himself. After our simple meal we walk up & down the main street, look at the shopwindows by torchlight; quite deserted, it feels like past midnight.
In the morning we drive up to the plateau of Coolah Tops, then on the little gravel road across Pandora's pass down to Bundella without meeting one vehicle!
After the descent through rainforest where everything is vertical, green and wet we are suddenly in the middle of farmland near the stately meandering Clarence river. We cross into Grafton on the famous doublestorey bridge with the scary angular bends.
Our friend's house is right next to the railway line, 15 meters away; the odd train wakes us up but we fall asleep again straightaway.
Warwick
Warwick has a solid, prosperous air about it. The hockey carnival is on, hard to find accommodation. The people at the tourist information are most helpful, we end up taking the suite at the rather grand "Criterion" hotel. To compensate we save and bring Thai take-away & a bottle of wine to our livingroom before retiring to our bedroom and the ornate Victorian bed.
Warwick to Idalia National Park
Botanical information about Bottle Trees
Information about the Blackall woolscour
Idalia on the Queensland National Parks website
