This is a little out of our way - but I have read that it is a nice little spot along the Murray River.
The campground there also has an open fire in the camp kitchen - they light it each afternoon in this colder period.
Not hard to see a pattern here!!!! - if we are not having to cook and be outside in this current shitty wet and wild weather - then we are happy to escape it where possible!!!! I think it's called adapting!!
Driving from Buronga to Barham today we cross back and forwards across the border (the Murray River) several times.
We pass lots and lots of small vineyards and orchards along the roads we travel this morning out from Buronga.
We also go through one section where there is just kilometre after kilometre of almond trees. They look lovely - but would live to see them in bloom. That would really be a stunning sight.
The properties all belong to Select Harvests - apparently the third biggest almond producer in the world.
Tooleybuc (just on NSW side of the border) is our lunch time stop - another pretty little place on the Murray. Yes we keep dropping in and out of states again today - Vic to NSW to Vic to NSW.
Seems we just can't leave NSW.
Tooleybuc - really where do they get some of these names???
We have to cross the Murray again to get to Tooleybuc - an historic one lane bridge still spans the river here.
It was once required manual operation and was manned by the local Bridgekeeper living here just by the bridge.
Many kilometres later today - we are on another one lane bridge, over the Murray, into Barham. This one is being replaced - it's done pretty well though as it is over 100yrs old.
It is similar to the one at Tooleybuc - as it is also a lift span bridge - designed to allow the paddle steamers to pass through in times gone by.
Checking into the park in Barham I find they are forecast to get extreme high winds tonight - so we ask for a site that will not be too exposed. All the unpowered sites are on the beautiful riverbank above the Murray - amongst the River Red Gums. We don't think this is a good idea with the current forecast - so we accept a powered site well back from the river and much more protected from the winds.
I was quite disappointed that they charged us the hefty fee for a powered site ($32) - when we would not be plugging into the power and they had plenty of powered sites available - especially since it was already 3pm - and the girl said herself that they would not be expecting to get anyone much else now today.
We setup and then take a walk around this little town - stopping in for a drink in one of the "locals" - a nice pub with a fire. It really was too warm - I know that is hard to believe - but they had the air con on as well - it was stifling.
It's a lovely walk back to camp - along the river side amongst the River Red Gums.
Some interesting info about the River Red Gums is found on this signboard on the riverbank -
The Murray Cod depicted here is renowned to be Australia's largest freshwater fish and is prevalent in the Murray-Darling system. They can live to be 50-60 years old and have been known to reach upto 1.5m in length.
This lovely parrot flew down and just sat nice and still for me to get a good snapshot. Isn't he a beauty!!
The camp kitchen had a a fantastically warm raging red wood fire - as "Wiki Camps" had told me (the application we mostly use for picking campsites these days).
We prepared our dinner and ate in the camp kitchen - and then sat around the fire chatting with some other campers. Can't get better than that - warm, dry and a good social night.
We are lucky and the high winds do not arrive tonight as forecast - it's a very calm night with just a few showers of light rain.
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