Wellington through to Forbes…..

To continue, since the weather has closed in and I am chilling in a caravan park this eve…oh the luxury lol… well its a good time to do just a bit more blogging before I retire for the night, the use of the laptop is few and far between. I am too busy living my adventure and am not as disciplined as I should be when it comes to blogging.
I did stop into Wellington… I think that might have been before Yeoval but its a bit hazy now, my bad lol. Anyway I do remember I got in about 1pm and for some reason thought it would be bigger than it is. True they did have a wonderful information centre surrounded by parkland and a gentle river walk, heralded by a sculpture of a rhino in weird colours 😀 Obviously it has much to do with the fact that the Dubbo Zoo has been trying desperately to keep the endangered Rhino from becoming nothing more than a museum exhibit.
I asked the lovely lady in there where I would be able to free camp as I really was beginning to recognise just how tired my body was. I am the type of person who runs on empty until even that last whiff has evaporated and suddenly I can go no more. She did tell me of one but I would have to drive back the way I had come, fighting the traffic to get back on the highway, though it was only about 17kms away.
I crossed the road to the little café that I had spied on my way and flopped into a chair, ordering a lactose free Latte. I would think it over while I had my coffee I decided and prayed fervently for a good coffee this time.
I wasn’t disappointed. The coffee was just the right strength, rich and creamy. I was thoroughly delighted with the barista’s skills and told her so, happy to see an answering smile light up her face. I would remember this café for when I come back, always providing I do come back the same way lol… one never knows.
I felt a little better and was warming to the idea of going out to Ponto Falls. Well that is until I saw the amount of trucks now thundering down the road. I simply did not have the energy to face the stressful game of dodge the trucks LOL and so I decided to put up my privacy blinds where I had parked, happily right outside a local motel, and chill till bedtime.
I had a reasonable night’s sleep all things considered, got up really early and enjoyed my first cup of coffee for the day. I wasn’t in the mood to cook breakfast there.. apart from the city smog, it wasn’t really a very classy place to take in the vibes lol.
The highway was quiet at that time of morning too and I cranked up my music as I set out again, ending up as you know in Yeoval for a belated breakfast and a delightful wander around the Banjo Paterson Exhibit. No need to hash over that which I have already written about but wanted to make sure I mentioned Wellington… sadly I decided against doing the Wellington Caves, it was a bit too dear for my blood right now 🙂
After Yeoval, the next stop appeared to be Parkes. I hadn’t been there before, figured it might be a bigger city and maybe it would have a branch of my gym there… I stopped on the outskirts for lunch, thankful for the very large paddock type parking space where I didn’t need to negotiate around other cars. There was a beautiful row of old trees and I parked beneath them; despite the fact we are in autumn, the days had been quite hot, getting more so the further inland I ventured. I was doubly thankful I had gotten the roof painted with Thermo Shield before I left, it did exactly as it promised and took 45% of the heat away.
Kicking back with a cuppa and a banana for lunch, I was puzzled as to why so many cars were heading down the little road beside me at first. As my mind settled, my awareness of my surroundings sharpened and I realised my lovely view was actually trees lining the perimeter of a graveyard! Thankfully I am not spooked by spooks lol…. though I did draw the line at freecamping in the car park in there. Would you believe one campervan happily went in and set up. Well each to their own, I thought grinning away.
I really didn’t feel much for Parkes, didn’t want to explore it at all and so around 3pms I got back on the road and headed for Forbes, knowing I would need to get off the road for the night there and hoping there was somewhere quiet and pretty to spend the night. I had been most fortunate up to now, only going into Gulgong because I chose to. The rest of the time after I left The Tea Gardens had been free camping… what a wonderful way to live!
Forbes is a typical small city and I wondered if I would have to spend the night next to a motel again, praying I didn’t have to. I pulled over and checked on one of my facebook groups and lo and behold someone had posted about a rest area where you could free camp. Off I went to investigate, hoping it wouldn’t be too full for me to stay. What a beautiful spot! I couldn’t believe my luck. It was right on the lake and there were trees strewn throughout. As they were gums, I knew not to park under them and smiled happily when I saw what I reckon was a space kept especially for me. My bus was a perfect fit and when I opened my door, I was looking directly out onto the lake. Yep this will do me, I thought and settled in for the night.
The next morning, while I was having my first cuppa, a lovely woman came knocking on my door. Hmm I thought it was free, I thought. I opened the door, expecting her to ask for a fee but instead she gave me a little easter egg! Oh how sweet 🙂 We had a bit of a chat and during the course of the conversation Laurel, she had introduced herself by then, asked me where I hailed from. When I told her, she immediately asked me if I knew Sue… wont mention her last name due to respect for others’ privacy. Ohhhh I jumped right in, mentioning where the Sue I knew worked. It turned out we were talking about the same person and she asked to be remembered to her. Seems they worked together in Forbes before Sue moved away. What a small world! I promised I would and she asked if I were staying for a few days. I said I thought it was only for 24 hours. No, she said. Feel free to stay on awhile and enjoy our town. Done!
I spent a further three nights there, allowing myself to get back into gym. Thank goodness this town was part of my gym’s franchise, I thought. Funnily enough I was missing the discipline. I am one of those people who truly need to work on core exercises and am not very disciplined lol. I have to physically go somewhere that is especially for that. Somehow it puts me in the mood :s
Well I truly enjoyed being beside that lake, the doing of my exercises and meeting new people. The lake and the surrounding trees healed and soothed my spirit, the exercise burnt off the stale energies and I was ready to get going once more.
Its time to close this off now. Tiime is marching on and if I stay on the laptop too late I don’t sleep well. I hope you are enjoying my journey with me. Take care, be happy and take a risk! Ciao for now xo