We said farewell to our friends and left Tamworth headed for Tenterfield. There wasn't a lot of traffic and hardly any trucks being a Sunday. Our coffee stop was at the Alternate Root in the old Trickett's General Store building. The original pressed metal ceiling follows the roof line. Our take away coffee was good and the cafe had a good vibe.
We made a comfort stop at the Guyra Rotary Park where this 32 year old statue represents the two main industries for the region - lamb and potatoes. We have not been able to stop here before as there has not been anywhere to park, because the Guyra Lamb and Potato Festival coincides with the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Lunch was beside a park in Glen Innes. There were lots of prickles in the grass so I had to keep Blue on the road. Prickles don't stick to Tilly's fine fur.
Anita chose the Tenterfield Showground as our campsite because it is close to town. Next time I will choose a caravan park with proper facilities! We unhitched because I wanted to drive 35kms to the Bald Rock National Park. Anita wasn't interested in seeing the largest granite monolith in Australia - 200m high 750m long and 500m wide. She happily stayed in the van listening to the cricket with the little critters to keep her company.
In February there were huge fires extending from Wallangara to the coast near Iluka, burning through several national parks and the World Heritage Areas of the Gwandana Rainforests. The parks remained closed for months but are now open. With reduced vegetation the Rock could be seen through the trees.
As I was leaving the park I spotted this swamp wallaby and her joey. Apart from birds, lizards and a couple of snakes on the road, the only other wildlife we have seen this trip was one kangaroo near Cape Jaffa.
Back in Tenterfield I drove around looking at the many historic buildings. No shops were open on the main street so I was able to see these buildings without vehicle obstructions.
