On towards Sydney (sort of...)

Glen Innes, self-described as Celtic Country due to many early settlers from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, etc., holds an annual Celtic Festival and also has an installation called the Australian Standing Stones, which is a sort of mini-Stonehenge on a hilltop east of town.  It also has a highly recommended (by the tourist bureau in Tenterfield) folk museum called the Land of the Beardies History House Museum, located in an old hospital complex, some of whose buildings date back to the 1870's.  Because the museum opened later in the morning (10 am) and we wanted to get moving the next day, all we did was wander the outdoor exhibits on an evening walk.  (In case you are wondering, apparently a couple of early settlers/promoters were know for their long beards and became referred to as "the Beardies.)

Susan with a one-cylinder steam engine that was used until the late 1950's to power a sawmill.  Note the size of the flywheel required for smooth operation with a one-cylinder engine.  This is one of the outdoor exhibits at the History House Museum.

In Glen Innes, we decided to opt for a more authentic Australian experience and stay at one of the classic, downtown hotels with room doors opening on an upper-floor veranda and a bar/restaurant on the ground floor.  To this point, we have stayed in 1960's-80's-era motels.  These motels in the US have often morphed into rather seedy, run-down operations as the large chains by the interstate have killed their core business of passing travelers.  In Australia, however, they are generally well-maintained and usually updated with modern baths, wi-fi, etc., and overall very satisfactory accommodations.  Because the main highways still pass through town, there are no outskirts ghettos of chains and these mom-and-pop operations are still going strong.  So...back to our hotel in Glen Innes...  We stayed at the Great Central Hotel right across from the Post Office in the city center.  It is a nicely maintained 1870's structure with large rooms, shared baths, but also no air conditioning.  As the temperature was in the mid-30's when we arrived, we were  bit concerned.  On the other hand, the three of us combined only paid A$ 80 (US$ 60 for the night, including a continental breakfast (which is unusual in Australia).  It cooled off to around 20 and the rooms had fans, so it was not so bad, however, we were a bit uneasy leaving the veranda doors open  for circulation.  It was a good experience, but we decided that unless the weather is a bit cooler, we would opt for places with A/C in the future.

The Great Central Hotel in downtown Glen Innes.

Susan and Wesley on the veranda of the hotel looking back in the direction from which the previous photo was taken.  Our rooms were through two of the doors on the left.

In the morning, we headed east on the Gwydir Hwy towards the Pacific Coast, after first making a brief stop at the Standing Stones in Glen Innes.  (After all, if it's there and on the way, we really should stop for a look!)

Australian Standing Stones from a distance.  Like Stonehenge, the alignment can be used to predict solar position on the equinoxes and solstices.  There are also a few other sundry stones to honor some Celtic group or another.

Between Glen Innes and the coast, we passed through two national parks:  Gibraltar Range and Washpool.

The entire New England area through which we had been driving had many granite boulders as well as massive granite outcroppings.  This stack of three balancing rocks was by the road east of Glen Innes and west of the national parks.  I need to do some research to learn how this phenomenon occurs.

Australia has a LOT of national parks, but they aren't quite the same as in the US.  Here they are administered by the states, each of which has its own policies, entrance fees, etc.--there is no national pass for sale.  Also, there are no state parks, so the national parks include major as well as minor natural features and vary widely as to services.  (Some are completely undeveloped with no established trails or other facilities.)  Another feather is that they are generally a ways off the main highway, or if not (as in the case of Gibraltar Range), the interesting features are on tracks quite a ways from the main road.

At the first lookout point in Gibraltar Range NP looking out over the ancient volcanic escarpment.  There is also an ancient fault line passing though the valley beyond the small hill in the foreground.  This was only 1 km or so off the highway and required no walking--a very easy photo op!

Another view from the same spot looking approximately 90 degrees to the right.

At Gibraltar Range, we specifically wanted to visit the Needles, a distinct outcropping of granite with spikes pointing upward like needles and close enough to the trail head to do in three hours or less (we generally keep walks to under 3-4 hours because of the amount of water we can carry).  This required about 8 km on a single-lane dirt track, often with a wash board surface (similar to Boonoo Boonoo the day before), just to reach the trail head.

At the trail head picnic grounds, we were greeted by a pair of wallabies.  We've seen lots of kangaroos/wallabies, but it is still exciting  to see them--so much more exotic than deer!

It was then another 6 km return trip by foot to the Needles.  On the way, we passed through two or three distinctly different ecosystems such as rain forest and eucalyptus forest.  One of the remarkable things in Australia is how frequently and quickly the landscape transforms itself from one type to another.

At the end of trail with an overlook of the Needles.  The photo doesn't show it well, but there was a low cloud/fog layer above with sun coming through from beside the cloud layer and the view with the lighting was spectacular.

In the 1920's, a local promoter (and civil engineer) named Bill Mulligans wanted to build a hydro-electric dam in the national park and flood the valley you saw in the earlier photos.  This is one of his weirs he used to measure flow rate to determine feasibility.  Fortunately for those who enjoy the park for hiking, his scheme never came to fruition.

After our hike and a lunch at the picnic area, we continued on to Grafton with the intention of continuing right on through to Coffs Harbour for the night.  However, at the info center, we learned of some aboriginal things near Corindi Beach (about half-way to Coffs Harbour) that were of interest, so we opted to stay in Grafton and stop by in Corindi Beach the next day.

In Grafton, we got up leisurely because we wanted to visit the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Center in Corindi Beach, which didn't open till 10, so we did not need to leave until about 9:30.  We filled the morning with a driving tour around Grafton which included a number of vintage and/or historical buildings plus a few other attractions of note.

The Grafton Gaol, built in the 1890's (still colonial) and bearing the sign of Queen Victoria.  It looks well maintained and is still in use as a jail.

A street that is lined with huge fig trees.  Figs this big are not uncommon, but I think this many together is unusual.

The Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Center is mainly a venue for display and sale of aboriginal art. Some of it is in a traditional style and some is a modern interpretation by aboriginal artists.  There are also mass produced items with designs by aboriginal artists, such as salad tongs, wine bags, etc., but the profits from the art accrues to the artist.  (Photography of the art was not allowed, so no photos of that.)  It also had a small exhibit of aboriginal artifacts including a canoe, weapons, baskets, boomerangs, item from archeological digs, etc. Before leaving we had spent a few dollars and now must try to keep everything undamaged for the next four weeks or so.

Mural on the exterior of the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Center.

These baskets and containers are made from a single leaf and tied with grass fibers.

Leaving the cultural center we continued south on the Pacific Hwy and stopped for a picnic near the beach in Coffs Harbour, but just before Coffs Harbour was one of those highlights too good to pass by:  the Big Banana!  This is something I had heard about before leaving home, but when we saw the movie "Cane Toads" in Brisbane, the banana played and important albeit small role, so it became a "must see."  In terms or kitsch, it did not disappoint:  we could have (but did not): ice skate, play laser tag, see a movie, have a tour, play mini-golf, ...  However, one of the most positive points is that it was easy-off, easy-on from the highway.

Nothing else to say:  The Big Banana.

We left Coffs Harbour without doing/seeing much and went south a few km to take the Waterfall Way towards Armidale, trying to see a few (you can probably guess this) waterfalls along the way.  If you pull out an Australian map at this point and trace our route since leaving Brisbane, two things will stand out:  first, we are zig-zagging like a drunk college student on Saturday night and second, Armidale is less than than half way from Brisbane to Sydney after four full days.  As it turns out, we didn't even get as far as Armidale today, but ended up stopping early in a little town called Dorrigo (only about 1/4 of the way from the coast to Armidale!).  We had made good progress to the Rain Forest Center at Dorrigo National Park and stopped to see the exhibits.  When it was time to go, we had spent more time than planned, so we would be somewhat late into Armidale, but even more important, it had turned rainy and very foggy, so seeing any of the waterfalls would have been problematic.  Hence, the decision to stop in Dorrigo.
We ended up again in an old, traditional, down-town hotel, but this one was a bit more restored to its original time period and even included some original furnishings.  It was not nearly as cheap at in Glen Innes, but it included A/C.  Thanks to the rain, we didn't really need A/C for comfort, but it was very useful for traffic noise.  We fully expected Dorrigo to simply be a way station, but the hotel info booklet included a top ten list of things to do, so we set out to do a few.  (The national park was #1 and #2, so we'd already done that.)  We first opted to go to Dangar Falls, just a couple km out of town.  We debated walking, but fortunately chose the car and it rained rather hard before we got back to town. The falls are not the biggest in the world, but very picturesque and a bit unexpected as you drive up.

Dangar Falls near Dorrigo.

We then went to item #5 on the list--quote:  "Dorrigo Steam Railway collection--Said to be the largest collection of railway rolling stock in the southern hemisphere (perhaps the world!)  you can drive along the local roads and view the collection of engines and carriages from yesteryear."  We were intrigued that it would suggest simply viewing from the road and not visiting the museum, so we drove out to the site of the old railway station.  What we saw was truly amazing:  probably 15-20 steam locomotives and dozens of goods (freight) and passenger carriages.

Line of steam locomotives.  They are all covered with oil to prevent rust, so have a very dull appearance.  This is only a fraction of the locomotives as the museum has 75 on-site and several more to be moved.

We started driving down a narrow, parallel road for a look and I pulled over to look at a locomotive that was a completely new type to me.  While we were stopped and I was trying to figure out what we were seeing, a car pulled up and the "bloke" asked if we were interested in learning something about the engine.  It turns out that Trevor had moved to the area primarily to volunteer at this "museum."  Museum is in quotes, because the museum is a legal entity (Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum, Ltd.), but it is not open to the public, hence very little publicity.  In any case, the engine in question was a 260-ton, 32-wheel (16 driving wheels), Beyer-Garratt-type, the largest steam locomotive in the southern hemisphere (you hear the qualify "in the southern hemisphere" a lot in Australia!).

Garratt articulated locomotive.  This type is a British design and was used primarily in the UK, South Africa and Australia.  In the US, the large articulated locomotives (e.g., the Union Pacific Big Boys) were of the Mallet type instead.

As Trevor was telling us about the engine and the museum, another bloke named Keith, the managing director of the museum) wandered over and wondered if we'd like a closer look, so we jumped at the opportunity.  After pointing out many of the fine points and technical advances incorporated into the engine, Keith mentioned that the engines and carriages that we could see were only a small part of the collection and would we like to see some of the rest?  It started to rain, but he said to come along anyway as he had lots of umbrellas, so we tagged along and over a small rise looked out at a virtual sea of railway rolling stock--hundreds of items.  This museum has a long way to go, but when it up and going, it will be a must-see attraction.  The level of detail in the planning is incredible;  for example Keith described how all the locomotives are pointed north on the tracks to give the best sun angle for photos, they are assembling appropriate cargo for each type of freight car (e.g., vintage beer kegs for the beer wagon), ...  To keep this post short (and because we were told much  more than I can remember), suffice it to say that about two hours later we finally bid farewell to Trevor and Keith and asked them to give our apologies to their wives from making them VERY late to dinner!  This was one of those serendipitous, out-of-the-blue experiences that makes travelling so rewarding--and I'll be sure to monitor the web site and plan a return trip when the museum opens (plus, they own 35 km of track for future excursion trips).

What we saw "over the rise."   Acres and acres of engines and cars.  Note the army tank in the foreground--they have a military flat car which needs an appropriate military cargo, hence the tank.

Keith (L) and Trevor (R) talking to us in the rain.

This will mean more to engineers, but this locomotive frame is a single casting--52 ft long and includes the integral steam cylinders on the side.  It was made in the US during WW II and was a replacement for an earlier shipment lost when sunk by a Japanese ship.

A car to carry a power plant stator from the dock to power plant.  The item is so massive that the car has 44 (if I remember correctly) wheels to distribute the weight.  Two bigger cars exist int eh US, but this is the biggest in the southern hemisphere.

The rest of the evening was relaxed and uneventful by comparison accompanied by the unfamiliar (and soothing) sound of rain falling.  The plan is that tomorrow we will finally arrive in Armidale and hopefully get a bit beyond.  We'll then drive hard and try to arrive in Sydney by Friday evening, skipping who knows how many gems like Dorrigo.