On the road again somewhere south of Narrabri

I stopped briefly at many of the towns along the Newell Highway, including  Coonabarabran, Gilgandra (including Coo-ee), Dubbo, Parkes and Forbes.

Gilgandra

While the sign out the front looked new and inviting, the Dubbo Visitors’ Centre was oddly derelict. It obviously had not been used for some time. The centre was closed with little fixtures and fittings inside the building. Outside was unkempt with the vegetation and debris on the pavement. I found this surprising given that Dubbo has a major tourist attraction — the Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

Dubbo

There were many rest stops along the Newell Highway in New South Wales. Only stop in the if you are really desperate to use a loo. The one below was a typical drop dunny (toilet over a hole in the ground). It was filthy and stunk. You are better off taking your own toilet paper and visiting a nearby tree.

Forbes Visitor Information Centre

Check the RTA web site for road closures around Narrandera if there is rain and flooding forecast. I had booked a night (and paid a deposit) in the caravan park there, so was determined to get there. After going through several back roads, I got to Narrandera, only to find that the caravan park had also flooded. It would have been nice if the caravan park had phoned me to let me know I could not camp there for the evening! Bad customer service if you ask me!

On of the back roads I used to get to Narrandera

I ended up staying at the Midtown Motor Inn, which I found to be quite pleasant and comfortable.

Read about Day 3 of my trip here.

Drive safe and enjoy!

This article is part of my road trip from Brisbane to Tasmania and back — further stories about my road trip can be found by following the Tasmania trip tag.