Distance: 294 km
Fuel: 32 L
Left Hillston at just after 9am as is becoming a habit. The weather forecast was for a heat wave all over the state this weekend.
I had intended to stop at the old mining town of Mount Hope but it seemed very disappointing. There was the pub and a few modern metal sheds but no sign at all of the old township so I moved on.
The land was very dry and I saw lots of wild life at the side of the road as I drove; kangaroos resting in the shade of a tree, many goats scuttling across the road ahead and the occasional emu.
I stopped at a rest area about 50km outside Cobar which was once a gold mining area. The rest area had some mementos of that time.
When I arrived in Cobar itself it was only midday so there was plenty of time to find the caravan park ($38 for a site – by far the most expensive place I have stayed at) and then find the tourist office.
Visited a couple of mine lookouts in the area. Everywhere there was old workings and deeps shafts.
I also visited a local reservoir; a Mecca for bird watchers – nothing better illustrates the town’s desperate need for water. The islands in the map are high and dry.
It was a very hot day fortunately humidity was only about 15% but even after the sun went down the temperature didn’t drop much.