August 7th.

Card painted by Julie King

Tonight we are camping in Moree at the 'Gwydir Carapark - Thermal Pools & Hot Springs Resort'. We enjoyed a lovely long soak in the warm pool late this afternoon. I found it to be a relaxing and fun thing to do. The Artisan water is drawn from the Great Artesian Basin about 750 metres below the ground. Chlorine is added to comply with Council Requirements and then the water is delivered into the pools ready for visitors to enjoy.

We were awakened this morning, at our Lake Copeton camp, to a chorus of laughing, from several kookaburras. They were laughing at us, yesterday, as we sat reading.

The morning was clouded but the day was quite warm and this evening thunder clouds have gathered. It is expected to be warm again tomorrow. The drive across here from Copeton Lake was mostly through bush country and on hilly bitumen roads. One property was name ALLAWA which means 'my place' I have used this name for one of my quilts when the theme was 'home'.

It was good to see men on horses rounding up cattle. Mostly bikes are used these days for this farm activity. Then as we came through Bungara the local Pony Club  members were out for a ride. I did love to ride as a young girl.

The Gwydir Highway took us into Moree. A few km. east of Moree we passed by a pecan orchard, something I have not seen before. There was a Sunday morning market in progress when we arrived in town. This was rather fun to walk through.

Today, I was very pleased to receive an email from a new friend. She and her husband were camping at Lake Leslie when we were there. Julie gave me a card on which she had painted a picture of wattle.

Memorial Plaque for Edward Dickens

The highlight of the day for us was finding the grave  of Edward (Plorn) Dickens who married Constance Desailly, my great grandfather's neice. Edward and Constance lived near Wilcannia and that is the reason why we began our Safari in that area. Conctance was buried in the Box Hill cemetery and Edward was buried here in Moree. Edward, among other occupations, had been a member of the Legislative Assembly in NSW. He died on 1902 and was buried in the Moree Cemetery. I believe the Dickens Society erected the elaborate Memorial Grave stone

Moree Cemetery Grave of Edward Dickens