Safari 2018 August 12th

Chaffey Dam Camp Ground

 August 12th 

We decided to enjoy a quiet day in the Tamworth area. Last night we camped just a little north of the city and this  evening we are a little south..on the surrounds of the Chaffey Dam which was actually built in 1979 but has had a couple of more modern modifications this century.  The main section of the wall has been made from attractive pink rocks which have come from the nearby hills.

Chaffey Dam wall

A couple of very close friends of ours lived not far from here at Duncan's Creek. We took a drive up this valley to see if we could recognise the property. It is nearly 50 years ago since we visited them. They sold the property a long time ago. It was interesting reminiscing about the rocky landscape, the rabbit plague and the 'prickly pear' which were so difficult to eradicate. The Duncan's Creek Valley is the only area we have noticed with a tinge of green across the paddocks. The gum trees on the hills are obviously browning with lack of life supporting rains. The Peel River is the main river through Tamworth and farmers are obviously irrigating with these waters. 
We did drive a little further south to a small town called Nundle which appears to be developing as a Tourist precinct. The attraction is 'fossicking' presumably for gold. There are a number of shops and cafes and a of course a 'very popular hotel'. The Tourist Route goes through Nundle. We will follow this tomorrow morning on our our way west and south.
it is very cold here this evening with a really chill wind. We will need some heating for sure so John intends to run our generator to power our small heater. There are no campers very close for us to disturb with a generator noise and the wind will blow the noise across the water as well.