Day Six

Well we have been on the road almost a week and today we are having a rest day at Premer a small country Town west of Tamworth where the Country Music Festival has been in full swing.
Premer is typical of small country towns that have seen better days with dilapidated buildings, a school and a very small country store where you very importantly get an ice-cream, milk and a loaf of bread
amongst other essential.

Yesterday we left Split Rock Dam for Manilla and of course we found a perfectly good bitumen road all the way instead of the road we used to get to the dam.
We left a bit earlier and Allan and Maureen and they caught up with us in the town. I am starting to think I must be very important in this part of the world
have found Arthur Streets, Arthur's Rest and Arthur's Seat, obviously all named after me.

From Manilla we planned to take the Keppit Road via Lake Keppit but somehow missed the turnoff in Manilla and ended up on the Carol Gap Road on which there was a turnoff to the Keppit Dam which of course we took
and after travelling about 6/8k down a dusty road were met with a sign saving private property, no public access. Did manage to get both the rigs rather dirty and dusty for our efforts. Just after returning to the roadway we came across a gliding school just beside the road
and stopped for a while to watch their operation. Brought back memories of my gliding days at Kingaroy,was tempted to say lets stay for the day and have a flight but thought better of it.

We continue on to Gunnedah where we had morning tea/lunch in a park. Had a most interesting conversation with a 72 year old wheat farmer who was driving a B-Double delivering his wheat to a dealer.
Just so happened he was a caravanner as well and we had a great time chatting to him.You meet the most interesting people on the road. You should have heard his opinion on day light saving and politicians who make these decision without ever being in the west to see the effects. In fact he still had his watch on real time as his own personal sort of protest.

He was also rather critical of media reporting of recent floods in the area with "They weren't major floods, just covers a low level bridge and some creek or another(can't remember the name), in 55 I sat on my roof for three days, now that was a flood."

We then continued on through Mullaley to Premer where we arrived early afternoon and settled into the camp. We were sitting having a cuppa when the airforce
put on a display for us with F16s screaming over our camp at about 100ft on low level exercises and disappearing in the distance before you could catch your breath. Quite spectacular for an aircraft enthusiast like me. We have heard them in the distance again today but I guess they are not using us as target practice today.

Done the Washing today and repaired Allan's door (well actual his motorhome door) which he broke the handle on the first day out.Everyone, except me, is currently asleep in there rigs with the air-conditioning on as it is quite hot outside today.