We left Hay after a slightly cooler night and headed off along the Hay Plain to Balranald. Jo took the wheel for the first time this trip. Plenty of trucks on the road and Jo managed to overtake a horse float on the way out of town.
The Hay Plain is a long flat expanse of big sky and emptiness, except for the agricultural holdings and the odd mob of emus. It’s hard to imagine what Burke & Wills and Charles Sturt must have thought when faced with all of this ‘barrenness’ in front of them.
Balranald
Balranald is smaller again than Hay but looks prosperous enough even though we arrived on a Sunday and most of the shops were shut.
The town has scattered around it a number of sculptures depicting the Southern Bell Frog, which is an endangered species found along the Murrumbidgee Corridor.
Balranald Caravan Park
Balranald Caravan Park is situated right on the banks of the Murrumbidgee as you come across the bridge (from Hay). It’s quite spacious and very well kept. We chose a grassed drive-through site with some of the thickest, lushest grass I have ever walked on. No levelling of the van was required and setup was quick and hassle-free. From the park it is an easy walk into town and passes a suspension bridge that re-crosses the river to a loop walk.
On the day we arrived we met Chris & Jill, owners of a Supreme Territory, who were keen to have a look at our Supreme Executive and gave us a heap of excellent tips and advice based on their experience.
It was quite chilly when we woke up on he first morning but it was nice to snuggle under the doona for a change instead of lying on top of the sheets all night in the heat. Jo was in good spirits after a good night’s sleep.
River Walk
As with Narrandera and Hay, Balranald also has a beautiful river walk along the banks of the Murrumbidgee. Balranald‘s river walk is characterised by starting with a suspension bridge located just outside the caravan park. Once across the bridge you can walk through the magnificent river gums and make your way back to the traffic bridge to re-cross the river and head back to the caravan park or keep going into town for a coffee.
The corellas assemble in the thousands near the caravan park and create an almighty racket that continues on throughout the day.
Home Improvements
Since our next stop will be Mungo National Park we took the opportunity to try out an idea for a quick privacy sun shade on the awning. Instead of going to the bother of setting up one (or two) or the annex walls… we created some loops of cord inserted through thin plastic tubing that allows us to suspend a cheap plastic tarp from the annex in a similar but quicker way than the annex wall. All it needs is the home-made loops, a few tent pegs and a few bungy cords and ‘instant privacy/shade’. Very happy