We decided to set the alarm early to allow us to prepare for an early departure so we could maximise our time in Dubbo. Whilst the morning did not really fell all that cold, we noticed ice on the ground in the garden near the motorhome. Winter had arrived.
Fortunately the road from Cobar to Dubbo heads in a south easterly direction so the sun did not play a major part in managing the drive. Today we learnt the importance of carrying a UHF radio and monitoring channel 40. A wide load (close to 6 metres in width) was travelling in the opposite direction and thanks to the radio, we knew about it. An early warning gave us sufficient time to find a stretch of the road where the edge was hard enough to take the motorhome completely off the road. Without the warning, we may have ended up in soft dirt and then problems getting back onto the road. We have noted numerous comments in various forums regards carrying a UHF radio with a lot of people referring to them as being next to useless. During our trip, we were made aware of numerous wide loads and other hazards on the road and the UHF radio was invaluable. Fortunately, the amount of profanity seems to have diminished from the “truckies”.
We also use the radio when reversing into tight camp spots and they are also very handy if “the conveniences” outside of the motorhome are used at night.
We arrived in Dubbo at lunchtime, checked into the caravan park and then headed into Dubbo to visit the historic goal. With an entry fee of $15 a person, we decided to pass. When comparing the cost of $3 per head in Silverton, we could not see an value.
We then visited Western Plains Zoo where entry was free as we are “Friends of the Zoo”. We chose the exhibits we wanted to look at and spent about two hours there. For the first time we were able to photograph the lions. We also enjoyed the experience of watching a “hippo” exit from the water, do a quick check of the surrounds and then reenter the water. This is an excellent zoo as you can spend as much time as you desire to look at the exhibits. One thing we can recommend is entry to the zoo before normal hours where you get to see “behind the scenes”. Check the zoo web site for further information.
Last task for the day was to return to Dubbo for some food which “He” managed to cook outside without burning. The evening was spend in front of the television (Grey’s and Without a Trace). We were both excited about returning home tomorrow.