Day 53: Warialda

Day 53: Thursday September 1
Warialda (127 kilometres)
A gentle ride through rolling hills which felt like the descents were steeper than the climbs-- I'm all in favour of this!

I left around 6:30 half expecting rain, but had none, although the road was wet in places. I stopped at Yetman for morning tea, and then bought more sweet stuff at the little post office there. This is 40 kilometres out.

I also stopped to talk with a cocky about 60 kilometres out; sheep, cattle, acreage and rain. A nice bloke with a Brownie dog in the back of the ute. "He has some brains."
Next stop was Coolatai, about another 40 kilometres, famous for the black panther that is alleged to have lived in the hills. I spend a while chatting after lunch with a freelance ecologist and his partner who live there, but spend months of the year away.

Apple Flat Creek in full blossom.

Coolatai

Contour Banks like home

The Last Big Drop before Warialda 

The country is changing. There is still a lot of timber of course, but it's becoming more a wet cold winter country. This will be born out by possibly 50 millimetres of rain at Narrabri tomorrow, which is where I'm headed. My next task is to work out a strategy to survive if it rains all day for the whole 150 kilometres!