Around Australia 2026 Part 12 – NSW and Homeward Bound

 

Diamond Firetail

After visiting Eyre Peninsula we continued eastward to spend our last night in South Australia in the quaint historic town of Olary, not far from the NSW border. Once stately solid brick homes up to 140 years old are today uninhabited and in a state of chronic disrepair, with ancient furnishings still in place. The sole pub is the town's centrepiece.

Olary Hotel

We crossed the border and had a pleasant couple of days at Cape Penrose Park outside Silverton, near Broken Hill. The pub is not to be missed. 

View from Silverton pub

The desert scenery was inspiring. Plenty of Euros in the hills around town.

Hills outside Silverton

Euro

Then it was onwards to Emmdale Roadhouse, where we've stayed before. The roadhouse is opposite Paroo Darling National Park. Eastern Bluebonnet is unusually common in the arid woodlands here.

Eastern Bluebonnet

So too is Emu. I noted during our last visit in 2014 that I had never seen Emus so common. The same this time, with many groups seen.

Emu

Rufous Songlark was singing all over the place. 

Rufous Songlark

A group of Black-tailed Native-hen was spotted. White-winged Choughs were common.

Black-tailed Nativehen

White-winged Chough

So too were flies – here and for the next few days – and enormous numbers of feral goats. The damage being done by the goats is palpable; their grazing is so intense there is little evidence of mulga and other trees regenerating. We overnighted in Florida Rest Area, 50km east of Cobar, and Mendooran Free Camp on the Castlereagh River. Everywhere were flies and goats!

Feral goat

We enjoyed a couple of days in the pretty town of Denman. A large flying-fox colony here appeared to be comprised wholly of Black Flying-Fox. This primarily tropical species is spreading its range southwards, most likely as a result of climate change. It was sad to see no fewer than six dead Common Wombats over a 50km stretch of road in this region.

Black Flying Fox

We moved on to Lake Macquarie for a couple of nights in a van park at Swansea. A vagrant Cocos Booby had been in residence at nearby Marks Point for several months. Unfortunately I missed it by just two days. The bird was often seen perched on a yacht, Aly-Cat (below); I got to know its old perches very well! It's swings and roundabouts with birding. In Geraldton I was lucky to see a vagrant Black-headed Gull which had similarly been there for several months before my arrival, and was last seen two days after I saw it.

We moved on to stay in Murrurundi (another lovely town) and Armidale, before having a couple of days at Kookaburra Camp near Deepwater, a favourite site of ours. 

Camping at Kookaburra

Birds were in fine form here, especially the good numbers of Diamond Firetails about.

Diamond Firetail

Scarlet Robin and Speckled Warbler showed nicely. Musk Lorikeet was in abundance.

Scarlet Robin

Speckled Warbler

So did Eastern Spinebill. Musk Lorikeet was in abundance.

Eastern Spinebill

Musk Lorikeet

Four species of macropods – Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Euro, Red-necked Wallaby and Swamp Wallaby – were plentiful.

Swamp Wallaby

We followed that up with three nights in the Cypress Pine Camp at Boonoo Boonoo National Park.

Boonoo Boonoo (above & below)

 Nice to see a Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby at Boonoo Boonoo Falls.

Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby

Platypus showed well in the pool near the camp.

Platypus

A Short-nosed Bandicoot put in an appearance at dinner time.

Short-nosed Bandicoot

The last night of our four-month round-Australia “lap” was in the free camp next to the Sandy Creek Hotel outside Warwick – another highly recommended spot. We travelled a total of 17,399 kilometres during our 2026 road trip – less than the 19,999 km we chalked up during our last round-Australia sojourn in 2014. The Middle East war that kicked off last February meant that diesel prices were sky-high but we decided early on to just do it. Who knows what's around the corner. Very nice to be home, however.

Boonoo Boonoo