A drive into the hinterland

Friday dawned wet and much cooler and in fact Pete had measured 42 ml of rain. We decided that a road trip would be a good way to spend the day so we set off, with a picnic lunch, towards Comboyne. This small town is inland 40km and 700 metres above sea level from Wauchope.

This area is very much a farming area with dairying being a predominant industry so the Koala outside the Community Centre just happened to be Cowala.

Further up the road we came to the Boorganna Reserve. Normally from this elevation you would expect some great views but unfortunately the cloud cover was too low. The area also had a walk down through the semi tropical forest to a waterfall but once again the day was against us. A land slip had closed the track though we didn't venture a short distance. The flora was quite different to what we have come to expect from typical Australian bush. We saw Rosewood, Corkwood, Coachwood, Carabeens and the dreaded Giant Stinging Tree. We had encountered these last year when we were here and they are to be absolutely avoided.

 

Next we drove back through Comboyne and through a secondary (gravel and red dirt) road out to Kew to join the main Pacific Highway. This road took us through forestry and farmland alike. We were very much surprised at how green everything looked. Farms also have a very different look to them when compared to NZ farms. Many of the eucalypts are left both in and around the paddocks.

 

Our last stop for the day was the Bago Winery and Maze which is on the outskirts of Wauchope. We have driven past the turn off on many occasions and thought that today was the day to visit. The drive in was also through forestry and on a gravel/red dirt road. What made it even more difficult was a grader and roller that was working on it. It seemed to be along way though probably only 3-4 km but it was hard to visualise how there could possibly be a vineyard in the area. But we were pleasantly surprised eventually drive into a small oasis with plenty of vines, a maze and a shop/tasting room. We decided that it was just a coffee that we wanted so we sat out under the verandah and enjoyed the peaceful view. The maze is something we will decided to leave for another time as it was raining again. Sitting overseeing it was "Bago Blossom The Amaze-ing Koala."

 

Bago Maze | Bago Vineyards

 

 

Posted with Blogsy