2 March, 2011 - Highlander Van Village, Armidale, NSW

Another stormy night on the New England tablelands, tonight at Armadale, a town of nearly twenty thousand people.  The thunder and lightening however seems not to differentiate between towns of this size and the village we camped beside last night.

We woke unscathed this morning and were the last travellers to pull out of the camp because we took time to wander across to the bird hide on the wetlands. The Mother of Ducks Lagoon, at Guyra, is a high altitude wetland reserve that attracts bird lovers from all over Australia and the world, perhaps only for its peculiar name. It provides a wonderful sanctuary for all types of bird life including the Japanese Snipe, Silver Gulls, Inland Terns, White Bellied Eagles and Black Swans. We saw none of these, only a flock of what appeared to be ducks taking flight as we approached their domain.

It was cold at Guyra, but then it is at 1,330 metres above sea level, and it does see snow some winters.

Fine old buildings in Armadale

We watched our immediate neighbours leave the camp; the first thumping out over the ditch with his camper ute, the second loosing the “feet” on the support struts of his Avan camper trailer and the third leaving his blocks behind.

We did not dally, pulled out with caution and no problems and set off south, travelling over more hills, up and down, and finally down to Armadale.

Armadale’s leafy streets are home to 35 National Trust buildings including stately cathedrals, churches, mansions and public buildings. It is also famed for being a town that enjoys four separate seasons unlike many other Australian towns. The leaves have already started to turn to their autumnal shades, however we are at least a month or two too early to see the town at its best. 

                                                       
Once we had set up in the camp here situated on the hill above the town, which appears to be in a basin, I did several loads of washing, we lunched then headed in to the Information Centre, then walked around the town to see the grand buildings and the excellent shopping centre. The rain became more persistent and the thunder was crashing around, so we came back. I rescued some of the washing and threw it into to the dryers, the first time I have done  this since arriving in the country. The rest of the day has been spent hunkered inside enjoying the cosy shelter our lovely caravan offers us.

Tomorrow we will probably take the free Heritage bus tour that we were told about at the Information Centre. This will give us a good over view of the town and what it has to offer, and from there … we shall see.