We only have a few more stops before getting back to Brisbane. It was a sunny morning as we left Warrawong on the Darling, getting back on the Barrier Hwy to Cobar for the night.

Since leaving Peterborough a few days ago we have been travelling along the Barrier Hwy. It is a quite depressing piece of roadway. Allthego thinks it should be renamed ‘The Slaughter Way’. Never have we seen so much roadkill.

Bodies litter the roadside in a never ending trail of destruction. Kangaroos of all sizes and states of dismemberment and decomposition. Crows feeding on fresh meat. There are emus and pig carcasses among the victims. Probably the odd fox or goat as well.

Goats are also present in amazing numbers along the roadside and in paddocks. They are now being farmed like sheep and cattle. There is a big international market for their meat. Small problem is that they are hard to keep in paddocks as they can get through traditional fences set for sheep and cattle. They are smarter than those beasts, so they duck through the fences and wander along the roadside.

Cobar has its ‘big thing’ like most towns, this one is a 5 metre Tooheys beer can above a hotel on the main street.

Leaving Cobar we continued along through Nyngan and Warren. Nyngan is on the Bogan River which flows north west ultimately ending up in the Darling River to the north of Burke.

There was plenty of water in the river following some heavy rain in these parts a few days ago. Pelicans were out and about in numbers.

Moving along to Warren we enjoyed a meat pie from Uncle Clarries, even if they came from Dubbo, for lunch by the Macquarie River. Canned tuna and crackers were easy to pass up after a few days of tucking into them for lunch on the road. Sweet corn and mayo is probably our favourite tuna variety and is strongly recommended.

Cotton is big time in these parts and there must have been a recent harvesting of the winter crop. The paddocks are awash with bales of the stuff and the Warren Gin looks to be at full capacity.

We stopped for the night at Gilgandra, having originally planned for a night at the free camp next to the Information Centre. This is an excellent spot. But it is cold and there is nothing like a bit of warmth on these late winter nights on the road. So we had a night in the caravan park with power to run the heater over night. Very toastee, particularly at 3 am in the morning.

North from Gilgandra the Newell Hwy has had some significant improvements since our last time on the journey up to Moree.

The paddocks are ablaze with the bright yellow Canola crop and the Mt Kaputar ranges in the background look great against the blue sky. The spring crop is presently a bright green contrast, yet to flower.

The Moree Showgrounds were too good to pass up for the night, big open sites. We have enjoyed the last couple of late afternoons being able to sit out in the sun. It is noticeably warmer as we have moved north towards Brisbane, though the heater continues to be welcome at night. We survived the night in the Showgrounds and made an early getaway for Goondiwindi and then Inglewood.

We are now sitting beside the van at Inglewood, about 220km to go tomorrow. This is a regular free camping stop for us, just a short walk to the bakery!

We will be back in Brisbane around lunchtime tomorrow.

It seems appropriate to finish off with a song from two country music icons. They are sadly no longer with us, but their music lives on in the Utube universe.

“All God’s children get weary when they roam…..don’t it make you wanna go home!”