Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Ilford…………………………Day 182

22 Sept 2014

48 days left to enjoy NSW.

This morning we left Cassilis and pointed the cars in the direction of Ilford and “more bloody hills” . We were in the Hunter Valley where there are a number of coal mines. We passed two that I noticed.

We came to Gulgong, a historic town that houses the Henry Lawson Museum. Gulgong is a 19th-century gold rush town in the Central Tablelands. Today, much of the 19th century character of the town remains, contributing to its appeal as a tourist destination. Of special interest is the Prince of Wales Opera House, a survivor with a rich history.

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Novelist and bush poet Henry Lawson lived briefly in Gulgong as a child in the early 1870s. The town and its surrounding district feature in Lawson's fiction, especially in Joe Wilson and His Mates.

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Gulgong is believed to be one of the primary locations in Thomas Alexander Browne's Robbery under Arms.

Leaving Gulgong, we travelled through more hills, passing Lake Windamere. It is a man made lake as a result of the construction of the Windamere Dam. The dam's purpose includes hydro-power, irrigation, water supply, and conservation.

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There are no shops or fuel stations at Ilford. All that remains is a school, a church and a community hall, where the free camping spot was.

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We lined up our chairs to look at the scenery and relaxed, although as the sun lowered in the sky, the temperatures returned to the cold side of the gauge.

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Sunset at Ilford.

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