On the way north out of Coolah we stopped at the black stump.
We had a pleasantly uneventful trip Baradine, and found Matt's place easily. After picking our way through the devil's pitchforks, and checking the quality of the facilities available, we decided that there were probably better places to camp in the scrub. We drove a few Ks north of town, found a clear patch in the state forest, and pitched our tent. We used the little one for the first time. After our first night in the scrub, we drove the long way back to town to look for alternate camp sites, and alternate routes.
Then we started the bit I hate - going door to door looking for work. We managed to find a couple of small jobs that day, and one of those led to more, and then more.
Matt came up for the weekend, and we met him at his place on Saturday morning. After a quick catch up, he jumped on his motorbike and we headed off into the Piliga (with us in the lead, and Matt eating our dust). We made our way along some of the less used tracks, and after a stop for lunch along the way, we set up camp at Salt Caves dam. As dusk settled, the roos began to come by to drink, and a flock of thirty or so glossy black cockatoos settled into the trees for a while. In the morning, after a serious sleep in, Matt emerged from his swag.
The Piliga scrub is a fascinating place. Totally man made. The aboriginals maintained it as an open grassland using fire. Then the white settlers pushed them aside, and used the land for grazing. Since the fires were no longer being set, the scrub soon returned, and the land was abandoned. The nature of the scrub has changed over time, as the modes of exploitation changed, and is now an interesting mix of pine and gum.
Anyway, after a few more trails, and a couple of quick stops, it was time to wave Matt goodbye, and think about work again. The previous jobs led into more, and even into a couple of short training sessions. A couple of the jobs were out of town a way, and in a stroke of good fortune, we were offered a stay in a vacant house out in that area (thanks Karen). What bliss. Two whole nights indoors, with water and electricity.
Anyway, all good things must come to an end, so we're off again. We figured we deserve a few days to ourselves, so we plan to stop at the hot baths in Piliga, restock in Narrabri, and then head east to the Copeton Dam for a paddle. Then it's north into Queensland, and time to work some more....