Yes, we returned to Wollar again. What can I say, we like it here. It may be the last time for a while though. If we are to make any headway with our plans, we have to head south soon.
The truck has been serviced again. We did a few small jobs in the area, including our first 4WD only job - deep sand, a river crossing, and high conservation mounds keep out most vehicles (and explain why the kids do "distance education"). We even got the recovery gear out for the first time, to help a 2WD on a (clearly marked) 4WD only track.
Since we were so close to Sydney, and the Highlander was in need of warranty repair, we decided on a quick run to the big smoke. 700 kms round trip, and about $100 in fuel, but at least it was over in a day. The alternative was air freight, which requires a minimum of a week, plus $50 in freight costs and $30 in fuel to drop it off & pick it up. With so little difference in cost, it was worth it to get it fixed quickly.
PC Club are just a bunch of people in a warehouse in the suburbs (like so many other small computer businesses). They took our complaints seriously, and looked at every issue. They replaced the screen, but it displayed the same (minor) problems. The flicker & Linux transition problem appear to be design faults. They replaced the CD, and managed to get the IR port working, and they got it all done in a couple of hours. Overall, we are satisfied with the service they provided.
Fred & Annette came up to Wollar to visit for a weekend. As we discussed plans for our return to Gulargambone, Fred insisted that we must visit Willie on the edge of the Macquarie Marshes.
Between jobs & errands we managed to find time for a swim at Big River, and for a bike ride on the fire trails in the adjacent areas of the park. Exploring the park on the bikes was a wildlife extravaganza. Goannas, roos, emus, and even a flock of glossy black cockatoos.
The birds around the farm are splendid, as always. Rosellas, rainbow bee eaters, king parrots, fairy wrens, shrike thrushes, babblers, the list just goes on and on. The willie wag tails are tormenting the magpie endlessly, dive bombing its rump as it pecks at the ground for food.
And of course, there are the not quite so small birds. The jets out of Williamstown air base were buzzing the place again, at only a few hundred feet.
Word spread quickly, the ensuing work was continuous, and we ended up staying longer than planned. Our departure was forced upon us by the classes planned for Gulargambone, but it looks like we might have to stop here briefly on our way south, AFTER a stop at the marshes.
We came into Coolah on a road we had not used before, and departed on yet another new trail. This brought us to the village of Neilrex. The only shop in town seems to have shut a while ago, but the grain silo is bustling.
The classes went well, and there was plenty of other work to keep us busy. One of the students even took us for a ride on a harvester. The wheat was still a little damp, so we went back to the house for a beer instead.
A few days later and on a different farm we got to participate in the harvest again. After spending the morning fixing a dead modem, we spent the afternoon hauling wheat in a road train.
The death rate for birds is high at harvest time. Small amounts of wheat spill from the trucks as they haul it to the silos. The birds gather on the road eating the spilt wheat. When the next truck comes along, the birds try to fly away, but they are too heavy from all the wheat, and get nailed. Gluttony is a sin, and the price can be high.
We've had a surprisingly large amount of virus cleaning work lately. Each of the four towns we've visited have provided us with one or more virus cleanup jobs.