Getting Wood

Fast forward two months. Tamika and I have separated at a difficult time in her life. I’ve returned to Wauchope to oversee some insurance repairs to my mother’s house. The decision to continue this ‘excellent adventure’ has not been an easy one. But we had put too much into this to throw it all away. It was going to be tough without her…really tough. She was the other half of the team. She plugged holes in the defence, had a great running (well, wombi- ing) game and could kick goals from a tight pocket. But it was going to be worth it. I kept telling myself that anyway. So through gritted teeth, I started to plan the next leg. It was a journey that would take me back to Melbourne, and then on to South Australia for the spring and early summer. First stop, the Warrumbungles. Checked out the website and it looked great. Booked my spot and then read the fine print. “Bring your own wood“

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having wood when your on the road. You never know when your going to need it or when you have the opportunity to use it. Sometimes you need it in a hurry and other times you’ll need lots for a roaring one that needs to last for hours. Being caught without wood can be real embarrassing, especially on those cold nights when your partner is expecting heat and warmth. If you don’t have wood and can’t get wood, you could be sleeping under the stars – literally. So, plan ahead and make sure you can lay your hands on wood when you need it.

On a Monday, I left Wauchope at lunchtime and headed down the Pacific Highway towards Newcastle. The shortest route via the Oxley Highway had been closed for months due to wash aways, so a visit to my mate Johnno at Walcha was off the agenda. Turned right at Maitland and then left onto the Golden Highway on the way to Dunedoo.

Sunset beat me to it, so I spent the night at a road stop about an hour short of where I wanted to be.

By lunchtime the next day, I had arrived at Coonabarabran, gateway to the Warrumbungles.