A delightful birding break
2007 New South Wales trip report
Lachlan River crossing, Waroo
We stopped briefly at Condobolin for supplies; fuel for the car and food for the body – from the local bakery. (Visiting local bakeries in small towns is something of an addiction of ours; not all that healthy but oh so delicious. We compare everyone’s vanilla slices with the bakery at home; few come even close for flavour. But I digress.)
The birds along this stretch of road were very similar to the previous stretch from Lake Cargelligo to Condobolin. One new addition was several Laughing Kookaburras. We were also disappointed to see a dead Echidna on the side of the road, another road-kill victim. Driving over an Echidna is potentially dangerous for drivers, as my daughter can attest. She didn’t kill the little animal but it punctured her tyre.
About halfway along this stretch of road we looked for a suitable morning tea stop. A narrow road leading off the main road crossed a very old bridge and we found a lovely park-like spot next to the Lachlan River. Actually, because of the prolonged drought in this area the “river†is not much more than a narrow, shallow pool of murky mud.
Lachlan River crossing, Waroo, NSW
The tall gum trees all around supported a vibrant population of birds. Galahs, Cockatoos, Magpies, Ravens and Red-rumped Parrots were in abundance. I also saw three Peaceful Doves, always a lovely species to encounter. A new species for the trip list was several Brown Treecreepers.
It was a delightful break from driving.
Hi Trevor,
I think you need to keep trying those vanilla slices. you may come up with one that comes close to your home bakery – but who cares if you don’t??
Exactly – who cares? What a way to go. We are now home again after three and half weeks on the road. We actually didn’t visit many bakeries at all – we were too busy birding and looking at wildflowers, as well as taking photos.