Nearby the farm was Dangar Canyon and Falls, part of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Here you realise how high up the New England plateau truly is. From here, water makes its way down to the Pacific Ocean, winding its way down to Kempsey and South West Rocks.
But it had been so dry in recent months that the water fall and the creek that fed it was completely dry!
Next, we’ll make our way up the New England highway.
We explored the paddock beyond the pony yard. There’s plenty of cattle poo but no cattle.
The hillock here has been described as an extinct volcano or a volcano plug, but Hubby thinks it’s lava flow that met a bit of an obsticle. Over time it’s hardened into basalt. There’s certainly evidence of a lot of prehistoric volcanic activity all over the New England area. The gold and gems found in the rivers are evidence of that.
Bridie however was more interested in smells – rabbits and roos in particular.
She certainly needed her coat as it was frigid on the mornings we were there.
From the farm, the undulating landscape seemed to go on forever. Even though the wind was icy cold and the sky overcast, I loved the way the muted light played on the hills. It’s almost European.
On the property, there was an assortment of outbuildings, some like this barn, very rustic indeed.
The entire farmstead was fenced – to stop the dogs and poultry wandering off and the cattle wandering in!
The trees were winter-bare, and the air was certainly more crisp than that down the coast. Lucky we brought a lot of winter woollies. We certainly needed it.
We spent the next few days in the Northern Tablelands town of Armidale. It’s a big town, but its historic buildings gave it character, and the student population from the University of New England gave it life.
We stayed a bit out of town at Poppy’s Cottage B&B. It’s set on a small farm with an old farmhouse with a separate cottage for guests. Hosts Poppy and Jack were very welcoming, providing great breakfasts and even more sumptuous dinners.
Being a farm, they had an obligatory dog or two.
Lots of gardens, as well as a pet Shetland pony in the paddock.
We’ll have a good ramble around the property in the next post.
Static and Silence 