Parkes, NSW. July 6th 2024

 Parkes, NSW.  July 6th 2024

Just visiting for the day. Started out at 8am when I went to Parkrun out at the North Parkes Sports grounds. At least this year it wasn't a howling gale as well as freezing. Managed a 1 minute PB so it's all good!

We had a good breakfast in town at the "Deja Brew" cafe, which became packed as the locals came into town. Good start to the day. We then went looking for the info place, found it, the one with the Steam Locomotive, but it's not the one anymore.

Old 3075, parked up at Parkes, NSW

They have a new one further up the road, much bigger and includes an Elvis collection, a vintage car museum, a replica of Moat Cottage where Henry Parkes was born, (Birmingham, England) a Henry Parkes Museum and an Antique Machinery collection.

"Elvis" by John Murray. Parkes, NSW

We happily paid the $10 each have a look at the Elvis display and the cars. Most of the Elvis display belongs to Greg Wiggle, who turns out to be an Elvis tragic. Interesting video interview with him and Glen A Baker talking to an Elvis insider, best friend and road manager Joe Esposito. 

Part of the Greg Page, Kings Castle collection. Parkes NSW

Last thing of interest in Parkes was this photo of the Parkes telescope since its conversion to full Super conducting high-intensity LCDs, in the name of power conservation... 

Telescope, Parkes NSW
Image from Parkes Visitors Centre

Those Martians must have thought us so backward not to have done this years ago. fancy using radio waves, how quaint.

Just for fun, and to scratch an itch I've had for a while, we detoured back to Forbes via Bogan Gate. There is evidence to suggest that my great-grandmother came from out this way and was connected with the Nebungalo Homestead, which was out between Parkes and Bogan Gate. 

Now brace yourselves for a run past Bogan Gate.....

Going...

going..

Bogan Gate, NSW

Did you blink? The attraction is that it has a huge grain silo next to the railway line. I apologise to any Bogan Gaterians that may read this, I'm sure it's a delightful place to live and work, just that there's not much of it. Cheers!

Forbes, NSW July 4th 2024

 Forbes, NSW July 4th 2024

Easy trouble free run, except for fairly long stretches of 80Kph roadworks from Cowra to Forbes. Drove straight into what used to be a Big4, now privately owned. Young fellow, Joel, and his wife having a ‘go’. The park is a picture and I hope for them that they do well. Apparently Joel’s parents own the van park just outside Atherton where he grew up, so he’s very familiar with how a van park works.

Judy relaxing into holiday mode. Forbes NSW

One of the reasons I was keen to come to Forbes was to visit the Lachlan Historic Village, which I had heard was finally reopened. How disappointing to find that even though the brand new information place has reopened there using the name Lachlan Historic Village, the village itself is still very much closed and fenced off. The reason cited is that it’s build on top of the 1860’s gold diggings and is particularly unstable and hence dangerous. The lady on the desk seemed to understand my situation after I explained that my great grandmother was born in the Nebungalo Homestead and I was pretty excited at the prospect of being able to see it up close. As a compensation she sat me down and left me watch most of the videos they have which show the old Village, eve through it was past closing time. Thanks!

One of the videos shows the Garrett steam locomotive 6402, which has been marooned at the village since 1979. It was purchased some years back by the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum for $50,000. It’s still there, apparently Dorrigo needs lots of funding to get it moved, can't image why, it only weighs 260 tons and is 33 metres long. The nice red paintwork is rust!

Garret Steam locomotive 6402. Forbes NSW

On our second day in Forbes, we visited the Gum Swamp Wetlands, which we always go to. Not that we are birdies, just that it's something to do, and you might get a nice snap of a bird, but then you might not!

Heron, Gum Swamp Wetlands, Forbes, NSW

They have also invented a Sculpture Trail, that starts in the town and goes out along the Lachlan River towards Condobolin. In one place it's called the Lachlan Sculpture Trail, but the signage is a rather awkward "SDL" which stands for Sculpture Down the Lachlan. Anyhow we saw a couple of the sculptures at the Swamp, here's one, a Goanna, which seems like a great piece of work, but is totally lost to the random snapper against the gum trees. Anyhow, it's pretty huge!

Goanna. Sculptures Down the Lachlan, Forbes NSW