Arising early (for me anyway) at Gum Bend I was on the road within an hour for an easy 100 km drive to Lake Cargelligo. I travelled through now familiar flat and dry Country with the usual wooded roadside from time to time. I must note that it has been obvious since well before Dubbo that rain has been scarce in the Central Districts of NSW, for quite a while, the norm being dry, brown, paddocks with empty dams and waterless creeks.
At about the 70 km mark I saw a sign pointing the way to Tullibigeal. I remembered reading that the Town had a good Free Camping spot, sponsored by the local Community, so I took a look. A welcome sign stating that 135 People live here pretty much sums up Tullibigeal. A very old Town obviously, with a General Store and a bloke who's shed looks like he could fix anything. Maybe the reason that these tiny places still exist is evident in the huge Silos and Railcar loading facility right in the Town precinct, obviously a source of ongoing employment. The General Store seemed busy, it was lunchtime. some information that I came across suggested that the locals refer to the Town as "Tulli" and this General Store is the "Tulli Co-op". The Mayfield Hotel and the Tulli Cafe make up the remainder of commercial enterprises.
To the Campground; a space had been set aside as a Park with a modern Amenities Block set up to cater for Nomads. An enterprising idea for such a tiny place. Lake Cargelligo is however, too close for me to stop here overnight, in another situation I would surely consider it.
The Excitement of Tulli
The remaining drive to the Lake brought with it a change in the landscape, now becoming hilly and the road undulating. A pleasant change from the flatness of the last few hundred Kilometres. The Township of Lake Cargelligo showed little to write about. Reasonably ornate old Pubs, an Art Deco style Theatre and a couple of nice commercial buildings. Old Bank Buildings and Theatres are a good standby in any place. The usual IGA (or sometimes Foodworks) Supermarket, a large Green Grocer and a couple of Speciality Shops make up the retail options for the 1300 residents. A modern Tourist Centre provided some information however, the old Lady, seat-warmer, could offer little help, yet pleasant enough.
The weather has begun to turn with increasing cloud, it looked as though some decent rain was coming at last, accompanied by a marked increase in wind strength. Time to find a Campsite.
Only two choices are available to camp for free, "Dead Man's Point" and "Frogs Hollow", both of which I checked out. Apparently Dead Man's Point is the location of several ancient Aboriginal Freshwater Shell Middens. Shell Middens were formed by the accumulation of shells by the Aboriginals collecting, cooking and eating Freshwater Mussels, over a very long time. The Midden here is reportedly fairly large and the result of many meals eaten during thousands of years of habitation. As I am stuck in the Hiace at the moment with rain and hailstones falling, exploration is not an option. The actual Campsite is elevated and open to the wind and rain. A large area of treeless grass with a Drop Toilet in the middle didn't excite in these conditions.
To Frog's Hollow, a Kilometre from the Town Centre, with no Toilet, a thin grassy strip right beside the Lake and dotted with large shade trees. Being less into the wind it was slightly more inviting so here I will stay, regardless of the lack of ablution facilities. Locally sourced information suggests that Frog's Hollow was an Aboriginal Red and Yellow Ochre Quarry. Indeed the short dirt road in displayed such rich hues.
Although the weather is inclement, a clear vista across the Lake with ducks still active in the now heavy rain, helped to provide some enjoyment. There are a couple of other Campers here, far enough away to ensure some privacy for all. I am a bit tired of travelling everyday, I think that I will spend a couple of nights here as I expect the next stage of my journey to be uneventful.
After the rain at Frog's Hollow
For those that want to know something about the Lake, read on. The natural expanse of water was discovered by John Oxley in 1817 who called it Regency Lake in honour of the then Prince Reagent George IV. It was however, renamed " Cudjallagong" by Surveyor General, Sir Thomas Mitchell. The Name Cargelligo is a variation of "Cudjallagong" which in the Wiradjuri language means simply "Lake". It has also been referred to as Cedellico and Cargellico.The Lake itself is half way between the source of the Lachlan River and it's junction with the Murrumbidgee. Three natural Lakes, "The Sheet of Water", "Curlew Water" and "Cergelligo", have been modified to increase capacity and collectively are referred to as Lake Cargelligo. Since 1902 it has been the water-storage for the Town with the entire system being completed in 1952.
Some Statistics:
Water Depth: 3.7m
Storage Capacity: 36000 Megalitres
Surface Area: 1500 Hectares
Usable Water: 23000 Megalitres
Release Capacity: 1000 Megalitres / Day
Well that is it, goodbye to the Lake.
I was wondering when you would settle in for a few days? Traveling every day can become boring.
ReplyDelete