ARMIDALE NSW AND DUMARESQ DAM

I travelled about 50k today (Wed 20th Feb) from Uralla to Armidale along the New England Hwy and stopped for some shopping. Then on to Dumaresq (pronounced Du-mar-eck) Dam,  to camp at the Recreational Reserve right beside it.
Armidale was like any medium sized town with most facilities, a Mall, Coles, Woolworths, KMart, Big W etc. Not very friendly or picturesque in any meaningful way though. Armidale has a population of 26,000 and is 980 metres above sea level and is now mainly a University Town (University of New England).
The Dam and Recreational Reserve is14k North of Town with a day picnic area and large campground where a collection of 15 or so Caravans and Motorhomes are set up. Some look as though they have been here for a while, I believe there is no time limit for staying. It is overcast and drizzling now and then so I found a spot beside a tree and some bushes out of the wind, it's quiet and private as I like it to be. The Campground is well set up with flushing toilets ( a flush is a luxury sometimes) and a reasonably size Camp kitchen with 2 electric BBQ's and a fireplace for winter. I understand that it gets pretty cold and miserable here. The Dam once was the drinking water supply for Armidale and a sign says all water activities except fishing are prohibited, although I saw about 30 army blokes out on canoes today! Talking to some others, there are fish to be caught with some trout brought home so they say. The views are pleasant without being spectacular with a vista over the dam, bush country and hills in the background. I'm not in a hurry to move again soon so might stay tomorrow, mainly to see how long my auxiliary batteries last, to date the discharge rate appears to be approx 20% per day. After that on to Gurya and The Mother Ducks Lagoon which sounds interesting.
Cheers!

The following Photos were taken at Dumarsq Dam