13 - October 2025 - Brisbane to Adelaide drive - part 1

 

Entry 13 – October – 2025 Brisbane to Adelaide drive – part 1

We had planned to meander along, with our return trip to Adelaide over the next couple of months.

Unfortunately, we identified some possible issues with our tow tug. There was a diagnostic assessment at a Toyota dealer and we were advised our fuel injectors would most likely need replacement. We were further advised; Toyota had recognised the issue and had extended the warranty out to 10 years on the injectors. It sounded good, as it was a fix with a cost of about $8,000. We were given the O.K. to drive home and were advised to present our tow tug to our home Toyota Dealer.

Our ongoing phenomenon for our 2025 year continued. Our count was now at six with an unplanned hic-up requiring a change of a planned travel itinerary. We decided to reduce our planned drive time for our return trip to Adelaide. Hopefully to enable enough time for completion of repairs to our tow tug prior to Christmas.

Back during our blog entry 7 we were making our way towards the small town of Goodooga with some hot artesian bore baths, when there was a need for a U turn. We decided to include Goodooga into our route planning for our return drive to Adelaide.

We planned to head to the town of St George, then onto Goodooga. We had travelled through to St George a few times and decided to explore a different road enroute to St George.

Previously we had travelled along the Moonie Highway. This time we travelled the Surat Developmental Road.

With a change of routes, our first stop was at the town of Tara. There was a basic caravan park with wonderful views over a lagoon. We incurred a cost of $11.50 with power for the night. (We had considered staying at one of many caravan parks available on the sunshine coast for a couple of nights with starting prices of $70 per night, off peak.) The Tara caravan park was well patronised, indicating a good strategy for attracting people to visit the out of the way township of Tara.

There was a wonderful walking path around the lagoon. It was a location we would be happy to visit again.

 

There were a few interesting options nearby, appearing worthy of exploration. We decided to pick the best sounding option along our route and include the rest as a possible itinerary when we were next in this vicinity.

Our next stop was at the Myall Park Botanic Garden nearby the town of Glenmorgan.

It sounded good. On arrival the host (Geoff) greeted us, providing good information about the gardens.

Initially we felt a bit disorientated with the layout of the campground and the presentation of the supplied walking trails mud map. Geoff continued to be obliging with his provided guidance.

Once we started to move about and understand the orientation of the gardens we were “blown away,” by the magnificent presentation of the gardens.

We were there on a week-end and there were a large number of volunteers, working on the gardens.

Below are some of our photographs, of Myall Park Botanic Garden. It was a location providing much pleasure to our neurotransmitters feel good receptacles.

Unfortunately, our timing at Myall Park Botanic Garden coincided with daytime temperatures in excess of 36 C degrees. We pushed ourselves to set off exploring at first light. By mid-morning we had retreated to the comfortable air-conditioned confines of our caravan.

Even with the excessive heat, it was a location we felt good to be at.

There was some interesting signage in the amenities block.

Three days later it was time to continue onwards.

We were driving towards our next planned destination by 6 am, very early for us. The predicted four-day weather forecast, helping with an early departure. Maximums of 39, 39, 42, 43C over the next four days.

We arrived at St George early in the morning. There was a food shop visit and the tow tug accepted a couple of hundred dollars of fuel. We were both feeling good and decided to continue driving.

We arrived at our target destination of Goodooga mid-afternoon, setting camp at the towns artesian pool.

The outside temperature had risen to a hot 39C degrees. The main camping/parking area was a paved bitumen surface, adding to the element of radiating heat.

The pool temperature was a bit hot for us. One couple we spoke with had been there a week and loved the pool. Whilst sitting on the provided seating chatting with the above couple, a few other people attempted to experience the pool, most finding it uncomfortably hot.

We were up early the following morning to give the pool another try. From our previous experiences these types of pools are slightly cooler in the morning, having cooled from the cold overnight temperatures.

Alas we still found it to be uncomfortably hot for us. We had been hoping for a few days of soaking in the goodness provided by artesian waters. We had another look at our planned route, investigating a possible detour to our much-loved Pilliga Hot Artesian Pool. It was only a deviation of about 100 kilometres, most acceptable, considering its known benefits.

On route we came across a vehicle crash, providing a good reminder to practice safe driving technics. We initially cringed at the sight. Steve thought possibly the truck was carrying a harvester when it came to grief. Our thoughts wondered to the value of the two written off vehicles. We thought possibly a couple of million dollars? Then the impacted loss of production from the written off harvester. Most likely also in the millions of dollars. Harvest was just starting to crank up with the crops becoming ready for gathering and the implementations with the loss of a harvester to get the crops reaped within a timely manner.

The outside temperature was stifling hot.

We propped at the town of Walgett for more fuel and visited the local supermarket where we obtained a box of four ice-creams. Two were immediately consumed, cooling our inner bodies and two were placed in our caravan freezer for later pleasure.

We were driving through a countryside covered by crops. There were lots of machinery, harvesters, chaser bins, grain trucks and farming implements moving about in the paddocks.

A couple of hours on, we arrived at the Pilliga Hot Artesian Pool.

We entered the pool waters tentatively. We were pleased to find the water temperature to be quite acceptable. During the cooler months of the year, Pilliga Hot Artesian water provides comforting warmth. With the present extremely hot daytime temperatures, the waters provided respite from the heat.

The camp ground was sparsely occupied with an absence of the hordes of campers normally present during the cooler months.

We got to experience many dips in the pool, with about 50% of the time, pleasantly all to ourselves.

There was the regular attendance from the local horses. It was quite peaceful, with our nearest neighbours only seen and not heard. There were still the regular visitors stopping for a dip. Mostly locals and passing travellers. Even a helicopter landed in the campground, with the two occupants spending a couple of hours in the water before taking flight.

Daytime temperatures continued to be oppressively hot. Our outside thermometer often was displaying 42C degrees whilst in the shade. When it was exposed to the full sun the displayed temperature rose to its maximum reading of 50C.

The longer we stayed at this location, the more comfortable we felt. We are converts, believers of the health benefits provided by the hot artesian waters.

Though we did have other comforting support. Our caravan air conditioner, provided a comfortable cool environment within the confines of our caravan. It had been the right decision to deviate from our planned route to get the faulty solar panels replaced. There was a noticeable improvement with the capacity of our batteries state of charge, complements of the solar panels, harvesting the power provided by the sun.

Our time at Pilliga was suddenly over. The weather forecast was for 4-30 mm of rain, commencing at around 1 am. The campground base was on clay soil and there was plenty of evidence with large wheel ruts in the surface where vehicles had been caught out when the surface becomes wet.

We may be seniors but we are wise, avoiding clay soil when it becomes wet. We packed up first thing in the morning, parking up close to the pool and monitored the weather over the day.

We dipped frequently over the day. It was advantageous being close to the pool, making it easy to monitor its use. When the pool was deserted of humans, we would jump in for our time in the water.

The clouds and wind built up over the day. We checked the latest weather forecast and it was consistent with the predicted rain.

Late afternoon we waved goodbye to Pilliga Hot Artesian Pool.