Millstream NP

The road to Millstream is rocky and slow (circa 30kph all the way),but safe and we arrive jolted weary but jolly. Dust all over the place in the van, the smoke alarm shaken off and the screw holding the height cable missing is the only damage. Millstream is an idyllic remote peaceful old homestead which stopped operating 50 years ago and is now an NP. A clear water source which is used to feed the towns on the coast, it has become an important aquifer where much study is being done and they even plan to pump water back into the acquifer to ensure it doesn't get too low in drought periods. We're almost on our own again, but this is what we've been looking forward to. However to add to our increasing list of disturbing noises at campsites, we can now add big water treatment pumps to the list, though it did get switched off in the middle of the night. Mosquitoes are also in abundance and we do an experiment which shows they definitely have an attraction to me as opposed to Angie.

Next morning we start by looking at the old homestead building and are looking at picture painted by a 12 year old boy some 80 years previously when a woman walks in and says the boy that painted the picture is visiting for the day and sitting outside. There are 4 generations visiting and we listen in to some of the stories of the children having a school governess etc, but don't want to intrude and although very tempted don't ask the old chap any questions. A pleasant yet warm stroll through the valley fills the rest of the day and afterwards we go by car to a local beauty spot, Deep Reach where we could swim in the river and Cliff's Lookout which oversees the section of the Fortesque which is permanently filled with flowing water.

A late decision to go to another 'local' beauty spot, Python's Pool, about 40K away is soon regretted as the road gets worse and worse. Several times we debate turning back, but in our usual stubborn way, having set off to go somewhere. we persevere. An hour and a half later, totally vibrated, we find a beautiful, but not totally stunning pool surrounded with vertical cliffs. A brief regret because I haven't got swimming gear, but we settle to watch the only other two people there climbing the rock face.

Glad to be back at camp, but the road is terrible and the local council should really get graders on there. A peaceful night and we really feel that this is the sort of place we've been looking forward to camping at. Surrounded by kangaroos some with joeys in their pouches. Lots of bird life spot babblers, pheasant coucal and many others.