We had a long day driving north from Dubbo towards the Qld border. It was very uneventful, aside from a stop beside the lake in Narrabri for lunch. I managed to knock a whole jar of asparagus over myself, which wouldn't have been quite so bad except that I knew we were at least 24 hours away from a shower. The local kids looked quite surprised when I waded into the lake to rinse off!
That evening we started to set up the van at a roadside stop 30km south of the border, hoping it would be quieter than the last stop, when Neve pointed out some secluded spots further into the scrub. We quickly moved the van which turned out to be a great idea as the kids then collected some wood and we had not only our first campfire and marshmellows of the trip, but also a great night's sleep!

The next morning we crossed into Qld at Goondawindi, bought some great bread at the bakery and drove through the gradually greening scenery to Bunya Mountains National Park. Al and Craig had recommended this spot but as we knew little about it, we didn't know what to expect and as we drove through miles and miles of sorghum crops, we wondered if the detour would be worth it. However, as we began the steep ascent up into the mountains the scenery became quite beautiful. It reminded me a little of the Dandenongs with B and Bs and homes tucked into the bush and little restaurants along the way.
When we arrived at the campground, we were amazed! This was camping paradise; a clearing surrounded on 2 sides by rainforest, more birds and wallabies than other campers, a little shop nearby for urgent supplies, flushing toilets for Neve, hot showers and most incredibly, green grass everywhere. The signs around the campground said there were 3 hazards in the park; ticks, stinging nettles and falling Bunya Pinecones (apparently weighing up to 10kg and the size of a soccer ball!) so not quite paradise after all but still very impressive.
We spent 3 nights at the Bunya Mountains with the standout memories being:
Gorgeous walks through the forest, so very tall Bunya Pines, giant Strangler Figs and swinging vines
Lazy afternoons watching the kids running around playing on the grass with new friends
The morning birdsong (albeit at 5am!)
The cold misty mornings
The cold nights!
The wallabies everywhere
Gemma being stung by a stinging nettle (of course it would be Gem!)
Neve finding a tick, but thankfully only on her shoe!
No sign of falling Bunya pine cones!