After commencing our trip in the hot and dry north our final
destination is the decidedly cool and moist town of Woolbrook in the New
England region of NSW. A farm stay with family members delivers wonderful home
cooked meals, the spinning of yarns, reminiscing, beautiful scenery, an hour or
two of unskilled farm labouring and a chance to relax for a couple of days.
A visit to Woolbrook is like stepping into another era. Once
a bustling town with shops, garages, churches, a brick works, railway station
and so much hope. Today the village is a collection of quaint houses, a well
used School of Arts hall, a public school, a new bridge, a free camping area by
the picturesque river, a church which meets once a month and a strong sense of
community. If Sydney prices are getting to much for you a nice three bedroom
house in the village, set on half an acre is on sale for a mere $130,000. Five
minutes away is a railway station that has a daily service to Sydney, twenty
minutes away is the small but very lively town of Walcha and the big smoke, the
towns of Armidale and Tamworth, are a little under an hour away. 
Our hosts are the highlight. Shiena’s practical sensibilities,
green thumb, sheep whispering skills and ability to cook, bake and sew make her
a veritable agricultural powerhouse.
David’s ability to turn one man’s trash into another man’s mini milking
shed, plus his ability to turn feral goats into domestic pets, makes an escape
to the country look very appealing.
To top it off, a visit to a very talented local handyman and
general mechanical genius sees a couple of Matilda’s maintenance problems fixed
in under ten minutes.
Tomorrow we complete our return from the Never Never. After fourteen
days on the road and a distance of over 5000km we are thankful to be heading
home with Matilda still in tow.
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