For any of you that may have enjoyed stopping over at Macquarie Woods in NSW as I have .. (approx. halfway between Bathurst and Orange) ..
Arrived here today and its not in the best of conditions at all .. there appears to have been little maintenance here recently and all the toilets have been vandalised internally (some closed down) but still useable if using your own paper etc ..
There is NO WATER available at all .. taps are all bone dry .. but roads in and around are in good condition ..
Its still a lovely place to stopover .. I've been coming here for many years and will continue to do so ..
.. back again for a few days before heading to the Parkes area for Christmas ..
I was most interested to find out why this beautiful place had taken somewhat of a drop in it appearance and functions ..
Having now spoken with the powers that be, it basically falls to a lack of funding .. In times past it was subsidised by the Government with Rangers incorporating it within their areas of responsibility and part of a regular maintenance programme.
Local members of the Forestry Dept still drop in to use the limited facilities and keep a general eye open .. Last weekend there was a large club of campers that enjoyed the area which proves the popularity is still there. The grass is still mowed under contract which is a good thing too !!
One of the rumours I'd heard and would like to quash is about the lack of water on tap .. The supply was NOT POISONED and had to be turned off .. It was simply because the main water pump had died and is yet to be repaired or replaced when it can be funded and scheduled to be done .
So .. enjoy the spot if you pass through .. just carry your own drinking water and dunny paper .. Its roomy .. safe and very family oriented .. enjoy !
Sorry to hear that Jon.Sure is a nice spot when looked after properly. I suspect that more and more free camps will deteriorate as councils pull in the purse strings. I have read somewhere that Orange is opening a new c/park?? sounds suspicious. If you are going to meander around the Parkes area for a while, then Rockylizard put up a post in the 'free/budget' section for a spot at Gooloogong about 60k from Parkes that may be worth a look see. Travel safe and take it easy.
Johnw
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There is no road to happiness. Happiness is the road.
After a brief trip yesterday from friends in Nth Richmond, I went out to Newnes (NSW) for a first look ..
The road is now fully sealed except the last 9 k's .. The gravel section still is quite corrugated, and although the tug on its own would have travelled ok, the Caravan certainly didn't enjoy it and it was down to 15 -20 k's at best ..
On arriving at the main camping area, it was virtually empty .. It was dry as it is elsewhere, but after the recent school holidays, it was still in a very unkempt state ..
Suffice to say, I hope to come back when a little more effort is put into its maintenance .. and I departed after only 40 mins !
From there I travelled to Macquarie Woods ..
Also very dry .. but a great improvement since I last saw it. As a safety hazard, all/most of the dry grass in the camping zones has been fully removed .. The place looks quite neat and tidy ..
The drop toilets are all functioning well .. the old twin porcelain toilets are now gone .. they were "unique" to say the least !
But be warned !! .. bring your own drinking water with you .. There is little /no water available and I've been informed by the appropriate authorities that there are no current plans for water to be provided at this location .. In one of the hand-basins, there is a small trickle available to wash your "pinkies" .. all the former tap stands in the area have been removed ..
There is still water in the dams for washing purposes .. and I still love this place !!
-- Edited by Jonathan on Tuesday 11th of February 2014 11:52:54 AM
