We left Manilla and drove to Gunnedah. I love back roads - this one had no line markings so we really felt like we owned

the road, until we got to the intersection with the Oxley Highway. This highway takes you to Mullaley for the Coolah

turnoff, via Carroll and Gunnedah

Carroll is famous as the birthplace of Kibah Tic Toc. Who is Kibah Tic Toc, I hear you ask? It is something I always get a

bit excited about and Brett gets driven a little more crazy. If you want to know, go look up your Australian equestrian

Olympic history for the answer. Your time starts ... now!

Gunnedah is famous for me as the birthplace of my father. It is the largest town we have been in since Inverell, and we

took the opportunity to shop again and to top up the fuel tank.

Gunnedah also claims to be the koala capital of Australia! Did you know that? I had no idea.

Next was the highlight of the day - The Gunnedah Rural Museum. If you like rusty things (especially tractors) or if you

grew up in Australia a while ago (I tick both those boxes) you will find something to interest you here. One of the large

sheds is full (and I mean full) of cars, household items and farm equipment which all came from one family. A member of the

family was in the shed and we had a chat about engines. One of the old tractors was even started up while we were there.

If you like tractors, there were all kinds: rare, common, really really rare, rusty, shiny, ones with tracks, ones with

flat tyres, little ones, big ones ... if you can imagine a tractor, it was probably there, somewhere.

You could go almost everywhere in the museum, between tightly packed machinery, climbing around one exhibit to see another.

Out the back was a paddock full of rusty things - the next potential exhibits that only require some restoration? Perhaps.

There were certainly many volunteers there who seemed to be working hard on restoration projects.

The museum also included an RSL display and a gun collection, as well as a schoolhouse, toys and household items. Val had a

question about a particular tractor which had piqued his interest. The lovely volunteer on the desk, Yvonne, knew who to

call. She looked up a number in the local phone book and got on to Kel, who was able to explain exactly what sort of

tractor it was, and why Val could not recognise it (it was a Ford Fergie apparently, and quite rare in Australia).

By this time is was was past lunch time. Brett and I had a quick sandwich in the carpark (the things you can do when you

have a campervan!) and set off for the turnoff at Mullaley. Val had a repair to do on his camper, so he and Steve caught us

up there.

Mullaley is on the Liverpool plains. The scenery is quite different to anything we had seen up until now. There are large

fields of canola, cotton, beef cattle and sheep. The land is mainly flat with some gentle rolling slopes and sudden

isolated rocky hills.

The Australian scenery is so diverse, each day we have travelled through completely different landscapes. After Mullaley we

drove through Tambar Springs, which is apparently Diprotodon country. We saw a couple on signs, I think you would have to

travel back in time about 40,000 years to see a live example.

We turned off the Coolah road to arrive in Premer. We only drove a short distance today so we arrived in really good time

to set up camp in daytime and get some serious relaxing done. Premer is an extremely small town which appears to have only

a few houses (we haven't checked the whole place out yet) but it has a campground run by the local Lions with an honesty

box system. Nice shady grassy area with lots of trucks going by. Big trucks. Ah well, such is life in the country.