Winton

SUNDAY, 12 JUNE 2016

Apostle birds and crested pigeons

Birdwatching up close

For those caravanners who also like boating

Banjo Patterson Memorial

Saturday was a bit cooler and cloudy, with a rather fresh south easterly wind blowing.  Apart from a long walk through the very long botanical gardens, which are a narrow strip along the Ilfracombe Road, we spent a fairly quiet day.

After a long night listening to the awning flapping and creaking in the wind, Sunday dawned very cloudy, with a fairly stiff breeze still blowing.  We were packed and on the road by 8.30 am, with very threatening clouds in the direction of Winton.  The road was good, with not much roadkill to dodge, very flat and dry countryside, and a lot of caravans!  The strong tailwind certainly assisted with fuel consumption today, with an average of only 14.7 l/100km - if only all towing days were this good.  About 15 kms from Winton, we were surprised to see a herd of about 50 camels in a paddock – not very often we see these animals in the wild.

We are staying at the Tattersalls Hotel Caravan Park this year, which is very similar (and next door) to Pelican Waters, where we stayed last time.  This gravelled park has about 60 sites, which are ample in size, with a grassed area between sites; we were able to stay hitched up.  The amenities are basic but clean and we are in the main street of Winton.  A walk around the streets after lunch confirmed that nothing much happens in Winton on Sunday – the proverbial cannon could have been fired!  A short, sharp downpour and thunderstorm later in the afternoon did little more than settle the dust.