Quirindi, Nundle to Sheba Dam NSW

It’s another chilly start to the day as we head out of Coolah this morning. We decided e to explore a bit more the the surrounding area./So instead of going straight to Tamworth we travel in an eastern direction. Our first stop is in Quirindi in the hub of the Liverpool Plains, which is a big agriculture area, especially cotton. 

We park up next to the silos.

We have a quick walk and spot tiles in the pavement that reflect the brandmarks of the local sheep and cattle stations.

At Wallabadah we stop to have a look at the First and Second Fleet Memorial Gardens, something Mark’s father would have loved as he prided himself to be able to list all the ships. His descendant, Isabella Dickson, came here as a convict but in a later fleet, so not listed here. 

Not far up the road we turn off towards Nundle, a lovely historic township that grew after the discovery of gold during the 1850’s in nearby Hanging Rock. We get a map from Info Centre and start our walk. It’s lunchtime and Mark needs a pub schnitzel to take his mind off the terrible food we had last night at the Coolah sports club. 

It was a success so we continue our explore of Nundle including having a look at the Woollen Mill. It uses machinery made over 100 years ago to process a bale of wool and make it into yarn. Unfortunately the machines weren’t at work whilst we were there but we could see them from the elevated shop floor. 

Not far up the hill from here is the Hanging Rock Lookout which looks out on the Peel Valley. 

We drive through the small township that would have been much bigger during the gold rush. Further on was Sheba Dams, constructed in 1888 for the gold mines. Now it is a lovely spot for picnics and camping. We do the short walk around the dam and then settle in Buster as it’s a bit too cold to sit outside.