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  • Goonoo Goonoo Station Tamworth

    Goonoo Goonoo Station Tamworth

    Goonoo Goonoo Station

    Our last night on our recent road trip was spent at Goonoo Goonoo Station (pronounced Gunna G’noo), south of Tamworth. Goonoo Goonoo means ‘running water over rocks in times of drought’ in the Kamilaroi language.

    Access to the station is restricted to booked guests, but the Glasshouse Restaurant, is open to the public (book ahead as it is very popular). On arrival, either turn right at the gate if going to the restaurant or drive up to the gate and key in the code you would have been sent.

    Still an operating cattle station, you will see might horses and cattle during you stay if you are lucky. During our visit, several horses were in nearby fields, which was great.

    • Entrance to Goonoo Goonoo Station
      Entrance to Goonoo Goonoo Station
    • The Excellent Signage
      The Excellent Signage
    • Locked Gate to the Goonoo Goonoo Station Village Area
      Locked Gate to the Goonoo Goonoo Station Village Area
    • Cattle Yards
      Cattle Yards

    Accommodation

    We stayed in the shearers’ quarters, which look rustic on the outside, but are modern and clean inside. Clean and modern, the interior is fully airconditioned and very comfortable. One side retains the old veranda, so you can relax outside and take in the scenery.

    • Goonoo Goonoo Station The Shearers' Quarters Exterior
      The Shearers’ Quarters Exterior
    • Goonoo Goonoo Station
      Shearers’ Quarters Exterior
    • Goonoo Goonoo Station The Shearers' Quarters Goonoo Goonoo Station
      The Shearers’ Quarters
    • Goonoo Goonoo Station View From the Back of The Shearers' Quarters
      View From the Back of The Shearers’ Quarters
    • The Shearers' Quarters Interior
      The Shearers’ Quarters Interior
    • The Shearers' Quarters Interior
      The shearers’ Quarters’ Interior
    • View From The Shearers' Quarters
      View From The Shearers’ Quarters

    The Chapel

    For weddings, Goonoo Goonoo has a beautiful chapel in the middle of the village, providing a great setting for that special day.

    • Goonoo Goonoo Station
      Chapel in the Village
    • Chapel in the Village Goonoo Goonoo Station
      Chapel in the Village

    Village Buildings

    On arrival, you get a map of the village and are encouraged to walk around, which was a great way to wind down before dinner at the restaurant. To get to the Glasshouse Restaurant, you either drive your car back out the main gate or take a short walk up the hill. We chose the latter as it was a beautiful evening.

    • Village Map
      Village Map
    • Stone Building
      Stone Building
    • Signage for The Directionally Challenged
      Signage for The Directionally Challenged
    • Stone Building
      Stone Building
    • Gardens and Archway
      Gardens and Archway

    Glasshouse Restaurant

    Sitting on top of a hill the Glasshouse Restaurant has amazing views from its full-length glass windows. As the sun sets and you enjoy a great dinner, you get to take in the scenery. We loved the meals we ordered along with dessert and some nice cold drinks.

    • Glasshouse Restaurant
      Glasshouse Restaurant
    • Glasshouse Restaurant
      Railway Sleepers on the Outside of the Glasshouse Restaurant
    • Main Meal
      Main Meal
    • Dessert
      Dessert
    • Drinks
      Drinks
    • Old Shearing Sheds
      Old Shearing Sheds

    What Did We Think of Goonoo Goonoo Station?

    This was a great place to finish our trip, with amazing accommodation and wonderful meal. We loved staying here, particularly the setting and the way the rooms have been refurbished from old workers sheds.

  • Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park

    Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park

    Pensioners Hill Lookout and Sculpture Park

    A beautiful place with views over Gunnedah, Pensioners Hill Lookout also has a sculpture park, which makes an even more interesting place to visit. The walkway through the park is named after Ailsa Iceton, a nurse who performed many charitable works in Gunnedah. During the Great Depression, she would bring meals to the residents of Pensioners Hill.

    The park’s brick wall is constructed from bricks recovered from the demolition of a chimney used for a nearby mine, thereby incorporating its heritage value into the new park. A plaque near the entrance gate details the history of the chimney.

    • Alisa Iceton Walkway Information Board
      Alisa Iceton Walkway Information Board
    • Pensioner's Hill Reserve Entrance Plaque
      Pensioners Hill Reserve Entrance Plaque

    Kamilaroi Peoples

    On entering the park, the first display on your right is a series of carved trees. These are a remembrance of the Kamilaroi People and their ancestral animals totemic beings. The Kamilaroi people’s lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Australia.

    • Carved Trees as a Remembrance of the Kamilaroi Peoples and their Ancestral Animals Totemic Beings
      Carved Trees as a Remembrance of the Kamilaroi Peoples and their Ancestral Animals Totemic Beings

    Pensioners Hill Lookout and Heritage Sculpture Park

    The park contains four sculptures by Carl Merten and Joan Relke, with each depicting the heritage of the Gunneda area. The sculptures show:

    • The Red Chief, a Kamilaroi man who lived in the area in the 18th century. He had a reputation as a warrior and wise leader of the Gunn-e-darr tribe.
    • The Pioneer Woman, early settlers facing harsh environments, isolation and loneliness.
    • Agriculture representing the rich grazing lands and crops across the Liverpool Plains.
    • The Coal Miner labouring underground.

    Carved on the back of each sculpture is the Great Rainbow Serpent of Aboriginal mythology, tying them all together.

    • Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park
      Sculptures on Pensioners Hill
    • Snake Sculpture
      Snake Sculpture
    • Snake Sculpture Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park
      The Rainbow Serpent Sculpture
    • Coal Miner Sculpture Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park
      Coal Miner Sculpture
    • Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park
      The Rainbow Serpent Sculpture
    • Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park
      Pioneer Woman Sculpture
    • Aboriginal Man Sculpture Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park
      The Red Chief Sculpture
    • Sheep and Cattle Sculpture Pensioners Hill Lookout Sculpture Park
      Agriculture Sculpture

    Mining Heritage

    Behind the rock sculptures is a display of three mine skips on rail tracks. This display sponsored by the CFMEU (the mine workers’ Union) pays tribute to the coal miners of the district. It not only commemorates the workers, but those who did not make it home, after working in the dangerous mine conditions.

    These skips add to the mining heritage reflected in the entrance wall, which shows the importance of the industry in the districts past.

    • Mine Cars
      Mine Cars

    Places to Relax

    Placed throughout the park are beautifully carved seats, where you can sit and enjoy the park. If you want to relax under cover, a rotunda at the top of the hill is a great place to get out of the weather.

    • Rotunda on Pensioners' Hill
      Rotunda on Pensioners Hill
    • Seat With Carved Eagle Wings
      Seat With Carved Eagle Wings

    The View

    The viewing platform gives a great view of Gunnedah. The silos and red roofed building in the photo is where the Dorothea Mackellar silo art sits. While there, look at the town from inside the rotunda, because it can be framed nicely by the entrance.

    • View of Gunnedah From Pensioners' Hill
      View of Gunnedah From Pensioners Hill
    • View of Gunnedah Through the Rotunda
      View of Gunnedah Through the Rotunda

    What Did We Think

    If you are in Gunnedah, this is a great place to visit, because not only do you get a great view, but see great sculptures at the same time. It was nice to see the heritage of the districts tied together using aboriginal culture with the Great Rainbow Serpent.

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

    Our photos are available for purchase on

  • Cape Baily Track Kamay Botany Bay

    Cape Baily Track Kamay Botany Bay

    Cape Baily Track Kamay Bay National Park

    Getting There

    Located in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, the Cape Baily Track winds along coastal cliffs with amazing ocean views. The track starts at the end of the park’s road, past Cape Solander. A car park next to a helicopter landing pad provides easy access to the start of the walk.

    The Cliff Under the Car Park
    The Cliff Under the Car Park

    Cape Baily Track

    The track is well maintained and in many places is a formed board walk, which makes the hike easier than walking over rough terrain. As we walked, the surroundings changed from coastal scrub to bare sandstone rock. Several areas had steps, but these were in excellent condition and easy to climb and descend.

    At 4 km each way and often exposed to strong winds and heat in summer, remember to take plenty of water and sunscreen. There are no facilities on the track, so take what you need for the walk, which takes around 2.5 hours.

    • Board Walk Through Coastal Scrub Cape Baily Track
      Board Walk Through Coastal Scrub

    Ocean Views

    The amazing sandstone cliffs which line the ocean side of the walk are beautiful. Lookouts along the walk provide great vantage points to see them, but obey the signs and don’t go near the edge.

    We might be biased, because we’re local, but in our opinion they are far better than the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Not only are they high with vertical drops to the ocean, but they are not as crowded and more scenic.

    • Sea Cliffs and Waves Cape Baily Track
      Sea Cliffs and Waves
    • Ocean Views and Sea Cliffs
      Ocean Views and Sea Cliffs
    • Cape Baily Track Ocean Views and Sea Cliffs
      Ocean Views and Sea Cliffs

    Tabbigai Cliff Dwellers

    Fishermen built dwellings on some of the cliffs and lived there from 1920 until the 1960s. As can be seen in the photo from that time they were precariously perched on the cliffs, although some were quite extensive. We had not heard of these buildings before the walk and found out about them from the information boards on the trail.

    The Department Of Lands ordered their eviction and removal of structures in the 1960s.

    • The Tabbigai Cliff Dwellers
      The Tabbigai Cliff Dwellers
    • Gully Where the Cliff Dwellers Lived
      Gully Where the Cliff Dwellers Lived

    Cape Baily Lighthouse

    At the end of the track the Cape Bailey Lighthouse sits high on the cliff, warning ships of the rocks. It isn’t a particularly interesting building, being plain and functional. There are many more lighthouses of note around Sydney, such as Macquarie and Hornby Lighthouses. We didn’t do the hike for the lighthouse but for the scenery, so we’re not disappointed.

    • Cape Baily Lighthouse
      Cape Baily Lighthouse
    • Cape Baily Lighthouse
      Cape Baily Lighthouse