Bridges, plains, sheep and frogs - Goolgowi to Balranald via Hay, NSW

 

Day 3

So hot yesterday and last night, so it was a relief to wake to overcast skies and a few degrees’ worth of mercy. Within an hour we’d reached the banks of the Murrumbidgee River near Carrathool. The Murrumbidgee is the second-longest river in Australia, and its name — Murrumbidgee or Marrambidya — comes from the local Wiradjuri language, meaning “big water”.

Carrathool’s claim to fame is its heritage‑listed timber truss bridge, a 115.5m structure with a rare Bascule‑type lift span that once allowed boats to pass underneath. It remained in working order until 2019. Standing beside it is impressive — the river gums along the banks are enormous, ancient-looking guardians of the waterway.

Onwards to Hay, which was pretty sleepy at lunchtime on a Sunday, but we managed to fill the water tanks, buy some hardware and groceries, and read up on the local sheep scene. I especially liked the sculpture of Mrs McGrath and her sheep — and the accompanying story. Susan McGrath was a legendary figure in the 1920s and ’30s droving industry. Using her pet sheep as a leader, she helped move mobs of up to 10,000 sheep across the Hay bridge before handing them back to the drovers. I’m not sure of the story behind the other sculpture of a sheep reading a book, but it made me smile.

The drive in and out of Hay was spectacular — the Hay Plains really do stretch on forever.

We arrived in Balranald in light drizzle and found more sculptures, this time of frogs. Why frogs? Because the endangered Southern Bell Frog — also known as the Growling Grass Frog — lives in the semi‑permanent wetlands of the Balranald Shire. It’s meant to be a large, handsome frog: bright green with speckles of gold, bronze and black. Sadly, we didn’t spot one in person, so we made do with the many sculptures created by a local artist.

We also discovered a swinging bridge and a nature walk along the river not far from the main street. A mysterious sign had us confused at first — until we found some exercise equipment and decided to dutifully follow its instructions.

Camp for the night was in Yanga National Park — a perfect riverside spot with no one else around. When the rain set in, we hunkered down inside Izzy and watched TV. Absolute luxury.