Riverina Roadtrip - Junee & Wagga Wagga

Over the Easter long weekend, I went on a solo road trip to the Riverina Region in NSW. Originally I had planned on driving to Mount Kosciusko however with my healing ankle, I decided against it. I have also decided to incorporate as many maps as I can just to paint a clearer picture of where I went.

I picked up my rental Hyandi i30 at 7.30am in the morning and headed towards Wagga Wagga via Lithgow in the Blue Mountains. It was a dreary morning and my key reason for leaving so early was to avoid the usual long weekend traffic. At Lithgow at around 10.20am, I got pulled over for a random breath test or Operation Tortoise as the police called it. Funny story, as I pulled up for my test I almost knocked the traffic cone over and the police officer found it absolutely hilarious. Probably as hilarious as when he asked where I was going and I said, "to Maccas. I need to make it down the road in time for the 10.30am breakfast cut off". Ha. I always have this guilty feeling whenever the police/ anyone of authority talks to me and I ended up blurting the most honest truth.

I went to Wagga Wagga via the back roads partly to avoid the traffic on the motorways and also because it's a lot prettier. It was quite enjoyable as I had Pandora playing with the latest country music and this time I had reception since I changed to the Telstra network.


The landscape was so dry as evident by the yellow grass. Everything was yellow.



Spot the sheep next to the old church


I had every intention of reaching the town of Junee to visit the Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory before 3pm for their factory tour and the giant Freckle making session. However, the drive took a little longer than I had anticipated and I was also stuck behind a car that was cruising at 70kmph on the 100kmph roads. Although I didn't make it in time for either the freckle making (this is what it is) or the tour, I did make some purchases for my family and friends.









There was also this ride for children that seemed like tubs were cut out and then joined together to make a train. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun, especially when the driver was going around in circles.






I finally arrived at Wagga Wagga at the free camp ground which was a blessing. After around 8 hours (with my breaks and visits at small towns) I was very happy to have time to just chill. Once again, I decided to sleep in my car to save some money and also because ... why not. This time, I was more prepared and even brought my Kindle (didn't want to have to resort to reading the car manual again). The free campground had toilets and no showers however I was more than happy with facilities. There were around 8 other caravans and although it was next to the main road, it really wasn't that bad.




I also saw so many stars and tried to take some photos. My camera really isn't the best and I did do post processing however I try to work with what I have.

This is my fourth trip as part of #take12trips. To see previous trips please click here