Monday 9 September 2019 – Kilkivan

Windy again today. Not sure about how much work the owners do around the park. Very little cleaning done on the weekend and the bins are in need of being emptied. This morning we decided to drive into Kilkivan for a coffee and to get some phone service to check our messages and emails.   Before heading into town we drove to Mt Clara Copper Smelter Chimney.  It was built in 1873 and only operated until 1875.  The smelter remains  were renovated in 1978 by the Shiare Council.  

Back into the car and into town where we had coffee and scones while getting a hit of modern technology.  Returned a couple of phone calls then decided to go for a drive to Dickebramm Bridge, a historic road and railway bridge over the Mary River. The directions we had been given by the caravan park left a lot to be desired and Miss Google Maps moved one of the towns we were meant to travel through 6 km down the road. The last intersection in our instructions was meant to be a T intersection with us turning right, instead we found a normal intersection at which we still turned right. There was also a sign saying the road was closed for bridge works. We, wrongly as it turned out, presumed we would still be able to see the bridge just not go across it. When we got there the road was closed about 300 metres from the bridge and all you could see was trucks and roadwork equipment. Turned around and started to return the way we had come. We had noticed a sign for Fernhill Park Fishing and Camping Ground, so we decided to go and have a look so the 50 km we had driven to get there were not totally wasted. The sign said it was 7 km down a dirt road. At the 7 km mark we still had seen nothing to indicate a Camping Ground anywhere. We decided to give it 1 km more. Still finding nothing we pulled up on a driveway to turn around. As I looked down the driveway I noticed a sign on the gate stating it was Fernhill Park. The gate was chained and padlocked. I then noticed a closed sign on the ground where it had fallen off a tree. I am not sure if it is closed for good or for some other reason. Oh well another wasted trip. Turned around to return to the Caravan Park to laze the rest of the day away.