Ah, nothing like the smell of Roundup in the morning. A farmer spraying, and I get a misting as I ride past. No weeds on me!
I take the non direct route to Barraba. It takes a few days. The mining has expanded and the road has been closed permanently. I flag down a mining vehicle, and am told there is an alternative path around the closure. But the driver wasn't sure. The maps I have haven't been updated and provide no help. With no signs to guide me, I return to another route.
Along the way I pass the Rangari automatic telephone exchange. Would have been the heights of modernisation once..
In 2009 I quit my job, loaded my bicycle, sold, gave away, recycled, threw out everything else to travel the roads of Australia.