Our next stop was in Hay a lovely town situated on the Murrumbidgee River. One thing you notice about Hay is that it has a very distinctive flat landscape. Anyway we found a great free camp at Sandy Point Reserve which we had been told about by a very enthusiastic lady from Hay whom we met at the Griffith Sunday Markets.
Had she not told us about it, and even though it’s listed on Wikicamps, we may have missed this one. Wow what a great place situated right on the Murrumbidgee River. It’s a large graveled level area where there is room for everyone.
Here is what you get:
👍Totally FREE to camp for up to 72 hours
👍Excellent TV and Telstra reception
👍5 clean flushable toilets including a disabled toilet all with soap dispensers and hand towels
👍Rubbish bins everywhere
👍Very clean BBQ’s
👍Lots of covered picnic table areas, some very close to the river
👍Boat ramp
👍You can swim in the river between the yellow poles
🤔No drinking water (but potable water is available outside the Visitor Information Centre)
🤔No power (but if you need to power your phone there are a few power points at the BBQ area)
🤔No dump point (but there is a public dump point opposite the showgrounds).
Once we were settled we took off to visit the Hay Visitor Information Centre. How fantastic that at the centre you get free access to Wi-Fi, push bike hire, filtered water access, toilets and you can have a hot shower for $2.00. There’s also a tap outside with drinking water where you can fill up your tanks.
But wait there is so much more. Hay also has a designated area in town where you can park your big rig to take advantage of some shopping and it also has access to two drinking water taps. Then if you feel the need for a swim Hay has an Olympic pool complex – John Houston Memorial Pool – and guess what the pool has FREE entry and showers. Hay has to be one of the friendliest RV towns we have come across so far.
If you have time make sure you visit Dunera Museum where you can find out all about the Hay Internment and POW Camps. The first arrivals were 2036 Jewish internees from Nazi Germany and Austria – mostly professionals who had simply fled to England to save their lives – along with 451 German and Italian POWs. They were transported from England on-board the HMT Dunera, and they became known as ‘The Dunera Boys’. A few weeks later, about 2000 Italian POWs arrived from the battlefields of Egypt. In December of 1941 Japanese internees were conveyed to the camp from Cowra. Anyway the museum is located in 2 carriages beside the Hay Railway Station and is a self-guided tour and at $5 per adult is well worth a visit. The history that is recorded there for you to read is amazing.
There’s a wonderful walking trail called the ‘Bidgee Riverside Trail’ along the banks of the River which you can start from Sandy Point. The trail takes you under the bridge and past the Warakirri murals, Bushy Bend and then past the Long Paddock Sculptures. Around Bushy Bend we noticed a lot of asparagus ferns growing. We found out that this had been a temporary home for swaggies and later families for the soldiers located in Hay for the POW camps in WWII. So the story goes that the asparagus is self-propagating and probably a result of the vegetable gardens grown by those who lived there.
We spent 3 days in Hay and had a great time finding out about the history of the town. Before we left we injected a few dollars back into this wonderful town. The butcher had been recommended to us and we certainly filled up our fridge with some delicious fresh meats. Another place of course where we indulged was the bakery, wow, no wonder this is a popular place for locals and visitors who are in the know.
So do yourself a favour, stop and enjoy Hay, and the services the town provides. There are a few cafes, a pub, hairdresser, IGA and Foodworks, Hardware store, Newsagent, Post office, banks and much more including the swimming pool. Lovely town with a good vibe.
Well that’s enough for now.
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Happy Aussie Caravanning Lifestyle
Dixie and Graeme