Menindee Lakes, Kinchega National Park and the road home........

Leaving early the next morning it wasn't long before we had found our way to the Menindee Lakes Caravan Park.  Still in outback NSW this park would have once been full to the brim as it sits just above Menindee Lake.

Sadly now the lake is completely dry, a result of years of drought and water management (?) supplying water to Broken Hill, NSW and SA under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. 

Once we were settled and the washing on the line we jumped in the car to explore a little further.  We drove down to see Copi Hollow, a natural lake where there is still water, and found another caravan park, a boat club and some happy water birds.

From here we drove around to have a look at Main Weir, one of the many water management controls throughout the lakes system.  We found some more birds, a little water and a great campsite.

Back in Menindee we had a look at the tiny town which was proclaimed 'the first town on the Darling River'.  It also has great historical significance as 5 explorers passed through here in the 1800's.  These were Major Thomas Mitchell in 1835, Charles Sturt in 1844, John McKinlay in 1855 then Burke and Wills in 1860.  As we returned home that afternoon we stopped to see the grave of Dost Mahomet, Burke and Wills camel driver.  He had made it to the Coopers Creek campsite with them but was disabled by a rogue camel.  Once recovered he spent the rest of his life here in Menindee.

The next morning we set out to explore The Kinchega National Park.  The park follows the Darling River and there are many lovely campsites along here.  We have found many places we would love to come back to, so one day there may be more stories from this beautiful part of the country.

After lunch we stopped and had a look at the Historic Kinchega Woolshed which has been maintained as a heritage site.  You can walk through this wonderful space and imagine just how things would have been in many shearing sheds across the land.

Another stop saw us stop at the ruins of the Kinchega Homestead and as we followed the storyboards down to the river we came across an Emu who had just had two little chicks hatch.  We watched in awe as Dad checked the babies and settled back down on the third and final egg.  

We did wait for quite some time but with no more signs of hatching we finally said goodbye and left the little family in peace.  Such an amazing sight and one we may never see again.

The next morning we were on our way again, this time on 209 km of red dirt road as we drove across to Ivanhoe.  No one had been able to tell us the condition of the road but we found a really smooth, well maintained track and we arrived at our destination far quicker than we had expected.  We found a spot in the caravan park behind the service station and had a wander along the Main Street.  

It was very quiet as it was Sunday afternoon and we met a lovely couple who had just moved up from Albany in WA to take over the pub.  We chatted to them for a while on the veranda before heading back across the road for a quiet afternoon in.  We did return to the pub for dinner that night.  The lasagna was pretty good!

Back on the road the next day we made our way towards Hay where we stopped for a coffee at Booligal.  This tiny towns claim to fame is being mentioned in one of Banjo Paterson's poems, Hay and Hell and Booligal.  I had never heard of it until I checked Google and here found out that the little town was not too impressed as being described the way they were!

Our next stop was at One Tree, a pit stop on the way across the Hay Plains.   One Tree Inn is a public house built on this site in 1862 when the locality developed as a coach changing stage and watering place between the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan rivers for Cobb and Co.  One Tree village was surveyed and proclaimed in 1882, named after the lone gum tree standing which stood in a field nearby.  The tree has since been destroyed by storms in 1900 and the original building was burnt down in 1903 and rebuilt in the same style later.  Now it seems to be empty, fenced off and a nesting site for the many Welcome Swallows we saw there.

Driving across the Hay Plains was another incredible journey with land so flat in every direction.  It is said to be one of the flattest places on earth with only 17m (56 feet) of difference in elevation between the highest and lowest point in the Hay Shire.  

As we approached Hay we found water in the creeks and rivers for the first time in many many weeks and soon after found our campsite at Sandy Beach, a fabulous free camp beside the beautiful Murrumbidgee River.  On arrival there were many vans there and many more came in during the afternoon but at no time was this lovely place ever full.  The council provide this area for travellers which gives us somewhere safe to stay and explore their lovely town.

We did that during the afternoon when we walked into town, enjoyed reading about the history of Hay on a heritage trail, had a coffee at a local cafe and a walk back along the river.  With too much to see in just an overnight stop we will have to visit again and really do this lovely place justice.

Just one stop on our way out of town the next morning at the Old Railway Station which we found is also a museum. Housed in old railway carriages The Dunera Museum and The Hay Internment and POW Camps Interpretive Centre housed there tells the stories of over 6,600 German, Italian, Japenese and Australian civilian Internees and Italian and Japanese POW's imprisoned there between 1940 and 1946 in three camps 6,7,8 of 1,000 men each.  Unfortunately this was not open when we stopped so we will try again next time.

This morning we had been going to cross the border into Victoria and spend one more night on the road but with a cold change in the weather and home so close we decided that we would drive straight there.  We stopped in Deniliquin for a quick look, crossed the border at Euchua, ate our lunch in the van at a roadside stop and arrived home safely at about 3.30 that afternoon.

At this point it seemed very strange to think that our big adventure was over.  We had just spent the most amazing four months on the road.  We have caught up with friends and made some new ones along the way.  We have seen many places that until now have only ever been names on maps and perhaps dreams of 'one day' and we have loved every moment of this great experience, yes even the tyres!  I think Bill tells it best with his Facebook post once we got home, I hope you can read it and by the way I dispute the argument count!

Once the van was parked in the driveway (first try, I might add) we made our way inside to reacquaint ourselves with our home once more.  It seemed very strange to have so much room to move around in and for days we kept forgetting which cupboard had what in it.  The weather was still chilly and Bill would have happily gone north again for the first few days but soon the sun shone and the temperature climbed a little so all was well.

So for now I'll finish our story here as we spend a couple of weeks at home and work out what comes next.

Until next time..........

Silverton and Broken Hill........

We had booked into the racetrack for two days so early the next morning we headed out to see the historic town of Silverton.  Once a bustling township of 3000 people it is now a seemingly random array of buildings strewn across the town.  A church here, a hotel there, a cafe/art gallery and the odd cottage dotted throughout the streets make this an ideal spot for a wander around.

It seems that Silverton had an affinity with the old VW Beetle as there are many of these around the town now turned into quirky artworks.  

Mining began here in 1880, some years before Broken Hill, but the sources of Silver had dried up by the 1900's.  Today people visit Silverton for the art galleries, the Mad Max Museum, and to visit the lookout over the Mundi Mundi Plains.  

From this lookout it is said that the plains are so flat that you can see the curve of the earth.  Also it was here that Mad Max was filmed and some of the scenes from Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

While here we went in search of Silverton Railway Station which was the last stop on our Heritage Rail Trail from Peterborough.  We found the remains of the platform, ticket box, water tank and rail lines and discovered that the NSW Government of the day would not allow the narrow gauge rail line to cross the border from SA to Silverton.  A private syndicate came up with the idea of the 3'6" narrow gauge line running the 58 km to the border town, Cockburn, to join the narrow gauge rail lines of SA.  The  Silverton Tramway  was opened in 1888 connecting the town to South Australia allowing the ore to be transported to the smelter at Port Pirie.  And there ended our very interesting Rail Trail adventure.

Our last stop was at the Silverton Municipal Chambers where the inaugural meeting of the members was held in January 1887.  The building still stands proudly today.

We returned home for lunch and then set off to check out the sights in Broken Hill.  We learnt that Broken Hill is Australia's longest lived mining city.  Silver ore was discovered in Broken Hill in 1883 by a boundary rider named Charles Rasp.  Together with his fellow station hands, David James and James Pool, they pegged the original lease in September 1883.  They joined forces with four others who worked on the Mount Gipps Sheep station and after each pegging a 40 acre mining lease became The Syndicate of Seven.  This ore body became the largest and richest of its kind in the world and The Broken Hill Proprietary Co (BHP) was founded by the syndicate.  

The "broken hill" that gave its name to Broken Hill actually comprised a number of hills that appeared to have a break in them. The broken hill no longer exists, having been mined away.   The seven men are immortalised with busts in a city park.

A walk along the Main Street showed us some grand old buildings and as always the old Hotels were some of the most ornate.  

We didn't go down any mines here but did make our way to 'The Line of Lode' Miners' Memorial set on top of the Mullock Heap.  This memorial is visible from just about everywhere in Broken Hill and is said to resemble a set of giant rust red teeth.  

Inside are the names of more than 800 workers who have died in the mines.  Walking through here to the lookout beyond had a rather sobering effect on all who passed knowing so many workers had lost their lives this way.

Looking down from here you get a great view of the city.  Back on the ground we returned home to the racetrack where we prepared ourselves for an early departure the next morning.  We were going to have a look at Menindee and the Kinchega National Park.

so until then.........

Marree to Broken Hill..........

Leaving Marree the next morning we hadn't gone far when we came to The Birdsville Track.  No we didn't detour this time but did stop to read the memorial on the corner.

A little further along we stopped once more to see The Stuart Memorial.  It seems there are many of these throughout the outback.  This was a plaque on the roadside and a stone man in the field.  Interesting!

Back in the car for a while until we saw the turnoff to the Historic town of Farina.  We stopped here and found another stop on The Heritage Rail Trail.  Once known as Government Gums Farina was proclaimed a town in March 1878.

From 1882-1884, Farina was the railhead for those moving stock and wool down the Strezlecki, Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks and for sending freight, mail and staff to inland stations.  The last load of cattle was railed in 1978.

The town is now a ruin, but with the current owners of Farina Station and a devoted group of volunteers who spend two months here each year on a restoration program, it's decay is being halted and hopefully it will be able to tell its story for many years to come.  Bill found some old cars here that were fast becoming part of the landscape.  A very interesting place to visit. 

Our next stop was at the Ochre Pits just 5 km before Lyndhurst.  These spectacular red, brown and white ochre cliffs have been used for thousands of years by the Aboriginal people who traded this ochre with other groups.

We stopped to eat our lunch at Lyndhurst and apart from one service station and a pub we couldn't see anything or anyone else.  I think the sign says it all!  Pop 30 (most days)

We left soon after to make our way to Leigh Creek where we were going to stay overnight.  Along the way we were to see the huge coal mining operations where almost daily, trains are filled with 10,000 tones of coal bound for the Port Augusta Power Station.  I do understand that this is necessary if we want to produce the power we need but goodness me it sure does leave a huge blot on the landscape.  

We found a spot in the caravan park and relaxed during the afternoon and evening and the next day continued on down The Outback Highway passing through Beltana, Parachilna and The Flinders Ranges.

Still following the Heritage Rail Trail it was interesting to see where the 'Old Ghan' had run.  As we drove we could still see the evidence of where the track had run though in many places nature has almost reclaimed the land once more.

Our next stop was in Hawker where the grand old station is now a restaurant.  Just around the corner we filled up with fuel and continued on to Peterborough to find a home for the night.

It has been fun and interesting following this trail from William Creek to Peterborough.  We have enjoyed learning a little more of the history of this huge country we live in.  In most of the locations the only thing still standing is the cast iron water tank.  Some other time we will continue the route all the way to Port Augusta but for now we are leaving the track here as we make our way across to Broken Hill.

The next morning we started off along the Barrier Highway and discovered that we had a new Heritage Rail Trail to follow.  The brochure tells us that the Broken Hill to Port Pirie Rail Line is a relic of the steam age, a 400km piece of history that descends from the red dusts of NSW to the shimmering gulf waters of SA.  We would follow it from Peterborough to Silverton.

The brochure also had a scavenger hunt along the way meaning we had to stop and look for the answer at each stop.  We did this and enjoyed seeing and learning about another important rail link in Australia's history.

Our stops along the way were at Oodla Wirra, Yunta, Manna Hill, Olary, and Cockburn.  Manna Hill is the only place where the station has been restored but the others sights still have water tank, cranes and sidings visible.  The little line was only 3'6" wide but it overcame droughts, floods, locusts plagues and derailments to become one of the busiest stretches of railway in the world.  It is said to have transformed Australia from an agricultural outpost to an industrial economy.

We arrived at Broken Hill soon after crossing yet another border and found ourselves in traffic once more.  We made our way through town to the racecourse where we were going to stay for a couple of days.  A little different here to the last racecourse we camped on.  Green grass, power and water made for a very comfortable stay while we explore another little corner of Australia.  We'll do that tomorrow 

until next time..........