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..........