Murray Head to Border

20/5/2018.  Sunday.  R & R woke earlier but only got out at 8:00am to 6*C and a wet canvas.  It was only that they were hungry that they wanted to get out.  They pawed over the maps and made some decisions about what direction they would travel before having breakfast and coffee.  RA finished the diary from the day before while RL shaved.  R & R started to pack down at 10:00am and were away within half an hour, driving south down to Nariel before turning around and heading into Corryong for 11:30am Mass.  The plan was to be driving long enough to make the car warm to defrost their feet.  It was still only 6*C outside but it did rise to 11*C by noon.  After Mass R & R set off towards Towong with the intention of following the Murray River as closely as possible from its eastern end back to Wentworth near the SA border.  They had planned, for the day, to travel about 120kms from Corryong in a loop back to Wodonga.  At Towong Lookout, they took one last look at the Alps to the east and south and to the beginnings of the mighty Murray.  It was cool and the grey mist lingered. There they saw, a long paddock, the verge of the road eaten down by stock by “fencing” it with a hot wire.  The road converged quite closely to the river in parts and was winding, though not too steep as it passed round between the mountains to the north and south.  At Pine Mountain 1062m, which was quite close to the road, there were horses grazing high up and at other times sheep and cattle grazed on expanses of flat ground on one or both sides of the river where dairies and silage could be seen.  RL passed through Walwa and drove briefly over the river/border at Jingellic about 1:30pm.  There R & R ate lunch at the park as RL commented that, “The leaves fall like snowflakes.” and RA mused over the thought that autumn’s falling leaves foreshadow the snow in the Alpine areas.  RL crossed back over the bridge and headed west again.  He had referred to the haze and they did notice that farmers were tidying heaps and doing a little burning off.  RA noticed one rather large tree trunk at least 3m tall which alive, still standing, with red coal to the top and hoped nothing would be below when it collapsed.  Shortly after, they were driving round Mt Alfred where the road was half way up the side of the mountain and there would have been a drop of at least 50m to the water line immediately below RL’s door. There were a couple of tight switch backs and some cows grazing up the side, so steep, that it looked as if they may just fall.  The low lying flood plain of The Bend near Mt Lawson State Park is the north eastern beginning of Lake Hume.  There the trees were smaller and thinner and included the kurrajong. It was getting later in the afternoon but the sun was throwing splashes of light on some of the hill sides and tops in the still mostly grey day. The water in the Murray reflected the grey in the sky. From this point the hills were becoming smaller and fewer with farming up to the top and the valleys opening wider.  There were even some sections where dotted white lines allowed for overtaking. There was a 10kms section which wound its way out of the mountains and there were dead trees standing in great expanses of green grass for cattle feed in the valley.  About 3:00pm having just crossed the Koetong Creek, R & R stopped for a cuppa and to take a couple of photos.  They did not turn south to Granya but continued east another 30kms to the Hume Dam.  A huge bridge crossed over the Murray and Lake Hume into NSW and lead towards the Hume Weir.  They had been there last week and were familiar enough to know the way back into Victoria and towards Bonegilla to get back to Wodonga.  At that point, RA set the Navigator for Rutherglen/Yarrawonga and at 4:00pm they were bypassing Wodonga on the Hume Hwy for about 15kms and off again in 10 minutes.  There were still a couple of taller hills to the south but none to the north.  The day had become darker again giving the sense that it was later than it really was.  The countryside opened up into flat farming land for sheep and a farmer was seeding with dust rising while over the road a paddock was already green with a crop.  There was a huge sales yard and vineyards.  The Rutherglen winery had a handsome entrance as R & R headed for Wahgunyah about 6kms north.  Wahgunyah was first settled in the 1830s by a fellow called John Foord for grazing sheep. Then, when gold was discovered, he spread his interests into merchant and shipping businesses.   At 4:30pm RL drove into the Willows camping area on the southern side of the Murray and they went for a walk before setting up the camper.  They walked over the John Foord bridge which was on a bend and single laned and required lights to control the traffic.  R & R were amazed at how little water there was at this point in the Murray in relation to how well it ran and looked up beyond Lake Hume.  At the entrance to the Willows there was an ancient tree and a plaque commemorating Mass first being said there circa 1869.  RL read a post draft while RA cooked dinner which she was serving and about to eat just as S, their daughter rang.  After dinner RL read and RA wrote the diary. Wahgunyah is also the home of Uncle Toby’s.  “That’s cool!” RA exclaimed … being a lover of all things oaten.

21/5/2018.  Monday.  R & R got out of bed at 7:30am to a much warmer start to the day of 8*C.  They set about driving the Murray Valley Hwy as it runs south of the Murray River as far as Koonoomoo, crossing over the river into NSW and coming back north of the river to Corowa and crossing back again to the Willows were they would leave the camper.  The journey would be more or less 100kms each way with the roads following the river quite closely.  At no point during the day were they more than about 5kms from the river or 10kms from the road on the other side of the river. At times farming went right up to the river and at others there was forest. First R & R went to Rutherglen to the information centre and a couple of op shops.  The countryside for the most part was open and flat with irrigation channels full of water being an important part of the farming cycle.  They saw cattle including Murray Grey and Blondi, dairies, ploughing, harvesting of maize, orange, olive and fruit orchards, vineyards, a brewery, hay, silage, and sheep.  At one point the sheep were feeding under the spray of the irrigation.  On the way to Yarrawonga, R & R popped in to look at Lake Moodemere much smaller than Lake Mulwala which has a weir for the management of water.  There was a lovely woodland section where a bridge crossed over the Ovens River.  At Yarrawonga, they popped into the information centre, went to a couple of op shops and walked a couple of kilometres down the main street and over the bridge.  Interestingly, the clock in the main street rang for 9:00am as they were leaving at 12:30am.  It was obvious that they wanted the tourist to “linga longa in Yarrawonga” by confusing them with time!   It was only 37kms from Cobram where again they popped into the information centre and op shops before looking into a delightful log cabin which belonged to the Tom’s family and having a late lunch.  It was a further 6kms west to Koonoomoo (home of the big strawberry) and then 11kms north to Tocumwal where R & R headed north to look at a site of indigenous significance.  There is a huge water hole which is referred to as a blowhole rather than a gnamma hole and it had water in it even at this driest time of the year. The name Tocumwal comes from Tocumival which means deep hole or pit.  The Aborigines believe that it is the home of a spirit that moves from the river to the hole in the granite rocks or that a giant cod lives at the bottom because it seems to come alive when it flows and bubbles.  By 3:50pm R & R were heading back through Tocumwal and east for Corowa.  They crossed over the Mulwala Canal, built between 1935 and 1939, which was constructed to move water north toward Berrigan.  There were lots of holiday cabins and some were for sale.  Though the whole area was quiet, RA imagined that in season it would be bustling.  R & R passed very close to Lake Mulwala where there was a distinctive swampy smell and lots of dead trees which showed that the water level could rise at least a metre up the trees.  The general appearance was quite alien or other worldly; almost ghostly!  RA tried to imagine how it would appear in the near dark and shrouded by mist.  By 5:00pm, they were crossing back over the river/border from Corowa to the Willows camping reserve at Wahgunyah.  R & R had coffee, searched through the maps, read and wrote diary and then rang S, their daughter, to see how her first day went on prac.  The Willows on the river under the bridge appeared to be a lovely spot for free camping … it looked like some were free camping there indefinitely!

22/5/2108.  Tuesday.  R & R woke to a symphony!  Not the usual squawking and screeching of galahs but the sounds of many different birds: thrilling, tweeting, warbling and carolling.  It was 11*C and a pleasant morning for packing down the camper after breakfast.  They left Wahgunyah and the Willows about 9:00am but not before taking a couple of photos.  The plan was to zigzag their way to Shepparton by about lunch time and zigzag they did, through many small towns and settlements.  It was a lovely drive, mostly at a slower speed so they were able to enjoy the scenery.  First they headed towards the eastern end of Lake Mulwala, over the pretty woodlands around the Ovens River before heading south to Peechelba (14kms) where the road ran flat and close to the river.  There they saw a feed lot that smelled quite strongly. RL then turned west towards Tungamah (25kms) where the country side was more undulating but generally flat, the paddocks larger and cropping seemed to be the main activity.  For the second day in a row they came across a line marking crew. The day before a crew had been just east of Corowa towards evening.  At Tungamah at 10:30am they were taking photos of the silos, enjoying the sounds of children playing at recess and having a coffee break.  Tungamah seemed like a thriving little town with its silos, railway, hotel, some attractive old buildings and a bus service.  After their 10 minute break, RL turned south over Boosey Creek towards Devenish (19kms) through the smaller settlement of St James with a population of 91.  The town of Devenish had a couple of large silos which had recently been painted with the female figures of an army doctor and nurse to commemorate the ANZAC centenary.  From there Shepparton was only 60kms away.  The countryside became more wooded with a rich red loam which was being ploughed for cropping.  It also became more undulating and then hilly near Mt Major (377m).  The road took a turn at Cashel-Dookie Cemetery where windmills and a couple of vineyards were seen.  Just before R & R came to the Midland Highway they saw the Shepparton-Dookie College and Melbourne-Dookie Campus, both agricultural institutions.  The last 30kms to Shepparton on the highway was much flatter with lots of trees along the road and in the paddocks.  R & R passed Pine Lodge Cemetery which was covered in flowers and the sporting shooters club before they saw irrigation channels, orchards and cool stores.  Lots of them!  Shepparton is a city with lots of shops and traffic lights and they were glad of the Navigators assistance to get them to the Lake Victoria Caravan Park.  The park lay at the end of a magnificent lake called Victoria and in between the Goulburn River and the railway and was completely unfenced.  As soon as they arrived at 12:15pm, they set up the camper and put a wash in.  R & R showered, had late lunch and hung the wash before heading down town about 2:00pm.  Armed with a street map and some dots provided by the park manageress, they popped into some op shops, bought up big at the SPC factory outlet on Corio St (where the parking is free), refilled a gas bottle, chatted for ages with a lady in a camera shop and went to Coles for milk powder and mince.  At 4:30pm RL unpacked the car and RA put the not quite dry washing into the drier before coffee and a snack.  They looked over maps, wrote diary, read, powered up everything and checked out the free wifi. It was a much warmer evening even though the day had been grey and the wind quite chilly.  They would both have agreed that the biggest thrill for the day would have to have been SPC … 12 x 95gm John West canned fish for $5 and SPC fruit salad 6 x 1kg for $6.

23/5/2018.  Wednesday. R & R were out of bed shortly after 7:00am but were in no real hurry as exit time from caravan parks is usually 10:00am.  Right on time they were driving downtown where they walked around taking photos of everything that appealed.  They climbed the communications tower, which is open to the public, to the viewing platform about 1/3 of its height.  RL figured the climb was about 200 steps to see a great view over the city.  They filled a script and refuelled before heading for Turnbull Brothers Orchards about noon.  Five generations of Turnbulls have grown fruit there since 1892 and it was there, RA believed, that K, her father, first worked after staying at the Bonegilla migration facility in the latter half of 1960. The orchard was to the north, off Midland Hwy, on Turnbull Road about a kilometre and then about another kilometre down Turnbull Lane. One kilometre further north on Thurnbull Rd was the Ardmona Primary school.  RA set the Navigator for Toolamba as it was the town where, she understood, she and her brother, C, went to primary school for a few months.  But it was more than 10kms away from the Turnbull orchard which had a school only one kilometre away.  RA did feel a little familiar with the Ardmona School and yet noting about Toolamba rang any bells, given also the fact that the Toolamba school was relocated in 1985.  R & R had lunch in Wren St about 1:20pm and took a couple of photos of the art cows that were scattered around the district.  On their way back RL drove the southern section of Turnbull Rd which goes for about 7kms off Waugh Rd back to Midland Hwy.  Along the way R & R took photos of real cows, water channels full of water and the tiniest house, painted in red and white that RA had ever seen.  On the way back to Shepparton RL stopped in Mooroopna about 2:30pm and took photos of the art cows there.  Mooroopna had the fabulous Kids Town Playground which was sponsored by SPC where entry is by gold coin donation.  It was also the home of Jack Findlay who won a 1975 World Motorcycle Championship.  From Shepparton it was 30kms north on Goulburn Valley Hwy to Numurkah where R & R stopped for a break at 3:15pm and popped into a couple of op shops.  From there the highway continues north before veering east to Strathmerton and then north to Koonoomoo for about 38kms.  They had thought to sleep at Koonoomoo (home of the big strawberry) about 4:00pm but there were no toilet facilities so R & R headed for Town Beach at Tocumwal.  It took a while to find the Town Beach rest area because the Navigator kept saying it was remote and RA had directed RL east instead of west on Hennessey St before Town Beach Road.  Eventually, they were setting up at 5:00pm.  By 5:30pm, they were having coffee, ringing C, RA’s brother, about the family history stuff and looking at maps.  J, one of R & R’s sons rang while they were cooking dinner and S, their daughter, rang after.  It had been a funny sort of a day for RA …with more questions than answers. 

24/5/2018.  Thursday.  R & R got out of bed to a lovely sunny morning of 7*C at 7:30am.  RA had slept well enough but not so, RL.  He had his most sleepless night since they left home and could not put it down to noise or cold.  Maybe he was just too late looking up something on the internet.  At 9:00am they packed down but not before taking a photo of the sandy beach alongside the river.  The sand glittered with golden sparkles (possibly mica) in it.  By 9:30am R & R were down town Tocumwal where they looked through a couple of op shops and made a donation to the community Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea fundraiser.  They were escorted through the period house in which the event was being held.  About an hour later RL drove to Strathmerton and stopped at an op shop, more for advice than anything else.  They asked the guys there if their mud map for Ulupna (sounds like ewe-lup-na) was reliable and about the condition of the road.  RL followed Bourchiers Rd and the signs beyond that for about 7kms on a single laned sealed road and then the signs a further 2kms on dirt road.  R & R saw the koala sign and parked the car near the toilet block at Carters Beach.  On foot they had plenty of time to look up into the trees.  R & R were well rewarded as they saw three different koalas.  One of them, the largest, was particularly alert and attentive and RL got a couple of really good photos.  Apparently, there was a viral video on Youtube about a week before of a koala holding a camper’s fishing rod at this very location.  R & R were back on Goulburn Hwy, heading west for Picola and then Barmah, which skirts the southern side of the Barmah National Park.  Carters Beach and Ulupna Island were at the eastern end.  Apparently, the park is of great significance to the Yorta Yorta people but R & R saw no signs to indicate any special sites.  Along the way they had seen irrigation channels with water, others without, silage, beef and dairy interspersed with dry land farming, sheep and hay.  Where farmers were ploughing the dust rose and blew away in the wind.  R & R lunched on the side of the road at Picola about 1:30pm before continuing to Barmah and driving over the Murray River and into NSW about 2:00pm with 30 or so kilometres to go to pass through Moama and on to Echuca (back into Victoria).  They were amazed to pass some cattle feeding the on ‘long paddock’ as RL drove south on the Cobb Hwy.  There were several stockmen (in utilities, not on horseback) supervising the stock and RL was keen to enquire about it at the information centre in Echuca.  The guy there showed them a brochure about the long paddock touring route and they found another on the Kidman Way. RL thought that these could be two more trails on their journey!  Having received clear instructions about a suitable camping spot, RA set the Navigator for Casey Bend on Casey Rd about 10kms east of Echuca.  By 3:30pm they had selected a spot between the boat ramp and toilets and began setting up.  They had coffee and a snack before going for a walk and taking some photos.  At 5:15pm RL read while RA did the day’s diary to have time to do diary from the day before, after dinner.  RL tried ringing E, his sister and S, his daughter, before dinner but had to leave messages.  R & R got back to reading and writing after.  It truly was such a treat to have seen koalas in their natural habitat … and one of them so handsome, alert and cheeky.

25.5.2018.  Friday.  RL had slept well but RA had been restless.  They were out of bed at 7:15am to a lovely sunny morning and ready for the day by 9:00am.  R & R headed into town with a list of no less than eight op shops that they had picked up at the information centre the day before so by 9:30am they were sitting in the car in High Street having a coffee before walking the streets to look into the first four that were together in the CBD.  E, RL’s sister, returned their missed call from the day before with the news that Albany and its surrounding areas was under siege with multiple fires burning out of control fanned, overnight, by wild winds.  She contacted S, their youngest brother and messaged that he was alright and messaged again later with similar news of G, their eldest brother.  By 11:15am, R & R were wandering round the Echuca Historic Wharf Precinct and taking lots of photos.  A poster on the gangway of the MV Mary Ann indicated that it ran three cruises daily, free as long as you bought from the café on board.  They looked at the posted menu.  RL had been waiting for an opportunity to enjoy fish and chips which they never buy so they decided that it was the day.  They agreed to share two kid’s meals at $10.50 each, burger with chips and fish with chips.  It was only a matter of waiting about half an hour. So for $21, R & R enjoyed lunch and a cruise up the Murray for an hour.  It was great to see the wharf and the paddle steamers up close.  The MV Mary Ann ran on a diesel motor unlike the paddle steamers which were wood fired and there was no commentary.  It was a lovely treat as they had not planned an excursion.  One the way back, they popped into the lolly and chocolate shops but nothing appealed so they had coffee in the Ute.  RL headed over the bridge to Moama to investigate two op shops there.  It’s interesting that every op shop has its own particular character and it is a bit of a game for R & R just to investigate every nook and cranny.  The first op shop over the river was delightful as it smelled of coffee immediately as you entered. It was something like a book café where you can have coffee and cake while sitting surrounded by collectables and bric a brac as well as books.  It supports the work of people with Down Syndrome who serve the guests at the café.  The second was quite different with lots of stuff that appeared to have sat outside permanently and then several tiny dark rooms inside crammed full.  As it was already after 2:00pm, R & R abandoned any idea of driving up to Deniliquin and headed back across the river to the two op shops on the most southern end of town.  One of them had a rack of free clothing items (limit of five items per family) which was a novel idea for R & R and it also had a bring/swap/donate/take shelf of food items at no cost.  “Take what you need.” “Give what you can.”  R & R had seen a similar idea where one loaf of day old bread per customer is free.  Anyway, after all that op shopping, RA ended up buying, for $2.50, a plastic filing jacket for some of the maps and papers she had been collecting.  She was happy.  After refuelling, RL headed back to the camper. RL rang H, his daughter, as he had missed a call from her.  R & R walked in and out of the tracks at Casey Bend where people would have been camped or driven through in season.  Everything was quiet save a couple on horseback and one boat trailer which was parked there when they returned.  R & R never saw the boat, only a woman and a pair of dogs.  S, their son rang them shortly after 5:00pm after they got back from their walk and S, their daughter, rang briefly as she was going out for dinner with friends. After dinner R & R read and wrote a while.  The trailer and utility was still there after dark … it left about 8:00pm and all was quiet.

26/5/2018.  Saturday.  R & R were out of bed at 7:00am to a cool 4*C with shards of sunlight shining through the trees and mist rising off the water.  Again they planned on following the Murray as closely as possible as often as they could.  So at 9:00am they set their sights on Koondrook about an hour away.  On the way R & R saw open flat farming, some dry and some with strip irrigation for cattle.  After seeing another large dairy, RL commented, “It’s hard to fathom the size of some of these herds.”  At Koondrook R & R walked around the township and took photos of the wharf which had a lift span bridge and a floating jetty which RL thought, probably rose 15-20ft as the height of the Murray rose.  There was a statue of a Nurse Rosen who, a leader in the community particularly in health had delivered 1000 babies.  Sounds awesome!  From Koondrook R & R headed for Murribit but they really weren’t too sure when they started down a winding narrow track just out of town.  The sign had indicated it was the right way and the Navigator looked like they were on track but RA was concerned that they’d end up at a dead end with no way to turn around.  Regardless, they came to the sealed road after a couple of kilometres so all was good.  Generally, the whole area was very low lying and close to the river, other water ways and swamps.  The vegetation looked like swampy or coastal shrubs and grasses even in the farming land that was not being worked; a couple of houses and sheds even looked like they had moats around them to keep water back when necessary.  At 11:30 RL drove round Lake Boga, which really was quite large and would be a great place to camp, before heading another 15kms to Swan Hill.  Major Thomas Mitchell slept a restless night there in 1836 because of the black swans; hence he named it Swan Hill. R & R popped into the information centre and then downtown to the three open op shops where they picked up a clothes drying rack for $2.  They walked to find the Burke and Wills monument and the Moreton Bay Fig which is purported to be one of the biggest in the southern hemisphere.  An excursion to the Pioneer Settlement was a little tempting but R & R decided it was time for lunch and to move on. No sooner were they on the way to Robinvale than G, RL’s brother rang so they chatted most of the way.  About 5kms south of Nyah there was a sign about the first rice farm in Australia and beyond that near Riverbend and Boundary Bend there were some small, but other much larger, orchards, nurseries, vegetable growing, nuts, olive groves, vineyards, flood irrigation and sprinkler irrigation in between open dry land farming.  A few kilometres north of Boundray Bend the Murrumbidgee River joins the Murray and a few kilometres north beyond that the Lachlan River joins the Murrumbidgee.  R & R stopped at Robinvale about 3:30pm for a break and took a photo of the Villiers Bretonneax monument in the town’s Caix Square.  These two towns were recently named as twin towns because Robinvale was named after a lad called Robin Cuttle who died in Caix, France in service during WWII.  Interestingly, Robinvale had a toilet block with a free hot shower!  R & R had never seen that before!   By 4:00pm, they were heading back over the river via Euston in NSW to Mildura a distance of about 80kms.  There were some vineyards and an almond processing plant but as the road veered away from the river everything changed.  RA was just wondering if she could describe it as mallee when a sign indicated that the endangered mallee fowl may be seen in the area, and then, a “Welcome to Mallee” sign.  RA saw two new free sleep over areas that were not listed in the Victoria map she had open. They may have used one of them it they had known sooner.  Anyway, they had decided to camp at a caravan park and get a wash in and be in good time to catch a Mass.  At Paringi the road went back over the river into Victoria and then acres and acres of vineyards and orchards, that make Mildura a premier fruit and nut growing area, could be seen. About 5:00pm, as R & R were negotiating their way through Mildura with the help of the Navigator, S, their daughter, rang at the same time as they were held up at a roundabout with a train intersection (they had never seen that before, either) with the gates down and lights flashing.  Traffic was held up for at least 10 minutes wondering what to do before a helpful young woman came to tell RL that V Line might take about an hour to come and fix the problem.  The Navigator really was telling RL off for not following instructions.  Fortunately, R & R found the caravan park, checked in and were mostly set up so that they could have a shower and put everything in a wash before starting dinner at 7:00pm.  After dinner, they moved the wash into the dryer and set about reading and diary while waiting for it.  R & R were much impressed by some Mildura produce facts: almost 100% of Australia’s dried vine fruit, 75% table grapes, 69% almonds, 48% pistachios, 24% citrus, 20% wine grape crush, 13% carrots and 9% asparagus … that would be hard to beat! 

27/5/2018.  Sunday.  R & R were awake and out of bed before 7:00am.  There was a chance of rain so they wanted to have the camper down and ready to pick up before noon as agreed with the park manager.  Shortly after 8:30am, they were heading down town for 9:00am Mass at Sacred Heart, Mildura.  It was a big church and packed.  The Tongan choir was a real treat to listen to.  By about 10:00am their next stop was the information centre so that they would be armed with good information about touring the western outback of NSW.  The lady was candid and gave them all the brochures they might need.  RL spotted fuel at 142.9c/l so they filled up and filled the 2 jerry cans in case either they headed remote or prices got too steep.  A quick shop at Coles and they were back at the caravan park to pick up the camper and be away by noon.  As R & R had missed a coffee earlier, they stopped in the main street and had a cup with a banana (they had only bought two because of the fruit fly restrictions in the area) before heading 30kms north east towards Wentworth.  Immediately, on the out skirts of Mildura, as they passed Lake Hawthorn there were vineyards.  A little further near Merbein, a centre for storing and processing local produce, there were vineyards but also citrus and nut orchards.  Curlwaa (as the name might suggest) was on a curly bend with a single lane bridge crossing the Murray into NSW and required a set of lights to control traffic.  Shortly after, there were vines on the side of the road nearest the Murray and, to the north of the road, dry seeding where the tractor working was raising dust.  The day had become quite windy and the sky was grey with a chance of rain but, at 23*C, it was quite warm.  R & R arrived in Wentworth about 1:00pm and had lunch in the park where the rivers Murray and Darling meet (The Junction).  The confluence was obvious by the colour and the movement of the water.  R & R had lunch before climbing the observation tower and taking a short walk to view it, looking towards Lock 10. RL asked one of the locals about the location of the Ferguson tractor on a pole that he had seen in a brochure.  It was in the park just over the lift span bridge (over the Darling) at the eastern end of town.  They spent a while there, after 1:30pm, just looking at the displays (old machinery, a drop log house, PS Ruby) and taking photos.  One other local had suggested that it was well worth looking at the Perry Sandhills which they had also seen in a brochure.  It was only a few kilometres out of town and, although it was not initially impressive, RA was glad they went and would recommend it.  The dunes were a red coloured sand (with golden sparkles in it) which was clean and did not stick to the feet.  About 3:00pm, R & R took their thongs off and it felt lovely underfoot.  The hills were all different sizes with some vegetation on them and one had a particularly large tree of significance.  This type of dune (similar to those in Mungo Mungo) contains fossil of prehistoric animals and aboriginal artefacts.  They are unique enough to have been used as a setting for some films and for the cover of Slim Dusty’s “Looking Forward Looking Back” album.  Shortly after 4:00pm, RL drove 26kms, north up Silver City Hwy towards Broken Hill, to the nearest available free camp site at Milpara Rest Area.  The further away from Wentworth the fewer and smaller the trees were, and goats could be seen.  RA messaged the family just in case they became out of range which was just as well.  R & R set up the camper about 4:30pm and spent ages pouring over maps to work out the best way of getting to Newcastle fairly promptly while still getting in a road trip with some outback in it.  As dinner was cooking they got to the bottom of the clothes bag and did a bit of a sorting and rearranging.  Some of the garments had been sitting untouched for three months!   After dinner, RL read and RA wrote some diary.  The highway which had been quite busy earlier in the day was really very quiet by 8:30pm.  R & R came to a compromise about which way to go next … so they were looking forward to what the next day would bring.