9/10/2018
Tuesday R & R woke at 6:30am to a clear morning of about 12*C and a cool
breeze from the south. They had
breakfast and read through a draft before selecting a few photos for it. RL also downloaded the more recent photos off
his camera onto the laptop and together they selected those for keeping and
those for deleting. A west bound Pacific
National with only 27 trucks went by as they were packing down. R & R were on their way for Broken Hill
about 110kms east on Barrier Highway.
Shortly, they saw a mob of sheep at a water tank and windmill where
there was fencing on both sides with the rail nearby. On the orange red soils, vegetation ranged
from virtually bare to being better covered with grey green shrubbery. Sometimes there were taller shrubs and random
trees. Along Cutana Creek which ran along
beside the highway for several kilometres, the lovely white trunks of river gums
were seen. Another Pacific National, west
bound, was crossing the highway with its many flatbeds empty, so RL paused at
the red flashing lights. Near Mingary,
goats grazed and R & R saw another water tower. In the days of steam trains, these water
towers were essential for trains to replenish their water supply and they were
positioned every 35-40kms. At one point,
RL spotted a neat set of sheep yards on an otherwise bare plain. The road at 200m was so flat and the plain so
bare, that with the rail line built up about two metres, it was impossible to
see the northern horizon. Some old
telegraph poles with loopy wire stood beside the road for a couple of
kilometres before Cockburn which marks the border between SA and NSW. RL pulled over for a couple of photos of the
signs at the café just after 11:00am. R
& R were pleasantly surprised to see a couple of gimlets with their glossy
brown trunks near the café. Immediately,
they noticed the better quality of the road and communications system on the
NSW side of the border and it was not long before R & R were driving past
Thackaringa Hill 290m and the other hills in its range including some called
the Camels Humps. They stopped at the
rest area and read the memorial to the pioneers of the district before
continuing. Rocks, often white, rested
on the orange soil where goats roamed and RL saw a large racehorse goanna stand
its ground before darting off the road to safety. R & R were amazed by the size of the AGL
solar farm on the western outskirts of Broken Hill, then by its vast
cemetery. These were just a foretaste of
Broken Hill, otherwise known as Silver City.
The city was big, everything was large and there was so much of
everything. The number of art galleries
and hotels and magnificent buildings, the quantity of public art and the number
of attractions and points of interest were overwhelming and left RA feeling
exhausted before she began. Just before
R & R got as far as the CBD, about noon, the phone rang so RL pulled over
and allowed RA the opportunity to chat.
That done, RA set the Navigator for the racecourse where camping was
permitted. RA paid up and it was not
long before R & R were set up and having lunch. They rang their son, J, as they had not
spoken with him in a while. It was 2:00pm
before R & R headed back into Broken Hill CBD to seek information at the
tourist bureau. With maps in hand R
& R walked up and down several streets taking in public art, monuments,
buildings and signs. A highlight was
going into the Palace Hotel where almost all of the walls and half the ceiling
were painted. Mario Celotto, who owned
the building, painted a classical fresco on half the ceiling in 1980, taking
144 hours to complete it. Later he
enlisted Gordon Waye, an Aboriginal painter, who worked, mostly Australian
landscapes on most of the walls in the building over a period of time. The foyer of the Palace also displays a giant
silver slipper, celebrating its connection with the making of the movie “Priscilla
Queen of the Desert”. Related to that
theme, the hotel celebrates an annual Broken Heel Festival over 3 days in
September. When R & R returned to
the Ute near 4:00pm, they had coffee before taking a drive up to the Line of
Lode Miners Memorial. High above the CBD
on a huge mullock heap, a giant iron monument stands as an icon to the city and
its past. Broken Hill was born out of
the discovery and subsequent mining of lead, zinc and silver beginning in the
1880s. But, at what a cost? The human toll was more than 800 lives lost
in mining related accidents and related health issues. The memorial has scrolls which list the name,
age and cause of death of those who died in chronical order. The view over the city and back over the
mined area are quite spectacular from the memorial platform and boardwalk. From there, R & R went to the Coles
shopping plaza for a few groceries and were back at the camper, track side, by
5:30pm putting the shopping away and having a coffee. RL read while RA published a post. Before
preparing dinner, R & R had showers.
After dinner, their daughter, S, rang and they chatted so late that RA
did not get her diary done. R & R
were tired after another big day … all the new and different experiences were
sometimes quite exhausting.
11/10/2018
Thursday R & R woke at 7:00am to a lovely morning. They breakfasted and tidied up. RA wrote some
diary while RL set up his new mirrors to test them out and sorted some things
in the back of the Ute. About 9:20am,
having packed down and hitched up, R & R were heading back into Broken
Hill. RL parked in a shady spot in the CBD, about 10:00am, so that they could
mail the post cards, pop into a couple more op shops and look into the Silver
City Mint and Art Centre on Chloride St.
When R & R returned to the Ute at 11:00am, E, RL’s sister rang to
give an update on J, her husband, so R & R chatted while having coffee and
cake. It was 19*C and a south easterly
of 23km/hr blew. Fortified, they were
ready for the drive to Menindee, 110kms south east of Broken Hill. The road took R & R out of Broken Hill
and through the back of the lode mullock which they had seen from the CBD and
the Miner’s Memorial, and wound up and down through the Mt Darling Range until
about 20kms south there was a long steep and winding descent. From there on, the countryside was mostly
flat, where grey green shrubbery and reeds grew on the orange soils. Where it was extremely flat, there was less
vegetation to support sheep in the station country. While the smaller creeks supported acacia,
river gums lined Stephens Creek and could be seen in the distance for quite
some time before the road crossed it on a bridge. After that there were a few sand dunes. About that time R & R saw a sign warning
of EST and suggesting that 30 minutes be add to time. The only sign of green was on the edge of
the bitumen surface and a little in the shallow of the verge. To help pass the time R & R listened to
“One Step Behind” as they now had a battery to play it. Very few vehicles passed either way. RA had noticed that, from the height of about
300m at Broken Hill, the metres above sea level had fallen to 80m and about the
time that they drove past Sunset Strip, where there was more vegetation, it was
down to 65m and lake lands could be seen.
The sign Central Darling Shire about 25kms out was a reminder that R
& R had much wanted to do, at least part of, the Darling River Run which
included the lake area around Menindee.
They saw many dunes hiding the lake beds most of which were dry, before
passing on a bridge, over the channel between Lake Menindee and Lake Pamamaroo,
where there was blue water. It was
1:10pm (EST) when R & R stopped in Menindee at the information centre and
enquired about the unsealed road south to Pooncarie which had been closed since
the recent storm. It had been opened and
should be safe for R & R to drive the next day. R & R looked through the museum there
before having lunch in the Ute and chatting with their daughter, H. Armed with a map, R & R checked out the
Menindee points of interest and were thrilled again to see the waters of the
Darling River and to read about its history.
R & R smelt the perfume of cape lilacs in the gardens as they walked
and drove. Menindee, gazetted in 1863,
was the first town on the Darling River but the story goes that in 1854 an
ex-convict called Thomas Pain set up a hotel there nearly ten years before
that. The town had a history rich with
explorers, pastoralists, rail and river boat transport. R & R drove to look at the railway and
bridge nearby. It must have been a big
centre for, rather than one standard railway tank like all the sidings RL had
driven through, Menindee had one standard square and two larger rectangular
water tanks. It was 3:30pm as RA set the
Navigator for main Weir campgrounds on the edge of Lake Pamamaroo about 8kms
back and then another 11kms on unsealed road at the turn off near the Texas
Downs new shed. There they noticed a
huge vineyard venture that must have survived at least a couple of years as it
had already grown up to the second wire but that must have failed after that. The road ran alongside the lakes, was sandy
in some places and corrugated in others, with acacia in bloom on the road verge
and larger trees which could be seen growing beside the lake. In the lake dead tree trunks stood in stark
contrast. No sooner had they started
than, G, RL’s brother rang so they stopped for a chat. They were only another couple of kilometres,
when another of this brother’s, J, rang so again they stopped. R & R had seen three different birds of
prey, including a goshawk, as they drove out.
Finally, after 4:00pm R & R arrived at the Burke and Wills
campground next to the weir over the road from Lake Pamamaroo. After setting up, R & R went for a walk
with their cameras before thinking about dinner. RL read while RA wrote her diary. RA was a little puzzled about the Lakes, the
Darling River and their connection; the weir and outlet regulator … and
wondered who she might ask about that.
12/10/2018
Friday Shortly after 7:00am, R & R woke to a pleasant 14*C and a breeze of
19km/hr and the promise of another lovely day.
Before leaving, R & R dove around the lake a little, to the weir and
walked around taking photos. Kites,
pelicans, ducks, swallows, gannets, plovers and galahs were all seen on, in or
near the water of the lakes, river and weir.
Blackbox, rather than River Red Gum was the most predominant tree
species with lots of sheoak and plantings of cape lilac, in bloom. At 9:30am, RL drove back into Menindee. RL pointed out a beware of horse crossing the
road sign which had white wings on it like a Pegasus. R & R saw the rail, powerlines and water
pipe crisscrossing the orange sand dunes and grey clay floodplains. It was just before 10:00am when RL stopped at
the information centre and RA took the opportunity to ask the volunteer a few
questions. The weirs and regulation
systems were built in the 1960s, largely to control the flooding of the
township of Menindee and to conserve water, particularly as a supply for Broken
Hill. Although the one particular
vineyard that R & R had seen had failed several years ago, there were still
vineyards that produced table grapes, though nothing like as many as the times
when 100s were employed to do the picking.
The storm Menindee had the week before, that had seen road closures, was
two inches and the highest recording in the area. Just after 11:00am, RL drove over the Darling
River where a sign requested Wait Here If
Horses On Bridge and then turned towards Pooncarie about 122kms south. Immediately, R & R saw more abandoned
vines, several horses and water on the ground and sides of the road in the
white soils of the river’s floodplains.
After eight kilometres of bitumen the seal ran out so RL stopped to let
down his tires before proceeding in 4WD on the next 64kms of unsealed road. There was evidence where it had been wet and,
in some sections, water remained on the side of the road but, for the most
part, the surface was firm and neither too sandy, boggy or corrugated. RL was able to maintain a good speed of
40-50kms/hr. The most remarkable feature
of the countryside was that the road ran on a grey and white clay floodplain
with Blackbox close by the Darling River right next to orange sand dunes with
its wattles. The road at 50m skirted,
drove round, over or through the dunes up to 70m. RA counted that they had driven through no
less than 20 of the sand ridges. It was sheep station country and some of the
properties could be seen from the road along with their sheds and yards. Generally, there appeared to be little
vegetation but in parts there was a green tinge or even pickings for sheep and
puddles of water to attract kangaroos and birds. RL saw a large race horse goanna pause before
it charged across the road. R & R
stopped at Karoola Reach, on the Darling, near Karoola Station, where
conservation and restocking of fish is an ongoing program. Shortly after noon, R & R passed signs
noting the end of the Central Darling Shire and the beginning of the Shire of
Two Rivers. With that came sealed road
through a larger series of dunes up to about 90m with sheoak and a pine that
had not been seen on the smaller sand ridges.
RL stopped for lunch and allowed the tires to cool so that he could pump
them up again. At least a couple of cars
stopped to ask if R & R were OK.
After pumping the tires, about 1:15pm, R & R were on their way
covering 20kms of bitumen in good time.
There the sand ridges became even taller to 100m with bigger trees but
little or no ground cover and then steadily down again to about 60m. In some places, all looked hopeless, so bare
and dry with so little feed, and in others, a glimmer of hope, with a tinge of
green and a chance that rain soon might sustain growth. The seal ran out and the road was unsealed
for a further 27kms before returning to a good surface. The ridges were not so orange and varied in
height between 50-70m and always nearby the grey clay of the floodplains could
be seen in between. It was a warm 26*C
at 2:00pm when R & R stopped at Pooncarie.
They had thought they might sleep there but felt that there was plenty
daylight yet to drive to Wentworth. R
& R went to look at the old wharf on the Darling. Interestingly, the Darling was first named
Salt River by Charles Sturt because it was salty where he attempted to water
his horses. It is a natural phenomenon
that salty water flows from underground into the Darling at several
points. Pooncarie is nicknamed The Port
from its early days as a paddle steamer port where wool and other goods and
supplies were moved along the river to and from Adelaide. R & R had a shower before coffee and
biscuit and headed south, on fully sealed road, to Wentworth about 115kms. What marked that section of the journey was
that the sand dunes were lighter and lower and that about 30kms south, farming
became more intensive with cropping rather that stations. Closer to Wentworth, there were paddocks of
crops some dry stalks from previous years but others green from recent
planting. R & R saw more crops,
silos, vineyards, orchards and bee hives.
R & R listened to a little more of “One Step Behind” to help pass
the time. When R & R arrived in
Wentworth at 4:15pm, they had travelled just under 250kms in five hours, driven
over 21 grids and seen only six vehicles travelling south while 12 drove north. At 40m above sea level, Wentworth is the
junction where the Darling joins the Murray on its journey south, and though R
& R had been to look at the confluence/junction the last time they were
there, they were keen to go again. It
was still 24*C with a light breeze and very pleasant to climb the tower to see
if at that point it was possible to see the two different colours of water, in
particular the clay white colour of the Darling. But alas, since the Darling was not flowing
from lack of rain, the spectacle alluded R & R. Shortly after 5:00pm, they headed north up
Silver City Highway 26kms to the Milpara rest area. To the east, near the river, vineyards could
be seen for a while but to the west, there was only sheep station country. Along the road, the entire way to Broken
Hill, was the evidence of where the new multi-million-dollar pipeline for water
to Broken Hill, had been laid. A path
had been smooth, the pipe laid, and the tree and shrub debris drawn back onto
it. R & R passed over a bridge over
the Great Darling Annabranch. An
anabranch is a creek that diverts from the main river only to join back to it
at another point, unlike a tributary which only joins the river at only one
point. On arriving at Milpara, R & R
set up immediately so that RA could prepare dinner as well as sort out all the
fruit and vegetables before entering the fruit fly excursion zone in
earnest. Apples were pulped for
breakfast, oranges peeled and frozen, and the vegetables steamed or soaked in a
marinade of vinegar. Meanwhile, RL was
on the phone all evening to C, RA’s brother, E, RL’s sister, followed by calls
to their children S and S. RA
participated while preparing food. They
sky was cloudy and it was windy but … R & R did not really expect it to
rain.
13/10/2018
Saturday R & R slept well and woke at 7:30am, still adjusting to the
daylight savings and EST, to a pleasant morning. A chance of rain was forecast for later in
the day. R & R set about packing
down after breakfast before heading back down into Wentworth and passed the
fruit fly disposal bin as they had already binned their rubbish back up the
road. By 9:30am, R & R were at the
information centre enquiring about Thegoa Lagoon which is a site of great
Aboriginal significance. There, the lady
told R & R that visitors would not see the colours in the confluence
because the Darling had not run since 2016, and what can actually be seen is,
the backwash of the Murray going up the Darling, hence no variation in colour. R & R then popped into two op shops and
took a photo of St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, the first church on the
Darling River, built in 1871 and now heritage listed. It was beautiful. RL then drove to the Lagoon which was beyond
the confluence and turned into the reserve.
He had been warned that the track was a bit over grown but it had
recently been graded, so in 4WD, the Hum proceeded with caution. R & R were particularly keen to see one
of the three known boundary marker trees.
These trees are thought to have had their branches grafted or twisted to
create a circle or ring, marking a place of offering or a boundary. Eventually, after following several tracks,
they found one, which was a definite photo stop. The lagoon had water in it and there were
other points of interest like scar trees and middens. After about an hour, the Hum disengaged four
wheel and headed for Junction Island. It
was noon. R & R had coffee and a
biscuit before walking over the bridge and taking the 1.2km walk to the other
end of the island. It was a delightful
path to walk with signs about the flora and fauna. RL paused to look at a group of little blue
wrens in the rushes. At one point the
bamboo and reeds were quite close, the path so winding and everything so quiet
except for bird calls, that they were startled by a couple heading back. After lunch, R & R crossed the two river
bridges and headed for Mildura 34kms south in Victoria. All along the road there were vineyards and
orchards along the River Murray. A sign
read Welcome to Sultana Country – Sunbeam. RL crossed the border at Curlwaa on the
Calder Hwy where a single lane bridge was managed by a set of lights. It was not long before he drove through
Merbein and into Mildura city. There R
& R sought information about the address for a fuel station which the
navigator did not recognize. After refuelling,
R & R made a direct line for the bridge to cross back into NSW to head for
Euston 76kms east on the Sturt Highway.
The soils were orange and supported the growth of olives, grapes and
fruit some of the way up to 25kms out. In
mallee country where there were, or had been cereal crops (some with a green
tinge) to the north, the road moved a
distance from the river. To the south
there was the Gol Gol State Forest and a little further again the Mallee Cliffs
State Forest. Then it opened up into
flat sheep station country with orange soils at 50m. A few kilometres west of Euston, there were
again vineyards and RL crossed the river/border into Robinvale where R & R
had a shower at the information centre.
About 4:30pm, they were heading back over into Euston to drive the last
12kms to their chosen rest area on the banks of Lake Benanee. It was a lovely surprise to find such a big
lake with a huge camping area between it and the road. There was a boat ramp and facilities like
those seen at beaches, but R & R did not see anyone swimming. It was still 23*C and the weather app
indicated no chance of rain despite the fact that there had been dark threatening
clouds all day particularly near Mildura.
By 5:00pm, R & R were set up, had coffee, cheese and biscuits and
went for a walk. On the rise, fenced off
behind the camping area, R & R saw the best example of a midden. They had seen one on Junction Island earlier
in the afternoon but it was being eroded by the river and not as good as the
one on the ridge above the lake. FYI - A
midden is a place where Aboriginal people discard their food scraps, particularly
mussel shells, which remain today. The
evidence was spread over quite an area and it was clear why it had been
cordoned off. After dinner, RL read and
RA wrote some diary. It seemed that R
& R would probably head back to Melbourne by the end of the week … that
meant they needed to come up with a plan for heading south.
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