Darling River

Darling River after floods have receded. June 2010

a new meaning for a word

Funny things happen all the time and especially when you're travelling. Our travelling companions have more experience than us although the other day something happened that made Lorraine lose control for several minutes as she was almost rolling on the ground laughing uncontrollably.

It started when the toilet in their van wouldn't flush so Lorraine asked John to check things out but did warn him that she'd just used the toilet and he needed to be mindful of that. Without too much detail, we don't use the toilets for solid waste. John had a quick look and decided further inspection was needed so he bent over the bowl whilst pushing buttons. The whole incident gave a new meaning to the term "piss-head"!

I'm sure there'll be more "fun" things happening on the way. I had to share this with everyone.
Catchya
Shaz x

Outback Queensland part 2

I must have pushed the wrong key and the last post uploaded before I'd finished!

The photos are of Kynuna - one at dusk looking out from the caravan park (CP) and the other of Bobby at our dining table. Our meals have been outstanding! Chicken and honey mustard; roast beef and veg; spag bog; steak; gourmet sausages; crumbed prawns and barramundi; lamb shanks in marinade; curried beef - all of which have been "home/van -cooked" - obviously I'm a kitchen hand or dish pig although most nights, John and Robert do the dishes.

Last night, Lorraine set the table with flowers and a candle - she believes that just because we're camping doesn't mean we have to lower our standards. With the weather getting warmer, we can enjoy the noises of the night whilst sitting outside indulging in a lovely meal and sipping on a red. What more could you want?

The boss of the CP at Kynuna is a character - she tells you where to park the van and you do exactly as she says without any discussion - first time I've witnessed Bobby speechless! At $10 a night for a site, you can work out what the facilities are like but it was a nice spot once the 50 metre road trains took a break for the night.

Those things are massive and a bit scary. One almost took the driver's side caravan mirror off it's mounting - needless to say, it was a bit too close and closer to the white line than necessary.

Leaving Kynuna before 9:00 a.m. was a good move as we booked the last 2 sites at Gilbert St CP in Cloncurry. What a lovely CP and such friendly people. Cheryl and Pete are so welcoming and nothing is too much trouble for them. Pete hopped on his quad-bike and led us to our spot then directed the blokes into the sites and they did as they were told. Pete came back after a while to make sure everything was OK - this doesn't happen in many parks.

The Cloncurry races and Mt Isa Show meant that all the caravan parks are at maximum limit. The main drag was reasonably quiet when we went to do some food shopping in the afternoon. Another example of distance - there were 4 tomatoes left to buy and no bananas - I guess they wait for the next delivery.

We've been hanging out for some fish but hadn't been able to find any Aussie caught fish (surprisingly). Robert decided to walk from Woolies to CP and on his way back, he came across a fisher selling frozen barramundi and prawns at the servo. He and his wife run the whole show from catching to freezing to selling. They were delish!

The fishing rods haven't been out much but we're hoping for some really fresh fish soon but we're not going into competition with the crocs - they can have whatever fish they want.

Off to Normanton Monday and will be checking out Karumba (Bart Simpson eat your heart out) which is on the shores of Gulf of Carpentaria.

Outback Queensland

I know that Australia is a big country but I never realised the vastness of the land until we left Broken Hill and travelled further north. The distances between towns is daunting at times although having our friends accompany us takes away any feeling of being truly isolated.

Relying on technology for immediate communication is not something taken for granted. I "get" the tryanny of distance often talked about by people in the country. Having access to mobile phones and email is something we city folk don't really think too much about. I wonder how adolescents would cope without their mobile phones!!!!!

We can now say that we've been to "Back O' Bourke". The recent floods have receded but evidence of their pathway is quite clear with green paddocks, high weeds along the roads (some have been mowed) and a freshness that a mass of water brings to the land and rivers.

Taking a trip up the Darling River on a replica paddle steamer, PV Jandra, was very informative with the captain pointing out the level of the flood a few weeks ago. A short distance from the boat was the car park and it was under water not that long ago. It was at least 10 metres higher than the boat deck. Debris made desperate grabs for trees with a remnant of a tent or annexe snatched by the branches of a River Red Gum.

We're definitely not alone on our trip north. Talk about grey nomads - we must be helping out the economy in many of the towns that we pass through. Some wouldn't exist if not for the mass migration from the south. The further north we travel, the harder it is to secure a caravan park site (and I'm not too keen on free camping just yet - might be OK once we reach the east coast). We travelled from Longreach to Kynuna yesterday - a very small "place" with an ever-decreasing population - I think the sign recorded 12.

Cobar to Bourke (Back O')

Cobar was an overnight stay and our site was on the corner of the main drag and another road. Noisy place with semi-trailers until midnight but relatively quiet until 6:00 a.m.
Headed for Bourke on June 21st - vegetation different to what I expected - whilst reasonably flat, trees line the road with low-lying salt bush. Feral goats with big billies and nannies with little kids abound. They don't run out to the road but scamper off when hearing a car horn. Between the sheep and goats, it's no wonder many of the paddocks are bare. They devestate the landscape.
Arriving at Kidman Camp, it felt a tad warmer with bright sunshine although it didn't last too long.
Bourke is different to what I expected - bigger although there are many closed businesses. Population of 2,500 with a lot of unemployment. This morning the main street was very quiet and cold. We're hanging out for some warmer weather - 19 max today. Still managed to get sheets and towels dry.
A visit to the Exhibition Centre was very informative although there was so much to read. Learnt more about Henry Lawson who was sent to Bourke to dry out - he was a drunkard in the city. Unfortunately his editor didn't know that there were 24 pubs in Bourke at the time!!!!
Bourke was a major port with transport of wool by riverboats being a major industry.
In the afternoon, we boarded the PV Jandra (a replica paddle steamer) for a trip down the Darling River.
The captain's commentary lasted for the duration of the hour-long trip and was very informative. His comments about the cotton growers made us wonder if the boat was sponsored by them - apparently it's a crop which grows in droughts and Australian cotton is the best in the world. What about the Lower Lakes of the Murray in SA?
I really enjoy river trips on large boats - it's quite peaceful and the different bird-life is always a highlight. Today we saw swallows, egrets, snake birds, geese, corellas, galahs and piping shrikes to name a few.
I just remembered the apostle birds at Cobar CP (caravan park)- when we pulled into our site, a number of fat "sparrows" appeared and began feeding and foraging on the ground. Not shy by any means and they made a really unusual sound - as Lorraine commented, "They sound like they're arguing with each other."
Looking up the field guide, we discovered that these fat "sparrows" were apostle birds. They were quite used to people as they came right up to our feet. Normally, I would be leaping around, trying to get away but these birds didn't bother me at all and I'm not too quick on the feet with the knee injury. Nana's walking stick is helping me to get around.
Home made pizza was on the menu tonight as the men weren't very successful at catching a feed of fish (I think a cold might be all that they catch).
We hope to get to Charleville tomorrow so it's an early night (not for me).
Our first week has been a good one but we're ready for warm weather so we're going to make a push for a few days with some long hours for the drivers behind the wheel.

Waste to Art Exhibition at Menindee June 18 2010

The township of Menindee is not big but they were exhibiting an excellent "Waste to Art" display with artists from hundreds of kilometres away contributing pieces that were inspirational.
The thinking behind many of the pieces was very creative - from concept to final product would have taken many many hours. We all enjoyed this exhibition very much and I took photos to email to the art teachers at Le Fevre High. It would be an excellent environmental/art competition or even an IB unit because of the opportunity to integrate Humanities, The Arts, Tech) - area of interaction or whatever it's called and the opportunity to develop concepts and think creatively.

This was made entirely from VHS tapes.

           Bowl made from nuts and bolts

Check out the sheep skull on the handle bars!

Copi Hollow 17th June 2010

Copi Hollow on Menindee Lake is a lovely spot although we had our doubts when we arrived to find a deserted caretaker's office and a chain across the entrance. Red dirt covered the roadway into the park and the rows and rows of permanent structures/shacks looked dismal.
After locating the caretaker, we were able to camp anywhere we liked. The camping area was grassed and sited on the edge of the lake. Things were looking up except the wind was blowing at a considerable rate of knots and made setting up a little difficult. We created a wind break with the vans.
Copi Hollow has an abundance of water which is bought by the Broken Hill Ski Boat Club. It's a sad endictment on the way water is accessed from our river system that the lower lakes in SA are in such a sad state due to lake of water flowing from the upper reaches of the Murray.
Our expectations on the state of the amenities weren't high but Robert thinks that the ski club must have a plumber and a tiler as members. Showers and laundry are tiled floor to ceiling and very well-fitted out.
Nana's walking stick got a good workout as it is quite a walk from A to B.
The men did some hunting and gathering and we were able to sit around a fire whilst a meal of marinated lamb shanks were cooking on the hot coals. Delish! We have been enjoying some excellent home-cooked meals (Lorraine and Robert are the experts with John and myself doing what we're told).
Visiting Kinchega Homestead Ruins the next day, gave us a picture of the size this place would have been in its heyday. The settlers must have been a tough lot.
Another tourist's car parked nearby posted a sticker which we found offensive: Fertilise the forest - bury a greenie. Ironic as we were in a national park! Arriving at Bourke a few days later, we weren't impressed to find these people in the site next to us.

Broken Hill

Heading off from Largs Bay on 15th June 2010, we had several of the neighbours pop out and wish us well on our travels. Mum and Dad arrived just before 8:00 a.m. to send us on our way and Mum commented on our lovely neighbours. Mum was a bit teary when we had a hug before leaving - 3 months is the longest time we would be away ever. Dad gave me a hug and told me to look after my knee so they'll both worry about that while we're away. Once a parent, always a parent.

The temperature was a tad low on the scale and listening to the weather reports, Yunta was -2C. That was where we were heading and possibly staying overnight depending on how things went.
With the sun shining, it didn't take long for the car to warm up.

Rendezvous with the Gaylards at Barker Inlet lookout was all organised and we set off on our northern adventure. Whilst we had both used walkie talkies on yard duty at school, we neglected to ask John and Lorraine about the frequency and Lorraine's new mobile phone wasn't working either but after a stop at Burra for lunch (at a bakery), we had our communication all organised.
I was told to be careful about what I said as others can tune into and use the same frequency.

Arriving at Yunta in good time, John refueled and we decided that Broken Hill was the go. Yunta's not much of a place - petrol station, truckies' stop and a camping area.

As we travelled along the Barrier Highway, we both noticed how very different the landscape was compared to our trip to the east coast of NSW and Victoria. Low-lying hills, silver grey saltbush dotting the red earth with the silhouttes of stobie poles disappearing into the horizon looking like a mass crucifixion in the making. Stunted trees were few and far between and the flat landscape was split by the road with a few curves to add some change.

The green tinge of the soil showed evidence of recent rains and when we travelled out past Silverton on the way to Umberumberka Reservoir (16.06.2010), washouts in a few places had smashed up the road although a brief detour made it passable.

John and Lorraine shifted a few things and we were all able to travel together for sight-seeing. Silverton Hotel provided a lot of laughs with the many humourous handwritten signs hanging from the ceiling. Robert had to be photographed with the Mad Max vehicle because Matty would want to see that!

Earlier in the day, we visited a few art galleries - they abound and multiply every time we come here. John and Lorraine hadn't been to Pro Hart's or Jack Absolom's so we suggested they would enjoy the experience. Jack came out to chat with us and he was his usual straight to the point, no bullshit person. He is 83 and still paints. I was talking with him about mining and found out that all of the opals on display in his gallery, were mined by him. He had 4 uncles who were miners and he began mining at 12 years of age.

He wanted to know where were going and wondered why we were planning on travelling to Cooktown (the arse end of the Earth according to him). Listening to the route, he scoffed at the idea of going to Moree because of the number of road-trains using this road. We've taken his advice and have changed our itinerary. With his experience in the bush, we'd be silly not to listen and think about it.

We head to Menindee Lakes area tomorrow.