Broken Hill to Pooncarie

It's been awhile since we have sat down to have a long chat with photos, so pull up a chair and let's spend some quality time together....

15 September 2015 - Broken Hill. Apart from completing all the running repairs we did get out and about during our stay in Broken Hill. There is a lot of good things to see in town and the surrounding area. If coming this way allow at least 3 or 4 days. We didn't get to any of the numerous galleries, including Pro Hart (the artist not the street walker in love). 

The Sculptures - Broken Hill

 

A Sculpture

An engraving on a sculpture

First on our list was the Living Desert Flora and Fauna Sanctuary and The Sculptures located high on a hill about 9 klm out of town. Apart from attracting 100's of visitors a day it has become a mecca for art loving flies. The sculptures were created over a six week period in 1993 by numerous international and local artists. There were to be many more but the flies chased everyone away. The $6/head park entry fee is well worth it. The pass lasts for the whole day so you can come in the morning and go back to view the artworks at sunset. 

Arriving early (now there's a surprise) we were the only people there so we had the sculptures to ourselves. 

Another Sculpture

The Sculpturers - Broken Hill in background

Sculpture with a hole in it

Next we headed down to the fantastic Cultural Walk Trail. After passing through double electrified gates we initially wandered through a flora protection area and then out the other side through the electric fence, into the cultural area. The flora area was full of native plants so we couldn't see anything. The cultural walk included traditional aboriginal Yapara (shelters), story poles, lookout abandoned mines from the 1870's and lots of informative signboards.  

Even the flies love the Sculptures

The future looks grim for me

Yapara

Story Poles

Chatting to some old miners

Lookout

Toilet

He says "I feel sick". Dr Julie says "It'll get better". He died. She lied.

Miners Memorial

Later we did the local mine attractions in Broken Hill including a wonderful memorial to all those who died in the Broken Hill mines right from day one. After that we went back to the sculptures in the late afternoon to look at them in a different light.

Inside the Miners Memorial - each flower a lost life

Next day was spent in and around Silverton, an old silver mining town that started in 1867. Today, with a population of just 89, it is a ghost town reinventing itself with a mixture of fantastic museums, art and coffee shops (2) as well as the mandatory old pub complete with local horses sticking their noses into the beer garden.

Public art in Silverton

WWII Jeep totally covered in beer caps

Silverton Pub complete with horses in beer garden

Famous for the movies shot here, Mad Max and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, there is a museum dedicated to the former. By 4 days, we missed the Priscilla festival that passed through Broken Hill and onto Silverton. The flag on the caravan park we are staying at even had tassels sewn onto it by the drag queens when they stayed here. 

Mad Max Museum

The Silverton Gaol has been turned into a fantastic historical museum. The cells are filled to the brim with all sorts of old and historical artefacts. It even has the original BHP lease taken out by the Syndicate of Seven in 1883. We spent a fascinating couple of hours wandering the old gaol.

Next it was off to Mundi Mundi Plains where Mad Max and Priscilla were filmed. Not a lot can be said for the plains other than they are expansive, flat and plain.

So that was it for us and the area around Broken Hill. We loved our stay here and were well entertained by the region and its characters.

Mundi Mundi Plains where Mad Max & Priscilla were filmed

17 September - Broken Hill to Menindee and Kinchega NP.

Around 120klm southeast of Broken Hill on sometimes sealed roads is the town of Menindee, Menindee Lakes and Kinchega National Park. Our friends, Burke and Wills headed here in 1860 after leaving Melbourne. At the time, Menindee was on the the outer limits of explored and settled land. Wet weather at the time turned the brown floodplain soil into sticky mud that made progression almost impossible, so the party set up on the banks of Pamamaroo Lake near Menindee for three months. Burke and Wills, under pressure from their sponsors, left the main party here as they headed off north into the unknown.

20 years or so ago I camped with my family along the Darling River in Kinchega NP for four nights as we caught up with my father and his partner as they travelled Australia.

Campsite No 9 from 20 years ago - Kinchega NP

So this part of the trip is a wonderful mixture of nostalgia and history. We have been focusing on Burke and Wills so far on this trip and this place will likely be the last part of their historic and tragic journey in 1860-61 that we will trace for now.

With a NSW Parks Annual Pass stuck to our windscreen, we need only pay $5 each a night for camping in Kinchega NP. Arriving around lunch time we followed the dusty black-soil road along the banks of the Darling River. Worried the early school holiday crowds might be aiming for the Park we were pleasantly surprised to find the 34 campsites were all but empty. We picked site number 6 as it had great views and easy enough access for the caravan. After setting up we sat back and watched the numerous birdlife go about its daily business.

Our campsite (site 6) view

A cast of thousands for just two fish

Those 'hats' my son Ryan gave me for Father's Day ended up being yabbie traps.  So after baiting them up I set them out front of camp. Next I dusted off the fishing rod and had a very unproductive hour trying to catch something - stupid fishing rod doesn't work properly.

Dinner was roast veges in the camp oven which topped off a great day.

Ready for breakfast

Site 24 views of Weir 37

18 September - we set off to look around Kinchega NP. We continued along the River Drive further into the park and compared and contrasted each site as we came across them. For those continuing taking notes, we like Site 24 as it has good access, sun for the solar panels and is about 150 metres below Weir 37. The sound of the cascading water over the weir forms a lovely backdrop to the many bird sounds that come from the vibrant birdlife supported by the Darling. 

Boiler of the PS Providence

Next we came across the rusted boiler of the Paddle Steamer (PS Providence) that blew up in November 1872. For 12 months it was stranded here due to low river levels. Before heading downstream the crew went to the pub. Coming back they stoaked the fire for the boiler but forgot to fill it with water.  It blew up. The Chinese cook was blown into the branches of a tree and later died of his injuries. Three other crew were killed and the only passenger survived.

1976 flood marker

Nearby here a tree marks the flood levels in the Park. In the photo you can see Julie trying to reach the 1976 flood level. 

Next to see was the old Kinchega Homestead ruins. Built on the banks of a billabong that is filled when the Darling River floods, the homestead thrived for many years. The nearby historic woolshed saw 6 million sheep go through it. Today the old building forms part of the National Park.

Kinchega woolshed

Fresh yabbies

Back home for the afternoon I busied myself emptying the yabbie traps and cooking them for nibbles with drinks on the terrace this afternoon. I swapped over my unsuccessful baited hook on my rod to a barramundi lure I had taken all around Australia and never used because I was too busy. I caught two huge carp which were a lot of fun to bring in. Once caught a carp cannot be returned to the water as they are a pest so the resident emus had a great dinner.

Next day we headed to the lake where Burke and Wills set up camp for three months in 1860.

Burke and Wills camp in 1860 - 61

A couple of trees are marked that identify the exact spot where they camped. The area is a great free camp with new toilets, bins and non-drink water taps scattered around. It is good to see that people are encouraged to stay in these important historical locations. This location ends our Burke and Wills themed part of this trip and joins up with the previous time in 2013 when we crossed their path way up north in Cloncurry, Queensland. We will now have to select another explorer to pick on.

Copi Hollow

Being attacked by dangerous shingleback

We drove around the (very dry) Menindee Lakes, visited the village of Copi Hollow with its grassy caravan park right on the water's edge. We came across a shingleback crossing the road which was good because Julie needed a photo of one for her photobook as we've seen quite a few but not had the chance to stop and have a closer look. We then went the long way home to collect some firewood for tonight's camp oven roast veggie dinner.

I lit the fire in front of our camp and there we sat tendering the fire forming a base of coals for the camp oven. While this happened we had our yabbies and a couple of beers to keep hydrated. The sun slowly set behind us, the veggies came out perfect as we sat around the fire and had dinner while twilight arrived.

With no one in sight we watched the campers TV as the flames slowly dwindled into the coals. We read while we listened to the Sharks get belted by North Qld Cowboys in the knockout final - the perfect end to a great day.

Another beautiful day greeted us as we woke on our third morning here. We planned to do the western part of the Park today but the roads and campgrounds were closed off. We were able to get to a day use area to overlook the currently dry lakebed of Menindee Lake. Having seen everything there is to see in the Park we went the long way home, had morning tea at our favourite Site 24 overlooking Weir 37 and were back at our camp in time for lunch. 

Now that's a good damper

I busied myself by packing up the yabbie traps, fishing rods and generally getting ready for our travel day tomorrow. With the leftover firewood I cooked a damper in the camp oven to go with tonight's dinner. Our whole time here was blessed with clear skies, light winds, cool nights and mild days - just perfect. With very few people around it was certainly a good time to visit this beautiful part of Australia.

Our next goal is to go to Mungo National Park a couple of hundred kilometres south of us, all on dirt roads. To get there we plan to stop over in Pooncarie, clean up, water up and set off to Mungo. We've never been there, know little of Pooncarie but I suppose that's part of the adventure.

21 September - well we did what we planned to do today. We were packed up, hooked up and off by 9:15am. Our campsite, weather and distinct lack of other people made for a perfect stay in Kinchega NP. We drove through Menindee and turned south for the 120klm journey to Pooncarie. There was 20klm of bitumen road with the rest being black and red dusty well formed dirt roads. Cruising along at around 65 -70 kph with dust billowing behind us the journey was uneventful. Morning tea was beside a small lagoon that must be spring fed as there was no reason for its existence as there has been no recent rains.

Morning tea stop on the road to Pooncarie

Pooncarie is a little village on the Darling River about 120klm north of Wentworth (near Mildura) that was visited by the one and only, that's right, put your hands together for .... Burke and Wills. They set up camp number 30 on 26 September 1860 and left on 11 October headed for Menindee.  Wow and I thought we were rid of those two.

Pooncarie powered sites

Pooncarie unpowered sites

The town has a lovely camp on the Darling River just out of town. We opted for one of 5 powered sites to catch up on washing and cleaning. For those note takers amongst us: the camp has good flush toots, hot showers ($1 for 5 minutes), drinking water and powered sites are $10 a night (payable at the local pub) - the same price as a bush camp in Kinchega NP.

Pooncarie Golf Club

Well this seems like a good place to take a break from our conversation. We head to Mungo National Park tomorrow. 

Hope you are enjoying the Blog.

JeffnJulie 

Thargomindah to Broken Hill

7 Sept – For many years I’ve read about Burke and Wills and their ill-fated expedition to conquer Australia from south to north. We came across their tale previously in Cloncurry, Qld in 2013 with the ‘water bottle’ story. The Dig Tree at Depot Camp (Camp No 65) is for me an iconic destination and has been on my bucket list for some time.  At this site, 154 years ago, Burke and Wills support team stayed a month and one week longer than directed and, finally succumbing to scurvy, left to travel south at 10am on 21 April 1861. On that very same day just nine hours later, arriving under moonlit skies, Burke entered the recently deserted camp - just nine hours was literally the difference between their life and death.

Depot Camp and the Dig Tree were our destination today at a distance of around 310klm due west from Thargomindah. The region's remoteness and our desire to camp overnight at the Dig Tree required us to fill the car and two jerry cans to the brim with diesel, fill the van’s drinking water and wash water tanks to the brim and check food levels and safety/recovery equipment before leaving. The road is sealed single lane most of the way. The verge either side of the road is dust and gibber stones. There are no settlements on the way and the landscape is mostly flat, dry and barren.

Road to the Dig Tree

Grey Range morning tea stop

We set off from Thargomindah around 9:15am. The skies were clear and the day was forecast to reach around 26-28 degrees with light winds – a good day for traveling.  Grey Range at 209 metres provided the only elevated break in our journey: it was here we stopped for morning tea with amazing views of the desert plains below. The rest of the trip was through flat mulga and gidgee scrub plains slowly giving way to harsh gibber desert the further we travelled west. 

Lunch on Cooper Creek flood plain

Innumerable dry floodways were crossed. The Jackson Oil Field came and went as did numerous other small oil and gas fields. The road traversed the 14 klm wide Cooper Creek flood plain where, just on the western side, we stopped for lunch.

Landscape on the way to Dig Tree

Dig Tree campground

Around 3pm we arrived at the Dig Tree turnoff and travelled the rough 14 klm corrugated dirt road in which led to the banks of Cooper Creek and the dusty campground where the Dig Tree resides. With only 5 other campers here and a campground over 1klm long we picked a lovely site overlooking Cooper Creek and set up for the night. 

Our campsite at the Dig Tree

The afternoon was spent reading the informative signboards explaining the Burke and Wills journey, the history surrounding the Dig Tree and its carvings and visiting this historically significant location.

Carving in tree of  Burke

A couple camped nearby were on their maiden voyage in their brand new Jayco Outback semi-off-road caravan. They were in desperate need of a drill and drill bits to repair their dislodging solar panel on the roof so we loaned them our drill. Having travelled only 1600 klm from Ballarat the van was falling apart around them. Their glass shower screen door broke off while travelling on bitumen and speared through a cupboard door, their security door didn’t lock at all, the solar panel on the roof had broken off its roof brackets and was held on only by the power cables going through the roof and on and on the problems went. The poor couple were so disillusioned but, to their credit, they were persevering heading today to Birdsville dreading what they would find each time they opened the van door.

Dig Tree

8 September – We spent the next morning at the Dig Tree camp watching the sun come up through the trees on the far banks of Cooper Creek. Clear skies and temperate weather made for a lovely morning.  After morning tea we broke camp and set off further west towards Innamincka in South Australia.

Sunrise over Cooper Creek

Road from the Dig Tree

We left the dusty campground and travelled the 14 klm along the dusty corrugated access road to hit Mr McAdam’s most marvellous of inventions – the bitumen road This lasted for about 20klm to the South Australian border where the news of Mr McAdam’s invention is yet to arrive. Given the total lack of Telstra coverage, or even wireless signal, it is completely understandable. 

Road in to Cullyamurra Waterhole

The wide corrugated dirt road soon had a grader on it so the conditions improved somewhat.  I pulled over and stopped the grader and spent a bit of time with the driver explaining Mr McAdam’s road invention. He told me to bugger off saying that if South Australia heard of such a thing and adopted it then he would be out of a job.

Our camp at Cullyamurra Waterhole

After about 50klm we came to the turnoff to Cullyamurra Waterhole the site where the remaining Burke and Wills expedition set up a new depot on Cooper Creek 25klm downstream from the Dig Tree on their way back home.  It is here Burke actually died leaning against a coolabah tree. A cairn marks the location of his death. 

A good bush camp on the banks of Cooper Creek has been setup some 10klm upstream from Burke’s grave. We set up under a giant coolabah tree with great views over the Cooper. There are only a few campers stretched over a couple of kilometres of river bank so the place is very quiet, isolated but activated just enough not to be eerily quiet. It is quite easy to get a sense of what it was like for Burke and Wills.

Setting a yabbie trap - no success

Although much maligned as a flawed explorer, Burke must have had incredible courage and fortitude. To die from exhaustion and malnutrition in the arms of the expedition’s only survivor, King, after travelling so far and enduring so much is such a waste. Burke asked that he be left upon his death sitting under the tree. Months later a retrieval party found his body still under the tree and still with a loaded rusted pistol in his hand. His body and that of Wills, who died in a different location, were returned to Melbourne where they were honoured with Australia’s first state funeral.

We visited the place where Burke died under a coolibah tree besides Cooper Creek. Today a cairn marks the spot. The tree is still growing and is likely to be around 200-250 years old. It was quite moving to see where Burke had died, alone, starving and literally in the middle of nowhere.

Coolabah tree where Robert O'Hara Burke died

 The following are some images from camp on our night at Cullyamurra Waterhole:

9 September – After breakfast (see details below) we said farewell to Cooper Creek and Burke and Wills (for a while at least), packed up and headed to Innamincka about 20 klm further west. It was here we filled the car up as well as a Jerry Can at $1.85 per litre for the trip to Tibooburra and also paid our camp fees for our one night stand in the Innamincka Regional Reserve. The cost $29 - that's right, you heard me - $29. It was made up of a parks access fee, a car access fee and a camp site fee. No wonder Burke starved to death - the National Parks charges would have left him little or nothing for food.

Innamincka

The Quartermaster (and cook) has asked me to have a turn to write about what great meals we are having in the middle of nowhere – and we are.  No scurvy or malnutrition for us. 

Over to you Quartermaster: 

Breakfasts are fresh fruit (half an orange, apple, banana & sometimes kiwi fruit each) with a raw nut mix.  Lunches are multi-grain wraps with tomatoes, cheese, gherkins & mayo or crispbread with avocado.   Dinner tonight was rocket, blue vein cheese, toasted walnuts and pear with a homemade strawberry chilli vinaigrette.  Last night was hot smoked salmon, caper & lemon juice with wholemeal pasta.   Tomorrow night is mushroom fried rice.  We haven’t opened a can in 9 days (I have Julie).  Our freezer is full of nuts and homemade, rather healthy, biscuits – no meat. 

Life on the road – wonderful! 

Thank you Julie for that informative narration. 

All this is often washed down with the fermented juice of shiraz grapes, or freshly picked hops and barley mixed with filtered water to make a nice all natural afternoon beverage. Ahh now that is life on the road.

Heading south from Innamincka we followed the Old Strzelecki Track. Literally all the other cars and trucks were following the (New) Strzelecki Track which is a little further west.

Traffic on (New) Strzelecki Track

Traffic on (New) Strzelecki Track

Traffic on Old Strzelecki Track

The very first sign we passed read "4WD Only - Unmaintained Track". My palms started to sweat a little more. The track was pretty good, a bit rutted in places, very dusty and corrugated in others and single lane sometimes as well. 

Morning tea along the Old Strzelecki Track

All in all it was the type of track we like to follow - it is the type you get to the other end in one piece. Speaking of the other end - someone spent a lot of time collecting and constructing a giant skeleton and hanging it on a pole beside the road at the end of the track.

It was here we turned east for the first time in a while and travelled the Merty Merty to Cameron Corner track to, that's right, Cameron Corner the intersection of the State borders of South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. As we arrived at this special place we spied the Corner up on a rise - a little white post protected by little white chains located in a big red desert. We visited the little white post and walked around three Australian States in three seconds and stood back, looked at each other and said "OK - so what's next?"

Say hello to Cameron Corner

We paid the $10 camping fee and drove beside the still maintained Dog Fence over the hill to a paddock literally the size of Queensland and set up all by ourselves - just us and all the dingoes queued up at the only post for 100's of miles and then again waiting to get into New South Wales.  Everyone else was set up in the campground adjoining the hotel.

Our Cameron Corner Campsite

The Moet

It was here we popped the cork of a bottle of Moet brought all this way for this special occasion. We toasted the little white post and my favourite sister's birthday and watched the sun go down and stars come out. All I could think of was tomorrow's breakfast.

Julie in Queensland

Julie in New South Wales

Julie in South Australia

The Dog Fence

10 September - saying goodbye to the little white post in the middle of nowhere we turned east again and travelled 135 klm over very rough corrugated dusty roads to Tibooburra in NSW.

The gate through the Dog Fence 

Anyone following us would not have had any dust as we sucked it all up into our van and took it with us.

Dust in the van

Morning tea was held literally in the middle of nowhere in an enormous dry clay pan. 

Morning tea in a claypan

The landscape in places along the road had absolutely no trees, shrubs or grass.

Told you there was were no trees, no shrubs, no grass

Julie did spy a daddy emu with 14 chicks near the road. More surprising as I stopped the car Julie jumped out and got a photo of them - the really surprising bit is that she didn't notice the big black bull near her as she took off through the scrub for another photo.

After the 'bull incident' the rest of the trip was all about collecting as much dust as possible so that all those that followed us enjoyed their dust free travels and could concentrate  on the horrendous corrugations without any dust distractions.

The road to Tibooburra - no trees, no shrubs .....

We arrived in Tibooburra around 1pm and checked into the great little van park. The rest of the day was spent extracting the dust from the van and top dressing Tibooburra and the nearby Sturt National Park. Washing was next and that produced another 2cm of badly needed topsoil for the region. Late in the afternoon we had some more juice from shiraz grapes as well as some hops and barley by-products. We both slept well tonight.

11 September - a visit to the local National Parks and Wildlife Service office in town provided us with a NSW Parks Pass for the next 12 months and some valuable information regarding some drives around the area. With all this information we headed home and had a coffee and some homemade bikkies while we worked out what we would do. We had another bikkie, as tension mounts - and rides away. We have a choice - the Jump Up Loop or the Gorge Loop. Both are around 110 klm, each has their strong points - another biscuit - Jump Up or Gorge, Gorge or Jump Up. Tension mounts again - pulls a hammy and falls over. Oh the pressure. 

Out of bikkies we have nothing left, we just have to make a decision - we do - we'll stay another day and do both. Jump Up first and tomorrow the Gorge Loop. So those of you taking notes, that is how we deal with the pressure of being on the road - running out of bikkies forces the decision, don't compromise, do everything! Use it in your own life - you can't go wrong.

Tibooburra Drive-in

We checked out the drive-in theatre in the centre of town first. 

Julie spied the rare flightless, headless Emu

The Jump Up Loop was just fantastic. The drive through Sturt NP took us along a 4WD track where we saw numerous emus with chicks, kangaroos, dry creek beds, jumpups (mesas), deserted homesteads and shearers' sheds.  We walked the Jump Up track from Olive Downs campground.

Jeff's standard flightless Emu

Mt King Station - note forest on the hill

Mt King homestead site

Typical scene on the drive

Lunch stop in the Jump-ups

Take me to your leader!

Next day we did the Granite Walk from Dead Horse Gully campground then the Gorge Loop drive. The usual emus with chicks, kangaroos and deserted homesteads and shearing sheds were enhanced by the sighting of an elusive Australian Bustard - lucky Bustard - as well as a wedge-tailed eagle.   Lovely day.  We have been very impressed by what the National Parks and Wildlife Service has done in this area of Sturt National Park as they maintain the tracks (vehicular and walking), campgrounds, and various historical displays all of which are well worth a visit.

A Whim (reproduction built to original measurements)

Coat of Arms

We were lucky to see this Australian Bustard

The Beatles and Abbey Road comes to mind

This region is so remote, so dry, so dusty but well top dressed and just so interesting.

13 September - we headed south to Broken Hill with a short stop at the historic, almost abandoned, town of Milparinka - although there is a pub and an information centre.

Slow and uncomfortable travelling

Talk about exaggeration

Milparinka Cairn to Sturt's Cairn pulled down for housing

Main street of Milparinka

Long Load

Thanks for the lift

News of Mr McAdam's invention has reached NSW only in part because only parts of the road were bitumen. Morning tea was held down a 4WD track beside a salt lake under a lonely tree.

Milparinka

Morning tea beside salt lake on the way to Broken Hill, NSW

Lonely lunch spot in rest area off Silver City Highway

An hour and a half later lunch was held with a flock of goats. At 3pm we were checked in at Broken Hill.

14 September - We plan to stay in Broken Hill to do a few running repairs and to stock up on food and beverages. We noticed a strong smell of LPG at Cameron Corner so we have had the gas off the whole time. A hinge on the door broke as well as one on the tri fold table. The van has a number of redundancies and in the case of having to turn the gas off we can operate fully on electric power for hot water and cooking. 

As luck would have it we woke up this morning and the power had gone off to half the van part - our half. So with no gas and no electricity we used the Coleman Duel Fuel stove, which runs on unleaded petrol, for all our cooking purposes. I could have run the generator if needed but the power came on around midday after being out since 3:30am. The fridge runs solely on 12v powered by the solar panels when we have no 240v so it was unaffected.

A local plumber discovered the gas problem - a gas pipe on the side of the stove had split in two places from the heavy corrugations and rough roads. All fixed. The two hinges have been replaced by myself - all good. Everything is up and running like new.

So this seems like a good time to end this post doesn't it? Well I am anyway.

We are both going great and enjoying our travels immensely. 

Bye for now

JeffnJulie

Here's Lookin for Ya