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