The Outback

Day 66  Darlington Point to Mildura

After a quick look at the Murrumbidgee River near our camp this morning, it was time to push on again...

Our plan for today was to get to Mildura and the closer we got to it, the flatter and dustier it got, we could feel the outback bearing down on us...

We stopped along the way in a town called Balranald for lunch.  As we parked we found we were in front of the RSL which happened to be serving a Chinese Smorgasboard for lunch.  Perfect, and given the chef was actually Chinese, the food was very good.

We managed to make Mildura by late afternoon with lots of dust and cloud around.  Hopefully it will rain and give the van a wash!

Day 67

Exploring Mungo National Park was our mission today.  The drive to the park was 100km along red, dirt road but well worth the effort.  This place is amazing.  Basically 40,000 years ago it was a lake with lots of life in and around it, including Aboriginals.

Today it is a dry lake, but the weather patterns have over time created a 'lunette' (crescent shaped land formation that used to be the edge of the lake) that has been eroded to reveal fossils and evidence of the abundance of life that used to be in the area.  Here we are sitting in front of it...

We took a walk onto the lunette and found some evidence of bones, among other things...

The kids explored the many craters and cracks that have formed...

We then drove across the park to several points to get a good view of the size of the area.  This view back to the lunette gives an idea of the lake's size...

We all learned a lot about the Aboriginals and it is amazing to think that they were here 40,000 years ago and we've only been here a couple of hundred.  Places like this provide an invaluable learning experience.

Day 68  Mildura to Broken Hill

Finally the day had arrived when we would reach Broken Hill.  It was a pretty long day of driving and the landscape didn't vary much today, just more and more red soil as we got closer.  You know you're in 'roo' country when you see a sign like this...

We knew Broken Hill was an outback mining town, but I didn't expect it to be quite as brown, dusty and (dare I say) ugly as it was.  But although the town itself is not beautiful, we know there are plenty of good things to see and explore in the area.


Day 69

After a cooler than expected night, we woke to what we knew would be a hot day, ready to explore Broken Hill and beyond.

First of all we headed to Silverton (hello Mrs Pope) which has it's claim to fame these days for being a popular spot for shooting movies and advertisements.  Some classics have been filmed here including A Town Like Alice and Mad Max II.  The car from Mad Max II still sits out the front of the pub...

The reason Silverton is a perfect place for this endeavour is that it's weather is exactly the same 90% of the time - clear and fine - thus providing a perfect and predictable backdrop for 'Outback Australia'.  Here's a few shots of the town...

We visited the old gaol that has now been turned into a museum to get a little of the local history.  For Maggie there were some reminders of 'real' school including a uniform...

...and old school bell (we didn't win any friends once the kids discovered this - it didn't stop ringing, until they were kindly asked to refrain)...

There was also some old mining equipment...

...and old machinery to play with...

After a final drive through the town (you don't really need to drive 'around', it's easy to see the whole town from any vantage point), we drove to a nearby lookout where you could see Aussie outback as far as the eye could see...

It is also a popular place for artists...

On to Umberumberka Reservoir for a lunch stop.  Not a lot to see here, just a muddy dam.

After lunch we visited Day Dream Mine, but not before we had to pass through several gates...

The mine was in operation from 1872-1973 and mined for galena - a mix of lead, silver and small amounts of gold.  Kids were sent down into the mine as young as 8 and few survived beyond 35 years old.  They died as a result of breathing in the mining and black powder dusts resulting in silicosis and emphysema.  A lot has changed in the world of health and safety since then!

We actually went on a tour underground into the old mine, complete with helmets and headlights (which were the highlight for the kids - they thought they could keep them and now want some of their own)...

It was fascinating and gave a real sense of the conditions these poor guys had to endure.  Definitely not for the faint hearted.  Here we are heading down...

...and exploring (that's the tour guide on the side)...

After the mine, we decided to finish the day off with a visit to the 'Living Desert' and 'Sculpture Symposium'.  Unfortunately it was too late to walk up to the sculptures, so we admired them from afar...

We settled with doing the Cultural Walk and Flora and Fauna Walk.  It wasn't the right time of year to see a Sturts Desert Pea, but we were stopped in our tracks when we looked up and saw this big kangaroo in our path...

He scared the life out of us and we weren't sure if he was in a friendly or fighting mood, so we moved cautiously out of the way.  After he give us a good close up inspection, he hopped on his way along the path, obviously happy we weren't any threat.  We all let out a sigh of relief!

As the sun was setting, we headed back to the van after a big day.