Cycling Mildura

Ahhh, a cosy cabin, a bathroom and real sheets. The simple things. Mildura is a great city on the banks of the Murray and although Vince had planned to do some fishing, it was very hard to leave the heated cabin and venture into the cold. "Woosy" behaviour I know.
We got the bikes off the car, Vince mended my puncture and after getting a cycling guide from the Tourist Information Centre we pedalled off to explore the city. It was bigger then I remembered from our brief visit on our way to Adelaide in 2004. A very cycle friendly place, there were many designated cycle lanes and paths. Even the trucks were courteous!

On the second day we set off on a 59k ride around the city and into country Victoria. We wound our way through fields of grapes and market gardens. The 59k ride turned out to be nearly 70k by the time we missed a few turns and took a detour to the pub. Not just any old pub but the Grand Hotel which included Stefano's restaurant. Keen to sample the local hops, Vinnie gave it the thumbs up.

Vinnie offered to take me out for dinner (to Stefano's) but again I was reluctant to venture out into the cold!!
We are heading north tomorrow and hopefully some warmer weather. Lake Cargelligo is the planned destination but as I have discovered, Vince has become quite flexible so who knows??!

Mungo National Park

Mungo National Park provided the balance of history we had been missing. We pulled into the Visitor's Centre and it promised much. Operated by three of the local aboriginal tribes, we were keen to take part in the guided tour to find out more about the discovery of the oldest bones in Australia - Mungo woman. Scientists had authenticated the bones as at least 42 000 years old. But first we needed to find a campsite.

No flushing toilet here - just a genuine "long drop". A very dusty campsite and Vinnie was keen to use the wood he had transported all the way from Ballina, he said he needed the space in the back of the truck. It burned so quickly we had to travel out of the park for some hardwood that we hoped would not burn so quickly. A fire was a must as the prevailing winds were bitter. The winds even affected the growth of the flora.

The park is another reclaimed property and is an amazing example of how time can change the landscape and the stories of time can be exposed as the elements allow. It was eerie standing on a sand dune as the icy winds blew and many old bones were exposed as we were escorted onto land regarded as sacred. We could see evidence of old fires, some of which were regarded as 10 000 - 20 000 years old.

Note the sand dune with the Lake in the background. The lake has been dry for 14 000 years.

The temperature had dropped and I decided to break out the -10C duck down sleeping bag that Ben had lent me. We wore beanies and thermals to bed each night, the struggle was getting up in the early hours to make the inevitable dash to the long drop...

Vinnie was very relaxed in his "flannie", 5 day growth and torn jeans. Definitely outback regalia only...

Vince was keen to visit Wentworth where we would say farewell to the Darling and meet the Murray and then move on to Mildura where we planned to do some cycling. We enjoyed our bush camping but we were both well and truly ready for a warm cabin in Mildura.

Menindee Lakes

After our relaxing and informative stay at Trilby, we headed to Menindee following the Darling. Tilpa was a hamlet of 95 people with a great little pub. Check out the fuel pump. ($2/L & diesel only!)
Vinnie was keen to read Breaker Morant's name on the War Memorial but there wasn't much else to see in Tilpa. The pub staff were keen for visitors as they were isolated for nearly two months in the recent flood.
We had to divert from our original plan to travel straight to Menindee as the road was still closed after the flood. We had to travel over some rough terrain to the Silver City Highway then when we looked at the distance we decided to go via Broken Hill as we had to stock up on supplies. The road from Wilcannia to Broken Hill was long and boring. The Motel however was welcome and so was the meal at Dunes restaurant. Blew the budget but what the heck!
After stocking up at the supermarket (plan was for 4-5 days bush camping) and finding a good coffee, we headed for Menindee.
When we arrived in Menindee we drove to the Kinchega  National Park to check out campsites. This was an old property, reclaimed as a national park when the pastoral lease ran out in 1967.

The shearing shed from the old station. It was originally twice this size.

 Unfortunately many of the campsites were still under water and it was only when we chatted to some fellow travellers that we found out about a campsite by the weir. It had a toilet but no shower (40km return trip the the NP for a shower...) Vinnie was keen to try some fishing so I agreed to stay there. The toilets were flush...such luxury. It was cold so we gathered some wood for the fire and tried to stay out of the wind. I guess one advantage of the cold was the lack of sweat and hence the ability to go without a tub for a day or two...
Vinnie did the environment a favour by catching many carp (again!)

Sunrise on the lake

The birdlife was phenomenal, more pelicans than the whole of Ballina I reckon.
Next stop the ancient environment of Mungo National Park and hopefully some indigenous history.

Images of Trilby

Old Trilby Station mailbox. The recent flood almost covered the roof. Imagine the amount of water!

Old Dunlop Station (part of Trilby) steam powered water pump on the banks of the Darling,

Imagine the oven in this baby!

Vinnie chatting to one of a crew of people who return to the station each year to do jobs on the property

A final resting place for a coupe of trusty old Holdens.

Much of the old machinery can still be found on the property in various stages of disrepair. A living museum.

Trilby Station is a 50 000ha property on the banks of the Darling - stunningly green after the recent flood and full of birdlife. We are camped 2.3km from the  main homestead and amenities and, yes, Vinnie's stretching the friendship here... in the most picturesque camp site imaginable.
 There is no signal where we are camped.
Yesterday we explored the 10 000 acre paddock on our bikes - ended up being 60km return. This place is huge. There are 4 shearing sheds, the furthest one being 90km from the main homestead, that will give you an idea of the size of the place. We found some interesting sights as we pedalled around the property.


During the recent flood, which they had two months notice to prepare for, they were isolated for three months. In order to get her kids to boarding school, Liz, the farmer mum, had to take a boat to the high part of the property where they kept their plane, then fly to Walgett, where they kept their car then drive to Armidale, where their kids attend school.
The nights here are cold (5`C) but the days are glorious, Vinnie is in his element, building the campfire, throwing a line in the river and watching the abundance of birdlife surrounding the river, most peeved when a bird catches a bigger sized perch than the carp he has only been able to catch. Civilisation is a long way from here and even though he asked me to check the markets, I don't think he needs to know that it's the fourth day of falls...and the ASX is only 4013:((

Darling - Moree to Bourke

"Australia's a big country and freedom's humping bluey.." to quote Henry Lawson  from his poem On the Wallaby.

There;s nothing quite like the freedom of travelling so the Kellys are off again exploring Oz, outback NSW to be precise. After our sad week saying farewell to Tim, we are escaping to the bush and I suspect, from Vince's perspective, to honour Tim's memory by catching a few fish! He dug worms from our garden and called in to the servo at Collarenebri to buy some live bait as well. The spa pool at Moree was a welcome start to the cool (-2) day and the conversation with fellow travellers extolling the virtues of Dalhousie Springs has motivated Vinnie to plan the next outback odyssey. 
  By the time we arrived at Kidmans Caravan Park at North Bourke, it was dusk and cold...so the fishing rod didn't make an appearance. 

We had avoided emus, kangaroos but eventually, 55km out of Moree managed to collect a wallaby. No damage, thank goodness, but Vince had to be humane and turn around to ensure the animal was not suffering.
In the meantime we are exploring the Darling. After leaving Bourke we plan a stay at Trilby Station which is at Louth. We then move to Menindee Lakes National Park where I hope some fish are caught...We move on to Mungo National Park where "Mungo Man"" was discovered a few years ago. After 6 or 7 nights without power, we plan to head to Mildura to hot showers and, I am promised, a night or two in "luxury"... 
After our brief stay in civilization we head to Lake Cargellico and then move back to Orange, where we will catch up with family again.
Not sure about internet connections but hope I can continue the blog as we travel on.

Back o' Bourke & beyond

After voting in Cunnamulla (hasn't it been an interesting week of politics!) we headed south towards Bourke. Vince had heard of a good place to camp called Kidman's Camp north of Bourke so we travelled along a dead straight road with lots of emus in paddocks and arrived just after lunch. We unpacked the tent which was still sporting lots of Innamincka mud and set up the annex as we planned to stay a few nights.

The camp didn't disappoint with a great camp kitchen and some interesting travellers to talk to. Vinnie found some bait and grabbed the fishing rod and yabby trap, and drove down to the river to fish. No luck. Not even a bite after 2 hours. He put his energy into cooking tea. Vinnie outlasted all campers when he stayed glued to the TV when the election results came in.

The weather started to come in and we were glad we had changed our planned route as many of the dirt roads were being closed. I rang Cathy McWilliam, former colleague from St Joseph's in Alstonville, who moved here when hubby Paul got a job in Bourke with Country Energy a couple of years ago. We organised to meet up the following day.

In the meantime Vince was chasing fishing spots in the Darling so we explored the weir and other spots to find a fishing venue. Cathy had recommended the Back o' Bourke Exhibition Centre so we thought it would be a good day to explore indoors. We weren't disappointed. it was excellent. I particularly liked the way poetry was an integral part of the display, especially the poetry of Lawson and Will Ogilvie. The Centre has only been opened for 12 months and it is technologically superior to any other display we've seen on our travels. Well worth the visit.

Where we were staying was about 10km out of Bourke "Northy" as the locals called it and it was a lovely park with lots of trees. Unfortunately the raindrops off the tree dropping onto the tent kept us awake for most of the night as the rain continued to fall. The park was becoming boggy, but not as boggy as the Bourke cemetery where we went to pay tribute to Fred Hollows. We could have spent ages in the cemetery except that the puggy clay mud was adhering to our walking shoes and we were growing taller by the minute! There is quite a history of Afghans in Bourke, even a mosque in the cemetery!! Not quite like the mosques in Doha, Luke!

There was a paddle boat in the river so we took a tour of the river, which had apparently risen a metre in the past week. The boat was a replica of an old boat that used to operate in the river last century. It can travel in less than a metre of water, but hasn't had to do that this year. I had the brief joy of putting the car into 4WD as we slid our way back to the caravan park.


We had a wet pack up and decided that a cabin in the caravan park at Moree might be a good strategy for the next few days. (no it's not cheating, it's called sanity!)

We bypassed Lightning Ridge and decided we would come back on one of our days in Moree. At $64 a night, we reckoned it was a bargain. The park had its own mineral springs, at 38C, it was blissful. We've been managing 2 spas a day so far.

Lightning Ridge was a 500km round trip & although interesting, not worth the extra days travel back over roads already travelled! I was amazed at the shacks that have sprung up on the outskirts of town, apparently there are no council regulations on dwellings on opal claims. Like Coober Pedy, I can say we've seen it but have no plans to return any time soon.

Our trip is coming to an end. It has been a wonderful journey and I continue to marvel at the immensity and variety of townships and landscapes in our marvellous country. I feel very thankful for this opportunity to explore a small part of Oz and we are already talking about our next trip taking the road less travelled. Our mantra of "No regrets" has allowed us to make changes and amend plans as the need arose and we have certainly met some interesting people and seen some great travelling rigs. The tent has served us well and the few nights in cabins has saved our sanity, it's not a bad way to travel. The Plenty Highway, Oodnadatta track, Birdsville, is calling us. Roll on retirement.......(Insert Vince's reply here).