SA TO QLD VIA OUTBACK NSW

Leaving Port Augusta, we headed east through Wilmington and the northern Flinders Ranges. 

The Flinders Rangers always look special.

At Orroroo we pulled in to a take a look at the Giant Gum tree which is estimated to be over 500 years old before visiting the local Lions Park where we stopped for lunch. 

Orroroo's giant gum tree.

It was a very pleasant little place although the lack of water in the creek was noticeable. Our overnight stop was at Olary Creek just east of the little village of Olary which is really just a pub at an old railway siding. Our camp at the creek was pretty good although we did have to move once because of the huge black ants which swarmed the generator because of the vibration. The dry creek bed was nice for a walk and although it is right beside the railway line it wasn’t really a problem.

Our camp at Olary Creek. The black on the power cord is ants.

There were lots of rain clouds on the horizon as we took off next morning for Broken Hill and we were happy to encounter some heavy rain to help wash off the salt which we had accumulated on the rig at Farm Beach. Just outside Broken Hill we were surprised at the size of the solar farm. It is the biggest I’ve seen in Australia. 

A small section of the solar farm at Broken Hill

Because of the rain we didn’t spend much time in Broken Hill which was a bit of a shame as we would have liked to take a look around. We did get the washing and a little grocery top up done though. As John was feeling tired we decided to pull in to a roadside rest area so he could have a short sleep. We had seen lots of goats since we left Broken Hill and were amused to find a large herd settled in at the picnic tables.

It was obvious that they had worked out how to press the button style tap on the small water tank here as the tank was dry and they were all looking at us in anticipation. We thought it was food they were looking for but while I was off looking at the local birds, John found it impossible to sleep as the goats were under the van sucking at the moisture which had come out of the water outlets. I took pity on them and decided to give them a drink. Consequently I was mobbed when I offered an ice cream bucket of water.

Continuing east on the Barrier Highway, we stopped at Wilcannia for fuel. This looks like a very sad little place. There were several lovely old stone buildings but they were in a sad state of repair and the Darling River here looked like a green swamp. 

We noticed that all the trees beside the road had no leaves below the height that a goat could reach while standing on its hind legs.

We had planned to take the dirt road which follows the southern side of the Darling from Wilcannia to Bourke but with rain threatening we decided to take the bitumen route. Our camp for the night was quite a nice little road side spot west of Cobar and again there were lots of goats hanging around the picnic tables. They left just on dark though, much to John’s relief.

Next morning we turned north at Cobar onto the Kidman Highway to Bourke. The local cemetery, which predates the town, is on the highway just south of town and we made a point of stopping to take a look at the grave of Fred Hollows. Situated under two large coolabah trees, it is very impressive and well worth a look. 

If you are interested in history they provide a really interesting little booklet telling you about some of the other people who are buried there as well. There is a map of where the graves are located as well as information about each of the people including a river steamer captain, Afghan cameliers and eccentric “Barefooted Harry Rice” who never wore shoes after his wife drowned in the river and he was unable to remove his boot quick enough to save her. He believed he would be ready and able to save anyone else from a similar fate.

The Darling River at Bourke was low but looking a lot nicer than it did in Wilcannia. 

The old paddle boat jetty on the Darling at Bourke.

We continued on to Brewarrina and spent the night at a lovely spot on the Darling called Four Mile Reserve. 

It was quite hot again and since the area was very large and we had no near neighbours we decided to run the generator for a few hours early in the night so we could use the air-conditioner. There are certainly some positives about travelling in a van with some creature comforts.

It was our intention to take the dirt road north off the Kamilaroi Highway east of Brewarrina but we didn’t take the first one available which runs past Narran Lake and then the next one said Authorised Access Only. The final one said No Through Road but John wanted to give it a go. In theory it was only 15 klms across to the Walgett-Grawin Road. However it gradually got worse and worse until it was just a station track leading to dams through varying degrees of bulldust. We backtracked to the Highway and took the bitumen up to Grawin and the Club in the Scrub (Golf Club), one of three pubs in the scrub on these, the less known opal fields near Lightning Ridge. 

After setting up in the free camp at the Golf Club and heading over to the bar for a coldie, we took a drive which looped around through the other two pubs, the Glengarry Hilton and the Sheepyard pub. 

We stopped for a drink at Sheepyard and were greeted by lots of friendly locals. It is pretty obvious that many are either escaping something in the outside world or dreaming of the one big find that will make them rich. The opal workings are everywhere, with tracks leading off willy nilly through the scrub. The place certainly is full of character and characters. It is also evident that most of the equipment is made from cannibalised bits and pieces from trucks, pumps and who knows what.

Next morning we went back to the huge tailings dumps where anyone is free to go and fossick around. Lots of people actually find small pieces of opal here. We found some potch (colourless opal) without trying too hard. The large golden arches sign nearby was a good indicator of the local humour. Maybe next time we will go in the cooler months and have another look. 

After our fossicking foray we headed into Lightning Ridge and after some investigation on Wikki Camps and a drive out to the newest caravan park we decided to stay in town at the Crocodile Caravan Park. I would recommend the park to anyone. The sites are all grassed and while the amenities are very rustic they are OK. The afternoon happy hour was great with everyone joining in and making newcomers feel right at home. It was also the cheapest park in town and is within walking distance of the main shopping area.

Stanley the 18 metre high emu stands on the highway
just south of the turnoff into the Ridge.

The GPS in the car showed just how many
little tracks were hidden in the scrub.

Lightning Ridge has become very much a tourist destination and I’d say it is very busy in the cooler months. There are lots of tours which include visits to mines, the most famous of which is the Black Hand mine. We did not go down as we thought the $35 price tag was a bit rich, but we were told that the carvings in the mine are brilliant so it would probably be worth a look next time. We did take a drive up to 3 Mile, an old open cut mine at Lunatic Hill where we met an interesting old character selling opals. He had plenty of stories to tell including some about the thieving that goes on in the area. It is not surprising that this is a continuing problem as there are few fences and little security apparent.

While in the Ridge we took the opportunity to visit the art gallery of John Murray who has made a name for himself painting comical emus and iconic outback scenes. The gallery is certainly worth a visit and there are other galleries and attractions in the town to explore. We really enjoyed our stay in the Ridge and hope to return to the area.

One of John Murray's artistic creation outside the Outback Resort.

It isn’t very far at all to the Queensland border which meant we arrived too early in the little settlement of Hebel to take a look inside the local pub. It has gained some fame because John Murray, of Lightning Ridge fame has painted the ceiling inside the pub. That’s another place we will have to revisit. We did have a home-made pie from the shop opposite though and while it wasn’t huge and was a bit expensive at $5.50, it was a really nice pie.

From Hebel we continued on the Castlereagh Highway to Dirranbandi and on to Noondoo. We decided to go further east to Thallon then north on the Carnarvon Highway so we could call in to take a look at the famous Nindigully Pub. It was much like most other outback pubs but its claim to fame is the array of Akubra hats hanging on the walls, including one that belonged to Joe Hockey.

Unfortunately due to the current lack of rain the Moonie River was not looking too flash but I’m sure it would be lovely when the water levels are higher. From Nindigully it was on to St George and Surat where we found a lovely little camping spot just out of town on the Balonne River. We checked out the camp spot on the northern side of the river but it was pretty ordinary so we went back across the bridge and took found a lovely site on the eastern side of the main road. There was soft couch grass and the river was nice so it is a spot we would recommend.  

While John relaxed at camp I went into town and spent some time in the old Cobb & Co store where the locals had developed an interesting museum, complete with Cobb & Co coach. 

I was also lucky enough to be able to see the exhibits from a local photography competition. The photographs I saw were really lovely. The local town hall is an impressive old building as well.

When we left Surat we contacted my cousin Robbie Leather as we knew they had bought a new property somewhere near Theodore. Just north of Roma we turned north-east to Taroom and then onto the Leichardt Highway to Theodore. 

We saw lots of cotton on this part of our trip. Makes you wonder how they have water for it when you see how little there is in the Darling further south.

Cotton bales beside the road.

We eventually got hold of Mel, Robbie’s wife, and took a small detour just south of Banana to their property, Barfield Station. We had a wonderful night there as the whole family were home for mustering etc. Sitting around the huge dining table for a traditional roast dinner was great and the views from the homestead were fantastic. We definitely hope to return regularly. Their hospitality was wonderful as was the company and conversation.

The homestead at Barfield has lovely views.

It was an easy drive next day into Gracemere next morning with a quick stopover to take a look at the lookout at Isla National Park. 

Isla Gorge from the lookout.

We settled in at the caravan park for two days with our darling grand-daughter before heading home. As usual we were sad to be finishing yet another trip but also happy to be home and ready to get back into the Bowen lifestyle.

The lovely lagoon at Gracemere Caravan Park