28th October....... Leaving Swan Hill around 8.45am we headed for Cobram some 255km away, stopping at Cohuna for morning tea . We are staying at the Cobram Willows Caravan Park just 1.5kms from town. After setting up and having lunch we headed to town . We visited "The Log Cabin" on the outskirts

27th October...........Today we visited what the locals call Thompson's Beach on the Murray River, Australia's largest inland beach. The surrounds area was very pretty with lots of BBQ areas around. 

 

 We spent a couple of hours walking around the Agricultural Show with lots of local exhibits in craft, cake making, photography and art even logo making. The fancy chooks, animal nursery, sheep shearing, sheep being rounded up by the dogs. We had lunch while we watched the show jumping and horse judging.

 

29th October

Today we left Cobram for Police Paddock 12 kms from Rutherglen to free camp by the Murray River with Trish & Rob. When Graeme & I arrived there won't many places vacant. The area we chose was near another van but far enough away not to cause any bother to anyone. We set up and waited for Trish & Rob to arrive, they were later than they thought around 4.30pm. Just after they arrived the woman from the other van decided we were "in their space" and gave us a mouth full. It was very unpleasant. What made it worse was we were between then and their friends so all we got were looks. We got through the night had as lovely dinner and early night.

30th October

This morning Trish & I went for a walk and found another area to park, we just had to convince the boys, which we did. There was a van there locked up with no one around, but when we started to set up the people arrived. They were quite happy for us to be there. They had come from Wodonga to mow the lawns and set up, Heather & Edward, they were coming back the next day for a week or so with other members of their family. They restored our faith in human nature, made us most welcome. We had a good day, Graeme went fishing & Rob Kayaking down the river. We finished the day with a lamb roast and lots of talk.

 

 

 

3rd November.

Well we arrived home to day, after leaving Police Paddock we went to Gundagai for 1 night then to Yerrinbool to see David, Cassie Maddy and Emma, stayed the night.

Well we travelled 15694.3 kilometers and of that 9667.9 km was traveling town to town the rest was sight seeing.

23rd October

When we woke up this morning we decided to go to Swan Hill Riverside Caravan Park by the Murray River to have some time looking around Swan Hill.

24th October..........Today we did a tour of the Pioneer Settlement - Swan Hill. Just like other old settlements which we have seen at Warrnambool and Ballarat they are like each other although the other two were more informative and had more interaction with visitors.

 

 

 

 Later that afternoon we went for as paddle steamer ride on the PS Pyap down the Murray for about 1 hour. It was very relaxing but not as much to see as we have seem on other paddle steamer rides, especially at Echura.

 

 

 Returning to the settlement that night for a sound & Light show. We were guided through the Settlement after dark listening to the whispers of the pioneers spirits as we travelled around in a motorized carriage. It was very good.

 

9th October We went for a drive to the Historical Port of Wentworth around 36kms from Buronga. This is where the Darling River merges with the Mighty Murray. This town was once bustling with river trade as Australia's busiest inland port in the late 1880's, today we saw Wentworth as a quite river town, it is the oldest town in the region. We walked up and down the main street, many shops and businesses closed.  We drove around and looked at;

Old Wentworth Goal.......Built in 1879-1881, the small single storey brick goal with bluestone trim was designed by colonial architect James Barnett. The bricks were made from the local clay,(on site) by Joseph Fritz, and the bluestone from Wales, was transported from Malmsbury, Victoria. The new goal replaced over-crowded lock-ups and was utilised until its closure in 1927. After its closure as a goal, the building was utilised as extra classrooms for the Wentworth Central School until 1963.

 

The Perry Sandhills.........What a letdown, we didn't know what to expect. To us it just looked like small sandhills and nothing else.  According to geologists, the Perry sandhills originated after an Ice Age (40,000 years ago) and are formed by wind erosion over thousands of years. During WW11 the sandhills were used as a bombing range, today the area is utilised as a backdrop in many films, TV shows and Ads.

 

 

The Junction of The Murray & The Darling Rivers............ This system of the Murray and Darling Rivers is the fourth largest river catchment in the world- Wentworth is the confluence of all rivers west of the Great Dividing Range.

10th October

Today we travelled from Buronga to Broken Hill the trip was long very flat and the only life we saw were wild goats, sheep and emus.

We arrived at Broken Hill at around 1.oopm according to NSW time but found that Broken Hill works on SA time therefore it was only 12.30pm, gained an 1/2 hour. We settled in and decided to go and see the Pro Hart Art Gallery, it was fabulous . Housing his 4 Rolls Royces one painted by him and some of his antiques, his paintings and his workshop which had been transported from his home when he died in 2006. On display was his last painting in his workshop, also the cannon he used in his works.

 

11th October
 We decided to head for the Historical Town of Silverton around 35 kms from Broken Hill. As Western NSW was opened up by early pioneers, the stage was set for prospectors to scour the Barrier Ranges looking for mineral wealth. This lead to the discovery of silver and the township of Silverton was born. The Silverton Tramway Company opened for operation, linking SA rail line to the newly found Broken Hill field via Silverton. Although today Silverton has a population of less than 60 people, it is far from being a "Ghost Town".This is where the film Mad Max 2 was filmed, we were unable to go into the museum as it was closed. We also visited the Outback Art Gallery, Silverton Cafe & School Museum, Goal which has been turned into a museum for the whole district including Broken Hill , the coin Carvery and Beyond 39 Dips. We also drove to certain reins of buildings which Graeme took photos. It was a great day except for the wind, rain and hail at times and of course the bitter coldness.

 

12th October...........Today we headed out to see the Sculpture Symposium and the Living Desert. The Sculptures carved in sandstone are perched on a hill, with amazing views in every direction .The 12 Sculptures have been created by artist from around the world as well as local artist, Badger Bates.  They stand today as a monument to those who carved them, to the people of Broken Hill who played a community role in their creation, and to those who in years to come, will marvel at their sheer beauty.

 

 

Line of Lode Miner's Memorial and restaurant is a dramatic, iconic new structure on the edge of the mullock heap that dissects Broken Hill. It is a memorial to the 800 or more miners who lost their lives working along the Line of Lode. The building itself is a metaphor for the underground lives of the miners, evoking the damp, claustrophobic underground environment and audio-visuals of miners at work. The views over Broken Hill are spectacular. Rosie even found a new seat to lounge on.

 

 

13th October
Today we did a walking tour of the Heroes, Larrikins and Visionaries of Broken Hill scatted around the Town Centre. Following a map we walked around finding 25 point of interest ( point 16 missing) . Some points included :

The Wilyakali.......The original inhabitants of Broken Hill with a thousand generations of nomadic occupation.

Dame Mary Gilmore....... Poet Journalist, social reformer, revolutionary, first woman to join the Australian Workers Union. She appears on the 1993 $10 bank note.

"Little Willy" Roberts...... The smallest mine worker in the world. A former circus performer, he stood 3foot 4 inches tall. Her was killed in an accident at the BHP mine.

Sir Sydney Kidman....... The cattle king. His empire at one stage stretched from Victoria to The Gulf of Carpentaria and covered an area equivalent  to England, Scotland & Wales.

June Bronhill....... Our prima doona. Local girl June Gough adapted her stage name "Bronhill" a contraction of Broken Hill. Unions and locals raised money for June to study abroad after winning the Sun Aria Awards in 1954. She became world famous opera star.

Chips Rafferty........... Son of a local miner, best known as the lanky 6ft 6 inches knockabout film star of 27 major films. His last film was "Wake in Fright" in 1971.

After our walk in which we took many other photos of points of interest around town we went shopping back to the van, started to pack up for our move the next day and attended Mass at the Cathedral at 6.pm and home for dinner.

14th October

We left Broken Hill back to Buronga to make some decision whether to buy another van with shower & toilet and maybe air conditioner in it from Hall's Mildura the Jayco dealer or just continue our holiday

15th October
 We decided to buy a Jayco Sterling 2010 Pop Top from Hall's in Mildura with all the mod con's in it including an oven.

16th October.........Had an appointment at 11.00am to pick up our van and pay the finances. were staying at Buronga Caravan Park just over the NSW Border, just a wonderful van park along the Murray River.

 

 

21st October

Today we left Buronga for a free camp along the Murray River at Nyah in Victoria. This free camp is behind the Harness Club along the Murray River. We arrived around 1.00pm set up and enjoyed our afternoon. There is a mound of dirt in front of us, but if we sit up on the mound we have a river view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been in Port Augusta since yesterday but not much happened

3rd October........I took the car to have the 30,000km service and Rosie just pottered around the van. We got the car back around 11.30am had lunch and headed out to see Davey Rankin ( Graeme Air Force Mate) around 1.00pm. We had to travel 43kms to Quorn up in the Flinders Rangers, which was just beautiful. We spent 3 1/2 hours with Davey which was very enjoyable.

5th October  We left Port Augusta around 8.15am heading for Morgan on the Murray. As we drove along the Stuart Highway we were travelling alongside The Ghan for some time. 

 

 

 We had a break at Port Germein, this has the longest wooden pier in Australia. It is a quaint town well worth another visit later on.

 

 Leaving the Stuart Highway and following the local country roads our next stop was Jamestown for morning tea. Jamestown has the oldest continuous butcher shop in Australia.

 

 

We headed for Burra for lunch passing through Hallett and Mount Bryan. The countryside had changed, there was now hills of beautiful green grass and fields of Canola & Paterson Curse  making the countryside very colourful. There were many wind generators along the way, more than we had ever seen in one area.

 

 

 

Stopping at Burra for lunch, filled the car with diesel, not much to see there and headed for Morgan along the Murray River at the Riverside Caravan Park for one night stay. After setting up we went for a walk along the banks of Murray and read and took photos about the history of "Port Morgan" in the early days. It was a very busy sea going Port, not only the boats but there was a train as well.

 

Construction of Woomera Village began in mid-1947 to cater for thousands of people moving there as part of the Anglo-Australian Project. The project lasted for 30 years and saw Woomera become one of the most secret allied bases established during the Cold War. During its heyday (1949–69), the village population reached around 7,000. However, by the end of the 1960s the Anglo-Australian Project was rapidly winding down following the UK Government's dwindling interest in further experimental work.

1st October...........Today we drove to Woomera township to see the  historic aerospace site and the Woomera National Aerospace and Missile Park, located in the centre of town. It features missiles and rockets that were developed and tested at Woomera over the last 60 years, as well as a number of historic aircraft which were used in trials at Woomera. Also it's a very barren land.

We drove out to Roxby Downs 76 kms from Woomera not seeing much on the way, an Emu and some poor looking sheep.

 

 

 

Roxby Downs was originally a cattle station and 20 years ago the site of the town was no more than desolate outback paddocks. A few workers were the first to arrive, some with young families in tow, and they set up a caravan and tent city. Conditions were challenging but the fledgling town grew with a strong sense of community driven by an Australian pioneering spirit. Infrastructure was completed during 1987/1988 and the town was officially opened on 5 November 1988.The name Roxby Downs comes from the name of the original pastoral station.

Olympic Dam Mine was named after a livestock watering dam on the Roxby Downs pastoral lease under which the ore body lies. The dam was built during the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 and is very close to the discovery drill site. We were unable to visit the mine due to a lot of update construction going on.

September 26........Today we travelled from Erldunda to Cadney Homestead from Erldunda passing through Kulgera onto to the border from  Northern Territory to the South Australian Border and onto Marla where we had lunch.

 

We travelled onto Cadney Homestead where we spent the night, an what an experience. We had a few spots of rain and than a dust storm, we weren't ready. We met Donna & Bonsey from Lake Argyle in WA and had a good night with them.

 

 

 

September 27  Today we travelled from Cadney Homestead to Coober Pedy via Pootnoura along to Stuart highway., The vegetation is very different to the Northern Territory and the road is very straight., We saw a monitor lizard along the roadside but it was too quick for a photo. Arriving at Coober Pedy

 

 

Underground Book shop.......Graeme needed some reading matter so we went to the underground bookshop, what an experience, it was great and Graeme was lucky finding two books. 

 

Old Timers Mine........... This    is an historic 1916 Opal Mine, it wasn't until 1968 that the hidden mine was accidentally revealed when an underground home extension broke through, revealing much precious opal. We were able to walk through the mine ourselves and go into an underground House(dugout) and we saw a comprehensive museum which gave us a ultimate underground experience.

 

 

After we went outside and watched  an interactive modern opal mining machine demonstration which showed us how opal mining is today, but not by all the miners in the area, we learn that later.

 

 

 

28th September

Faye's Underground Historic Home......... Faye Nayler and her 2 lady friends dug this dugout using a pick and shovel back in the early 1960's. The first mail truck in Coober Pedy was housed in what is now the dugout kitchen.  

 

 

 Faye herself lives in Queensland and will be 80years old soon. The best part of the house was the in ground pool area and entertainment area.

Josephine's Gallery, Kangaroo Orphanage.......... Josephine's Gallery had a wide selection of Opals and Aboriginal paintings etc. At 12 midday the owner feed some of the orphanage kangaroos who were brought there to  nursed back to health. Some will be able to go back into the wild other not because of their injuries. He also had a Joey which he feed milk to. This baby was rescued by the local police how had taken it from some Aboriginal children who were not treating it very well. It was good to think that there are people who care for these animals.

 

 

The Breakaways   The Breakaways are a striking & unique example of arid scenery. From the flat - topped mesas to the stony gibber desert, remnants of millions of years provide a wealth of geological interests and breathtaking views. Looking out over the breakaways it is hard to believe that over 70 million years ago, a vast inland sea covered the area. 

 

 

 

can you see the camel lying down              

 

 

 

Definitely one of Outback South Australia's best-kept secrets. While we were watching the magnificent sunset we were given tea, coffee and a muffin.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                           Sun set through a peice of gypsm

 

On our way home we stopped to view "The Dog Fence"........... The dog fence is the longest continual construction in the world. Stretching some 5,300km, it begins east of Surfer's Paradise in Queensland and ends up north of Ceduna in the Great Australian Bite. Originally built to protect the sheep country in the south from Dingo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29th September

Umoona Opal Mine and Museum....... We walked through the museum and saw the history of Aboriginal and European settlement in the area and step back into in the 1920's past and viewed fossil remains from Australia's vast inland sea..We were there for the 10.00am guided tour. Firstly we viewed a 20 minute award -winning documentary presented in an underground theatrette on three panoramic screens about "The Story of Opal" It was very interesting. Next we saw the underground home with contrasting examples of an early hand dug and modern machine 'dugout' home.

 

 

 

We had a cuppa and was joined by Tully a local miner who preceded to tell us what and how he mines for the opal. He only used pick, bobcat and modified extension pick. He was taking his daughter Katherine & boyfriend Alex out to the mine and asked if we would like to go. It was a wonderful experience. We actually drove into one of his mines and walked around the tunnels . It was very dark and very dusty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serbian underground church ......The design makes the most of the curved arches which were made by a tunneling machine when the underground church was constructed.

 

 

The Catacomb Church...........Developed from an old dugout and opened as an underground church in 1977, cut out of sandstone in the shape of a cross, this is an Anglican church, founded and supported by the Bush  Church Aid Society. Named after the Catacombs in Rome, where the early Christians buried their dead and met undisturbed in times of persecution. Just as here they escape the harsh climatic extremes and enjoy quiet, coolness and peace. Adorned in a simple and natural way befitting the outback  opal fields- cross, lectern and communion table fashioned from local mulga wood and an old miner's winch.

 

Saint Peter & Paul's Catholic Church.............The first underground church in Coober Pedy and possibly the world, therefore having the most historical value.Originally this church was used by all denominations of religion and was built in a true pioneering manner with everyone pitching in to help make the church a reality.

 

 

 

 

30th  September(Emma's 5th Birthday)

Today  is Emma's 5th Birthday, we spoke to her on skype, also Maddy & David. We watched as Emma opened her presents from us, which was  really great. We left Coober Pedy after filling the water tanks up at the caravan park and headed to Woomera stopping at Glendambo for lunch and onto Lake Hart for photos. Lake Hart is a popular stop over for travellers going Adelaide to Darwin and vice versa. It's a dry lake mostly Salt Flats and is surrounded by Bright Red Desert Sand Dunes. We walked to the lake through a tunnel under the railway track took photos and headed for Woomera.

 

                                                 And we were welcomed into Woomera by