Broken Hill 30/7/18

Welcome friends,
Had a busy day yesterday, even if it was a tad cool, domestic duties first up with a visit to the laundromat, how ever it was beside the 50's Milk Bar which has been in operation since 1895 and unchanged, still make their own cordials, spiders, milk shakes in the traditional way, play music on the duke box etc, a real step back in time of my childhood, so of course we had to partake whilst waiting for the washing to finish.
After that we visited the RFDS Hangar at the airport and did the tour followed by some reminiscing in the museum there, the old Traeger pedal radio's, medical kits etc and a few items from the shop before departure. It is well worth a visit and any support given is gratefully received, they have to raise around $8million per year to replace their aircraft every 15 years on rotation, and that is only one Base!
Then it was a trip out to the Living Desert Park, not a lot living there at present due to the drought and despite the watering system and feed stations in place in place, it was a great chance to get some exercise though with the circuit being around 2-3 Kim's, worked up an appetite, next to that Park is the Desert Sculptures, each sculpture means different things to different people I suppose, fantastic views from up there, would have been a great spot for sunset photo's however they close the gates at 6pm and we didn't feel like being locked in for the night.
Speaking of which, the wind last evening was bitter and lazy, went right through us.  nice light frost this morning but a sunny day followed if a little cool.
Kath visited the School of the Air this morning, we sat in on 2 classes for the prep kids which was different to say the least, all computers, video link and satellite comms now, no radio's. and those 4yr olds are very tech savvy as well.  Kath was chasing some info on Volunteer Teachers in the out back but there was not a lot forth coming, policy I would say. All in all well worth it.
Wile Kath did some research at the library I did the railway museum, it also has a migrant, hospital and gem/museum collection, very easy to loose track of time in there as I did, oops couple of hours later I went back to collect Kath, expecting 'that look' but she was happily browsing along so no harm done. On the way back, I found my favourite Australian Flower, Sturts Desert Pea then when got here the natives had grown considerably! Appostle Birds had morphed into emu's !
Clean and pack afternoon ready for tomorrow when we head for the Menindee Lakes for a few days, not sure how much water is about but we will see.
Expecting another frost tomorrow so it will in bed early.
Stay safe.

Broken Hill 28/7/18

Hi all,
What a pleasant surprise the camping area at the race course is, very clean, modern amenities and close to town, added bonus is the caretaker Shane, a real happy go lucky type of bloke. Staying for another 2 days now. Full moon rising was very relaxing way to wait while dinner cooked.
For a regional town in a remote area, Broken Hill is well worth spending some time exploring, it has a wealth of history, art galleries as well as the well known bush artists private galleries.
The Big Picture Art Gallery with a 100mtr long mural of the surrounding area combined with a desert landscape incorporated, done by  bush artist Peter Anderson, over 9 tons of paint and 2 years to complete, it also incorporates a silver smith and chocolate factory - some free samples !
We met Jack Absalom this afternoon, spent some time in his gallery and fantastic collection of Opals, some displayed and some for sale, the quality was up there, just like his art,  I loved the way he uses the raw oil paint to get physical texture into rocks, bark etc, gave me a new appreciation of his skill.
I just wish I had  $20,000 to spare to put an original on my wall !
Went to Pro Hart Gallery but it didn't float the boat for us, each to their own I guess.
Kath wanted to see the Big Bench at the lookout east of town, Oh gee let me sit on it she says, I had a good chuckle watching her  trying to climb up there, managed it on the 4th attempt with the aid of a strategicly placed rock ! It will be a place to visit on sunset when there are a few clouds around, I should be able to get some unreal photo's.
There is also a monument to all miners who were killed  whilst working here, the wall of honour has their names, ages and cause of death, some were as young as 12 yrs, rock falls, drownings, electrocutions, lead poisoning, explosions, crushed  and the list goes on, a very tragic reminder of mineing history, work place safety we take for granted today is a result of these poor buggers who lost their lives. Also the flags flown at the Union House, red if a miner was seriously injured and black if some poor soul had lost their life at work. Hence the use of red with the ALP, it signifies the blood lost by a Union worker, learn something new every day.
We explored the park opposite the I centre with the old head gear and memorial to all Miners, it is appropriately an ant as they work co-operatively to achieve their goal.
Out and about exploring tomorrow, update to come.

Brken Hill 25-26th July

Hi all,
Spent a few days traveling from Burren Junction, quite enjoyed our stay there, the hot artesian pool was the main attraction and the camp fire group were all seasoned travellers with a lot of similar experiences. Stayed o/n at Rocky Creek Glacial Park, very basic with long drop toilets,  possums shat on my truck and feral goats abound. Only good part was the availability of Cypress Pine for our camp fire, wasn't too cold.
Spent the next day on the road to Louth beside the Darling River, it hasn't run for about 5 months now so is showing signs of blue green algae, an elderly bloke came in to the free park to empty the rubbish bins etc and supplied some great firewood. While talking to him we found out he was the local Mayor, really decent bloke. Pic of Kath beside the fire with the mandatory glass of red
The drought out here has really hit home to me, having lived and worked in many rural towns I have seen drought before but this has to be seen to be believed. Absolutely nothing is left in paddocks, the grass tufts just crumble to grey dust when touched, kangaroos just lie down and die from hunger, the only animal still handling the conditions are the feral goats and even they are climbing trees to get at the leaves. I have never seen stock in such poor condition. see pic, it's just dirt as far as one can see.
We travelled down the Darling on the Louth-Tilpa western road, heavy corrugations and plenty of bull dust, Kath's turn to drive. 😄  has to get her 'hand in' before it gets serious.
Arrived in Broken Hill yesterday afternoon, went to the camping area at Silverton, yeah right, $10/person, half a shower block working with times for ladies and blokes to shower, care taker needs to learn public relations, get off his bum and do some work, weeds and prickles are knee high around the back of the amenities, under the rubbish bins and fireplaces/BBQ are a foot deep in ash. At least the locals were friendly. pic
This park could be a real little gem if only it was cares for, needless to say we are not going back tonight, will try the race Course.
We did the underground mine tour of the Daydream Mine this morning, what a step back in time for the mining industry, well worth the time (2 hrs) and the fresh scones with a hot cuppa afterwards made it even better.
Anyway, off to see some more sights etc, catch you later.
stay safe.

Burren Junction21/7/18

Wow what a change at Copeton Dam, beautiful clear crisp night, midnight it blew up 25 to 30 knots of wind and by daylight there was thunder and light rain, thought we were in Melbourne !
So it was time to up anchor and head west young man. Called into a Olive farm and sampled a few goodies and purchased some olives and marmalade for sundowners, Leisurely drive over 2 days, last night at Rocky Creek Glacial Park, very basic with long drop toilets and the possums shat on my car!
Best part was the abundance of Cyprus pine for fire wood, reminded me of child hood days when the wood stove was lit with it, love that smell.
Came across to Burren Junction west of Narabri this morning, free camp with access to a hot artesian baths, clean facilities and a great crew of campers here.
So here we are sitting back after a feed of lamb chops, glass of red and listening to Saturday night Gold (music from the 60 - 70's) on 2WEB, Bourke watching an absolutely fantastic sunset.
We will be staying here for a few days to catch up on washing etc and just chill out, do bugger all and enjoy the hot pool even more, if Kath gets laid back any further she will go a.o.t , great to see her unwinding and enjoying the experience of total RNR.
Temps are averaging around the -2C to 17C so really it is not too bad, the breeze gets little lazy around sun set but then drops off. Good excuse to sit by the camp fire and enjoy the wine, well thats our excuse any way.
Stay safe

Inverell 19th July

Hi all,
We have enjoyed the -5C on the shore of  Copeton Dam, south of Inverell, a bit warmer tonight at 5C. Been camped here since Sunday arvo, absolutely beautiful spot to camp. The dam is down to about 20% capacity due to the drought but this has also opened up a whole new area for camping.
The Transport Museum here is worth a visit, some great old cars and bikes etc, even had my Grand Mum Dora's Chevie, same colour and everything, bit emotional memories there. Kath found their old 1956 Holden Station wagon except it wasn't pink and white.
Went fossicking for quartz, smokey quartz, grass stone and citrine yesterday at a place called Stannfield, found some nice ones to facet later, we are heading back tomorrow to find some more as I would love to get a really nice specimen of smokey quartz crystal.
The serenity of this place is unreal, sun sets to die for, wild life is very quiet and we are woken each morning by the birds, mainly a magpie chortling on the bloody roof!
A pair of kiwi's in a mobile home flogged our camping spot yesterday !!!  fire place nicely made up, neatly cut and stacked fire wood ready for the night etc, whole area neat and tidy etc, I advised them of their error and she replied " plenty of other spots" so I asked her why she didn't take her own advice and move. Bush camping etiquette out the window!
Any way we we had a good laugh when they couldn't get the fire started, kept going and then smoked their van out 😂. Karma is great.
More later
stay safe

Thallon free camp

Headed down towards Thallon, just north of Mungindi on the NSW border and into the free camp site there.  We detoured into Beardmore Dam for lunch, been years since I was last there, the level is a bit low due to the drought etc but the surrounds are looking really good. Did a tour around St George, there has been a lot of changes there, new businesses and parks etc, really improved the Town.
Brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad, very nostalgic day.
What a brilliant spot, the back drop was the wheat silos mural, find the 3 kangaroos,  see the pic. Hot bore water showers were fantastic so we had a lay over for a day and caught with the washing. Hot bore water really gets them clean.
The nights are getting colder, light frost each morning and the hoodie gets a work out each night.
Now that is a scary sight!  Didn't realise how being follickly challenged made my head so dam cold.
We are travelling to Inverell when we leave here to have another go at the elusive Sapphires etc.

bit of excitement

Travelled to Injure this morning and called in to the Library for books etc, as we entered the car park I noticed some smoke coming from the main 3phase power feed line to the building at the connection box above their roof. Ran inside and told them they had a fire on the roof.
Those girls went in all directions with fire horns and vests, evacuated the Information Centre, the driver reviver and cafe as they are all in one building.
Any way, a young bloke hit it with a dry chemical and extinguished it but then had to wait nearly an hour before Ergon arrived to turn off the power and effect repairs.
Full marks to the Staff at the Library, well done.
Tonight we are at the free camp at Surat where we will try and get our books tomorrow. We are heading towards Inverell for the Sapphire fields to try our luck there as Anakie didn't produce anything worth while.
Stay safe

Moving on.

Well the Sapphire Gods didn't favour our endeavours  at Glenalva so it's time to move on.
Left Anakie this morning and heading for Inverell tottery our luck there.
Disaster last night - the hot water system failed so it was freezing cold shower all round, will try it later today but if still U/S then its a new unit in Roma.
Stay safe

Photo's

Had to resize before posting.

Tad cool

Hi all,
It has been getting a bit cool early mornings here, first frost this morning. Kathy stays under the doona until it warms up.
The fossicking Gods havn't smiled on us as yet with only 1 small green/yellow party colour for our efforts, may be today.
Great camp spot here on the sapphire fields, plenty of bird life etc to wake up to.
not much else yet, early days.

Day 2

Fairly long day yesterday, 6 hrs or so until we arrived at Fletchers Ck free camp about 30k north of Charters Towers. It was absolutely packed with caravans, (as in over 100) as one would expect with free amenities and a 1 month limit on stay. One lot even had an enclosed veggie garden going, some one else had a few chooks, may be staying a little longer than 1 month allowed. Apparently the Council are trying to enforce it and things are turning ugly between the long term freeloaders and the Ranger.
We drove in through that lot and found a nice quiet spot near the NP boundary, very peaceful and quiet, no generators or dogs etc.
Shorter day today, pulled up at Claremont and are camping here for the night, on to the gem fields at Anakie tomorrow for an extended stay of a few days, time to relax and unwind, maybe even find a few nice Sapphires, who knows.
Stay safe my friends.

2 days to lift off

Well the excitement is now building, the home sitters have arrived, the truck is loaded with just about everything, just the frozen bits to load. The Hema HX1 is up and running, the dash cam is operational, will be interesting to see if I can use it for video runs on the rough stuff. I put a 32G micro in it so hope so anyway.  Photo's to come.