Australia Travel 2012

And this is where we travelled with 4WD & trusty tent ...

Left Melbourne, headed over to SA, skirted the Flinders Ranges, up the Oodnadatta Track to Lake Eyre.

Then to Alice Springs, across the Tanami Track up to WA, Halls Creek, the Bungle Bungles and Kununurra.

Took a detour to NT, Keep River and Gregory National Parks, Timber Creek, back to Kununurra & surrounds. From here it was Kimberley country, Wyndham, down the Gibb River Road, Derby, Broome, Port Hedland and inland WA down to Laverton.

Across the Great Central Road into NT to Uluru, KataTjuta, Kings Canyon, the Mereenie Loop Road into Alice Springs. From here it was across the Plenty Highway  (shredded tyre country) to SW Qld and Birdsville,  over SA border to Innaminka (Burke & Wills country), then to NSW and eventually headed south and back to VIC!


Blog starts with earlier posts in July. Click on the photos to get a better view and enjoy!

Lake Mulwala,Yarrawonga & back to Melbourne

Checked out Lake Mulwala, part of the Murray River and the border between NSW and Victoria and stayed in a motel at Yarrawonga, the Victorian town across the river to Mulwala.

Enjoyed a lovely casual brekky in a cafe here before heading back to Melbourne ... and more Canola crops along the way!

Arrived home 1 September 2012.

Murrumbidgee & the Riverina

Travelled then to Leeton (good coffee here!) and the small towns and smaller settlements along the back roads down to border and the Murray River.

Lots of Canola crops along the way, brilliant yellow!

Cobar & the Kidman Way

Heading south from Bourke now in NSW, along the Kidman Way ... via Cobar, Hillston, Griffith.

Cobar, a mining and pastoral town, copper, huge open cut gold mine.

Hillston on the Lachlan River, fruit and vegetable growing area.
 
Griffith, a big centre for the district, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, agriculture, fruit, vegetables, grapes and wineries.

Bourke & Brewarrina

Over the border into NSW and quick visit to Bourke on the Darling River, then to Brewarrina on the Barwon River. Visited a friend who teaches at Brewarrina as well.

Hard to believe that paddle steamers came all the way up the river to here in the late 1880's - floods and drought years affected this method of transport and business, and some boats became stuck in the river bed for over a year until the rains came again.

Both Bourke and Brewarrina have old historic bridges ( no longer used) that are lift span bridges - they have a section in the middle that could be lifted to allow the paddle steamers to continue up/down the rivers.

The one in Bourke is beautifully painted, but I didn't get a photo of that one!

 

Burke & Wills ... a tribute

The Burke & Wills Expedition, what an incredible story.

Innamincka in the far NE of South Australia is the location where explorers Burke & Wills met their fate in 1861, after crossing the continent south to north, finding their way back to the supply camp on Cooper Creek & discovering their support party had just left!

The support partry had waited there for 4 months, as organised by Burke, but they had left the camp only 9 hours before Burke & Wills made it back there.



It was an incredible feeling standing at the "Dig Tree" and more particularly at the exact spot on the bank of Cooper Creek where Burke died, and his original burial site.

Wills perished a little further along the way.

The bodies of both Burke & Wills were exhumed from their burial places here in 1862 and taken back to Melbourne for a state funeral.

A beautiful, peaceful spot on Cooper Creek now, beautiful trees, grasses, plants & wildflowers, am sure all who visit there wonder what it was like when Burke & his expedition party were here on the Cooper.

Wildflowers ...

Hungerford & the Dingo Fence

Hungerford is a tiny, tiny SW Qld town on the Qld/NSW border. The pub seems to be the mainstay of the community and has been in use as such since the days of Cobb & Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is also one of the places where you cross the dog or dingo fence, built in the 1880's to restrict dingoes entering the area where sheep are grazing. The fence is over 5,000km long and stretches across Qld and SA ending at the Great Australian Bight. At Hungerford you need to open and close the gate when travelling to/from Queensland or NSW.

In this part of SW Queensland is the Currawinya National Park, dry sandy plains, mulga scrub/trees and the Paroo River, it was originally a pastoral lease - the huge deserted farm woolshed is still there in the park, as are some of the other farm buildings. The park has a 25sq km Bilby enclosure to protect and preserve the Bilby, but access to this is not available to the public. Probably a good thing really! Camped here on one of the waterholes.

Wildflowers ...

SW QLD ... Thargomindah

Back across the border into SW Qld and on to Thargomindah.  

Thargomindah, the first town in Australia (and third in the world after London & Paris apparently!) to produce hydro-electric power for street lighting in the town. They used the water pressure from the town bore from the Great Artesian Basin.  

It is now a small town of approx 250 people on the banks of the Bulloo River. 

Still travelling on dirt roads, we left Thargomindah & headed south to the QLD/NSW border and the tiny town of Hungerford and Currawinya National Park.

Innamincka

Headed down to Innamincka via the dirt roads, the only way to get there unless you are flying, & what a revelation this place is!

Seriously in the middle of nowhere in the top NE corner of SA, the beginning/end of the Strzelecki Track, a pub, basic accommodation, store, fuel supply, police station & plenty of travellers & mining people calling in to this tiny mecca on the banks of Cooper Creek.



Camped on the "town common" on the banks of the Cooper along with everyone else and had a couple of drinks & a mighty fine dinner at the pub.

Despite its outward appearance & full of photos & memoriabilia front bar, the pub has been updated & the "Outamincka" bar was a popular destination that night ... including us!

Innamincka is also the location where explorers Burke & Wills met their fate in 1861 after crossing the continent south to north, finding their way back to the supply camp on Cooper Creek & discovering their support party had just left!

More in a later blog ...

Birdsville

Birdsville, home to the Birdsville Races held on the first weekend in September ... and we were there the week before, so another event missed on our travels!

Checked out the race track though & soaked up the ghost like atmosphere of the sandy track & punters viewing area, as well as seeing the actual Cup prize up close at the visitor centre.

A drink at the pub & coffee & a pie at the Birdsville Bakery & we had just about covered the whole town.

Stayed at the caravan park on a billabong on the Diamantina River, soon to fill up to overflowing when over 6,000 converge on the town for the races. Apparently people set up camp along the river areas & anywhere they can when the races are on.

The Birdsville Track begins/ends here.

SW Qld ... Bedourie

Our eastward journey finished at Boulia & then we headed south to Bedourie, 1600km west of Brisbane & 200km north of Birdsville, the next stop on our desert track journey.

This is Channel Country in SW Qld. Diamantina Shire. Diamantina & Georgina rivers. Good cattle country but hard to believe that when you see the scrubby looking country as you are driving through it. Plenty of wildflowers to keep me busy with the camera. Also one of the few Bilby areas left in the country... but we didn't see any!

Camped almost on the side of the road in the town's "caravan park" & enjoyed a meal & a few stories with 2 fellow travellers at the Simpson Desert Oasis "restaurant" across the road.

Plenty Hwy ... shredded tyre

Plenty Highway- hardly a highway, it is a rough in parts, corrugated, dirt 4WD track passing through some interesting country, outback stations & settlements.

Turnoff is 68km north of Alice Springs, links NT with Queensland & is now part of what is knowng as "The Outback Way", with fossicking for gems a popular pastime for some around Gemtree (logical really).

Our excitement came when we were heading to Tobermorey Station to camp for the night & just 40km short of our destination ... we had a blowout & a very much shredded & very flat tyre! Not on the worst bit of road either.

That took care of one of our spare tyres & provided a talking point for most of the other happy camper travellers stopping overnight on the lovely green grass camping area at Tobermorey Station. 

Tobermorey is a great spot to camp just before the NT/QLD border, even with a loud generator running 24/7 !

Alice Springs Desert Park

Back in Alice again, this time to catch up with friends, clean up & stock up for our trip across the Plenty Highway into SW Qld. Missed the Henley-on-Todd Regatta by only a couple of days of course - just adding it to the list of festival & events we have missed!

We also visited the Alice Springs Desert Park, a great natural area right in Alice Springs itself which shows the different types of habitats, plants, bird & animal life found in the desert country in the Centre.

Great for people who aren't able to get out to Uluru or the MacDonnell Ranges & gorges whilst they are in the area. A fantastic nocturnal house kept us intrigued for quite some time.

Couldn't resist visiting a particular art gallery in Todd Mall ... & a favourite cafe for a coffee!

Hermannsburg & Albert Namatjira

Hermannsburg was an Aboriginal mission settlement established in 1877 by Lutheran missionaries on the traditional lands of the Western Aranda people, 130km west of Alice Springs. The mission area was handed back to the traditional Aranda owners in 1982.

The Ntaria Indigenous community is adjacent & the Hermannsburg mission area is now a Heritage Precinct with 18 buildings & the old cemetery remaining.

You can walk around the whole precinct & explore almost every building. Impressive German knowhow in building the church, school, residenses & water supply to last a long time. One of the buildings built in 1887 is now used as the Kata-Anga Tea Rooms. Quite a surprise. Very basic but of course we took the opportunity to have a cuppa, sandwich & scones, jam & cream!

The  Hermannsburg School of Watercolour painting began here & one of the buildings has a collection of watercolours by Hermannsburg artists on display. Now the Hermannsburg Potters & Ntaria Art Group of silk painters continue the tradition of Aranda artists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Albert Namatjira was born in Hermannsburg & later built this house (now restored) for his wife & family on the banks of the Finke River nearby.