I went to Mildura to spend 3 days catching up with a friend, not travelling. Whilst there I made an appointment for another Covid shot and a fluvax, which meant that I had a whole week to fill after she left. I wanted to see another confluence, where the Murrumbidgee merges with the Murray. This is upstream from Wentworth and Mildura, but I wasn’t sure of the best way to access it. I made what turned out to be the bad choice of going to the NSW side first; this meant that by the time I reached the Victorian side it was raining and the access track was inaccessible. However we still got bogged in a residential street and I had to call the RACV to pull Bertha back into action. The inevitable third setback came the next day, when I inadvertently put petrol into her diesel tank. She spent the day getting flushed out while I got jabbed, drank Italian coffee, ate Malaysian nasi lemak, and walked a long distance around town. I spent nights 101&102 at Psyche Pumps VIC (A) which was wet and well vegetated, nights 103&104 on the edge of Lake Benanee NSW (B) in very arid country, night 105 in a car park in Balranald NSW (C), asphalt. I wasn’t able to camp near Murrumbidgee-Murray confluence (E), so for night 106 I went to Robinvale Riverside Caravan Park VIC (F) and for night 107 to Mildura-Buronga Discovery Park, in Burunga NSW (blue dot). The first slideshow is Mildura and the Victorian side of the river, and the second one Balranald and the NSW side, finishing with the Australian Inland Botanical Gardens, which we visited from Mildura. The alphabetical references in the previous paragraph are to the map beneath the slideshows.
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Night 99 was spent alone in the shearers’ quarters at Tolarno Station. I wanted the shower rather than the bed, and slept in Bertha under a big pepper tree. I managed to catch the mouse that had travelled with me all the way from Hillston (about 7 weeks) in a shoe box and deposited it under the tree. After only 3 hours I heard a great scrabbling behind my head and the patter of tiny feet on the roof. He was back. I didn’t realise I needed to drive off in the middle of the night. Pooncarie was only a lunch stop, but quite a delightful small town. I wanted to see the place where the River Darling meets the Murray. This happens at the NSW town of Wentworth. It’s a small town, but was established early and now has a deep sense of history as is evidenced by the presentation of the Gaol and the Museum. I spent night 100 free camping beside the Murray Darling in the rain. The next day I crossed the river on an old iron bridge, entered Victoria, and approached Mildura along several impressive avenues of palm trees. I left Broken Hill early on Good Friday because I wanted to reach Menindee in time to join the River Lady cruise on Lake Wetherall that started at 11 am. The lady was about to cast off as I jumped out of Bertha. “You’re late,“ she said disapprovingly. “You made it!“ Said fellow tourist in a tone of triumph. It was worth the effort. The lakes are very full of water at the moment, A great contrast to the surrounding desert. I spent nights 97&98 in the Kinchega National Park, camped beside the River Darling. The river is lined with massive red gum trees whilst only metres away the parched Mallee scrub begins. I saw more lakes, the ruined Kinchega Homestead and the preserved shearing shed. I arrived in Broken Hill aflame with artistic inspiration and wondering how easy it would be to rent some studio space, but things didn’t play out in any way I had hoped. As it turned out I spent a long time, nights 87-96, in the Lakeview Caravan Park* and saw very little of the city, apart from some public buildings and some public art. Nor did I get to explore any of the places to the north. All of that will have to wait for my return. Yes! I am going to go back. * https://accommodation.campermate.com.au/shop/broken-hill/nsw/lake-view-broken-hill-caravan-park/2222 Besides a store, a petrol station and the closed swimming pool, Wilcannia, which was once the third largest port in the colony, has a large number of historic buildings and various public initiatives. Wilcannia to Broken Hill Is a 2-hour journey, but I chose to spend night 86 at the. Little Topar Roadhouse. The country was flat and stark, although it did mellow into greyer folds as I approached Broken Hill. It’s been a bit of a frustration that this Weebly blog doesn’t follow formatting instructions properly on my tablet, and it is my best tool now my computer has died. |
AuthorIn mid 2018 I started recording each night I sleep in Bertha: sometimes just for myself, sometimes to share with friends and other travellers. Archives
February 2024
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