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Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Melbourne
August 12th 2007
Published: August 12th 2007
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Blog 19
Still I got ahead of myself , we are having trouble with the computer , it tells me to connect to mains power as my battery is low , when I check the power in the battery it says it is 100 %, but still the computer goes into hibernation. That is why there are no pictures, I get on line manage to get the blog on line , I hope , then the bloody thing goes into hibernation.
When we arrive at Gunn Point Steve and Alison are over the moon that we looked them up , they come from Adelaide but like a lot of Australians they go north in the winter for the sun, they spend three months around the Darwin area . There are 4 couples , they are all naked , did I tell you they were naturists ?
We put on our sarongs , Dave never thought he would see a son of his wearing earrings , when they got their ears pierced , well boys , bet you never thought you’d see your father in a skirt ? I have the pictures for you. Could be pay back time.
I was
wave rockwave rockwave rock

surfing with these knees
ok until one came over to talk to me , I haven’t a clue what he said , I just kept thinking , you could have somebody’s eye out with that. After a couple of days there were just Steve and Alison , Sue and Dennis, Dave and myself , and it didn’t seem so daunting , Dave had fallen into walking around naked very quickly, I still wore my sarong , in fact I only took it off when fishing . The week we were there was very relaxing in good company , collecting wood , in fact I can still see Alison in her motorised wheelchair with the heavier logs tied on the back , and her pulling them back to the campfire, lighting fires on the beach to cook our fish on , playing scrabble , reading and laughing. We had seen Sue walking around naked for several days , but what will stick in Dave’s mind for a long time , is her having a shower , wrapping herself in a towel , but giving us a quick flash , it was all very surreal.
Eventually we part company , Alison and Steve , Sue and
stromatolitestromatolitestromatolite

the only living one in captivity
Dennis are going to a naturist’s campsite at Berry Springs we are heading south. We go back over our tracks to Daly Waters , although we had travelled this road several times everything is different now the grasses are drying out the termite mounds which are enormous stand tall and proud exposed by the dieing grass. The flowers have completed their cycles and are now seed heads , the red earth meets the tarmac . We pass through familiar towns , we visit Stan and Mary at the Grove Hotel , we call in at Copperfield Dam , although the campers are different , the new ones are still as friendly , we sit round a campfire sharing our travel stories . This time we have a new interest in Mataranka , I had read a book after our last visit written by a Victorian lady Mrs. Jeannie Gunn , it was written in 1902 her husband had been made manager of a big cattle station , in the depths of the northern territory , it is a moving and simple account of her life , the isolation the loneliness , the cruelty and beauty of the land , and the people , a very good read , the station was called Elsey ,which is just outside Mataranka which didn‘t exist in her day, we visited the cemetery and the sight of the homestead , visiting the cemetery made the book come to life . Our next overnight stop was Larrimah , the hotel here boasts the highest bar , then down to Three Ways , across to mount Isa , here we try to get another battery for the computer , no luck though, then on to Boulia , from here we head south to Bedourie , we are staying here for a few days as there is a Camel race at the weekend , 14th July , too good to miss , and there is a charity car rally , arriving , and staying over for 2 nights. This was a good rest on our long journey south , we met the camel owners Julie and Jim and one of the jockeys called Brett , we helped gather mulga branches to feed the camels , and were bitten by red ants for our trouble, the day of the races we backed all the winners except one. We were
hello therehello therehello there

the one that got away
lucky to stumble upon this as the camel racing season is only six weeks .
And so we set off on our last big adventure , we are very excited , we are heading to Birdsville , the scenery is stunning and very red , we can see sand dunes in the distance , from the town we travel out to the big red , it’s big and well ,very red , we climb to the top to watch the hardy souls hoist their dessert flags above their 4x4’s and drive over the sand dune heading into the Simpson desert , some struggle over the top , decide that is far enough and turn around realising that the big red is just one of hundreds of dunes that have to be tackled before returning to civilization , we watch at least six attempting a return ,not getting over they drive down the valley between the dunes and try a different route over , before we leave they all get over . We had contemplated going over the first sand dune but after watching the others struggle decided we wouldn’t.

We return to the town of Birdsville , here
the log pullerthe log pullerthe log puller

put another log on the fire
we stock up , make sure the water tanks are full along with the petrol tank and the jerry can , we know we cant go all the way without a jerry can. In the evening we relax in the famous Birdsville Hotel , we meet a fellow pom , he is a comedian , a friend of Mike Reed , he was on the Comedians in the seventies , his name is Peter Dean , he is on a tag along tour of the outback , in the morning he is headed into the Simpson Desert , over the big red , we wish him well.
We rise bright and early , as prepared as we can be , we know it will take us at least 2 days before we reach Innaminka , our first overnight stop is at an abandoned homestead , Cadelga , we are the only people there , we could be the only people in the world , the sunset is stunning , and the silence , there is not a sound after the birds have settled down , the sky is a carpet of stars right down to the horizon , it’s beautiful.
In the morning we are awoken to a dawn chorus of budgies , we hear an engine , a twelve seater four wheel drive tour bus pulls in and disgorges its passengers , they are on the way to Cordillo Downs , this is a sheep station which has Australia’s biggest shearing shed , they have paused here to have coffee and to stretch their legs . We leave before them , visit the shearing shed , and head on for Innaminka , the road is fairly rough especially where the creek beds cross the track, sometimes it is very slow going and stony , the holes are filled with bull dust , this is very fine red sand it feels like talcum powder , but it fills the holes so there is no knowing how deep they are. This fine red dust gets into any gap it can find in the van , when I open my store cupboard all our cans are covered. The petrol light comes on when we are 57 kilometres from Innaminka , we have done this deliberately as we wondered if the fuel light worked , we check the manual to see how much fuel is left when the light comes on , it says , advisable to refuel as soon as possible very helpful , it doesn’t even say how many litres are left in the tank , we fill from the jerry can . We reach Innaminka late afternoon , we are in one of the remotest tourist destinations , there is a petrol station , an hotel / motel and shop , and a few houses and three telephone boxes and a queue of people waiting to call in , it is important to inform someone usually the police of your route and expected time of arrival, and of course you must call in when you do arrive , it is amazing the number of 4x4’s their roof racks loaded with jerry cans , gathered at this spot they would have travelled from the south from Lyndhurst or east from Nocundra. Nobody had overtaken us from Birdsville in the north and only one went passed while we filled up with fuel and they stopped to see ‘’we were right’’. Camping is along the Cooper Creek , we decide to camp at Wills grave site this is about 50 klm south east of the town.
In the morning we visit the spot where he was buried , of course his body is not there now both the bodies of he and Burke were recovered and buried in Melbourne amidst much pomp and ceremony at a later date . We find a simple cairn and the inscription reads , William John Wills , second in command of the Burke and Wills expedition , born Totnes Devon England 1834 , Died near here about June 29th 1861 . Another twenty or so kilometres along the creek towards the town is a piece of tree , cut into the bark is the word King , until the 1970’s this was the only marker of this historic site , and this is where King was found living with Aborigines . We then go 8 kilometres east of the town to the site where Burke died , the plaque on the cairn here is a bit more specific .Robert O’Hara Burke died here 28th June 1861 . All three sites are beautiful , on the banks of the Cooper Creek there are huge gum trees , beneath them is a carpet of yellow flowers , the creek is full of fish , which is why there are lots of pelicans here , and other brightly coloured birds. These Explorers didn’t need to die here , Dave and I wondered if we could have survived , with our new bush skills we think we could have.
Our next stop is the Dig Tree , we are surprised how far it is from the burial sites , it is 63 kilometres by road and on the other side of the creek , there is an airstrip nearby , the notice at the entrance says , Dig Tree management fee $11.00 inc gst , per vehicle or Aircraft. The dig tree is still standing it is a large Coolibah tree on the bank of Cooper creek it still bears some of the etching made in 1861 , all we could make out was some roman numerals LXB and nearby was another tree with the face of Burke carved into the trunk , this was done in 1898 by an aborigine called John Dick it is a good likeness and still very clear. It is a long way from civilisation even now , so when Burke , Wills Grey and King were here it must have been daunting , and a long walk.
We return to Noccundra , it is from here we attempted the journey in March and were forced back by the water , they remember us and are pleased we got through this time , apparently the rain stopped after we left and there has been no rain since.
We call in at Yowah , there is an opal festival for three days , and we want to look up Peter and Margaret , if you remember it was Margaret’s 64th birthday when we were all stuck in Eulo. We ask around while looking at the shiny stones , we go fossicking , on the third day they find us .
Our next stop is Eulo , we are sorry to hear Ken and Marlene are away , they have both been ill and no longer own the Eulo Queen hotel , we are sorry to have missed them , they still live in Eulo though.
We head for Bourke , Walgett , and Lightening Ridge , we stay back on the Lorne sheep station , there is an opal festival here also for three days , we are trying to avoid turning south as we know the weather gets colder the further south you go at this time of the year. Peter and Tina make us welcome , they too remember us, we decide to stay for five nights , the van is full of red dust and this will give us a chance to clean it out , also there is drinkable water here , for the last week or two the water has been a bit iffy. I love this place , the facilities are great , there is a camp kitchen , dining room and lounge , there are a lot more people here now , and not so many flies , the first couple we talk to are Sheila and Dennis , they catch our attention as they are sat under a tree having afternoon tea with a teapot , I haven’t seen a teapot since I left England. Sheila came from Morecombe , although she has lived here since her thirties she still has the accent. In the evening a huge campfire is lit and others join the circle , a little later we are entertained by Alan and his guitar he is a shadows fan . During the evening a young American girl arrives , called Brenda from Kalamazoo Michigan, she has travelled by train from Sydney , as there is no railway here she had to complete her journey by bus to the town and Tina collected her from the town and brought her to the Station , she is staying in one of the shearers quarters. Tina will pick her up in the morning 8.15 am and take her into town to look at the opals . We meet lots of people here , Bev and Rudy , Diana , she has a van similar to ours without four wheel drive or the ground clearance , she has offered to store our van until we return , with a view to buying it should we not come back , Alan and Maryanne , Alan announces he will be cooking a pig and a lamb on the spit on Thursday evening and we are all welcome to a free barbeque , Simone ,she is on a trial run to see if she can travel on her own , Pam and Kim , whom we nickname Thelma and Louise , these two are on a girls only trip , Pam is a singer , jazz and blues , Kim wants to meet a real cowboy. We all have things in common , we like a drink , a laugh , and company , no televisions in our vans. The evening wears on Brenda decides she can’t make that early start with Tina , we offer to take her with us about 10.00am a much more civilised hour. Having arrived in the evening Brenda was wandering around the station when we arose , she wondered how anyone in their right mind could turn up here and still be here a year later , or even twenty years later , this was a city girl ,she liked shops.
We have a wonderful day visiting an opal mine , the miner when he got fed up with digging for opal has carved into the sandstone , there are all the animals of Australia , the opera house , the Simpsons , atlas holding up the ceiling of the mine , my favourite was Gollum from lord of the rings looking for the precious .Some walls were painted , there was a painting copied from the ceiling of the Sistine chapel .The notice outside the mine announced that if you were not amazed you would get your money back , Brenda said before we entered we should not be amazed, when we entered the first chamber the first thing she did was say WOW , we both stared at her , we don’t know what we were expecting but it was amazing. We then spent a few hours looking at the displays of opals on the stalls in town , then a trip around the opal fields before returning to the station for another fun evening around the campfire .Dennis who was always up first would keep the fire going into the night so that there were plenty of hot embers for the pig and lamb spit roast the next evening , and what an evening it was our numbers swelled to 80 , there was a keyboard player , a bush poet , Alan on his guitar , there was dancing and much drinking and the best damper in the world, and enough pork crackling for all. Diane offered to take Brenda out the next day , she had discovered another attraction , a collection of lamps at the Black Queen opal mine , but first we would all meet at the spa pools were we would relax in the warm waters Sheila and Dennis would join us. While in the pool we got talking to other visitors to the opal festival , they asked where we were staying , we told them Lorne station , they were really pissed off they were on a site in town and had already heard about the party we had , had the night before , we told them that tonight was curry all round using up the remains of the pig and lamb , the wife wanted to move , the husband wanted to stay in town near the pub. That night should have been the last for all of us , including Brenda who was booked on a bus and train back to Sydney , but we hadn’t done the walkabout tour of the station with it’s lookout , and gallery , followed by fossicking for opal , then there was the tag along tour of the opal fields , a full day trip with a mid morning drink at the club in the scrub , followed by lunch at the Hilton Hotel ,digging for opals on the newest opal field, finishing this longest pub crawl with the fewest pubs at The Sheep Yard Hotel, 160 kilometre round trip , Brenda changed her ticket , everyone extended their stay. So we asked her , ‘’How does anyone in their right mind turn up here in the middle of nowhere end up still here a year later ?’’Of course eventually we all had to leave , but not before agreeing to have a reunion in 2009 . I hope we can make it.
Our next destination will be Tolmie , ‘where nothing ever happens’ this is near the Kelly tree we want to make sure they are ok, there had been big fires after we left.
On the way just north of Gilgandra we come across a memorial to John Oxley, he was an explorer , on a tour of discovery into the interior in 1818. Now this was after Blaxland , Lawson and Wentworth had discovered a route over the Blue mountains , because up to now there was ‘not a yard of cultivated land beyond the east coast colony‘. Now George Evans the Deputy Surveyor General showed what might be expected , when following the path through the mountains discovered the Macquarie and Lachlan rivers watering the Bathurst plains , in 1815 the town of Bathurst was founded. Our John Oxley was a young energetic naval officer , he had secured the position of Surveyor General , but was not content to sit in an office and so in 1817 he followed the windings of the Lachlan river for hundreds of miles over the plain he finally came to a point where the river became a series of stagnant pools. In 1818 he decided to investigate the Macquarie river , ‘but here again a broad deep and vigorously flowing stream flattered the travellers at the beginnings of their journey , and mocked them by disappearing after carrying their boats for about 150 miles‘. It flowed over a great plain , maintained its current through a chain of sprawling pools and then as Oxley recorded ‘’without any previous change in breadth, depth , or rapidity of the stream , and when I was sanguine in the expectation of soon entering the long sought for lake, it all at once eluded our further pursuit by spreading at all points north west to north east over the plains of reeds that surrounded us , the river decreasing in depth from upwards of 20feet to less than five feet and flowing over a bottom of tenacious blue mud’’ so there you have it , or as one person put on the cairn we were now looking at ‘buggar it no inland sea then’. But as we all know now there is a vast inland sea , that is how the small towns in the interior exist , the vast inland sea is underground , it is called the artesian basin . The spa baths we visited in lightening ridge are fed by the artesian bore water.
We reach the Kelly tree , where we had camped , there was a pile of fallen boughs ,all around were burnt trees , the road we had taken from Tolmie to here had suffered intense burning . When we reached the pub they were pleased to see us , they had been talking about us only the day before , apparently the Barmy army had been in the news , it was here on our last visit of course we suffered because we had just lost the cricket , and when we ordered a drink the cry went up ‘’the pome’s are here’’.It was just good humoured banter , and as for being known as ‘’a Town where nothing ever happens ‘’this is very understated, five houses were lost here in the fires , but this community rallied together and still put on their annual fun day on Australia day even though they were all exhausted from fighting the fires. Australians are very hardy , friendly people. It began to rain it was very windy we decide not to camp in the area but make a dash straight to Melbourne, I had hoped for just one more night in the van but it was just too cold. Sue and Alex welcomed us back and agreed to look after the van until we return , we have put Alex on the insurance and hope they have a good time , we can’t thank them enough for being here for us nothing ever seems to be too much trouble , we truly feel at home. I’d like to thank them here for allowing us to just drop in with no notice , especially when we returned early from Tasmania and a day early this time.
This is the end of our adventure , we’d like to thank all the people we met who befriended us , amused us , and taught us many skills , we know we were green pomes when we started out , but didn’t we do well. As we land in England Australia will disappear like Brigadoon into the mist, we won’t read anything in the newspapers , or see anything on the television ,Australia will cease to be. Bryson made the same observation .
But we will see Mrs. Bucket and Richard , they are coming back to England in September , we look forward to that.
Well dear reader I hope you enjoyed our journey , when’s your gap year?

JO and Dave.


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