Dave and his catch
The Yorke Peninsula has a reputation for Blue Swimmer crabs and we were not disappointed, from just one pot we managed to catch 11 of legal size!
Part of our crab haul!
The sun had now set, we had drunk all our supplies, so it was home to cook us a crab feast, before we left the following morning.
The Barrier Highway led us away from the coast and further into the remote outback. As the vegetation subsided, so did the wildlife, traffic and noise. We were making our way to Broken Hill, but being some 700 kilometres away decided to stay somewhere to break the journey. There were not many options and passed through many abandoned towns, the hot dry wind having sucked any signs of life away.
The towns still in existence have changed little since their beginnings, bar decreasing in size. The homes and shops are still the originals built over a hundred years ago. The only giveaway of a modern time being the cars parked out front. This area of the outback really is an eerie place, full of ghost towns, bordered up windows and the engulfing sound of silence. The Central Outback region, with its iconic beauty, is not like out here and we began to realise why the outback can be seen as a desolate, isolated and slightly spooky place.
No sign of life for miles, then a delerict home
It was more comfortable in the car, with the air conditioning set on high, but sometimes nature calls. Stepping outside the heat made the air heavy, each breath becoming a laborious task. It was only a short walk to the ‘ablutions’, but seemed to take an eternity. The only sound to be heard was the eee- eww squeak of a whirly bird atop the toilet block. Perhaps it needed some oil, or was just working too hard but the noise, amplified in the silence, was rather eerie.
We had thought of stopping at Yunta for the night, but the patch of dirt, next to a petrol station, on the main road, that would have been home, made us press on to the next town. It was too hot to camp by the side of the road and besides, there was no shade or shelter, just a flat barren earth. We have all heard the saying ‘Big Sky Country’. It is true, the sky out here is enormous, stretching for miles and seeming to flatten the earth below.
Mundi Mundi Plains
And then we were suddenly in NSW, 50 kilometres from Broken Hill. We had been expecting a road block to take our contraband fruit and vegetables, but instead there was just a simple sign- Welcome to New South Wales. We were last in our ‘home’ state some 13 months prior. It was a strange feeling. We would soon be seeing familiar sights- NSW number plates, The Sunday Telegraph and place names familiar from childhood holidays in the ‘country’.
We had been on the road all day, and now a shower and then bed was near. Entering Broken Hill from the South Australian side the first thing you see is the cemetery. A cemetery that goes on forever, surely there are more people dead than alive in this town?
A stray I adopted in Broken Hill
Broken Hill- a place we had both visited as kids, but one that still offers many delights. No trip here is complete without popping out to Silverton. Silverton was born in 1883, but by 1899 was in decline when Broken Hill, with larger mines, was established. Although the population is less than 60, it is far from a ‘ghost town’. What is left of the ‘village’ (many buildings were transported to Broken Hill) is a major tourist attraction and movie location. Many films and commercials have been made out here, including Mad Max 2, A Town Like Alice and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
The Interceptor from Mad Max 2
Artwork, Silverton
On our way home we detoured passed the Pro Hart Gallery. This famous artist was born and bred in Broken Hill, his quirky style just part of the Broken Hill scene.
Rolls Royce, painted by Pro Hart
Having picked up the entry key from the Visitors Centre, it was then off to the Sculpture Symposium. For six weeks from April 1, 1993 sculptors from around the world worked on a lonely hilltop, in the desert country surrounding Broken Hill. There are 12 sculptures in this isolated landscape, all carved without power tools.
Sculptures, Broken Hill desert
The National Park near Menindee, 100 odd kilometres from Broken Hill, is where Dave had camped as a child. The memories of dead Gum Trees standing tall in the Menindee Lake a happy one. The Gum Trees are still there, but water has not been sighted for a very long time. In fact, all of the lakes in the National Park were bone dry. With the South Australian water allocation running through the Menindee Lakes system, we were beginning to wonder if any would reach there. However, it is the lakes outside of the National Park that will be used. With the Darling running strong, these lakes still hold water and Dave got to see the Gum Trees still standing proud in the water.
Menindee Lakes
The National Park, called Kinchega was once part of a vast sheep station. At the end of its 99 year lease it was handed back to the Government. The homestead has been reduced to a pile of rubble, due to flood, but the Shearing Shed and Quarters are still in pretty good nick, having been maintained.
Shearing Shed, Kinchega National Park
The buildings and machinery provide an insight into our heritage, but I was amused by some of the relics from the station life. On display were gadgets from the early 70’s, when both Dave and I were born. Have we become that old, that a time from our life is on Museum display!
Homestead ruins
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment