ACROSS THE BORDER AND BACK INTO QUEENSLAND

Feels like we are almost home!?

Thursday and Friday 6th and 7th April.Yes, here we are back into Queensland after spending a good year seeing the North, West and South of this BIG country.  Spent two nights at St George Pelican Rest Tourist Park where it was back down memory lane to when we had our "Last Supper" (a big cook-up to use our food stocks before getting home) here right in this camp kitchen in 2003 Outback Tour with Tracey, Tony, Terry, Pete, Barry, Debbie, Bob and Nathaniel.

What a pity I could not download a picture of the last time we were here.

We have had a bit of rain since we are here so went down to the bridge to see how it was coming down.

So many farms out this way rely on water to get their crops ready.  Currently the cotton farms are harvesting, so encountered many trucks along the highways.

Saturday 8th April we travelled on over to Dalby for lunch.  Wow, what a large township this is now.
Spending the night at Gowrie Mountain catching up with Terry for the night.  Great to see him and reminese over the times spent on previous trips.  Many more to come I'm sure.

Love this sunset.

What a great spot out here.

LIGHTENING RIDGE

Well - this place is certainly a VERY INTERESTING place.

"Stanley" the emu made from VW car bodies welcomes the travellers on the Castlereagh Highway

We booked into the Opal Caravan Park which is just a short stroll along from the 24 hour hot thermal baths which are great to soak in after the sun goes down.

We managed to travel all the "Car Door" coloured routes around Lightning Ridge to view all the history of mines and self made buildings.  Very quirky. We watched the sunset up the top of a hill overlooking west where this building made from cans and bottles and coloured glass.

Also up at the hill is this "rock mase"

Around town are some John Murray art works and his gallery is well worth a stroll through to view his quirky art.  My favourite is his "Budgie Smugglers"

We took a tour down into the Chambers Black Hand Mine.  There one can view hundreds of sculptures - some still works in progress, as well as viewing the mine shaft tour and purchasing a piece of opal set in beautiful jewellery.

A few steps to go underground or get into a small cage and go down.

The Opal Caravan Park has entertainment from Susie and I forget her mates name.  What a hoot they are.  Certainly know how to entertain the families and they have different shows each night.

This family partook in a comedy skit.  Just hilarious.

Their rendition of a Aussie Haka.

Along the Yellow Car Door Tour you come to this mine -

Like a heap of mines now, one can see endless wrecks of vehicles and equipment once used above and below the mine sights.

This church was built out here for a movie. Cannot remember the name of it!

Yes, Lightning Ridge is certainly well worth a visit for its individuality.

NORTH THROUGH THE COBAR GOLD REGION

Travelling north on the Kidman Highway arriving at Cobar we drove up the Fort Bourke Lookout overlooking this underground gold and copper mine which has been in operation since 1992.

After stopping for lunch in this rural busy township, we carried on north to Bourke where we drove around town (very quiet) for a look to see the Darling River precinct, (not too much else to see other than Fred Hollows was burried out at the cemetery). I found a free camp out of town on the eastern side!!!!!!!!  Goats, emu's as well as kangaroos abound through here and the goat's meat sells for export at a great price.
Mays Bend on a farm road????  Not sure if we were at the right spot but found a place for the night. Very quiet and peaceful and did not see another vehicle or animals around.

THE LONG PADDOCK

The Long Paddock covers the Cobb Highway stretching between Moama and Wilcannia.
Long Paddock refers to a stock route or open road along which stock can graze as they are driven to market or any other approved destination.  Today, this route is still used to drive cattle and sheep.

As we travelled this Cobb Hwy we noticed the signs pointing out The Long Paddock ?!?!, so when we reached Mathoura we pulled into the rest area and read the information as to what it all meant.

This remembers the woodsmen that saw down the trees to make their houses out of and love the dog cocking it's leg and the galahs in the tree tops.

The Drover and His Horse. Remembers the hard work they did to drive the stock down the highway and across rivers.

Yes, plenty of sheep stations out this way as well as cattle stations.

I was looking forward to stopping at Deniliquin for a coffee and viewing the artwork there but - the town was busy as and no parking for the likes of us!  On to Hay where I designated this as our night stop at the Hay Services Club (free camp) but found a great park just as we crossed the Murrumbidgee River bridge so pulled into this lovely place for lunch then took a stroll around Bushy Bend Reserve to observe the ARTback Sculptures of the Long Paddock

The collection provides a unique interpretation of the stories and history of the Long Paddock stock route.

This Long Paddock Sculpture is at Black Swamp 

This depicts the problems along the route for all wagon wheels.  Stuck in mud, broken spokes, broken axles, broken rim and so the problems go on!

The blacksmith was a busy person, mending axles, making horse shoes, making chains and everything in between.

These two are depicting the two types of landscape surrounding the town of Hay.  Under the early settlers the natural landscape was transformed from its relatively unproductive state to one of intensive irrigated production.

This side depicts the large rivers that run through Hay and as they flood then recede during the dry weather leaving billabongs and lakes while the rivers are ever changing direction as they flow downstream.

This reminds us of the use of the trees to build canoes to cross the large rivers.

And lastly, the Long Paddock travelling along the countryside - wet or very dry, across the rivers - swollen with flood waters or very little water to quench the thirst of all, men, women and cattle.

We intended to stop at the Information Centre as we always do, but the police and a huge part of all the residents were attending a funeral in the main street of town so we quietly past by and on to the Hay Services Club where we parked for the night.

Had a wonderful time with the locals and travellers here.  Won a bar draw and got a bottle of Sav. Blanc.  Wayne was able to watch the first half of the rugby league as we are now in NSW we do not have to listen/watch the AFL!!

 Ha Ha.  It looks like we were the only ones there but approximately fifty patrons turned up for the Friday night raffles and when the raffles were drawn the place just emptied out within ten minutes.  Only the dye hard gamblers at the pokie machines were there when we trundled off home to our bed.

Saturday 1st April.  We decided to make it to Mount Hope to park for the night so left the Riverina region of NSW and north up the Kidman Highway now to Outback NSW.

I feel so sorry for the farmers up here.  They have had some rain so the paddocks are plowed ready to sow their seed but the wind is blowing their top-soil every where.

Just look at the top soil being blown away!

Mount Hope coming into view amongst the taller trees beside the Kidman Highway

Here we are, plugged into power for only $10.  Hope the local hall doesn't have a party here tonight?!