Rain, cold and campfire weather

After warm weather in Moree we moved on Saturday morning heading North and into Queensland, didn't travel to far about 190ks and stopped at Nindigully Pub to camp for the night, it's free to camp by the pub and by the river, we could tell by the cloudy weather and feeling warm and sticky that there was probably going to be rain on the way so opted to camp by the pub on hard ground rather than by the river and so glad we did as it poured down overnight and there was flooding all around, dryish where we camped but had to negotiate some boggy puddles on the way out. We did visit the pub for Happy hour, $3.50 for beer and wine, Beer was half strength, not Brian's favourite and wine was cask wine but ok, chatted to the locals, obviously a popular place and then headed back to our van for real beer and wine.......

We travelled about 160 ks on Sunday to arrive at Surat where we are now, rained on and of and the campground here had obviously had heavy rain too, could see lots of boggy areas but found a reasonable place to park and its facing the grass and river, it rained most of the afternoon and lots of campers left the next morning. We stayed, had a walk along the river in town, coffee and a shop and headed back to camp to light a campfire. We have stayed here before on our last trip and enjoyed so we have sat out the last couple of days in cold overcast weather to be rewarded by sunshine today, amazing how that changes the camp, more people walking around chatting etc. 

Nindigully Pub

The bar, most of the drinking is done out on the verandah 

Very wet and boggy in places the next morning

Cotton fields on our way to Surat

Our first campfire on this trip

Had time to sit and crochet

Time to make a damper for lunch

Looking back to our van from the river

Main Street in Surat, the campsite is close to town and each day we have come into town taken Bentley along the river walk, popped into the shops, been to the butchers twice!!, had coffee once, still thinking about a pub lunch 

Relaxing in Moree

We have been relaxing here in Moree the last 4 days, camped at the Showgrounds until tomorrow when we will be moving on. Moree is situated on the Artesian Basin and has quite a few spa's known for their healing properties, we visited the one at the public pool, two pools of hot Artesian water, one was 1.4 metres deep and as I am only 1.52 high I decided on the 1.1 metre, hot, about 40 they said the water was, but comfy, I sat and relaxed and watched. Lots of oldies, walking around the pool, they have jets of water that you can stand by to massage your body, 5 to 10 mins in the pool is recommended and then come out to cool before going in again. Brian went in twice and swam the length of the normal pool in between, he felt good after it but I don't feel any sense of wellbeing that others obviously do, not sure why... Very popular meeting place and groups sit around crocheting, reading, chatting by the pool, wished I could have taken a photo but being a public pool I thought not.

We have explored Moree town, shopping, coffee etc, found a nice walk by the river where we take Bentley each day. As it's been hot, 30 each day we have been out and about in the morning and rested in the afternoon, weather to cool down at the weekend.

Camping at the Showgrounds. Lots of space for Bentley to run around.

One of the cats that hang around, didn't stay under the van for long, Bentley soon saw it off

Came across these Bats hanging in the tree on our river walk

I've never seen bats before, something disturbed them and they flew out of the tree, screaming...

Feeling in a collective mode, found the retro Radio tin in the Post Office, $5, got lollies in too, the little cake tin I thought was cute and liked the colours

On the road To Bourke

After our stay at Broken Hill we head towards Bourke, known mostly as Back of Bourke...... Nothing much west of  Bourke is the impression you get but there is, just need a four wheel drive for a lot of it. 

We had two nights on the road to get here, mostly because we take our time, morning tea, lunch stops etc. had a great stop at a small town called Wilcannia, which had a lot of shops boarded up but a great little coffee shop, with home made cakes, a real gem

First stop was a rest area on the Barrier  Highway, good spot, not to much noise from the trucks, other vans etc and goats, oh yes lots of wild goats, they are on the lookout for water more than food and hung around the toilets and they were around the water pipe on the van when I emptied the sink, don't think Bentley was too keen on them.

Next night we stopped at a rest area 40ks before Bourke, we found that we were getting a few kangaroos around, hoping back and forward over the road, one family stopped in the middle of the road and we had to stop and wait for them to move.... Of course the trucks don't stop, just hit them and you see a lot of dead ones along the way.

We arrived in Bourke Saturday morning and as it was hot we booked into the caravan park so we could have the air conditioning, so good, of course had to do some washing etc, we had a quick trip into town as everything except IGA closed at lunch time. Had a bakery lunch, pies, award winning ones, not sure what award......... and then spent a relaxing arvo, me having a nana nap with the air con on. Nice caravan park, lovely grassed area in the middle with the vans around the outside, found Bourke to be very green in places, obviously have a underground water supply or the Darling River.

Sunday, today we took a walk by the Darling River and found nice coffee at the RSL club, also drove out of town, further down the river where there were some free campsites but very rough tracks, not something we would take the van on. Looked at PV Jandra a replica of the paddle steamer that used the Darling River, it cruises on the Darling twice a day but not on Sunday...

Coffee shop at Wilcannia

Great coffee and home made caramel slice, think I have a reflection from roof on my coffee

Wild goats at our first overnight stop

Thinking Bentley feels safer with Brian nearby 

Sunset at our second stop on the road

Darling river Bourke

Some of the bird life on the Darling River

PV Jandra

More of Darling River

Sunset at the caravan park as we sat having a drink

Broken Hill

Arrived Broken Hill on Easter Sunday, hot and sticky. Camped at the race course under the shade sails, had a drive into town and a walk around, giving Bentley some exercise now his leg is much improved, weather changed and poured down with rain, we had to go into Gloria Jeans for a coffee. found the town interesting, lots of old buildings and the streets very wide and uneven, dips in the road and pavements as if the ground is unstable which considering lots of mining went on here it probably is....BHP originated here a syndicate of 7 men formed Broken Hill Propriety in late 1800's Lead and Silver were found here with ore and minerals and the mining is still continuing but BHP no longer involved.

Monday we visited Jack Absalom Gallery, it's situated at his house and he answered the door to let us in and shook Brian's hand and invited to look around, no charge, wonderful paintings and a fantastic opal collection, later we went out to visit the Royal Flying Doctor centre at the airport and enjoyed the tour and video, did go to the lookout and Miners Memorial but we were disappointed with it, cafe closed and a neglected look about it.

Today Tuesday we drove out to Silverton about 25ks away, road is sealed but there are 39 dips in the road!! Like being on a slow roller coaster. It was once a thriving mining town but now only 60 people live there and it still has its pub which has been featured in movies and commercials, Art Gallery's are now in the old buildings and very interesting quirky type of art, lots of old cars painted etc, tea rooms where we had morning tea and then after a walk around went back for lunch 

My photo of the Lunar Eclispe, taken Saturday night

That's us on the right parked under the shade sails

Old grandstand building, not used much, showers in there but a bit old, I prefer the shower in our van

Jack Absalom house and gallery, not allowed to take photos in any of the Galleries

Royal Flying Docotors Hanger

Art work around Silverton

Mad Max 2 filmed around here

Tea rooms were next door

Brian's bush mans snack. Sausages, gravy and damper.....

My Quandong Pie and ice cream, you can see I started eating before I thought to take a photo

Art Gallery

Silverton Hotel

We have enjoyed Broken Hill and we have one more day here but will probably catch up on the shopping, visit Big W etc and head off onThursday towards Bourke. Has been good to stop a few days here, after being hot to start it has been cool and cloudy, had to get the heater out last night and porridge for breakfast ........

Heading towards Broken Hill in NSW

"After a great time with Maryvonne and Bruce we all travelled to Jamestown where we parted company, they were heading to Burra to meet friends and we were heading to Peterborough. We arrived after lunch, had a quick look around town and then headed out 2 ks to a free camp spot, close to the railway line but only a couple of goods train pass through and very friendly if you wave they give you a toot.... It was a windy cold night and morning too, laid in bed and had a leisurely breakfast, Hot Cross Buns as was Good Friday. We then headed back into Peterborough and had a coffee and a look around, they had an art and craft trail on and we visited the Art and Photo display and quilts etc, Brian went to the Steam Rail Heritage Centre, which he enjoyed. No passenger trains since 1990 but goods train passing by now. Headed to another free camp at the other end of town Friday night and then Saturday morning we made our way in again and looked around the Easter markets and did mundane jobs like visiting the launderette to do washing......

We have travelled along the Barrier Hwy towards Broken Hill and have now stopped at Olary, near the rail track of course but a pub over the road, nothing else just the pub,  great we thought, camp and then walk over for a drink, not to be, it's closed, a pub in the middle of nowhere closed!,! But lovely sunset and a full moon, took lots of photos but deleted them by mistake......... Hoping I can borrow a couple from Brian, but I think a good book and bed is the way to go 

Our first night outside Peterborough with goods train passing by, so friendly

Peterborough Markets

Olary pub, we are camped over the rd

Full moon at Olary camp

Point Lowly

Spent a wonderful couple of days at Point Lowly with friends from Mandurah, Bruce and Maryvonne, they are travelling with their Avan and meeting SA friends tomorrow but we have managed to travel together for the last couple of days. Really good to catch up and the weather was beautiful while we were at Point Lowly which is outside Whyalla, called windy Whyalla by the locals. Of course we had to visit the shops in Whyalla, Woolworths, Target, cheap as chips and even managed an op shop...

After a couple of messages from a friendly Vet, Bentley is resting....... Not easy to rest him but leaving him the van while at the shops helped and just one short walk a day, no beaches for him at the moment and his leg does seem a bit better and hopefully will continue to improve, if not it does seem as if a trip to the vets is on the cards.

Tonight we have moved on to an overnight stop at Port Pirie and it has been a hot sticky day, fortunately there is a tavern nearby so we headed there and sat in the air conditioning! This will be our last night with Bruce and Maryvonne and we have decided that a meal at the tavern is just what we need.

Point Lowly

A couple of photos of the campsite

Managed to catch a couple of sunrises, first time I have been up in the morning to catch the sunrise!

I think that might be a lost Grandad in my sunrise shot

Brian's beef schnitzel, I had chicken and it was just as big, $15 each with salad bar

Bruce had Fillet Mignon, mushroom sauce and veg $23, Maryvonne had similar.

We all took a doggie bag back except Brian.....