Pounding to Trails of Wilpena

I’m not sure why but our next stop, Wilpena Pound, is a place I have wanted to visit for a long time. The drive from Peterborough through Hawker to the ‘Pound’ was highlighted by more stunning scenery as we approached the foothills of the Flinders Ranges. Passing through quaint country towns such as Orroroo and Carrieton on the R.M. Williams Way, we lamented the fact that we should take the time to stop and look around them. If we did that for every town we passed through however, we would still be in the Blue Mountains!!!

We literally stopped in the middle of nowhere for morning tea. Since we didn’t reach rest stop by 11am I just pulled over. Lea decided to brew up a “fancy” coffee which seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to boil so my intended quick pit stop stretched out to a 45minute coffee marathon!!

The campsite is very picturesque, nestled amongst the Cyprus Pines and Red Gums right at the only entrance to Wilpena Pound itself. After a late lunch (thanks to a late morning tea) we went for an exploratory walk. We soon realised the scale on the map was very deceptive so we cut it short and returned home for happy hour (it’s only taken two weeks to knock it into the kids that “home” for the next 3 months is the large box on wheels we’ve been towing behind the car!!) With rain forecast for the next few days we weren’t too hopeful of being able to see Wilpena Pound in its full glory.

Today (Tuesday) did in fact bring rain. It was quite warm over night – the warmest it’s been since we left in fact which was surprising since from talking people who were here last week when we were in Broken Hill, we were expecting it to be freezing (nearly literally!!) The rain was the on-again, off -gain variety so we decided to go for a drive however once we were ready to head off the weather looked like it had settled down (cloudy but no rain) so we changed plans again and set off on foot into the Pound proper.

About 15miniutes into what was expected to be a 3 hour walk, the sky started to turn a peculiar shade of purple!! Always the optimist, I said it was just the effect of the red dust blown up in to the air by the overnight winds but when people coming the other way said there had been too much rain recently for there to be any dust I just kept quiet. We were committed to the walk so there wasn’t much we could do about it anyway!! Fortunately the rain held off (I still reckon it was dust!) and we enjoyed a very pleasant stroll through the pass into Wilpena Pound, stopping at the Hills Homestead (a 19th century stone homestead and the only building within Wilpena Pound itself) for lunch.

The climb up to Wangara Lookout should have afforded spectacular views of this natural amphitheatre however the haze from the rain that decided to make a reappearance soon put a dampener on that (no pun intended). We completed the 8km round trip walk in just on three hours (which included a couple of rest stops and lunch). Timmy began to wilt in the final stages but the lure of an ice cream from the general store soon got him going again!! The whole day had been shrouded by cloud and rain but as soon as we got back to the caravan and got stuck into our ice creams, the sky’s seemed to miraculously clear and the sun came out. My suggestion of us all donning our walking shoes and doing the whole thing again to get better photos was greeted with contempt that it probably deserved (can’t anyone take a joke??!!)

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I’m hoping we’ll be able to take a scenic flight around Wilpena Pound its surrounds as a belated 40th birthday present to myself. The stars are out tonight so here’s hoping.

P.S. We're having a few technical hitches with our emails at the moment. We receive OK but cannot send any. I'm hoping to get this fixed in the next few days. In the mean time happy reading.

A Land of Contrasts

Our aim today was to get to Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. This was going to be another fairly long haul so we were up and at it early. We got so dirty packing the van up (from the mud still on it from the week before) that we decided we’d had enough – it was time to give the van a bath!! Once we were hooked up we ventured back into town to the car wash. This was great! Three bucks, and 5 minutes with the high pressure cleaner and the van was looking in much better shape.

With the van clean (and probably 50kg lighter from all the mud that came off) we continued west to the South Australia, stopping briefly for the obligatory tourist shot at the border and a toilet stop (the first of quite a few today for some reason). I was surprised at how the landscape changed as we travelled. The scraggy saltbush plains gave way to Mulga scrub (and the return of the goats) and then we seemed to be gently funnelled in to a wide valley running between to unknown ranges (I’m sure they have a name but they weren’t shown on the map I had). As we approached Peterborough, the terrain became quite hilly again. After the reds and browns of the outback that we had been driving through for the last few days, the vegetation became very green and lush (obviously prime grazing land) reminding us very much of the south coast around Berry.
We stopped to refuel in Peterborough and rang Wilpena Pound Campsite to check to see if they had a vacant site. Luckily we did as it turned out that they were full!! Fortunately we could book three nights starting tomorrow so as there was no real point in going any further for the day, we decided to call it quits early and stopover in Peterborough. The caravan park here is very nice and has a lovely view. There is even a mini Put-Put golf course which the kids (both young and old) loved. Sean got two hole-in-ones which he was most proud of. I don’t think Tim quite got the idea initially as he was trying to score more points than anyone else by seeing how many time he could hit the ball before getting it in the hole!!

Broken Hill Busted

Today is our last day in Broken Hill and despite the weather not being the best for the last few days we have had a great time here. Fully fuelled up again we went out to Silverton and Mundi Mundi lookout. Mundi Mundi is reputed to be a place from where you can look out across a plain so vast that you can see the curvature of the earth. As we were approaching the lookout from the blind side of the rise, I commented to Leanne that I hoped this was not going to be one big anti-climax. However, as we crested the hill we were both gobsmacked!! The sight was every bit as impressive as it's reputation made it out to be.

Although there was a cold wind blowing in from the west, we spent nearly half an hour looking at literally nothing!! It was quite surreal really. At one point we saw what looked to be a large white train cutting its way across the plain. It was actually a huge flock of white birds making its way to what I assumed to be a water hole way off in the distance. The photos I took to try and capture the moment I’m sure do not do the place justice.

We had morning tea in Silverton – a town famed for such movies as Pricilla Queen of the Dessert (the famous ping pong ball scene in the pub), MadMax – a replica of the Interceptor is parked pub's car park and many a beer commercial. Apart from a few art galleries, a leaning dunny, some painted VW's (punch buggies went to Sean and Timmy), a few old stone buildings and the pub (which we didn’t go into) there was little else to see so it was back in the car and back into town.

The last bit of site seeing we did was to drive to the top of the huge mullock heap (the waste from the mines that has been piled up in the centre of town) to visit the Miner’s Memorial and get a panoramic view of the town. To my dismay I learned that you had to pay to get to the memorial from the gift shop so being the cheapskate that I am, I decided to look at it from afar. Sean thought it looked like the Jawa’s Sandcrawler tank from Star Wars – which it does!! The boys had more fun playing on the old mining bulldozer that was out the front anyway.

Lea and I spent the rest of the afternoon getting re-organised for the next day's departure whilst the kids roamed feral around the campsite. I finally fitted the infamous jerry cans to the van (and I even remembered to fill them too so we should be right for fuel from now on!!). If your wondering where the caravan's spare tyre has gone Dad, I've put it in the back of the car.

Ashleigh cooked us all a chicken coconut curry for dinner which even Tim said was delicious so it must have been good!!

Tomorrow we are on our way again, crossing the border into South Australia and a whole new adventure.

Schools, Spiders and Exploding Paint!

The sound of rain on the roof of a caravan is one of those special sounds that I will always enjoy and last night did not disappoint (although I could have done with a bit more sleep and a little less rain appreciation)! The overnight rain continued into a rainy day which was fine because today was a day of indoor activities. It started with a visit to the Broken Hill School of the Air (SOTA). We’ve all heard about it but to be there during one of the classes (music assembly in our case) was something quite special. What blew me away even more was the technology that it behind it all. Gone are the days of teachers talking to kids in remote areas via radio – since 2004 it’s all satellite links and high speed broadband internet. Kids now see their teacher via video link and they can be patched in to talk to each other as well as the class room. What also surprised me was the fact that the children do make the journey into town from time to time and that the class as a group also meet up on several occasions throughout the year.

After the SOTA assembly it was time for our own recess so it was off to the famous Bell’s Milk Bar. Going in was like stepping onto the set of a Happy Days episode. The milk bar has retained the authentic feel of the 1950’s and the huge array flavours of delicious spiders (lemonade, flavoured syrup and ice-cream) and milkshakes made it very difficult to choose. After a very satisfying morning tea and stroll through the small but interesting milk bar museum, we visited the Royal Flying Doctors Air Service. Like SOTA, this icon of the Australian Outback was a must see on our travels. The walk round the newly opened visitors centre combined with a short tour of the RFDS operations centre and hanger viewing gallery topped off a very enjoyable morning (out of the rain!!).

After a quick pit stop back at the van for lunch, we visited the Pro Hart gallery at the top end of town. Looking at Pro’s painted Rolls Royce, I couldn't help but think what would be worth more, the value of the Roller or the work of art on it!! The boys couldn’t believe it when we explained how Pro’s famous paint cannon worked. Using a gun to create art – cool!!! (Note to self – hide the water balloons when we get home).

The rest of the afternoon finished the way it started with a bit of schooling for the kids whilst I set about fixing the newly acquired jerry can holders to the van. Work only stopped when my battery drill ran out of juice.

Underground Overground (Wombling Free)

Today was a very interesting day indeed. We spent the morning at Daydream Mine, a quirky little tourist attraction reached by a dirt track off the road to Silverton. In its hay day in the late 1800’s, the mine was a silver mine worked by two shifts of 75 men. The above ground section of the tour showed examples of how life used to be working the mine over 100 years ago. The group then donned miner’s helmets and lamps for a truly spectacular underground exploration. The entrance to the mine was very steep and the passage way very low. The adults in the group had to double over at times to pass through but the kids (especially Timmy) had no trouble navigating the passageways at all. A couple of rather large people were forced to go back as they were so big they physically would not fit!! In hind sight I think it was a bit slack of the tour operator to allow them enter the mine in the first place. After the tour, we had morning tea of scones and tea (coffee in my case). The scones were great but as barristers they should stick to mining!!

We gave Silverton a miss as I was running low on fuel so we headed back to the caravan for lunch and a bit of schooling for the kids (I reckon I should be able to claim some of this trip as a Rudd Education Revolution tax right off somehow!!). I went into town to get some hardware sorted out to mount the jerry cans on the van then it was off to the Living Dessert and Sculpture Symposium. The idea was to watch the sun set over the sandstone sculptures that are set out a bit like a modern day Stonehenge. To be honest I found the sculptures to be a bit of a letdown – in part I guess because the cloud had rolled in and there was no spectacular sunset. We still enjoyed it though and got some good photos.

Tomorrow morning we visit the School of the Air (tax right off again??) We’ve tried to explain to the kids that because of the remoteness of the stations where they live some children cannot attend school like they do bit have lessons at home over the radio. It will be really interesting to see how it all operates.

After talking to people in one of the neighbouring caravans, we are now contemplating negotiating part of the Oodnadatta Track to visit Lake Eyre – watch this space!!

Galahs, Goats and Gun Barrels

Our departure from Dubbo was again accompanied by rain. After many hugs and kisses we waved goodbye to our hosts as we set off for Cobar. We detoured via Peak Hill, dropping in on Peter and Val at their farm "Yeronga". It was great to see them again and we had a short but lovely morning with them. Unfortunately due to the recent rains, the boys couldn’t see the tractor in action sowing the winter crop but we were given a brief tour of part of the property including an up close and personal encounter with a mob of sheep. We went to see the lambs, of which there were quite a few – some being only hours old. Sean and Timmy saw a couple of lambs “sleeping” but Peter soon set the record straight and told them they were dead. Val was mortified but this was after all supposed to be an educational experience for the kids and what better way to learn about real country life than seeing it first hand??

We were originally going to leave the van in Dubbo and collect it on the way back but I thought I would save the time and bring it with us – a decision I may now regret slightly. Yeronga is reached by dirt road and the same rains that had put a hold to the sowing also made the road more mud than dirt!! That plus the road works on the road to Narromine covered both the car and the caravan in mud (and here I was worrying about trying to keep the inside of the van clean!!). I now need to find somewhere to give the van a good clean as out here, washing vans is not permitted!

I slowed the pace on the leg to Cobar. Sticking to around 85km/h I was averaging about 18L/100km which I thought was pretty good considering we usually get about 15L/100km at home. The only major drama was the numerous times we were buzzed by flocks of Galahs! To use the term Galah to describe a foolish person could not be more appropriate as these stupid birds, for no apparent reason when flying along, decide at the last moment to perform a suicidal feat of aerobatics and cut right in front of you. How we did not hit any of them is anybody’s guess!!

Our stop in Cobar was short and sweet as we were keen to get to Broken Hill. The landscape on the road to Wilcannia was dominated by the saltbush scrub. We saw a few kangaroos (some hopping and some that had finished hopping) but the sight of many herds of goats came as quite a surprise – even though we had been warned about them. They obviously have bigger brains than Galahs as they had the sense to move away from the side of the road when we approached.

West of Wilcannia, the saltbush gave way to vast open plains. This gave us our first real appreciation of how vast this land really is. With very few natural features to navigate, the road was gun barrel straight and I joked that I could tie the steering wheel off and let the cruise control take over whilst I had a nanna nap! About 50 clicks outside of Broken Hill we stopped to help out a couple that had run out of petrol. They were really glad to see us as they were also travelling with three children. Like us, they had a jerry can but it was not filled (note to self – fill jerry cans when we get to Broken Hill). We had both seen a fuel sign a few kilometres back so we knew it shouldn’t be too far to go I dropped Leanne and the kids off to stretch their legs whilst Mindee (I think that was her name) came with me. It turns out that their predicament was not as dire as we first thought as the road house was only about 100m up the road!! Not to worry, at least we saved them having to lug a full jerry can back to their car.

Other than the risk of running out of petrol we have a final warning – don’t stock up on fruit before heading out this way. The fruit fly exclusion zone starts just before Broken Hill not just after as we thought so the scrumptious pink ladies that we brought in the Dubbo and the rest of our bananas and mandarins are rotting in a bin on the outskirts of town!!

We intend to hole up in Broken Hill for a while to explore the region, the mines and the art galleries.

Forty and Fab (In Dubbo)

Our arrival in Dubbo also coincided with the arrival of my 40th birthday. For the next few days we were to give up the confines of the caravan and shack up with Lea’s cousin and her two boys. Even though we do not see each other that often, the kids always get on terrifically well and we had all been getting very excited to see each other again.

Danni and the boys had done a wonderful job decorating the house with banners, streamers and balloons for my birthday which was a very touching gesture. I even put out all the birthday cards that I had brought with me (thanks Zac for letting me commandeer your trophy space for the next few days). Dinner was a country Chinese takeaway and a delicious chocolate frosted birthday cake.

Saturday morning was very windy as we headed off into town to stock up on provisions from the Dubbo produce markets. By mid morning the wind had died off and we went to visit the Old Dubbo Gaol. Opened in 1887 the gaol operated right up until 1966. The kids were freaked out by how dark the solitary confinement cells were – something I’ve made a note of as a possible disciplinary measure in the future!!

We then had a lovely afternoon at Matt (Lea’s other cousin), Kath and the girls property on the outskirts of town. The homemade wood fired pizzas were a hit with everyone – you should go into business Matt.

Sunday was saw us vegging out at Danni’s. As the rain drizzled down, the day gave us the opportunity to re organise things with the van and get a few jobs done around Danni’s house. Living within walking distance of a Bunnings Warehouse is a dream come true!!!

Fool's Gold

Our first night was a cold one and beanies and bed socks were the order of the day (or night really). The morning started with the tranquil sounds of heavy machinery as we soon found out the local council were for some reason grading the road within the caravan park!! Not to worry as it gave us the nudge we needed to get out and about. With the sun breaking through the clouds we headed off to the historic gold rush town of Hill End. Since Ash had been learning about the Australian gold rush at school we felt confident we wouldn’t need to join a tour when we got there.

We had our first (and I hope last) car sickness episode on the way. Thank goodness Timmy was wearing his cap when he decided he wasn’t feeling too good. As well as being able to keep the sun of your face, a cap also serves well as means of keeping vomit off your clothes and the car!!! After a quick pit stop and clean up we were soon on our way again. The drive through the rolling hills provided some spectacular scenery and magnificent views across the plains in the distance.

Hill End was not as I expected it to be. I had no real recollection of what the place was like from when I was last there as a young boy scout. Being a heritage listed township, I had visions of it being like a small version of Old Sydney Town. The buildings of the gold rush era that remain today still functions as pub, school house and private residences but in a way, the uniqueness of the place is in what’s no longer there. The vacant plots of land with period photographs of the building that once stood there, the tailors, the general store the fancy wares store and the shooting salon (what the?) invoked images of a time long gone. It wasn’t hard to look across to the river to the hills beyond and imagine a sea of tents and prospectors working their claims.

We drove up to Bald Hill to get a panoramic but chilly view back down to the town. After lunch we headed out of town to the Chinese Cemetery and the fossicking grounds. The cemetery seems to be a bit of a misnomer as there was not a Chinese name to be seen amongst the head stones and our young learned scholar was of no help – perhaps a bit of homework over the next few days to find out more. Not having anything to use to pan for gold in the fossicking area (thanks to the only place that rented them out being closed for the day), it was going to mean a bit of an uphill battle if we were to strike it rich!! We settled for a wonder around and kicking over few lumps of quartz on the off chance that the tens of thousands of people who had been there before us may all have overlooked the next big find!! Not to be!

Our final stop before heading back the caravan was a visit to The Arch. A little way upstream from the “public” fossicking area was a stretch of river bed that had cut itself into a deep gully. Over a century of erosion started from prospector’s diggings has caused the river bed to now lay a good 6m lower than it may have once been. It’s now a tourist’s curiosity but if it happened these days it would be call environmental vandalism!! Amongst the impressive formations of the walls gully is the aptly named Arch itself, an eroded bridge towering over the gully floor. We dared not venture too close because it didn’t look like it would take much to being the whole thing tumbling down.

The Adventure Begins

Sydney to Cudgegong (Lake Windamere) - 253km/4.5 hours

The plan was to leave home around 10 and have a nice leisurely drive stopping at Katoomba and the Three Sisters for lunch and then on to Windamere Lake in time for happy hour. Well that was the plan!! The drizzle that so kindly persisted all morning hampered our plans for a quick get away! 12:30 came and went before we said goodbye to the dog, got the kids in the car and then, after a false start driving around the block to pick up the jerry cans I left in the garage, we were off on our adventure of a life time!!


The trip was quite uneventful really. With no trouble pulling the van, we were soon heading west on the M4 towards the Blue Mountains. The kids were very good - keeping themselves entertained with their colouring-in books and playing spotto (yellow car) and punch buggy every now and again. What really sealed the deal was the final unveiling of the new headrest DVD players I had installed the week before!!

We decided to skip our amended itinerary of afternoon tea enjoying the magnificent views of the Megalong Valley as the rain was teaming down. The fact that it was 6 degrees outside may also have played a small hand in making our minds up!! The weather on the western side of the Great Divide looked far more promising than what we were leaving behind in Sydney. Although it was still cloudy, the sky was much brighter and there were even patches of blue sky.

Pressing on through Lithgow, where we saw our first "Big" - the Big Miner's Lantern - we turned north along the road to Mudgee. Bladders couldn't hold out any longer so a quick toilet stop and a leg stretch was taken just shy of our destination. Looking east with the setting sun behind us, we were treated to a spectacular rainbow whist waiting for Timmy to finish doing his business on the long drop roadside dunny.

After the toilet break, it was just a short sprint to the finish line for the day - Cudgegong Waters Park on the shores of Lake Windamere. Unfortunately we arrived just after the office closed (by my watch though it was still 3 minutes to five) but all it took was $2 in the boom gate and we were in!

Tomorrow - the gold fields of Hill End and Sofala.

Beds and Batteries

As the day of departure gets closer the final touches to the caravan have been made and the spare room is filling up with the junk we are planning to cram into it!!

A trip to Clark Rubber and $120 later has the 3rd bed finally sorted so all the kids now have somewhere to sleep comfortably!! A drama I didn't need to contend with on a long weekend was the battery in our car dying. All I can say is thank goodness for the NRMA. Within an hour of ringing them the car was up and running with a brand new battery. I suppose it's better that it happened now and not when we're out on the open road in the middle of nowhere!!

Preparing to Go

16 days to go and we're still not sure where our first stop will be!!! Still heaps to get organised. Battery and stereo now fitted to the caravan so with lights and music it won't really matter. There's just a few more other useless gadgets to sort out - GPS, DVD etc then should start worrying about some of the more important things such as food and clothes - maybe the night before.