Bourke to Broken Hill

It is possible but not a good idea to take a direct road from Bourke to Broken Hill. The road is dirt and only suitable for 4WD vehicles.

 

It is easier and faster to head south on the bitumen to Cobar and then west to Broken Hill.

 

The road south with the sun either from the side or behind us. Note how the vegetation is kept well back from the road so that there is a better chance that you will see the animals before you hit them.

 

Yellow wild flowers.

 

We reached Cobar and stopped for a break and to buy a sandwich for lunch.

 

Marianne found a quilt shop and couldn't resist going there.

 

It was very well stocked.

 

I suspect it might have been better than it sounded.

 

Draft beer barrels. Aussie beer tastes best in the outback. It is served very cold and it is quite gassy. It feels very good on a dry throat on a very hot day.

 

Adult and chicks.

We saw a lot of wild goats but Marianne was not fast enough with the camera to get a photo.

 

Rest stop. There were already a lot of flies, even though it is only Spring.

 

The Airedale out in the middle of nowhere.

 

We reached Wilcannia with it's bridge over the Darling River.

 

Remember how good the Darling River looked in Bourke. This is what it looks like after the irrigators extract too much water. Growing cotton in Australia should not be allowed. Water is too precious a resource in a very dry country. With the coming El Nino drought, water is going to be a very hot and contentious topic.

 

Wilcannia is a very depressed town. Most of the population is aboriginal.

 

Some cattle.

 

Another rest area with a toilet block on the left. Drivers are encouraged to stop after two hours of driving.

 

We reached our Airbnb and were greeted by these ferocious beasts who offered us a ball to throw. The one on the left belongs to the Airbnb and the one on the right is a friend that visits.

 

The owner is expanding and doing up the house.

 

We were not the only guests and we sat outside here for dinner that evening.

 

View of Broken Hill from the back veranda.

 

Dinner table. We had a great conversation with the owners and the other guests. It is a very welcoming place and we very very glad we stopped there.

 

Local lamb chops for dinner. Delicious.

 

Flowers as we left the next morning. We have been to Broken Hill several times and here is a prior blog entry.

Broken Hill to Adelaide

The drive from Broken Hill to Adelaide is one of my favourite drives which I really look forward to. There is a bit more variety.

 

View north from the Airbnb before we left. There is nothing much for thousands of miles.

 

There is not much vegetation west of Broken Hill and it is actually looking good. We did this same journey years ago in drought conditions and there was virtually no vegetation at all.

 

Another of the rest area toilet blocks. Australia takes good care of travelers with places to stop for a rest and in the towns, swings and playthings for the kids.

 

We saw a train in the distance.

 

This is the railway line that runs from Sydney to Perth. The passenger train that does this route is known as the Indian Pacific. It is not cheap.

 

A brave soul. I presume he camped out under the stars at night.

 

Near the border of South Australia.

Eventually, farms appear as the climate becomes less arid.

 

The colour is beautiful with the strong sun.

 

We stopped at Burra for lunch. Pumpkin is a popular ingredient in Aussie food.

 

My pastie also had pumpkin as well as other vegies.

 

While I had my nap, Marianne went for a walk around Burra which is a lovely old mining town. It is very popular with tourists.

 

Driving into Adelaide from the north is a pain so it was good to finally arrive at my sister's house where we could sit and relax. Driving for so many days in a row was a bit taxing so it was good to stop.