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Back of Bourke Tour
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Back of Bourke Tour

Our Broken Hill Odyssey Read more
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    August 19, 2024
    Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Peace in Cowra

    August 19, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    So our "Back of Bourke" tour is finally under way. First stop was at the Cowra Japanese Gardens for lunch. We have been here before when both we and the Gardens were much younger! The Gardens are now quite mature and are very peaceful. A fitting memorial to the 231 Japanese soldiers who died in the Cowra Breakout in 1944. We had lunch in the Cafe and then meandered around the well laid out paths and watercourses. Well worth a visit if you're ever in the vicinity.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Dubbo - Animal Encounters

    August 19, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Mr Subaru successfully wended his way from Cowra to Dubbo this afternoon. Spotted a few Mundi Mundi Music Bash refugees along the way but the traffic was light and trip uneventful except for a wayward pet dog which brought highway traffic to a halt just outside Dubbo. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for any other animal encounters at the Western Plains Zoo, perhaps next time. Currently holed up at the NRMA Holiday Park, lots of other folk doing the same thing, fingers crossed it won't be too raucous over night. Janet has already checked out the rising Blue Moon which was clearly visible from our cabin's balcony this evening. Off to Cobar in the morning, should be a leisurely trip - only 300km.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Nevertire

    August 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We are still wending our way to Broken Hill via Cobar and Bourke. We left Dubbo just after 0900hr and hit the Mitchell Highway heading towards Cobar. Plenty of Canola crops starting to flower, so lots of fields of Gold. First stop for the day was in Nevertire so that Janet could get her first caffeine hit for the day at the highly recommended Rural Trader. Very happy to report that Janet gave it her thumbs up. 👍Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Bogans Anyone?

    August 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Next stop was Nyngan for lunch. It is situated on the Bogan River, so it comes as no surprise that there are lots of references around town to Bogans! An interesting choice in marketing we think. Not sure that everyone would necessarily be attracted by the symbolism. Big thumbs up though from Janet to the Bogan Coffee shop for their chicken and salad roll. We had a very relaxing lunch in the local Rotary Park where we were amazed to see the water levels recorded from recent flood events.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Cobar - The Copper City

    August 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Next stop, Cobar. Still lots of Grey Nomads in 4WD and caravans returning from the Mundi Mundi music festival but they were all remarkably well behaved. Not so an errant B double that threw up a stone shower which put a chip in the Outback's windscreen. Sigh. Lots of goats along the way but they seemed preoccupied with the lush vegetation along the highway. We managed to take in a number of the obligatory attractions around town before heading to our caravan park cabin for the night. Off to Bourke in the morning. Hoping to get a trip down the Darling River in the Jandra Paddleboat if it's running. Apparently the Captain has been MIA of late.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Fred's Final Resting Place

    August 21, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We made it! Today was the day. We drove up from Cobar to Bourke this morning. We can both now attest to the fact that we have been to the "Back of Bourke." An uneventful drive on a good road, even the ubiquitous goats were well behaved and stayed well clear of the road. Lots to take in. Plenty of water in the Darling River and consequently abundant bird life, including emus, red tailed black cockatoos and black kites. We did most of the tourist activities, Historic Wharf, Crossley engine, Paddle Steamer, May's Bend etc. Stand out though was visiting Fred Hollows' very unique grave site. A fitting tribute to an outstanding Aussie. Back to Cobar this afternoon and then off to Broken Hill in the morning.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Baaka

    August 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Lots of driving today. We left Cobar just after 0900hr and pointed the Outback West towards Broken Hill. We stopped at "Baaka" (Wilcannia) for lunch. Wilcannia has a dubious reputation online with some pundits suggesting that it's a hot bed of crime and anti social behaviour and best avoided. Whilst the town has certainly seen better days, we found it to be quite hospitable with a busy centre catering to travellers along the Barrier Highway. We even found two NRMA EV chargers though they were in a very lonely part of town. We had lunch in a park alongside the Darling River. Plenty of bird life, Black Kites, Whistling Kites, Pelicans and Cormorants.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler
    Broken Hill1

    Broken Hill - A Step Back in Time

    August 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Our next stop, Broken Hill, was only 2hrs down the road. Janet was surprised when Mr Subaru unilaterally wound back the GPS time by half an hour. She was just as surprised when Mr Samsung did the same thing on her phone. She clearly hadn't factored in that Broken Hill is on Australian Central Standard Time (UTC+09:30). Broken Hill is dominated by its mining activities, the tailings are everywhere!! We managed to get out to the The Living Desert and Sculptures which is just out of town in time for a beautiful sunset. Janet had a fun time jostling for position amongst a bus load of elderly tourists who were keen to capture the iconic image for the pool room wall. We are here for a couple of days which will give us time to explore Broken Hill and its environs.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Home of the Wilyakali people

    August 23, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    The weather in Broken Hill is forecast to be hot over the weekend so we decided to go to Menindee Lakes today so we can do some indoor things tomorrow. There are actually five lakes which are interconnected via channels controlled by a couple of weirs. Lots of bird life at the locations we visited. Some very healthy looking pelicans and cormorants. Janet had an amazing hamburger for lunch from the Menindee Cafe - it actually lived up to its very positive online reviews. The other main item of interest was the old Kinchela Homestead site with its impressive historic woolshed built in 1875. Still standing, it was clearly built to last!Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler
    11

    A Bit of Larrikin

    August 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We spent all of today checking out Pro Hart's hometown. Lots to see and do, including Pro's iconic art gallery in a suburban street of Broken Hill. Mind you four Rolls Royces in the driveway does set it apart from the other houses in the street. We also took in the RFDS museum, the Line of Lode Miners Memorial, Silverton Township (where there was an Afghan ambush in Jan 1915), the Mad Max museum (closed unfortunately) and the Mundi Mundi lookout. Lots more to see but we are off to Mildura via Wentworth in the morning so perhaps another time.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    The Weather Gods Were Smiling

    August 25, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    Well, we had a very interesting day weather wise today. It was quite wet in Broken Hill when we left this morning after a couple of heavy showers overnight. However, about 50km out of Broken Hill it cleared up and was fine for the rest of the trip. The trip down via Wentworth was uneventful except for a couple of twists in today's AFL games! A few rest stops along the way and a bit of wildlife: emus, goats, black kites and kestrels. We detoured to the Perry Sandhills just out of Wentworth. The main attraction is a Murray River Red Gum Tree (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), which is over 500 years old. Then onto Wentworth itself where we had lunch at the confluence of the Darling and Murray rivers. Very pleasant way to dine! Have done a quick tour around Mildura to check out the various locks and river cruise timings. Looks like Tuesday is the day for the paddle steamer.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Millewa Mallee

    August 26, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    As foreshadowed earlier, today we explored Mildura. Janet caught up with a friend at "Shippys", a local foreshore cafe, while Gary went chasing Whistling Kites down near Lock 11. Unfortunately, it was grey and overcast so nothing worthy of the pool room was taken this morning. Things improved this afternoon though with plenty of clear blue sky. Tomorrow we are intending to go on a river cruise on one of the old paddle steamers and then we will point the Outback east towards Griffith.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    Food Bowl of Australia

    August 27, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We are on the final leg of our "Back of Bourke" tour. Today we left Mildura and headed to Griffith, NSW via Balranald and Hay. The landscape changed a couple of times as we drove across from the red dirt around Mildura to Mallee woodlands and then the Hay Plain. We had lunch in Balranald alongside the Murrumbidgee River. Neither of us had been to Griffith NSW before so we were interested to see what is often referred to as Australia's Food Bowl. The soil here is a rich sand clay and we observed a range of agricultural activities: grapes, citrus, canola, vegetables, rice and cotton. We checked out Valeri Ricetti's Hermit Cave on one of the surrounding hills. Apparently, he lived in the cave from the late 1920s till 1952. Amazing. The Outback will be pointed towards Griffith, ACT tomorrow and our adventure will draw to a close.Read more

  • Our ExploitsBack of Bourke TourTraveler

    3,340 km Later

    August 28, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Well folks, after 3,340km all good things must come to an end. We had a leisurely day today driving across from Griffith NSW to Griffith ACT. We came across on Burley Griffin Way through a number of small villages and towns: Binya, Barellan (tennis great Evonne Goolagong's hometown), Ardlethan, Temora, Harden, Binalong and Yass. We had lunch at Temora and visited the Aviation Museum. Gary was eager to see their example of a CAC Sabre which his friend James Elsbury successfully ejected from on 16 Mar 71. Unfortunately, James passed away in 2022 from cancer related to his military service.
    We had a great time and would recommend a "Back of Bourke" tour to anyone who would like to explore the NSW Outback. Speaking of which our Subaru Outback performed flawlessly, though Mr Tom Tom (Subaru's GPS supplier) needs to spend less time in the office and more time exploring our great continent - at times he had no idea where we were! Sigh. Till the next tour......    Read more

    Trip end
    August 28, 2024
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