Clare and Gilbert Valleys

Another cold and windy day greeted us in the morning. We found a short walking track called the Lomandra Track that started from just near the camp so off we went. The track followed the edge of the local golf club and had been developed along with the local primary school. The kids had preserved an area of original natural grassland and continue to care for it. They have it fenced off and try to maintain it free of the many weeds that come along with extensive clearing and cropping. It was a great effort. We were glad to have brought our waterproof jackets on the walk, the weather wasn't looking any better.
On the advice of a friend we headed over towards the small town of Burra for a look. This little place is heritage listed, the whole town, and was well worth the drive. On the way we passed through Farrell Flat and spied our first painted silo. Really well done. The town itself seemed pretty much deserted except for the pub which apparently gets rave reviews from travellers who stop for an overnighter.
Burra was really interesting with it's multitude of old stone buildings and relics of the mining years. It was originally settled because copper was found and mined in the mid-late 1800s. They have what is called the Burra Heritage Passport key that you can buy to unlock some of the heritage buildings around the area. We didn't think we had the time to make it worth while and the weather was getting us down. The wind had increased and it had turned icy. We had a look around the town but then succumbed and took refuge in the car for the drive back to Blyth. Burra really reminded us of some of the English towns we had wandered through apart from the width of the streets.
Topped up our groceries in Woolies at Clare on the way back. We had planned to cook outside and have a campfire but the showers started. So glad we have cooking facilities inside as well as outside.Les mer