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2023 National Caravan Rally
  • Walkabout AUS
  • Lady Sue Stafford
  • Walkabout AUS
  • Lady Sue Stafford

2023 National Caravan Rally

Heading off to our first National Rally down in Barmera SA. Trip will extend to about 7 weeks with our return trip still not decided. Read more
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  • 2023 National Caravan Rally
    Police station

    Wilcannia Township

    March 19, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 42 °C

    Such a beautiful historic town with all the 19th century buildings 1880. Such a shame it has been destroyed, never seen such a place with everything barred up stronger than Fort Knox.
    It’s such a shame when a local community destroys its own township.Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Arrived Wilcannia 43 degrees

    March 19, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 43 °C

    Well we’ve arrived at Warrawong on the Darling just outside Wilcannia. Arrived to 43 degrees and still rising.
    Locals expect it will hit 44 or 45 by 4:00pm.
    Have a gorgeous spot right on the water here, very peaceful, just bloody damn hot.
    Fridge is struggling to retain 5 degrees, so need to get the outside awning up over it. Gotta try keep the sun off that side of the van.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Happy Hour by the River

    March 19, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 42 °C

    Once you get used to this heat and stop actually perspiring, it’s not good to go back into air-conditioned areas because you can’t go back out again. Sitting here happy hour 45° is probably 44 now, and cold beer by the lagoon, but that’s life.Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Sunset at Warrawong

    March 19, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    Our last post from this beautiful setting at Warrawong outside of Wilcannia. Seeing the sun go down in the outback has a completely different feel about it than being on the east coast of Australia. Something special about the deep red outback.Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Topar Roadhouse

    March 20, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Dying for a cold drink came across this place halfway between Wilcannia and Broken Hill. Decided Brekky was the go and said g’day to Charlie Girl, the parrot

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Outback Brekky

    March 20, 2023 in Australia

    I needed a snack so ordered the simple snags, bacon, and eggs. Thank god I didn’t order the big breakfast. Washed it down with a great northern, outback style.

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Damn its Cold, 28°

    March 20, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    This is crazy, I feel like I need a jacket on in Broken Hill.
    It’s actually 28° now at 7:00pm and it feels freezing after the last couple of days. Amazing how the body reacts.
    Main pic is the BHP (Broken Hill Pub). Enormous pub of the dozens of old pubs in town.Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Union Trades Hall Building

    March 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    One of the most significant and outstanding buildings in Broken Hill is the Trades Hall building erected in 1897. The union leaders literally established the rule of law in Broken Hill and people listened when they spoke. They had more sway than the politicians, the police, and the magistrates.
    Almost mafia like in their operations, they laid down the law in the best interests of the workers and used all means to ensure their words were adhered to. Anyone not towing the line was blacklisted and could not survive in the town more than a few weeks.
    The first 35 hr working week was established here in Broken Hill back in 1925, long before any other industries even came close to getting the same working hours. Even today the Australian standard is a 38 hr week.
    Virtually the birthplace of the Australian union and labour movement.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Broken Hill Rail Museum

    March 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    It’s no wonder the entire city of Broken Hill is Heritage listed. I never had any idea of the significance of Broken Hill in Australia’s history. This is the luggage room at the old station where bags were stored waiting for arrival and loading of the train from Parkes.
    You actually get to enter all the trains and carriages to experience them fully.
    One amazing thing that hit us immediately was the passenger carriages, non smoking and smoking. We entered the non smoking carriage, and as we passed through to the smoking carriage you could actually smell the lingering difference of odours.
    The smell of cigarette smoke was apparent and an amazing sensation as you enter.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally
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    Views from the Miners Memorial

    March 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Atop the mullock heaps sits the Miners Memorial and tourist cafe. Unfortunately the cafe was forced shut during COVID and the NSW Govt is struggling to find a new tenant to take over the cafe lease, so it sits empty.
    The views over the city are great from here, and seeing how the city was built surrounding the mines is amazing.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    BHP Mines

    March 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Finding mine sites you can get access to is pretty hard due to the Health and Safety regulations. However after some cruising around town we saw this tiny little brown sign (tourist colours) we stumbled on the Junction Mine and Browns shaft.
    Great little site that laid out the general overview of all the mines across the 4klm stretch of the line of lode (the seam).
    The original BHP site was only across 7 consecutive 40 acre claims, not realising the seam went far further than expected. Eventually by 1949 BHP was boxed in by all the other adjoining claims at each end and sold off the 7 existing claims.
    The original 14 shares in BHP were setup at 70,000 pounds each, and 5 years later they were worth 1.5M pounds each. Unfortunately 2 of the original 7 founders sold out after 18 months thinking the mine was done. Bet they were pissed Off.
    BHP later bought back into the region taking over many of the other claims.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Royal Flying Doctor Service

    March 22, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    When in Broken Hill you just have to do the RFDS guided tour. We had a one on one tour though all the operations and hangars with first hand view of the aircraft.
    Seeing the operations room with all the current active flights occurring across the country was amazing.Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Bell’s Milk Bar

    March 22, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    The oldest continuous running milk bar in Australia dating back to 1892.
    The milk shakes are just stunning and really brought back some good old Aussie memories as a kid.

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Pro Hart Gallery

    March 22, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    The original home and studio of Pro Hart is now an open gallery for visitors to enjoy.
    His collection amazing along with his own works. Has a great collection Rolls Royces as well.

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Broken Hill Pubs

    March 22, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    Well this a story that’s very interesting. At its peak Broken Hill had 62 pubs. However the story is a bit more involved than that.
    Looking at the photos attached you can see 2 types of pubs, the big 2 storey behemoths, and the smaller single level ones. What is interesting is that the big ones near the centre of town were not for the miners, but instead the elites. There were around 9 of the big monsters with hotel rooms and tons of accomodation. The smaller ones known as “Shanty’s” were the ones the miners drank in and made up the remainder of the 62.
    Typically the miners would setup tabs during the week to buy their drinks and play 2 up. They were paid each Friday and that was clearance day for the tabs to be paid. By Sat morning they were broke again and restarting their tabs.
    Eventually the Miners Housewives Association lobbied the Trades Hall to push the mining companies to withhold some of the miners pay so they could buy food. They won in the end with married men’s wages were garnisheed prior to payment and that money was given to the wives.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Silverton Hotel, Outback NSW

    March 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Silverton today is just a tiny tourist location and home of the Mad Max 2 Museum. Mad Max 2 was filmed here in 1981 and put Silverton back on the map. The famous Silverton Hotel is even for sale as we speak. Any takers out there?
    Some other tourist spots here are galleries and the Silverton jail.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Daydream Mine, Silverton

    March 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Took the back breaking tour of the Daydream Mine. 1882.
    Ridiculous what these people went through and how they lived. Silver was discovered in Silverton years before Broken Hill came on the scene. The rail line from Adelaide even went to Silverton.Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Mad Max Museum

    March 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Had to stop in to the mad max museum at Silverton. This is where they filmed Mad Max 2 back in 1981. Some pretty amazing stuff to see here.

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Silverton Sites

    March 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Sue got all emotional and had to go and pat the wild donkeys that roam Silverton. We also checked out the Silverton Jail which was actually quite big.
    When we saw some of the crimes committed and time served it was a real eye opener.
    One guy got 3 months for foul language, and another guy got 10 years for buggery with a sow pig. Some really strange crimes in the late 1800’s.    Read more

  • 2023 National Caravan Rally

    Congrats NSW Govt

    March 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    All I can say about these monstrosity fans that do nothing, is that at least the NSW Govt had the brains to put them in places that will have no impact on the existing environment.
    Not like QLD who are demolishing much needed forests to put these giants up.
    If we have s CO2 problem why are QLD tearing down the only thing that eliminates CO2 and converts it back to oxygen?    Read more

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