The Road Home

Today felt like we were heading home. We left Port Lincoln and at first thought we would stop at Arno Bay halfway up the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula but as usual got there very early, nothing there, so pushed on.

    First time we have seen the Sydney sign since leaving 14 weeks ago.

 Next stop we thought of staying was Wilmington and maybe get a sandwich for lunch.

   The general store was closed down, nothing there so where to now? No lunch? Let me tell you neither of us need it, a lot of work to do when we get back to get back in shape.

  To get to Wilmington we crossed the Flinders Rangers, very picturesque.

We were lucky and stumbled upon a great little town with a tongue twister name - Orroroo ( o-roar-o- roo) like kangaroo. Wonderful pub 100 m down the road from the caravan park, an old fashioned butcher and some interesting country shops. Great TV reception to watch the finals of footy, what more could you want. Good choice.

    The main street of Orroroo.

From here we turned to Broken Hill.

The roads into Broken Hill were littered with dead animals, such as sheep, wild goats, birds but mainly kangaroo. Instead of dodging the pot holes it was dodge the unfortunate animal. I did not take a pic of this it was too sad.

Broken Hill aka Silver City has become the first Australian city to be included on the National Heritage List with the town's mining history and a decade of campaigning helping it to earn the unique honour. It was also the birth place of Australia's union movement and the 8 hour work day. Lots and lots of history here and many museums to tell the tales.

    One of the iconic buildings in town, The Palace Hotel, where they filmed Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Behind this building is the city's mullock heap, a mountain of the waste rock from mining. It is also where they have a monument to the lost miners over time.

 The monument.

   Each white rose was next to the name of a fallen miner and how they passed away. 

   The rustic monument from the outside.

  View from the top of the mullock at the mining side of Broken Hill.

    Broken Hill's settlement is like a long narrow seam of mineral in the rock, it is not wide but long.

  Very touristy but fun, at the miners monument.

  We didn't stay at a caravan park at Broken Hill but the race course which was a good choice.

   Woke to the trotters training, very peaceful.

    Lovely old grandstands in need of some repair, however, they still have a few Meets here a year.

   Wild goats that roam everywhere.

  Lots of wide open spaces, the nothingness is back.

Next stop after Broken Hill is Wilcannia, nothing here. This town was once a thriving township but unfortunately there is little left of it besides a few lovely old buildings. We stayed at a caravan park out of town that had really great reviews but the flies carried us away. Not a pleasant stay.

   Did manage to use up the last of our supplies on our last home cooked dinner. Lots of healthy veges shame about the bourbon!!!

We didn't have a big drive to Wilcannia only about 250 kms so we could get prepared for the big drives home.

   More massive loads that actually force you off the road.

    This is how menacing they look up close.

    The road from Broken Hill through Wilcannia to Cobar. This was the worst stretch of road for dead animals on the whole trip. It was amazing how many littered the road.

Stopped at Cobar for a lovely fresh sandwich. You may ask what the big deal with this was, well it's hard to get a fresh sandwich or wrap on the road in these remoter places everything is frozen.

From Cobar we were going to stop at Nyngan but decided to push on and ended up in Trangie. What a lovely little spot to stay. Caravan park excellent and we had a pub dinner at the Imperial Hotel and had a very interesting chat to the locals. Good stop over. 

Our second last day on the road and it was going to be a big one. We left Trangie early in the morning passed through Narromine, Dubbo, Wellington, Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow and made it to Valley Heights in the Blue Mountains. Parked outside Cath(one of my best buddies) and Fran's home for the evening. Just lovely to relax after some terrible traffic and the roadworks through Bathurst and after Lithgow were terrible.

Just too buggered to make the last trek into Sydney. Need to attack Sydney, traffic when you are fresh, the worst drivers in the world, everyone drives at a thousand miles an hour and there is no regard for anyone else(and yes I am one, however, I am now very conscious of poor caravan and motor home drivers that attempt the Sydney roads). You really notice it especially when you are in a vehicle that only just fits in the skinny lanes of Sydney's roads.

    Just left the mountains, the final drive to home.

    It is already mayhem at 5.30 this morning.

We have seen a lot of countryside and without a doubt the countryside we drove through today was the most picturesque in the whole of Australia. In saying this it is not because I am a New South Welshman it is because it is true. As we were driving Mez said at one stage, looking at the landscape, this wins hands down.

I have always wanted to see this vast land of ours and never really thought I would.

We have been very fortunate to have had a lovely trip seeing this beautiful country, many memories to have for a lifetime and a new outlook on this place we call home.

A very big thank you to everyone who looked after things when we were gone.

    Home after just over 16,000kms and almost three and a half months.

Just to finish up with a few lines from Dorothea Mackellar's famous poem - My Country 

' An opal - hearted country

  A wilful, lavish land

 All you who have not loved her,

 You will not understand

 Though earth holds many splendours,

 Wherever I may die,

 I know to what brown country

 My homing thoughts will fly.'

THE END.