Travelling Around Australia: February 2013

21^st January 2013 to 8th February 2013

We arrived at a free camp spot called Psyche Bend, which is 12km’s south east of Mildura on 21^st Jan. To say we were delighted as soon as we arrived is an understatement. There is nothing quite like camping beside the beautiful mighty Murray River. It was a warm day when we arrived, but from our previous experience of travelling in the heat, we elected to leave Hopetoun early and arrived at Psyche Bend at 10.30 in the morning to avoid the worst of the heat while we travelled. It was only a 2 hr trip, but we were able to set up early, do some necessary food shopping and enjoy the remainder of day on the river.

This particular spot is only for self sufficient campers, no toilets or fresh water, but only a 10 min drive to get fresh water and supplies. It is also a spot which is steeped in history, probably not surprising given that it is on the Murray. Psyche Bend houses Psyche Pump Station which irrigates and drains water via electric driven pumps, but was originally irrigated via a magnificent pump and steam engine, built in England and transported to Australia in 1891. It was fully operational until 1959. It was restored and is now maintained by the Sunraysia Steam Preservation Society. It is the only steam driven Tangye operational pump of its type in the world. The pump station is open 3 days a week for visitors and is only operational 6 days a year. Unfortunately we missed out on the operational days, but were able to visit the site, only 200 metres from where were camped. A truly great piece of our history, inspired by one Alfred Deakin, who enticed two Canadian brothers, who were developing irrigation systems in Southern California, to come to Australia to develop the Mildura Irrigation system. History lesson over!

We have met some wonderful people here. Shirley and Sandy from Deception Bay in Queensland , who have done quite a bit of travelling, stayed for a couple of nights and were about halfway through this particular part of their trip which was to travel the length of the Murray via the road. They were headed to Renmark after they left here and going all the way to Goolwa at the mouth of the Murray. Del and Ron from the central coast of New South Wales have been travelling since mid December through NSW. We enjoyed a delightful night of drinks and talking with them. They are continuing to travel later this year, so maybe we will catch up with them again somewhere.

Camping on the Murray is truly a great experience and I know many of you have done this. I just love watching all the activity, including houseboats, speedboats, water skiers, fishing boats and jet skis. Then when we get on in our Hobie, include kayaks, canoes etc. The weather was beautiful for the 11 days we were here and we were able to swim every day. The only thing we didn’t see for a week was a paddle wheel boat, until the Sunday before we left. Then around the bend we could see a paddle wheel boat coming. We were very excited and just after it passed our site it moored on the opposite side of the river. Greg and I waited a little while, and then we put the Hobie in and paddled across to have a better look at it. As we approached the owners of the Shiralee, Max and Marj came out on deck, we had a brief chat and then they invited us aboard to have a look. An invitation that could not be resisted.

Max built the Shiralee, it took him two years and they launched her in 2000. She is a truly beautiful vessel and we were privileged to be invited by Marj and Max to have tea with them aboard her. We were totally rapt and couldn’t believe what a wonderful experience it was. The Shiralee is certainly a credit to them both. We not only enjoyed tea with them but a couple of hands of 500, we hadn’t played for a while so it was great fun. Thank you again Max and Marj.

We loved staying at this spot on the Murray and our Hobie was put to good use. What better place than the Murray for a paddle/pedal.

Australia Day on the Murray at Pysche Bend

I see a full moon rising on the Murray

Our campsite at Psyche Bend from the Hobie

The Southern Cross beneath the Southern Cross

The beautiful Shiralee

Psyche Bend old pump station

We left Psyche Bend on 30^th January to spend a few nights at Wentworth. Of course it is only a 41 km trip from Mildura, but it is a town worth visiting for its historical charm. Again we found a free camping spot just beyond the boat ramp, about 2 kms from town. Wentworth is another town which is steeped in history; the first fact is that it was shortlisted to become Australia’s capital because of the Darling River/Murray River confluence (where both rivers meet). It was one of the busiest ports during the Riverboat era, with sometimes more than 31 vessels in port at one time. We visited the Old Wentworth Gaol and the site where they are renovating the old PS Ruby. What a magnificent vessel she must have been in her heyday.

We were camped only 1 km from the Loch and Weir and were lucky enough to see two vessels come through the loch. It is something both Greg and I had never seen before and it was really interesting. Sometimes we get really excited about the simple things. One of the houseboats had numerous attempts at getting out of the loch because the strong wind kept pushing it into the side of the loch and as it was so shallow at that point it wouldn’t have been able to get out. They eventually had to tie her up on the opposite side to give her room to get out and although very interesting to watch it must have been a bit embarrassing for the owners of the vessel.

The Darling (closest to camera) meets the mighty Murray

The mens cell block at Wentworth Gaol

The beautiful old PS Ruby undergoing renovations

On Saturday 2^nd Feb we packed up and left for Broken Hill. There are few free camp spots around this area, so we stayed at the Lakeview Caravan Park. Broken Hill is not the prettiest town in the world, in fact I think it is downright ugly, but don’t let that fool you into thinking there is nothing to see. It is a surprising collection of old buildings, beautiful landscapes, wonderful museums and once again a fascinating history. There is a lot to discover here and we tried our best to see most of it. I will attempt to enlighten you about a few of the places we visited.

A syndicate of seven men from the Mt Gipps station discovered ore on an isolated hill in 1895. They called that hill Broken Hill and so BHP was born. This massive ore body contained the world’s richest source of lead, silver and zinc. There are three working mines in this area now which employ only about 450 men, a stark contrast to the early days when in excess of 4000 men worked the mines. It is believed that mining can continue in Broken Hill for another 30 to 40 years.

Our trip into Broken Hill was amazing in itself. The flat, scrubby, dry landscape is uninspiring, but the beauty beyond that is amazing. Lots of mad emus’ goats and kangaroos along with the odd camel leap out to greet you. Not far from Broken Hill there is a small town called Silverton. Silverton is spectacularly scenic, a small sleepy town full of heritage stone buildings. The sad and stirring Pioneer Cemetery is worth a visit, it covers 42 acres, with a lot of unmarked graves, but a lot of graves with the names of children, who died mostly due to Typhoid which was rampant at the time. Silverton is most famous as a film location including, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Mad Max 2. Many other movies have been shot in this location, but these two are the most famous. The Silverton Hotel has featured in more than 100 movies. The famous Mundi Mundi plains 5 kms from Silverton was the location for Priscilla and Mad Max. The plains are beautiful to look at and you can see for miles around on the extremely flat landscape. Another few kilometres past the Mundi Mundi, on the western slopes of the Barrier Ranges is the Umberumberka Reservoir, a true oasis in the middle of all this scrub.

We visited the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS). The base is in Broken Hill and it gives you a wonderful insight into the beginnings of this life saving service as well as how it operates today. The RFDS looks after 80 percent of Australia and the work they do is simply amazing. It was well worth the visit. Whites Mineral Art and Living Mining Museum is also a must see. It is like going underground without going under. Bushy White has produced an illustrated journey via his mineral art of the architectural and mining history of Broken Hill. He also has lots of memorabilia and has made models of mine sites. His knowledge of the history of the mines and the equipment they used and are using is amazing. His crushed mineral artwork is simply beautiful. Another section of the museum displays a large collection of handmade dolls and teddy bears, 90 percent of which were made and dressed by Bushy’s wife.

The Miners Memorial which sits atop the Line of Lode is also an interesting site to visit. It lists the names of over 800 men who lost their lives in the mines, the most recent being in 2005. This site which is built upon an open cut mine, the site of the original broken hill, also houses the Broken Earth Cafe and has an exhibition of mining equipment used in the mines. Another beautiful feature of Broken Hill is the Living Desert Sculptures. It is about 9 kms out of town and offers fantastic views of the area particularly at sunset. There are 12 massive sandstone sculptures by artists from all over the world and look stunning against the desert backdrop.

This is just a small piece of Broken Hill. We were here for only 6 days, but I would suggest you need at least 10 days to 2 weeks to fully discover the whole area. It is truly an inspiring piece of Australian history and true Australian Outback.

The caravan park we stayed in, Lakeview Caravan Park, does not have a view of the lake. It is clean, with grassy sites and shady trees, which is a must in this climate. A very refreshing and much needed swimming pool was our saviour every day we were here. They also have cabins for those without a caravan or tent. I would recommend this caravan park for a visit.

Yesterday, 8^th Feb, we left Broken Hill to head for Menindee about 110 kms east of Broken Hill. We will be staying here for a week and I will blog about this area next time. After Menindee we think we will be heading back to South Australia, but those plans could change.

Enjoy and cheers till next time.