Let's Go! (To Broken Hill)

We left Brisbane as planned early on Friday morning 18 May, after getting to bed at 2 am. Jim was a bit concerned about the weight of the trailer (due to all the luxuries we had packed) so we found a weigh-bridge in Warwick to make sure that the trailer axle and tow ball were not carrying too much weight. 

Narrabri

Spent the first two nights in Narrabri with Helen and Wayne inside their house – no point wasting effort on setting up the camper trailer! (And it was very cold - speaking as a Queenslander!)

On Monday morning we headed west for Bourke and beyond. Found some cotton paddocks ready for picking near Wee Waa, followed by some wild emus and paddy melons by the side of the road to play with. 

Ned discovers cotton

Inquisitive (but dumb) Emus

Elsie (of course)

Who needs tennis balls

Met some local aborigines at Brewarrina who told us about the fish traps that date back thousands of years in the Darling River. 

Fish Traps at Brewarrina

We were hoping to stay on a farm west of Bourke and camp by the Darling River that night, but instead just stayed at Bourke due to time constraints. It took us 2 hours to set up camp that evening for the first time. If that wasn’t long enough, we finished packing up the camp by 11.45 am the next morning. That leaves us about 4 hours a day to travel many km, have lunch and sight see – how will we ever make to the Kimberleys!!!

On Tuesday (after finally packing up) we explored the old bridge at north Bourke over the Darling River. 

We then discovered at the Bourke visitors centre that the road we planned to take down the Darling River to Wilcannia was still closed due to the recent floods. So we had to detour through Cobar and then headed west for our first (free stay) bush camp - lots of dust and prickles, with a fantasic starry sky at night.

Happiness is a hot milo on a cold morning in the bush (Bronte)

First free stay camp west of 60 km W of Cobar

The next day was 400 km to Broken Hill. Stopped for lunch at Wilcannia and enjoyed the surrounding flood plains still holding some water. 

Bridge at Wilcannia

 Watched the birds again flying over and around the Darling River. 

Bird of prey at Wilcannia (anyone know what type?)

We had been hoping to take the dirt road to Menindee from Wilcannia, but this road was also still shut due to the floods – hence we went straight to Broken Hill.