Since my last post, we have left the moonscape that is called White Cliffs. The 90 k drive into Wilcannia was pretty hectic. The number of kangaroos on the road has trebled since a couple of days earlier and also heaps of cows on the road. A roadside butcher shop could make a fortune out here.
Unfortunately we had to stop in Wilcannia to top up with juice before heading to Cobar. What a scary place that is. All of the shops and houses that we saw had bars on the windows and the only people I saw in the street, apart from tourists at the servo were of the indigenous variety. Deb got out of the car for a smoke when we stopped in the line for fuel and I would say, within 10 seconds she had an indigenous companion standing just behind her. It was a really uncomfortable situation, although, probably, he only wanted to bott a cigarette. The town had a very spooky feeling about it.
Thank god it didn't take long to top up with fuel and back on the road again. (should write a song about that). Most of the way to Cobar, 260 k's, was a fairly straight road. They have had so much rain in the area lately, that the shoulders of the roads are closed. You can see where vehicles get off the bitumen surface and they go down 3 or 4 inches straight away. You could not possibly pull over if you needed to stop. After about 20 k's of this the shoulders are a bit more stable. Just as well too. Not long after this there were 2 huge wide loads coming towards us and they took up the whole road. They had the escort vehicles with them and they were ushering everyone off the road. I don't know what would have happened a few k's back when you couldn't get off the road. Don't want to think about it really.
Arrived in Cobar and it seemed like a lovely little town. The caravan park was fairly huge, and we were staying here for 2 days. Strolled up the street the next morning and visited the info centre. Across the road was really good little park, with lots of mining memorabilia and statues. It was really well set up. So many of these country towns are steeped in mining history and they all take pride in showcasing their history.
We then headed up to a lookout that overlooked a big open cut. The mine was probably about 100 metres deep and it is an operational gold mine. There are only about 20 trucks that come out of the mine every week loaded with ore. We must have been lucky as whilst we were there, 2 huge trucks with their hoppers loaded came out of the mine tunnel. The ore is almost gravel size, as there are huge crushers underneath the earth to crush the rock before it reaches the surface. It would be awesome to be able to go into one of these tunnels to see just how big the operation underground is.
Next it was into the shopping area to check out the attractions. Of course the standout was the huge beercan on the porch of the hotel. It is the BIGGEST beer can in Australia. See, I told you I was going to take photos of everything BIG.
After our time in Cobar we were off, heading to Bourke. I have to confess, I thought that Bourke was a big town. As we drove into the city??? I was amazed at how quiet the streets were. Not to get all of our surprises at once, we headed to the caravan park to set up. We were going to book in for 5 days but thankfully we changed that to 3 days. The management at the caravan park were really friendly and it is only about 500 metres from the town centre???? I must admit I was a bit taken aback when I saw the sign on the fence at the rear of our van. Electric Fence. How awesome.
After setting up we took a tour into town. To say I was amazed would be an understatement. I know it was Saturday, but the only shop open was the bakery. Most of the other shops in the main street had the windows either barred up or else had steel shutters protecting their windows. The only people I saw in the street were of the local indigenous variety. We took a bit of a drive around the housing area and it was fairly obvious we were out of our league and should head back to the relative safety of the caravan park. It is one of those places that does not feel safe. The whole town just felt like it was simmering, waiting to explode.
Next we checked out the info centre and got a list of the local attractions. A very short list, as the main attraction, the ferry ride down the Darling River was out of action. Bought a cool stubby holder at the info centre, more to prove that we were in Bourke and escaped safely, then back to the caravan park.
The following day we headed back to the info centre where we were going to attend one of the main attractions of Bourke. 'The Outback Show'. There were probably about 60 or 70 people at the show, which consisted of the main man showing us how to yolk up a bullock team, how to put a harness on the Clydesdale, how to talk to a camel and as a bonus, give us a few lessons in bush poetry. The show wasn't actually that bad, he was a likeable sort of bloke that told a few jokes and also a bit of a history lesson on the area. Not what I expected but not too bad. Also got to see some cotton plants at the info centre. So its true, cotton really does grow on trees. Pretty cool really.
Being a Sunday, everything was closed, except the Bakery, so we tried out a coffee. Must support these local towns???. The coffee wasn't too bad, although we didn't have very high expectations. Then, as nothing else was open it was back to the park. It wasn't bad on Sunday night as the owners of the park put on a sausage sizzle for dinner. It was a good chance to chat to other tourists, all of whom were just as excited as us about this 'oasis of the outback', Bourke.
Up bright and early Monday, yeh, forced to get up by those squawking mongrel crows that have set up camp just outside our van. I used to like the sound of their birdcall but no longer. After breakfast I went for a stroll, yes, outside the electric safety fence, whilst Deb was having breakfast and doing girly things.
I was gone for a while, as I walked almost into the town centre. The only drawback was the constant snarling of the savage dogs, that I think are compulsory here, in the front yards. It was only a matter of time before one escaped, so it was back to the safety compound. I must have been here too long, as when I got back Deb remarked, I thought you had gone walkabout. How time flies when you are in the land of the dreamtime.
Took Deb out, passed the safety zone, for a tour and a walk of the city centre. Of course it is school holidays and there were plenty of people around. I must say that if you take out the tourists, there was nothing to keep this town alive. The biggest building are all relating to Government Services. The Police Station and courthouse would take number one position, closely followed by all of the indigenous services.
Took a trip out to check out the local cemetery. Number 2 of local attractions. Out there you will find the grave of Fred Hollows. I also took photos of the gravesites of a couple of policemen
killed in the line of duty way back in history. Then it was time for a really exciting moment. It was nearly 1200 and at that time the huge Crossley engine in the town is cranked up. Yes, I know, so much excitement in one morning cant be good for the heart. Had a coffee and checked out the engine. It is a huge diesel engine that was used in 1928 to generate power in Sydney. All jokes aside, it is fantastically preserved and ticks over like a clock. Quite impressive if you are that way inclined.
After all of that excitement it was to a truck wash bay to use the high pressure hose to get that horrible dried red mud off from under the guards of the jeep. Almost stuck like cement. Then to get some final groceries before heading to Cunnamulla tomorrow.
The most exciting part of the day: Muffins put on by management of the park at 4.30. Awesome.
Speak soon.
Barry and Deb.
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