We covered plenty of miles the first day. First stop was Dubbo but all I got to see was Spotlight. I have worked out that I can knit in the car but I broke a needle and Top Gear gave me two seconds to run in and replace them. It was concede to my request or I threatened to sing along to the radio for the next 100 Kms !
We travelled fast in the Audi and covered lots of miles so not many photos taken. I did try but at an average speed of 140 kph we were often a km past the spot before I managed to get the camera out.
The road was long and straight.........
With only occasional road train to slow us down........
Or maybe this fellow........
Heading Outback was a first for me and I have to say it was an eye opener. Heading through Narromine it took me a while o realise the white "fluffy foam" on the verge of the road was cotton fluff, shed from the cotton bales piled in the paddocks and in the storage sheds.......it went in for Kms.
Gradually the soil got redder and redder and the bush turned to dry scrub. Our first overnight stop was Nyngan, so we joined the locals at the RSL for dinner and State of Origin in the big screen. A quick walk around the town before bed and guess what I found.....a patchwork shop! It was really strange, there was a supermarket, two pubs and a chemist but there were 4 hairdressers and this shop full of fabric and wool! I went back the next morning ( as expected) to have a look and found out that most of her customers come in twice a week on the bus from Bourke. They shop for fabric,have lunch at the RSL and get their hair done (hence the abundance of hairdressers). It's their girls day out!!!!
Anyway, in the road again, heading for Cobar. We had been warned to watch out for kangaroos and feral goats on the road but we very surprised to see more of these guys has any other wildlife.......
We had a cup of coffee at Cobar, and yes, I found the patchwork shop, but just a quick look was had., then on to Wilcannia. I was gobsmacked by this place. In its' heyday it would have been glorious. The main street is lined with the most beautiful sandstone buildings, most have now fallen into disrepair. This is the post office, empty and boarded up!
We found a local lady serving coffee and cake from her cottage.......no other amenities were apparent. We had a quick drive around but it was sad to see the groups of locals just hanging around and the queue outside the demountable Centrelink office!
Getting fuel here was also interesting once we found the right person to ask! There wasn't any signs to help so we followed a cattle truck!
Next stop for the night was Broken Hill and it was freezing! We managed a bit of proper sight seeing here. We visited the cafe atop the Line of Lode that dominates the town.
We did a quick whip around the Pro Hart gallery (surprisingly, Broken Hill boasts about 27 different art galleries, far outwaying the number of pubs) !
Next day we headed out to Silverton, about 25 Kms west of Broken Hill. This area is famous as the film set for the Mad Max movies, so if you Iike dry red dust this is the place for you.
They have lots of relics still out there left over from the movie and a Mad Max museum!
It was a very quirky place to visit with a lot of little surprises all through the town. We had brunch at the local cafe there and the food was great.......all homemade as was the friendly service.
Now the road was long and straight through to Adelaide with a few little stops along the way. We went to Petersborough.....famous as the place the trains had to change gauge (and, yes, I found the patchwork shop) then on to Terowie. This town is pretty much a recent ghost town. As we drove down the main street it was obvious that shopkeepers had just closed their doors and walked away. The sewing shop still had a coupe of modern sewing machines in the window, covered in grime and dust. The bakery had a very grey bread display. A few locals still hung on and there was one little general store going.......looks like it was the original fish and chip shop, but generally it was all closed and dilapidated. One local man still had a sense of humour and was keeping himself entertained by building .......
The Tin People of Terowie.......
He had a paddock full of these creations!
Finally Adelaide was in our sights and we are ready to be city and wine valley tourists.
For me, not much holiday stitching so far, but for you I hope.......
Happy Stitching!
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