Pinnaroo on the Mallee Highway

This will be an interesting exercise as the charging cord does not work on my laptop so I am writing this on my telephone and using two two fingers. 

We are in a small camping ground in Pinnaroo, about 270 km from Balranald. We cut across country and so we are

 now on the Mallee Highway.

It took us about half an hour to find the correct road after Balranald. We drove up and down the main street three times.  I know we liked the town but it was becoming ridiculous. In the end we used Google maps and found the road straight away. A few words were exchanged during this exercise. 

This camping ground was once run by the shire council, and now it is owned by a keen young man. He has already installed new toilets and showers. 

Our car and caravan. We are getting very quick at setting it up. Everything is working  well, thank goodness.

There is a lovely lawn area beside the camping ground so I thought perfect for ball play with Piper. A big mistake. She took off and started jumping and running alongside a tall fence.

And on the other side there is a wildlife park. Luckily she came back to me when I called her. 

Inside the fence there were kangaroos, wallabies, emus and birds. 

A very assertive emu, looking for food probably.

I took Piper for a walk into town. Lots to see and do in Pinnaroo but we only have one night here. We will definitely return. 

Sadly the bakery has closed, quite recently too I think. An empty street. 

The old Pinnaroo Station I think, althouth it is a distance from the tracks, which are still there. South Australia closed most of its railways down in the 1980s. I think the government regrets it now. 

The platform with a railway shed on the other side of the tracks.

There are beautiful old buildings here.

The hotel. 

Now I cannot remember the name of this building. 

This building was fascinating with it's old brick work and very old tin roof. There is a large cafe on the left hand side. Perfect for coffee tomorrow.

There is a very good museum there too, but no time tomorrow. When we visit next time I will be more prepared with information. 

Another view of the wild life park.

I was very organised on this trip and used up all our fruit and vegetables. I even squeezed the juice from the last lemons, and limes and put it into containers. The only banned item which I threw in the bin at the Victorian border was half a butternut pumpkin. Then I thought I should have made pumpkin soup as I had stock and herbs. 

At the check point on the SA border I proudly stated that I had no banned fruit or vegetables. The officer checked the car and caravan anyway. In the past we have had to hand all our recently bought contraband over. 

For people who live elsewhere, the ban on fruit and vegetables is to stop fruit fly entering South Australia, although Victoria and Western Australia have checks too. 

We drove into the first SA service station to fill up with diesel, and such a relief to have the diesel pumps beside the petrol pumps. In NSW the diesel pumps can be anywhere at the service station. At the last place it was around the corner of the building. Always tricky when you are towing a caravan 

Home tomorrow, and looking forward to it. It's been a great trip though and we have learnt a lot about the places we visited. 

Ever onwards. 

 We spent a lovely day in Balranald, in sunshine.  Very relaxing.   As mentioned in my blog yesterday we did not expect to come to such a scenic and interesting place.    It certainly proves that travelling slowly and calling into places certainly opens a person's eyes.  

We only saw a small amount of what is really on offer here.   There are two National Parks close by, Mungo and Yango National Parks.   Last year we visited the edge of Mungo National Park, namely the Visitor Centre and the Woolshed, as dogs are not allowed in national parks in Australia.   There are local lakes and wetlands close by due to the Murrumbidgee, Murray, Lachlan, Wakool, and Edward rivers being so close together.   This I did not know about, so much water abounds here.    I am certainly learning an awful lot about what I thought was just a dry, arid and very boring area.

And this takes me back to my rant yesterday about the cotton and rice growing on the Hay Plains.   I would hope that the people in charge keep a close eye on water usage and seepage back into the rivers, but as there is so much water around the Hay Plains then I guess it does need to be put to good use.    I am not sure about cotton but the rice growing has been thoroughly researched, and the rice that is planted here is tolerant of dry conditions, in that it doesn't need so much water, and most times a cereal crop is put in as soon as the rice is harvested in order to take advantage of the moist soil.   

I also found out that Hay is part of the Riverina, and I am almost sure that the area around here is also included in the Riverina.   

There is a small museum showing different old planes, and a Discovery Centre which houses a museum.    Sadly we did not visit either places.    So we were not able to learn much about the history of Balranald.   However a sign along the side of the river stated that Balranald started as a river port for the barges carrying wool from the farms around here.   

We ordered take away coffee and carrot cake at the bakery this morning, which was very good.   The only problem was the bakery was on the shady side of the street, so we took our coffee and sat on a bench on the sunny side.    

The frog sculptures here, and there are plenty of them are a reference to the southern bell frog, a frog found in semi-permanent wetlands across the eastern part of Australia.   I think they could be endangered.

Two frogs sawing a log.

                                         

A metal structure of a large frog.

Two cute metal frogs at the front of the camping ground.

Reflections on the Murrumbidgee River.   I have to admit there is still plenty of water in the river here.

The corner clothing shop,

where I purchased a bright yellow jacket.   Not my usual colour I know, except when cycling, but time to brighten up my wardrobe.    I received a voucher for my birthday, and it had been burning a hole in my bag during the past two weeks.   

The old winding part, which was used to raise the bridge for paddle steamers to go underneath, was now used as an arch for the entrance to the camping ground.

The suspension bridge over the river, which leads to walking paths on the other side.   The bridge was built to commemorate the soldiers who were fighting on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea during Word War II.  The bridge is named after the Wairopi Crossing.    

Piper and I walked around the half a kilometre walk, in amongst the towering gum trees.

I think this tree had been hollowed out during a bush fire.  

The camping ground here, owned by the shire council, is very good.    It has been set out in parkland, and the toilet/shower/laundry block has been renovated with new tiles on the walls and floor plus new hand basins.  

I still think New South Wales is a very rich state, but perhaps not wholly due to the Murrumbidgee irrigation area!    They have many other 'irons in the fire'.   Plus a large population.

I think I am jealous of all they offer here!

Not that I want to live here.     

Tonight we are in Balranald, 280 km west of Griffith.   And the day has been full of surprises.

The first one is that the Sturt Highway follows the Murrumbidgee River from Darlington Point, 35km south of Griffith, through Hay and onto Balranald.    After Balranald it merges with the Murray River.   And for a little more information for people that do not live in Australia, the Murray River joins with the Darling River in Wentworth, NSW, and then winds its way through South Australia where it meets the sea at Goolwa.  

The second surprise is that Hay and Balranald are beautiful little towns, and prosperous looking as well. 

And the third surprise is the large amount of cotton and rice being grown along the 280 km stretch of road we travelled on today.   Both crops need a lot of water, consequently there were plenty of canals and dams and pipes to irrigate the crops.    All coning from the Murrumbidgee River.   This is in an area of Australia that is basically very dry, not quite desert but certainly very scrubby.

No wonder New South Wales is such a rich state!   

So what is my grumble, you may ask.   Well coming from South Australia which ends up with the water left over after New South Wales, and Queensland, take more than their fair share.   No doubt the run off,  from the agricultural land ends up in the river, that is all the chemicals that are sprayed on the crops. 

And now I can see why there is so much concern about the amount, and the quality of water, that ends up at the end.   This water is needed to keep the Murray mouth in good condition, and to support the wild life, including plants, animals, waterbirds and fish in the Coorong lagoon.

And yes, South Australia also uses water from the Murray River to irrigate the orchards and vineyards along the river, but it is nowhere the amount of water that is being used in New South Wales.  

The Murrumbidgee River by the camping ground at Balranald.

We have only travelled through Hay and Balranald twice, and stopped mainly to get fuel, although we did stop in Hay for a picnic lunch on the last trip two years ago.    On both trips we were covering 600/700 km a day as we were heading to Queensland, but the advantage of this trip is that we have time to stop, and observe, and appreciate the two towns.   And of course take more notice of the countryside.

I must include our early experience of the town of Hay, and what we referto as the 'Hay Plains'.   It was the end of 1982, and western New South Wales was in the grip of a really bad drought. The 'Hay Plains' was a sea of sand blowing everywhere, and piled up against fences.   It was 40 degrees and baking hot.  We drove a VW Combi van, no air conditioning of course, which had tiny windows at the side, which we tried to tie open.   Our four children had their faces pressed against the openings in order to get a bit of air.    When we stopped for fuel in Hay the starter motor would not work, and of course the Combi would not start.   The mechanic told Walter to crawl under the vehicle and hit the starter motor with a spanner in order to get it going.   I can still see Walter crawling around on the hot cement with a spanner in his hand.  

Our response to any suggestion about travelling along this road is  'Not the Hay Plains!'.    

 

An extra day in Griffith due to the car getting a puncture yesterday, and being Sunday there were no tyre shops open.

As we like the town this was no hardship at all, except for the $750 we paid for matching back tyres, plus a wheel balance.   The tyre place was just around the corner from the camping ground so it was all very easy.

For those people who have not read my last blog, the wheel picked up a bolt from the road which went through the tyre.   As we were driving we heard a clanging sound at the back and thought it was mud from the huge puddle we drove through at Darlington Point, on the Murrumbidgee River.   But no, there were further clanging sounds plus a few bumps, and we knew we had a puncture.   As we were only about 30 km from Griffith, it did not take long for the NRMA Road Services to get to us.   So happy.

Other than that, we had an enjoyable day yesterday and today, just pottering around.

We were very keen to look at the Murrumbidgee River, which forms the basis of the irrigation system here.   So we set off to drive 35 km south to Darlington Point.   

The day warmed up, and the sun came out, after an early morning of -4 degrees and quite a heavy frost.

Thought it time I included a photo of me, plus Piper of course.

The river is very picturesque, and reasonably clear looking.   And plenty of reflections in the still water.

The river gums looked quite majestic.

Plenty of cotton growing down that way.   It was not long after I look this photograph that we got a puncture.

A little flat at the bottom of the tyre.

Today, was a bonus day.    So what to do.   We thought a lovely drive out to Lake Wyangan, and yes it was a lovely drive but were disappointed with the result when we got there.  First the huge sign, plus a few others, which stated all the things you were not allowed to do there.   I have noticed that Griffith loves 'the must not' signs but this place was overloaded with them.   I think the only thing you were allowed to do was drive in, and walk on the grass.   Nothing else at all!   And no dogs allowed.   Plus large signs saying that 1080 bait is used in the park and in the camping ground next door.   To kill the foxes apparently.   For those people who are not Australian 1080 bait is a super poison that has no antidote, and it is seen as the answer to all feral animal problems.   So I would not be taking small children into this area  either.  

A beautiful view of Lake Wyangan, from the window of the car.    The lake is partly man made, and partly naturally formed.                                       

                                         

So we went for a little drive around the area, lots of fruit trees, vineyards, fields of grain and water channels.   The oranges and nectarines looked so tempting, just hanging there, all ready to be picked.

We travelled on a number of corrugated gravel roads, which the car handled beautifully, made all the better with the two new tyres on the back.   Then Walter noticed a red dirt road and suggested we take that back to the main road.   We certainly had fun on this road, with the 4WD engaged, lots of deep mud, a few slides and quite hilly.    As it was a very long road our car was filthy when we reached bitumen again.   Thank goodness for automatic car washing machines!

Before I finish I must mention that Griffith is a town where all coffee is excellent!   Due to the Italian influence of course.   Plus the food is also very good.    There is a bakery on the main street called Bertoldo's Bakery which specialises in Italian cakes, biscuits and pastries, plus different breads and rolls, even pies, pasties, hot food and salads.   The tables are out on the street.   Inside it is mayhem, packed with people purchasing food and coffee, and noisy.    The shop assistants do a marvellous job.   This shop reminds me so much of life in Italy.

Also there are no photos of the camping ground, which I kept meaning to do, but kept forgetting.   It is close to the city centre, very old, with small sites, and most of them have ensuites.   We did not take one of these as we are happy with our own bathroom in the van.    There are also very smart newer cabins, plus old bunk rooms, and single rooms with bathrooms.    The people who do casual work on the farms live in the single rooms and bunk rooms.   A very multi national place.

And tomorrow we travel west to Balranald, via Hay, where we hope to stop for a few hours to see the Shearers' Hall of Fame.

Ever onwards.

History of Griffith

 

Before I write about the history of Griffith I must mention about the people who lived here before European settlers.

It would appear that for about 60,000 years the Wiradjuri people roamed the area, moving between the two rivers, living off the land, eating small animals, fruit, nuts and fish.   The Wiradjuri were a small population, having an ecological and spiritual connection with the land with the elders having authority in social and religious ceremonies.

However, with the coming of the white man, it all changed, and life as they knew it could no longer continue. 

The speedy occupation of the land had a devastating effect on the Aboriginal communities.   They were dispossessed of their lands, and their culture was fractured.   They had no defence against the white invaders, and many died or were killed.   Those that survived went on to work on the properties of the settlers.

At the 2021 census only 1,436 people of Aboriginal descent live in Griffith.

Ideas for conserving water in this area began about 1855, and some small canals were dug using water from the Murrunbidgee River.   But it was not until the early 1900s that the government seriously put into place legislature to build dams and canals in which to provide irrigation in the Riverina area.   The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Scheme (later called the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area) came into being and work took place from 2006 onwards.   The government also purchased most of the land, at low prices, from the settlers who lived here.

The government then divided the land into small blocks of about 50 acres and leased the farms to people who were interested in starting a farm.   The farms were widely advertised in order to attract people to the area.    Soldier settlers also took up leases when they returned from war in 1918.

It all sounds rosy!   In fact it went pear shaped from the beginning.   I could write pages about everything that went wrong with the system, but instead will try and encapsulate the events in a few paragraphs.

As the government leased the land to farmers they could charge whatever price they liked, and did so.   They organised for the farmers to buy horses and machinery, and lent them money.   They set up advisers to tell farmers what to grow on their farms, and the crops and fruit trees died due to the advice not being correct.   The soldiers/settlers were often shell shocked and/or not used to agricultural work.    And the government bungles were gigantic!

Consequently the farmers' debts mounted up, as they had no income to pay back the loans for machinery, seeds, fertilisers, water etc.   By 1926 less than 30% of the original settler farmers were still on their land, all the others had walked off in despair.   The government ended up writing off most of the debts. 

But all was not lost.   People were allowed to buy their 50 acres instead of leasing the land, and took out loans to do so.    Many people who had debts insisted on paying them off, although it took until 1946 to do so, but it meant that they owned the land and machinery.   People started to experiment with different crops, including rice, and many grew both fruit and vegetables (fruit salad farms).    

The large Italian community supported each other which meant they paid off their debts quickly.   They were also used to working small farms in Italy and quickly learnt how to successfully manage their small plots of land here.   They also planted grape vines and helped start the wine industry here.   

After World War II the area boomed, and has continued to do so.

There was one hiccup in the late 1970s when one or two people suddenly became very rich.   Crops of marijuana were discovered in the Griffith area.   The growing conditions for it were ideal, good soil and plenty of water.  Local people were angry about it but there was no action from the authorities, except for minimal jail terms and fines.   A man who led the fight against the illegal crop being grown here was murdered, which meant the government had to take action.   However the people of Griffith, and especially anyone of Italian descent, had to live with a slur against them for some years.   

  And now to our visit to the Griffith Pioneer Park Museum.   It was an amazing place with buildings full of old machinery and streets with buildings that had been moved to the museum.   And inside the old buildings relevant displays had been set up.   

The entrance to the museum.   A settlers house.

There was a large hall set aside for an Italian display of stories and exhibits.  Fascinating.    It gave people such an insight into the lives of the early farmers.

The coloured metal sculpture depicts the Murray cod.

Very old cars!

Lots of machinery.

The typical four roomed house that was initially built in Griffith, which had fibro sheets on the walls.   A health and safety risk now.

Some of the buildings in the recreated street.

Now I cannot remember the name of this shop.   However, the Post Office, bakery, grocery store, blacksmith, etc, were all set up as they would have been when they were part of the early town of Griffith.

A farmer's small house.

There was a big knitting and crochet group here that met once a week.   This is what they produced, an amazing selection of crafted objects.   

Plenty of old tractors and farm machinery in this museum.

A steam engine. Fascinating.

Plus the old dunny, with a windmill behind.   No spiders there though.

Finally, the end!

Except there will be more tomorrow.  

We are staying another day, which will be lovely, but Walter will spend the morning locating two new tyres for the car.   Plus the cost.   I ran over a bolt on the road and it pierced a tyre.   Consequently we had to call the NRMA out to change the tyre.   Why are tyres so complicated to change these days

A short snap shot of Griffith today

It is very difficult to write about Griffith briefly!    What you see today is not how it was before 1945, but more about that in latter blogs.   

Today it is a thriving city surrounded by successful farms, orchards and vineyards, all being irrigated by the complex irrigation system, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Scheme, which now includes water from the Snowy River scheme.  

Griffith is part of the productive Riverina area, and it includes the following:  150,000 tonnes of grain per year, mainly wheat and malt barley, largest poultry producer in Australia, 66 varieties of grapes, largest citrus growing in Australia, 95% of Australian prunes, 1 in every 4 glasses of wine is produced here, 20% of Australia's cotton, leading Australian producer of almonds and walnuts, McDonald's pickles are produced here, a quail farm produces 25,000 quails a week, almost all Australia's rice is produced here, and finally it is home of Aquna sustainable Murray cod.   Wow!

It is also a multicultural city.    Italian migrants settled here before and after 1945, and 60% of the population has Italian family connections.    Other nationalities include Indian, Fijian, Filipino, Samoan, Pakistani, South African, Turkish, Afghani, Tongan, Taiwanese, Malaysian and Chinese.   Seeing so many nationalities walking along the main street, makes me realise how much I miss the diversity of London.      Most of these people are involved in some way with the food production businesses. 

We drove to the lookout on the hill and viewed the city spread out in front of us.   The city was proclaimed on the 14th August, 1916 so in terms of towns and cities in Australia, it is fairly new.  It was named after Hon. Arthur Griffiths who was the New South Wales Minister for public works, 1910-1915.   It was designed by Walter Burley Griffith, the Chicago architect who designed Canberra.  The names are co-incidental!   Griffith is designed in a radial pattern, the same as Canberra, and like Canberra  it is a nightmare to navigate around as nothing runs straight.

A photograph of one of the suburbs.

The photograph below was not the home of 'The Hermit', Valerio  Ricetti.   His cave was further along a rocky track, but it was similar to this one.   Valerio arrived in Griffith in 1929, after living in Broken Hill for 15 years.   He was disillusioned with life in Australia, after being robbed and lied to, and made his home in a cave here.  He constructed paths, gardens and galleries which were much photographed, but during World War II he was interned as an alien of enemy origin.   When he returned to Griffith his cave had been wrecked as had his garden.   He returned to Italy after the war and died soon afterwards.   No doubt a broken man.

The irrigation canal runs through the centre of the city, with a park running along both sides of it.

Let step back a couple of days to Hillston, which was 120 km north of Griffith, where we spent the night in a very pleasant camping ground. 

 We drank reasonable coffee at the cafe and I ate a very sugary and sticky cake.   

Walter opened the cupboard door, and my coffee cup and wine glass fell out and broke.   Luckily the local charity shop was open and he was able to purchase another cup and glass, otherwise no coffee or wine for me.   A tragedy for sure.

Hillston is a town on the banks of the Lachlan River, which like many outback Australian rivers appear to flow upside down.    Muddy bottomed rivers!

Now why are the trees dead on the other side of the bank?

A couple of colourful emu statues.

Back to the camping ground in Cobar.    The huge area at the back which I think is intended to be used for tents and campers.    However, it is also fantastic for dogs to have a good run.   

Piper returning the ball to me.

And finally, the temperature here at night has dropped to minus 2 degrees.    But luckily we have finally learnt how to use the heater on the airconditioner.    The instruction book was so unclear.  But Walter sorted it out yesterday so now we are really cosy as we have two heaters, the one on the roof and our little portable one.

So cosy!