Back o' Bourke

Today it rained all day, mostly a heavy drizzle, but with showers as well.    I can see why the countryside is so green.   A busy afternoon, keeping on top of the two potential leaks on the front pop top ledge.  There was much changing of hand towels and rearranging the pieces of plastic.   The system works but it is a pain.     Every time I took Piper out for a walk I had to dry the mud and water off her legs and tummy afterwards.   She needed rubber boots.    A busy day.   Tomorrow will be sunny again.  

'Back o' Bourke' actually means an extremely remote, isolated or far-distance place similar to saying 'the 'middle of nowhere' or 'the back of beyond'.   It came from the colonial times when Bourke was seen as on the edge of civilisation.    And anything 'back of Bourke' meant going even further into the harsh, empty outback beyond an already remote outpost.

The Darling River looking extra lovely with its reflections on the water.

 Bourke is no longer an outpost, and even the land beyond it, is easily accessible.   However, Bourke is still a distance away from Sydney, and in the summer time it is a very hot and dry place. It is not a wealthy town, and there is a high level of socio economic disadvantage here.  Apparently youth crime has dropped considerably, due to programs and support.    There is also a rich indigenous history and a tight knit community and a definite feel of pride.

Sadly though, there is evidence of a high crime area, as shops are mostly behind metal shutters, and the drive through bottle shop had a metal frame in front of the doors.    Your order was taken through a space in the grate.   

These shops were closed up.

The main street with not many people around.       It is also not possible to go window shopping on this street.    We were impressed with the paving, and garden boxes filled with shrubs and flowers.   Plus lots of trees.

Piper having a great time catching the tennis ball.    Today she found a dead fish on the top of the hill, and could not resist rolling in it.   Luckily the fish was a recent death, otherwise she would have smelt dreadful, to us anyway.   

This is a town filled with dogs, mostly in front gardens, but a number of them roam the streets, so it is not possible to take Piper for a walk around the caravan park area. 

There are some grand old buildings here.    St Ignatius Parish Church and School.

                                         

A beautiful old building, but not sure what it is used for now.

The cotton balls, on their way to a 'gin' where seeds and debris are removed before the cotton is exported overseas.    Interestingly we passed a large cotton farm on the way to Louth.   It had a huge dam plus long canals.    I thought the government was clamping down on canals due to evaporation problems.    Also the wealth from that cotton farm does not end up in Bourke.    Just me on my 'soap box' again.

The Percy Hobson mural on the water tower.   Percy Hobson was the first Aboriginal person to win a Commonwealth Games medal.   He won the medal in the high jump in 1962.   It was also the record for high jump at the time.    Bourke is very proud of him.

We visited the 'Back o' Burke' exhibition at the Visitor Centre this morning.    Although we had been there four years ago it was great to see it again.

The first area showed a film about the people who lived here, for thousands of years, and who looked after the river and the surrounding area.     The film also told the story of how the river was made.    It was a beautifully made film.

We then went through the section which gave information about the first European explorers and property development in the area.   Plus a bit of history about the early days of Bourke.

Another section told stories and poems from various poets and writers who visited Bourke, including Henry Lawson who worked in Bourke for six months in 1892.

Information about the Darling River.

There were many stories from settlers, and people who made an impact on Bourke and the surrounding areas.  The renowned eye doctor, Fred Hollows, often worked in Bourke in his mobile eye clinic, treating indigenous people who had tracoma..   He is buried in the Bourke Historic Cemetery.

Tomorrow we leave Bourke, and travel on the Kidman Highway to Cobar for one night.    We will have completed a circle, Cobar, Dubbo, Lightening Ridge, St George, Roma, Charleville, Cunnemulla, Bourke, Cobar. 

We have also booked into the next two caravan parks as it will be very busy with people returning from the Mundi Mundi Bash, 35 km north west of Broken Hill.   15,000 tickets were sold, with most people in caravans or motor homes although some were in tents.    Unfortunately there was a massive storm this week and the site became so waterlogged and muddy that only 10,000 ticket holders made it onto the camping grounds.   The other 5000 remained in Broken Hill or at a nearby town of Silverton,   It was a shambles.   The festival finishes tomorrow night but already people are driving back home.   The caravan park here is full tonight, mainly with people driving home early.

A Short Trip to Louth

This morning we set out to drive 99 km to Louth, which is on the Darling River.    I have mentioned the Darling River many times, an important river that eventually connects to the Murray River, which of course ends up in Goolwa, not far from where we live.

So far we have visited most towns on the river; Walgett, Bourke, Wilcannia, Menindee Lakes, Pooncarie, and finally Wentworth where the river meets the Murray River.   We have not visited Brewarrina and Tilpa.   Quite good going really as the distance from Walgett to Wentworth is 1089 km.

Up until 1920 the river was a major transport system for moving wool and provisions for the towns.   Paddle steamers were used to transport goods, and often they were left stranded in pools of muddy water when the rivers dried up during droughts.

Information about the Darling River Run.   You may need to enlarge the photo to read the print.

                                         

Louth was established by Europeans in 1859 when an Irish immigrant, Thomas Andrew Matthews, named it after his home county in Ireland.    He built the original pub, now Shindy's Inn Louth.

We sat outside the pub and drank zero alcohol beer, and ate delicious bacon and egg rolls.

                                        

The fire waiting to be lit for the evening drinks at the pub.   I think they have quite a social gathering at night.   The road from Tilpa to Bourke is a popular road for 4WD vehicles.   I think it is quite muddy from Tilpa to Louth.   At this time of year they would have a constant stream of people visiting the pub.

The dead tree painted blue outside the pub.    A symbol of mental health, which started in Western Australia, and is now a world symbol, apparently.    Mental health issues can be quite a problem in the outback, with the constant worry about stock, prices, floods and droughts.

The substantial bridge over the Darling River.   There is a road 'track' on both sides of the river.  Dunlop Station is 14 km from Louth on the eastern side of the river.    The historic 1 million acre property became the first sheep station in the world to adopt mechanical shearing in 1888.

At its peak during the late 19th century, Louth supported three hotels, three bakeries, a cordial factory, a police station and a population of nearly 4000 people.

Now I think there are about 25 to 74 people (depending on the time of year) who live in Louth, with not many of the original buildings left there.    There is a small school.    Plus two small camping grounds.

This was once the local church, I think.

I am not sure what sort of domestic birds these are?   They were very keen for me to feed them, and Piper was very keen to chase after them.

Our car, parked in the shade, and in front of a small park, toilets and the Royal Flying Doctor Service building.    It was staffed today, perhaps they call in once a week so people can get health checks.   Walter forgot to ask, however they said they were based in Broken Hill.

This substantial house was once the post office, now a private residence.

The RFDS plane which brought the staff to Louth, waiting to be used to transport patients, or take the staff members back to Broken Hill.  A sealed runway too.

A lovely white sign, in front of a well kept cricket ground.   Their tennis courts were also well maintained as well.   

Once a year 5000 people visit for the annual race meeting.  We have realised on this trip that you need to check up on the local events, otherwise you can find yourself without a place to stay, no fuel, no bread and in Burke, no non alcoholic beer.   People travelling through to the Mundi Mundi bash in Broken Hill bought it all.

Wild goats everywhere.   They are very canny as you rarely see a dead goat on the road.   Some enterprising property owners have rounded them up, sent them to a specialised meat works who export the meat to the Middle East.

The road was sealed in some places and gravel on the rest, although the gravel was well graded and not too bumpy.

The countryside was very green, almost park like.    Obviously there has been a lot of rain this winter.

One more day in Bourke, and a visit to the 'Back o' Bourke' exhibition.   

A short trip to Eulo

We are now in Bourke, New South Wales, 260 km south of Cunnamulla, Queensland.    That was 260 km without fuel pumps, but we had filled up in Cunnamulla, so not a problem for us.    It is so important in Australia to make sure you have enough fuel before you travel anywhere in the country.    

We did not travel to Thargomindah, 200 km west of Cunnamulla.   Our original intention was to travel west to Quilpie from Charleville and then down to Thargomindah but we could see we were running out of time to attempt that loop.    However to travel 200 km to Thargomindah, stay the night, and then travel back to Cunnamulla seemed a bit wasteful of fuel.   

So we compromised and travelled 67 km west to Eulo, and spent a few hours there.   It is now a very small town, but with heaps of character.

It probably started off as a pastoral town, with a bit of opal mining as well.  It was also situated near a water hole on the Paroo River, and was on the road to far west Queensland.

The Diprotodon, not a real one thank goodness.   Diprotodons are giant wombat like marsupials and lived in Queensland about 1.6 million years ago.   Skulls and skeletons, plus hair and foot impressions have been found near Eulo.    They were donated to one of the museums in Australia.

The Paroo River, which in times of drought is a series of muddy pools of water.    Someone built a weir here so it looks like a very large muddy river.    This is the last river in west Queensland that runs into the Darling River.

The main street of Eulo, which was full of caravans and motor homes when we arrived there.

The old Post Office, which is now a store plus opal place.    I bought a bottle of locally produced honey.  There was also a leather shop in the town, so I purchased a leather belt, at great cost, I might add.   But it is a lovely belt.

An air raid shelter, about 83 years old.    Not that anyone during World War II expected the Japanese army to arrive in Eulo, however the town was underneath the flight path from Sydney to Darwin.

This high wheeled truck was used to travel across shallow rivers and was only recently replaced by a modern truck.

One of the original churches.

The old prison.

There were other places of note in the town.    The Eulo Queen Hotel which was named after a very fiesty woman who was one of the early owners of the hotel.   The hotel also runs the motel and caravan park next door.

There is an artesian mud bath establishment on the edge of the town, which is very popular and expensive, no doubt.

We drove for a few more kilometres until we came to an artesian mud spring.   This mud spring is one of the release valves for the Great Artesian Basin.   As the underground pressure grows, mud is forced up through fissures in the ground.   The mounds have jelly-like tops.    

The mud spring mounds lie on the edge of the Great Arterial Basin, which is much shallower than the centre of the basin.   

Some of the water on the edge of the basin also filters into rivers.    The deepest parts are in the centre of the basin, which is where the water is the hottest.    The water in the basin filters through sand and sandstone which purifies it, however it still smells of sulfur and can be salty.

On Sunday afternoon, I visited the old railway station, which showed a documentary film about the building and the running of the railway to Cunnamulla.   Passenger trains stopped running here in 1994 although freight trains continued until 2011.    The line ran from Brisbane, via Ipswich, Toowoomba, Roma, Charleville and terminated in Cunnamulla.     It was a crucial link for people living in here.

The railway station.

Metal sculptures depicting the local band which met the trains on important occasions.

The Paroo Progress Association organised the 'Cunnamulla off the rails 3D light and sound spectacular' through fund raising plus applications for funding from the Queensland Government.    A huge shed was built beside the railway station, which was fitted out with a very wide screen, and comfortable lay back armchairs.   It was quite an experience.

 One thing I will not miss, is the smell of sulphur every time I turn on the hot water tap, and sometimes even the cold water tap.      

A very cold morning out here in lower Queensland, but the sky was clear and the sun was rising above the horizon.    We knew it was going to be a brilliant day, even before looking at the weather forecast.

A good day for washing too.    One of the machines was a card machine, great, no feeding it with $1 coins.   Still cost $5 though.    Everything went in: whites, colours and dark blue, except Walter's new track pants which were designed to put fluff on everything else in the machine.

The A & P Show is on here, so the shops are closed, and no diesel fuel is available in the service station.  Luckily we still have half a tank but we will not be going far with that amount, seeing as the next service station is probably two hundred kilometres away.

As the bakery was closed, the small supermarket, open only in the morning, did not have any bread.   Luckily Walter asked the owner of the store, and she went out the back and got a loaf of bread for us.   That is great customer service.

However, one would think that there would be extra stock of bread in the shop, and another delivery of diesel arranged beforehand.    Most people involved in the show would have diesel vehicles.

But not so.    And we have been caught before in country towns at the weekend.    Luckily we are not planning on driving anywhere until Monday.

We thought about going to the show today, but as we wanted to visit the Tourist Centre we gave it a miss.

I took Piper for a very pleasant walk on the footpaths that ran alongside the river.

Cunnamulla Hot Springs.    I know, it is a bit difficult to see the sign in the setting sun.   The thermal baths are the biggest in Queensland, I think.    Unfortunately I did not bring my swim suit with me, although I have done a fair bit of sitting around in thermal pools in New Zealand so the novelty has worn off.

The water in Cunnamulla comes from five bores, and the thermal water that comes from the taps is excellent for the skin and hair (according to the notices in the ablution blocks in the camping ground).   It is 100 percent pure so good for drinking, if you don't mind the taste of course.   

When we are in the caravan and are anywhere north of Adelaide we drink water that we buy from the shop.   Piper drinks this as well, as she has suffered from tummy issues in the past.    We have a filter on the tap but still bore water, and tank water, can be a bit off.   

And at some campsites you are now told not to drink the water, due to contamination.

Normally we buy water that is in a bag, in a box, which has been costing more than $10 for 10 litres.   I noticed that increasingly the supermarkets were selling the water in plastic containers, which I ignored, thinking they would be too difficult to gain easy access to the water.  I discovered today that they have the same taps as the boxed water.    

The plastic containers of water are half the price at $5 as the boxed type.

The boxed water, with the tap at the bottom.

And I know you are wondering about the disposal part of all the left over containers.  The footprint for the plastic containers is much larger than the boxed variety, as the boxes go into the yellow bins for recycling.   Hopefully someone will come up with an answer soon regarding the plastic containers.

When we arrived at the Visitors Centre there were caravans and motor homes lining the street, it was extra busy.   

It was an excellent centre, with a time tunnel, a video about the Great Artesian Basin, a museum and an art gallery.   The cost - $10 each.

The display outside the lift to the time tunnel.    It was not a real lift just a box that shook and a voice telling you about how many years you were going back in time.   

Then the door opened on the other side and you walked down a narrow corridor with displays on either side.     There were dinosaur bones, and explanations about the forming of the area over millions of years.  This part was very well done.

The shearing shed.

The museum.

I remember using a computer like this.

I owned a typewriter like this one.    Talk about feeling your age here.

The video about the great arterial basin was excellent and I think I finally understand how it works.  The basin covers one quarter of Australia (most of Queensland, and the top of New South Wales and South Australia).   It is all underground, except where it bubbles  up in springs and small ponds, often in the middle of deserts.   

The base of the arterial basin is hard rock, and was formed millions of years ago when this part of Australia was under the sea.   The base was lower than the rest of Australia which is why the sea covered it.   Then as the sea levels fell, a sandstone top formed which is porous.   This resulted in a huge cavern between the hard rock and the sandstone.  Eventually the cavern filled with water.   It is still being fed from the run off from the Great Diving range which runs along the eastern coast of Australia.   

The Aboriginal people cared for the land and the water that bubbled up, but when the European settlers came, they realised that the land was viable for sheep grazing due to the bores that were installed on their properties.   Towns were built, and the population grew, and so did the bores.   In recent times they have found that the high water usage (and much wastage) has caused the natural springs to stop running, which causes a loss of native animals and fish.

Luckily the government has clamped down on the number of bores, and have given subsidies to property owners to put effective taps on their bores and to run the water in pipes rather than in channels on their properties.    The water in the channels evaporates quickly.   The situation with the natural springs has improved considerably apparently.

But it is still a finite resource as more water is being taken out, than being put back in from the run off from the Great Dividing Range.   

The water is very hot when it comes out of the ground, hence the large number of thermal pools in Queensland and northern New South Wales.

And on to my pet hate, the cotton farms!  

Now where do the cotton farmers get all their water from?   The rivers? or The Great Arterial Basin?  And they still use channels to move the water around, even with the knowledge about evaporation.  

Those cotton farms worry me, and most other people, except for the people who are making huge profits from growing it.

The old bores looked like this fountain, with water constantly flowing but not being used.  This fountain recycles its water!    

I have just heard the sound of fireworks.   The A & P Show has finished.    Piper heard them too, and she was not impressed.