West, Centre & Flinders – Days 61 to 68 – Homeward Bound

 

We stopped for lunch near a flowering gum tree

We stopped for lunch near a flowering gum treeWe gave ourselves an easy day on Saturday with only 137 kilometres to the steam museum town of Peterborough. This reasonably substantial town is on the main Sydney to Adelaide railway line, which is also the line on which ore mined in Broken Hill makes its way to the smelter at Port Pirie. Peterborough was a major rail town during the days of steam. It now uses its heritage as a tourist attraction.

The day had improved by the time we had booked into the Peterborough Caravan Park but a chilly night followed. Sunday morning was overcast, but as we made our way to Broken Hill the clouds made way for real warmth from the sun.

The restaurant building at the Miners' Memorial.

The restaurant building at the Miners’ Memorial.

We booked two nights at Broken Hill to allow for shopping for the final days to home but also to allow us to do the tourist thing. We drove to the Miners’ Memorial at the top of the huge mullock heap that separates the town from the mining area. We were disappointed to find the memorial buildings closed. The restaurant and adjoining gift shop that was so “in” when we were last there, seemed completely closed and the actual memorial building was closed for renovations as well.

Roadside flowers on the road to Silverton

Roadside flowers on the road to Silverton

After lunch we drove the 24 kilometres to the historic silver mining town of Silverton. Not much remains of the original town but most remaining buildings have been restored and “reading desk” type information signs provide details of restored buildings and some other features. The amount of vacant space between the remaining buildings and relics

With new owners the Silverton Coffee Shop may reopen.

With new owners the Silverton Coffee Shop may reopen.

indicate that it was a substantial town. A coffee shop, still operating on our last visit, is now closed, although the building has been sold. The pub seems to do a good trade and the Mad Max Museum continues to pull in devotees. There are also two or three artists who work from galleries in the town.

 

Silverton's Mad Max Museum

Silverton’s Mad Max Museum

The approach to the Day Dream Silver Mine passes the old smelter flue on the hilltop

The approach to the Day Dream Silver Mine passes the old smelter flue on the hilltop

This visit we did the side trip to the Day Dream Silver Mine, where I did the underground tour. The mine is about 15 kilometres off the Silverton Road. In its day the mine was a rich source of silver with its own smelter sighted on a neighboring hill top to take advantage of gravity to assist the smelting process. The tour visited points of interest on the surface before we donned hard hats with miner’s lights for the underground portion of the tour.

Mining equipment under ground. Visitors can stand at the drill and gain some idea of what it was like to work in the mine.

Mining equipment under ground. Visitors can stand at the drill and gain some idea of what it was like to work in the mine.

The mine was quite deep, descending four levels. There were only a few steps, as the tour followed the sloping shaft that had itself followed the ore body into the bowls of the earth. The irregularities of the floor provided for secure footing and stout hand rails had been installed.

 

 

A display of mining tools in an area where the roof is supported by local timber.

A display of mining tools in an area where the roof is supported by local timber.

Mining tools, both manual and mechanical, were on display in appropriate locations throughout the mine. The guide was an experienced miner with a real gift for telling the mining story. To hear it all right where the underground activity occurred made it all very real. We finished the visit with a mug of tea and fresh scones, baked on the premises.

This photo was taken from the moving vehicle. There were no shoulders on the road to pull over.

This photo was taken from the moving vehicle. There were no shoulders on the road to pull over.

Tuesday was about making distance in an attempt to avoid rain and strong head winds. Cobar, yet another mining town, was our stopover destination for Tuesday evening. The only town between Broken Hill and Cobar is Wilcannia, where we stopped for fuel. After leaving Wilcannia the elevated roadway runs for several kilometres over Darling River flood plains, before entering low hills.

Massed floral displays between Bourke & Cunnamulla

Massed floral displays between Bourke & Cunnamulla

Generally the terrain is flat with only modest hills to provide some variety. Recent rain is evident from water lying beside the road and the abundance of greenery. And wild flower! The sides of the road were covered in masses of purple blooms. The purple is frequently interspersed with a variety of smaller flowers. Periodically the pastures are covered with masses of yellow and white. While watching such natural beauty, the kilometres and hours passed relatively quickly.

More roadside floral displays

More roadside floral displays

For the second day in succession we have driven past endless kilometres of road side gardens. Colours of white, blue, yellow, orange and shades of red have appeared like a planted garden against a background of the greens of grass, shrubs and trees. Periodically patches of white, yellow and red have run out of sight, between road side trees or reached in masses towards the horizon of the open fields.

The drive was between Cobar and Cunnamulla with a brief refueling stop at Bourke, a distance of around 415 kilometres. We saw the first evidence of the amount of rain that has fallen through the area. Up to now all we have seen, besides the rain, has been abundant grass and wild flowers.

Several streams had broken their banks.

Several streams had broken their banks.

The level of water in the Darling at Bourke was the highest that I have seen in several visits. North of Bourke, drainage channels beside the road were full of water. North of the Queensland /NSW border several streams had broken their banks and a few centimeters of water were running across the pavement in two places.

The remaining water over the road was shallow but had obviously been deeper.

The remaining water over the road was shallow but had obviously been deeper.

From Cobar to Burke we were on the final section of the Kidman Way. From Burke we had joined the Mitchell Highway that terminates where it joins the Landsborough Highway at Augathella. But it all seems to be part of the Matilda Way, but I’m not sure where the Matilda Way starts and finishes. But it is a busy road being a link between Southern capitals and both Northern Territory and Queensland and carries a lot of heavy traffic. We met several over dimensional loads, one requiring us to move right off the road.

The weather had been warmer, but the forecast is for rain and reduced temperatures over night and for the next few days. Fairly strong winds were forecast. When they eventuated they were behind us, pushing us along.

The swollen Warrego River at Cunnamulla. Water heading for the Darling River

The swollen Warrego River at Cunnamulla. Water heading for the Darling River

Before we booked into the caravan park at Cunnamulla we drove through town to check the water level in the Warrego River. The water level was well below the bridge but much higher than we had ever seen it before.

The forecast rain caught us at Cunnamulla but the greater part of it fell to the north of us. The rain had passed through by morning but we caught up with the last of it on the way to St George.

Water flooding over the weir on the Bolonne River at St. George

Water flooding over the weir on the Balonne River at St. George

Another 300 kilometres of flat road, some of it a bit narrow but most quite rough, due to periodic flooding, I suspect. The Weir on Wallam Creek, beside the road at Bollon, was overflowing as was the major weir on the Balonne River at St George. All of the excess water is heading for the Darling and the Murray Rivers.

The only disturbance to a peaceful night at the Pelicans Rest Caravan Park was the yapping of two dogs in the caravan next to us, whenever something disturbed them.

Flowering shrubs between St George and Dalby.

Flowering shrubs between St George and Dalby.

Dalby was our destination on Friday, which would have been another 300 kilometre day. But we were there by lunch time so decided to go on a further 100 kilometres to Yarraman. This very pleasant town sits almost at the foot of Bunya Mountains and has a caravan park atop a hill. We had been travelling in sunshine all that day, pushed along by a stiff but a cool westerly, that moderated by evening. But we still needed the heater that night.

On Saturday morning the easterly aspect of our overnight position gave us a brilliant sunrise and a promise of a day with temperatures in the mid twenties.  Saturday was the first day of a long weekend so the road was busy, particularly the lanes leading away from Brisbane. Traffic accumulating behind us made it necessary to keep the rig moving and to pull over occasionally to let our “tail” go by.

We arrived home just before lunch, to start the tasks of unpacking and cleaning and to deal with two months accumulation of dead gum leaves, blown down by winter winds while we have been away.

The promised temperature eventuated. I am back in shorts and all is right with the World.

So ends another trip, shorter in duration than originally intended but not much shorter in distance. We lost about two weeks to wet weather but the days that it did not rain were mostly sunny although sometimes kept rather cool by persistent winds. But we had a good time, saw some new places, met new friends and learned new things.

We can’t ask for much more, can we?

Journey to Trilby Station – Our Stay at Trilby

With the dirt roads closed for an unknown period, we needed to choose a new route to Trilby Station and we needed to be on sealed roads until the dirt roads dried out. To wait in Balranald until the dirt roads were usable would not give us time to use the roads along the Darling River as initially planned and still get to Trilby on time. The logical route was north on the Kidman Way to Cobar, as this would give the dirt sections of the road in via Louth time to dry out and become usable again.

So we followed the rain back along the Stuart Highway, turning north at Darlington Point and detouring to have a look at Leeton on our way to Griffith, where we planned to spend the night. From the moment that we left Balranald we could see a large rain storm ahead of us, tracking along the Murrumbidgee. We finally caught it just before Hay, driving through its trailing end as it crossed the highway.

The court yard at Yanga Statiom

The court yard at Yanga Statiom

But before we caught up with the rain, just east of Balranald, we made a brief detour to Yanga Homestead, now located in a national park that takes its name. The homestead, which opens for tours at times, is still a magnificent structure, set on a hill overlooking the impressive Lake Yanga. Park HQ is located here and national parks rangers conduct the tours of

The view of the lake from the homestead.

The view of the lake from the homestead.

the house and tag along tours of the property. Our schedule did not allow us to participate in such activities but it was interesting to see an example of how life was lived on a large station in times gone by. We were able to see into quite a lot of the rooms, still furnished, through the windows. A visitor centre in the old cook’s cottage contained a great deal of information about the station and the role that is played in the area.

We struck heavy rain between Leeton and Griffith. It conveniently removed all of the red mud that we had picked up on a short, but wet and muddy area of road works on the drive into Leeton. The extensive vineyards along this stretch of road are just coming to life after the winter hibernation, so the growers would have been delighted with the rain.

Lake Cargelligo

Lake Cargelligo

Instead of following the Kidman Way out of Griffith we took the Rankins Springs Road and continued from there to Lake Cargelligo, where we spent two days, doing nothing much. There really isn’t much to do there but, after all the driving we enjoyed the break. I remember Dad talking about Lake Cargelligo. I understand that he visited there during his time based at Condoblin. Lake Cargelligo is on the Lachlan River so has a sort of connection to Lake Mungo. Its water is used for irrigation.

Louth Pub - Shindy's Inn

Louth Pub – Shindy’s Inn

Our path from Lake Cargelligo lead through the small town of Eubelong, then along a road that until recently had gravel sections but is now fully sealed, to join the Kidman Way at the old copper town of Mount Hope. An easy run on a good road, one that we had used only a little over a year ago, brought us to its intersection with the Barrier Highway at Cobar. The Bourke

The bridge over the Darling at Louth

The bridge over the Darling at Louth

Shire web site declared the dirt parts of the Louth Road open to light traffic, so we were good to go next morning.

It is about 150 kilometres from Cobar to Trilby Station, the first third of which was a good sealed road with the balance varying between good and not so good dirt

Range lands west of the Darling River

Range lands west of the Darling River

and gravel. The country side is fairly flat and scrubby with cleared areas for agriculture and grazing. There was not much road kill and we saw one kangaroo, hundreds of feral goats and more emu than I think we have seen anywhere.

A sign at the pub in Louth declares it to be the site of the “East Side Port”. The Darling River is currently at a level

It's a long climb down to the water

It’s a long climb down to the water

that would have made it unusable to paddle wheel steamers with not much water and plenty of exposed sand banks, but the height of the exposed banks shows the adequate navigable depth available when the river is running near to the top of the banks, or even when only partly full.

Louth is a very small town with a district population of 103 at the last census. The pub doubles as shop, restaurant and fuel supply. It has an attached camping park. The town also boasts a tennis club, and turf club. The annual race meeting attracts folk from near and far. It is an event of such significance that the Bourke Shire Council grades the approaching gravel roads in preparation. That all occurred not that long before we were there and the roads were generally in quite good condition as a result.

The wool shed provided a venue for our group activities

The wool shed provided a venue for our group activities

Trilby station is on the west side of the river, so we crossed the bridge over the Darling and drove the 25 km to our destination. Users of the ExplorOz web site (the one to which I direct you if you want to follow our movements) conduct what are known as “gatherings” at locations around Australia. They are self help ventures and can be set up by an individual. Interested

Accommodation is available on the shearers quarters, located among shady trees

Accommodation is available on the shearers quarters, located among shady trees

members then indicate their interest and the convener makes sure that all of the details are pulled together.

About 120 of us gathered at Trilby Station. Some of us occupied powered sites near the homestead while others camped in a series of camp sites along the river. Trilby has Telstra Next G coverage so we were able to maintain contact with the outside world.

Vans on the powered sites naer the shearers quarters

Vans on the powered sites near the shearers’ quarters

Gathering programs are not very formal and attendees are left to do what they like for most of the time. There is a formal meeting at around 3.30 each afternoon where fund raising activities take place. The station owners, the Murray family (Murrays living on the Darling), hosted a three course dinner in their modern wool shed on the Wednesday night which also saw some fund raising activities, including the rather unpredictable sport of yabby racing. The beneficiary of the charitable activity was the Louth committee of the Royal Flying Doctor Service to who we presented around $3,200. They were delighted!

Water trough with a storage tank in the background.

Water trough with a storage tank in the background.

One available activity was to borrow a station “mud map” and take a look at the property. There is no shortage of roads to drive. Trilby Station covers 320,000 acres and supports up to 24,000 Marino sheep. On the day of our arrival they were sheering the station rams, of which there are about 300. Quite a hand full for even an experienced shearer! There are 6 sheering stands in the very modern

A long straight fence

A long straight fence

and clean wool shed. Wool producing activities are supplemented by the capture of feral goats which are fattened for the export market.

We did both station drives on roads with multiple gates. Ruth says she opened and closed about 20 of them. The longest station tour was about 80 kilometres with a distance at one point of 8 kilometres between gates in a direct line. I think that was what they call the 50,000 acre paddock.

A ground storage tank or dam

A ground storage tank or dam

As you drive around this type of semi arid property the paramount value of water becomes very obvious. Tanks, both the conventional above ground type and those dug into the ground, appear at regular intervals with accompanying drinking troughs and windmills or pumps to lift the water. This country sits atop the Great Artesian Basin so that is the main source of water but rain is needed to provide feed for the sheep.

Abandoned New Chum homestead

Abandoned New Chum homestead

In these days of increasing station size, properties are often merged. Sometimes the second homestead is used as a residence for station workers but at times these houses are no longer required. Such was the case on Trilby many years ago. The occupants of what had been the New Chum homestead were moving to a fully furnished house so just walked out, taking only

Ruth remembering going to work in Sydney

Ruth remembering going to work in Sydney

clothing and personal effects and left everything else there. In case someone was stranded and needed it, they said. The homestead is a feature of the drive, still remarkably intact, with packaged food items and crockery still in the cupboards.

Nearby a large tank or dam supplied many of the racing

Sheep on the higher country near New Chum homestead. The hills in the far distance are on the other side of the Darling

Sheep on the higher country near New Chum homestead. The hills in the far distance are on the other side of the Darling

yabbies and continues to supply water to the stock. The aircraft hanger still stands and is host to a collection of old motor vehicles including a very old Sydney double decker bus. The air strip is still used for station activities.

The second mud map excursion, which we did a couple of days later, took us to the area where

This machine appears to be a harvester of some kind

This machine appears to be a harvester of some kind

agriculture once flourished, mainly as a food source for the large number of animals that provided the energy to get things done on the property. The area is adjacent to the Darling River and is the final resting place of the early farm machinery. Name plates include some well known names such as H.V. McKay & Co.

The remains of the wood carrying jinker

The remains of the wood carrying jinker

Of particular interest to me was the remains of the jinker that was used to transport wood for the boiler that provided steam to drive the water pump that drew irrigation water and water for the stock, from the river. It had wheels made from sawn sections off a log.

The remains of the boiler stand on the edge of the bank above the river, and a pipe still connects to the pump that lies partly submerged at

The steam boiler on the river bank

The steam boiler on the river bank

the edge of the river. The pump formerly resided under the bottom end of a slide wharf that was used to load wool and unload supplies, but has been left exposed as the timbers have rotted away.

Floods are quite common along the full length of the Darling and Trilby is no exception. There is no need for there to have been local rain as

Members of our party examine the pump at the waters' edge.

Members of our party examine the pump at the waters’ edge.

Darling River floods come from afar, mostly from the central highlands of Queensland. Rivers from this area, starting with the Paroo that raises North West of Charleville and then successively swing in an arc to the south east to the McIntyre River that forms the NSW/Queensland border, and several in northern NSW, all run into the Darling. So, a few weeks after places like Charleville and Roma flood the good folk at Trilby will find themselves isolated on their own island, formed by the levy banks that keep the waters of the Darling away from the homestead and other important buildings. It is just as well that the levy banks enclose the air strip and hangar. But that is by design.

A memorial to Mary Mathews, first wife of TA in the cemetery. On the anniversary of her death the polished cross reflects light onto the spot where the house stood in which she lived.

A memorial to Mary Mathews, first wife of TA in the cemetery. On the anniversary of her death the polished cross reflects light onto the spot where the house stood in which she lived.

One of the founding fathers of the district, an Irishman by the name of Thomas Andrew Mathews, later known as the King of Louth, was born in County Louth in Ireland, hence the name of the town. One of TA’s early business ventures was a pub on the river bank. There is a pub there today called Shindy’s Inn, which is the one that provides most of the services available in the town. On out last day in the area, in company with friends from the gathering, we adjourned to Shindy’s Inn for lunch. We were seated at a large table sawn from a large log and shaded by conveniently placed trees. The food was excellent and the beverages cold.

Liz Murray, hostess to guests at the station, came to the area to work in the late 1970s, met Garry Murray at Shindy’s Inn, married him and has never left the area. Garry is a descendant of early pioneers. At about the time that TA Mathews was establishing Louth the first Murray to the area built a pub further down the river. But he died in his thirty’s and his family decided that there was more money in cattle and sheep than beer, so he became a farmer. Garry and Liz continue the family calling.

The Darling River in the background of the cooking site

The Darling River in the background of the cooking site

On Wednesday, the day between our two mud map tours, we took instruction from friends Trev and Marg in the art of damper baking. The first attempt was successful, producing an edible damper. Marg supervised, Ruth mixed and I watched. Much of the success, however, was due to Trev’s stewardship of the fire. He had prepared excellent quality red hot

The result of our cooking. Our damper is on the left

The result of our cooking. Our damper is on the left

coals and skilfully heaped them around the base and on the lid of the camp oven. I then assisted by eating my share. On a future trip, when we can light a camp fire, we will have a go on our own. We will report results – perhaps!

 

 

And the recipe?

  • Four cups of self raising flour
  • A bit of salt (to taste)
  • Water to produce suitable consistency (like scone dough)

Put it in the camp oven, add coals and keep taking a peep to make sure that it is not burning. Eat with butter and golden syrup, preferably while still warm.

A steam traction engine lays where it was last used, about 80 years ago

A steam traction engine lays where it was last used, about 80 years ago

Fellow attendees at the gathering had indicated that the road back to Bourke was a bit rough at the southern end (it is dirt all the way) but reports on the alternative road that runs on the western side of the river were much better, so we chose that road as our departure route. We were not disappointed and had a smooth road all of the way with the exception of some corrugated areas at cattle grids.

A alrge ground tank complete with a goat trap

A alrge ground tank complete with a goat trap

We stopped for morning tea by a stream and found that it was the lower reaches of the Warrego River that flows through Charleville and Cunnamulla. This route brought us into Bourke from the north, past the site of Fort Bourke, established by Major Thomas Mitchell on his expedition through the area and past the cotton growing area that is irrigated from the Darling.

Sunset through the trees at Collarenabri

Sunset through the trees at Collarenabri

Two more nights spent along the way and we were home. Despite challenges from the rain we were able to visit most of the areas that we had planned. But the Darling River between Louth and Wentworth, where it joins the Murray River, remain as a challenge for another day.

Liz Murray has prepared a detailed history of the family, station and district,  a copy of which was part of our arrival kit. So I am indebted to Liz for the historical detail that is included in this post.

 

Journey to Trilby Station – Lake Mungo National Park

Our ultimate destination was Trilby Station, which is located on the Darling River, about 120 kilometres downstream from Bourke, but we went the long way around. Our “via” point was Mungo Lake National Park, which is part of the Willandra Lakes Word Heritage Area. It is located about 100 km north east of Mildura in Victoria.

I had forgotten that Melbourne and Adelaide truckies, wanting to be home by the weekend, leave Brisbane on Thursday morning. It was on Thursday morning that we set off and found ourselves jockeying with them for space on the Cunningham Highway. But that situation eased when we turned off at Warwick to follow the New England Highway to Stanthorpe, to spend the first night of the trip with Ruth’s brother David and his wife Anne, on their bush block just out of town.

There were fewer trucks again next morning as we continued on to Tamworth, where we turned right to Gunnedah to start a couple of days driving on roads less congested than the major Highways. After a pleasant and quiet night at Lake Keepit we turned south just past Gunnedah and continued on minor roads, almost to the major town of Orange, before turning right to Forbes, from which point we followed the main highways to Balranald. We spent intervening nights in Molong and Hay.

Golden canola fields

Golden canola fields

There must have been good rainfall across that area of NSW over recent weeks. Luxuriant green wheat was about knee high. The wheat fields, of which there are endless expanses, are interspersed with the brilliant yellow of canola. No matter what else is missing from the dinner

A quiet street in Molong, NSW.

A quiet street in Molong, NSW.

table in the months to come there should be no shortage of bread or margarine.

After spending a night at Molong, near Orange and then turned west to Forbes from where we followed the Newell Highway to West Wyalong.

After passing through West Wyalong, the undulating country of the Western Slopes was behind us and the flat country began. The Hay Plains has to be one of the flattest areas of Australia. For much of the drive to Hay the

Hay, NSW Post Office

Hay, NSW Post Office

horizon is a huge circle, barely interrupted by a hump, let alone a hill. The flatness extends well past Balranald. The Murrumbidgee River flows through the middle of it all and finally strikes sufficient resistance to turn south where it joins The Murray River upstream from Robinvale.

 

The deserted main street of Hay on a quiet Monday morning

The deserted main street of Hay on a quiet Monday morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hay's swimming beach on the Murrumbidgee River.

Hay’s swimming beach on the Murrumbidgee River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dry lake bed at Mungo National Bank

The dry lake bed at Mungo National Bank

Mungo is a further 150 kilometres north west of Balranald. The final two thirds of the distance is unsealed, but in excellent condition. We travelled at 70 to 80 kph for much of the way.

I think it fair to say that Lake Mungo is probably different things to different people. It is regarded by those who claim traditional

A tour group being guided by an Indigenous ranger

A tour group being guided by an Indigenous ranger

ownership and people such as anthropologists, paleontologists and natural historians as a very significant place. Those who love the outback enjoy its isolation. If you are interested in early Australian history then there is plenty there for you.

Lake Mungo is one of a series of now dry lakes that formed along a

The Walls of China at Mungo

The Walls of China at Mungo

stream. Many thousands of years ago the lakes were full of water.  They are now dry, unless there is a local flood, but even then the water does not hang around for long. Prevailing winds (westerly) have created dunes on the eastern edge of the lake. But they are not ordinary sand dunes. The Mungo dunes are comprised of a

Weathering at Red Top Lookout

Weathering at Red Top Lookout

Sheering stations in the old Mungo Station woolshed

Sheering stations in the old Mungo Station wool shed

material that looks like sand but weathers selectively to form intricate geographical formations. These structures are called lunettes, because they appear like small lunar landscapes. At Lake Mungo the main lunette area is called The Walls of China but I’m not really sure why. The area looks much more like a lunar landscape that the Great Wall of China.

The National Park is managed from the old homestead area of Mungo Station. The park is comprised of Mungo and the neighboring Zanci Station.  A visitor centre, a new building near the original Mungo wool shed, tells the story of Lake Mungo and its inhabitants from the earliest times until today, in comprehensive and eloquent style. Self guided tours are available and are supplemented by Indigenous ranger lead tours that deal with the cultural aspects of the area.

Sheep yards at Mungo were built from local timber, mostly cypress pine

Sheep yards at Mungo were built from local timber, mostly cypress pine

Because of approaching bad weather we were faced with a choice. We could do the guided tour of the Walls of China or take the 70 kilometre loop drive around the lake and surrounding areas. We could not do both and still get back to Balranald that day, which we wanted to do to avoid the approaching rain. To stay risked being trapped, as all roads leading to and from Mungo are dirt and subject to closure after rain.

Part of the lunette area known as The Walls of China

Part of the lunette area known as The Walls of China

The mortal remains of a male and a female Aboriginal people were discovered in the area of the Walls of China at different locations in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I understand that the tour, which includes a walk through this area, covers the details of this discovery. As the guides are Indigenous park rangers, we concluded that the experience would be cultural rather than scientific, so we opted for the drive. We wanted to see the terrain and visit the two historic sheep stations that make up the Lake Mungo National Park.

Ferrell goat trap on Mungo Station

Ferrell goat trap on Mungo Station

The journey to the first point of interest is a 10 kilometre crossing of the dry lake bed which leads to a boardwalk that provides views of The Walls of China lunette. The area is set up to give a good view of the extensive dune that runs for most of the length of the eastern shore of the lake. The accompanying photos will give you a better idea than my comments. But does it look like walls, Chinese or otherwise? I don’t think so. But it does look a bit like the surface of the moon.

A permanent water soak near sand dunes where Cobb & Co stages used to cross the lake bed

A permanent water soak near sand dunes, where Cobb & Co stage coaches used to cross the dry lake bed.

Most of the features of the circuit drive relate to the period since Europeans arrived but Red Top Lookout, where the road swings from the lake bed and crosses the dune, provides a close up view of the fantastic erosion patterns that result from weathering in this environment. A catwalk extends to the edge of the eroded area and provides a real panorama.

The under ground cool storage room an Zanki Station

The under ground cool storage room an Zanki Station

The explanatory signage is extensive and comprehensive. But the authors could not resist the temptation to ride their hobby horses through the text. Visitors are told repeatedly that the once abundant marine environment is now desolate because of climate change and that carbon dioxide is the villain. All this happened over a period of 100,000 years, mind you. I think Australia’s inland sea was evaporating at about the same time. Or was it draining because sea levels were falling?

Old and new tank stands

Old and new tank stands

The more likely reason for the dry lake beds is that some time during previous millenia the Lachlan River, which in earlier times had flowed through the series of lakes, changed its course to combine with the Murrumbidgee in its journey to the Murray and ultimately to the Southern Ocean. The Lachlan rises in the western foothills of the Great Dividing Range, an area of much higher rainfall than that enjoyed by the minor local stream that was left to the job of providing the lake chain with water.

This sign is in reasonable condition

This sign is in reasonable condition

My other comment about signage is that much of it needs replacing. This is a problem that we find Australia wide. When places like Mungo are set up, the information signs are set up very professionally and tell the story very well, but then no one bothers with maintenance. Our harsh outback environment is hard on the graphic artwork of signs. They don’t last forever but the authorities don’t seem to notice.

A sculpture at the Meeting Point at Mungo visitor centre

A sculpture at the Meeting Point at Mungo visitor centre

We packed up and left Mungo at about 3 pm, covering the 150 kilometres back to Balranald in just less than two hours. It rained in Balranald that night and in a lot of other places as well. A quick check of the NSW Main Roads Web site showed that all of the dirt roads on which we were to travel to Trilby Station were closed.