2macstracks

Before leaving Tibooburra we went down to see the Charles Sturt expedition memorial, in this part of Australia there are memorials to explorers everywhere. Sturt was one of the explorers we learned about in Primary School and Captain Sturt’s Cottage was at Grange, not far from where we lived. There’s a vast difference between listening to a teacher tell you where the person went and seeing items from an expedition. A replica of the Whale Boat is on display in Tibooburra and I remember being told that his boat had to be carried numerous times when a river wasn’t navigable.

We were told about Milparinka, a little town that has retained the character of a Pioneer Town. Old buildings have been restored and where only complete ruins remain the sites are marked with the names of past owners. The remains of the Bakery ovens are still visible.

Posters and collected items pay tribute to the early settlers.

Our next stop was actually at a place we intended to spend the night, it’s beautifully presented. So many places have stark Portacabins in blocks for accommodation, Packsaddle Roadhouse has them too but they’ve added shady fronts and plants are growing all around.

The amenities were immaculate, the Roadhouse dining area very smart and an area with heaps of old things on display, including packsaddles.

Outside was a small area with historical information. After all the work that has been put into making the place attractive we felt almost callous not staying but the camping area was quite desolate and there was nothing to do. It was simply too early in the day to stop and snack or sit and read so we continued on towards Broken Hill.

We tried to get a site in Silverton where we stayed before bit it was impossible. Hopeful campers were lining up trying to book in but no staff were on site, all bookings had to be done online. When we tried to do that it simply didn’t work and it was the same for everyone. There were spaces everywhere and we knew we could simply pick one and sort it out later but having a Campertrailer means it can’t simply be moved without packing everything up. If someone managed to get a booking they could be given the site we were squatting on and that would cause problems. Along with most others we left and came back to Broken Hill. We’re booked in for two nights and they’re going to be cold ones!

Last night at the Pub the manager told us about her sheep and a lonesome lamb, we had no idea that they roamed around the town but this morning it looked that way. There were some goats in amongst the sheep.

Today we investigated a couple of camping places we had no idea about. One was run by the a local Aboriginal group and was very well set up, metal sculptures of Emus marked the way out of town. That campsite had all amenities but no power. The second place we checked out, “Dead Horse Gully” didn’t seem as well appointed but they both looked more appealing than the ranked sites within this Caravan Park. We’re lucky to have our site.

Our main aim today was to go around the Gorge Loop and we had an information leaflet explaining what we would see. First was the Outdoor Pastoral Museum and there was certainly plenty to see. I’m always in awe of the ingenuity, skill and drive demonstrated by the early settlers who used local materials to create the infrastructure they needed.

Next along the loop was the Mt Wood Homestead which is now used for tourist accommodation. Mt Wood Station covered 500,000 acres but when the lease ran out in 1972 it was acquired by National Parks as part of Sturt National Park. The Shearing Shed was the most impressive place for us.

We saw Emus in every part of the Park, also Kangaroos. Goats and some horses were beside the road not far from town.

At the Outdoor Museum I might have stumbled on a big Python if Mr Eagle Eyes hadn’t shouted. It didn’t scare us, we could see it had already eaten and Fergus was safe in the car.

There was a lookout over some gorges but with the same vegetation all around it was difficult to pick them out. Not like King’s Canyon at all!

I don’t know what Tibooburra actually means in the local language but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s related to giant boulders.

Today was our last one in Tibooburra and we didn’t see the policeman once but we did see one of his vehicles last night.

We had to come here, there used to be an ad for ABC Channel 2 that showed a policeman dancing in the middle of the main street of Tibooburra so we thought it must be a good place. We didn’t come the quickest way, instead we did a bit of a loop on the advice of someone we chatted to this morning. Now we think he was the son of the person who established The Cameron Corner Store, he spends most of his time at Cameron Corner but in the summer months goes to his farm in the Snowies.

Soon after setting off we came across another wire sculpture in an Information Bay, there were some very good displays.

After starting out on the Cameron Corner Road we took the turn to Middle Road and we saw the first of several big rectangular holes created to hold water so plants would flourish.

The whole area is National Park but there is a gazetted road through it, fine for us but not viable in wet weather. There are remains of stockyards in various places, the smaller fences were around sheep yards, the higher ones were for cattle.

We were surprised by the areas of Gibbers, one section of road was over Gibbers.

We came to the old Olive Downs homestead and did have a look around, Fergus had to stay in the car though. In the 1880s it was the place everyone from round about came to socialise, it had a swimming pool and tennis court. Olive Downs became part of the National Park in 1972.

The old Shearers quarters are now completely derelict.

We joined the Jump Up Loop Road and the South Myers Tank there has become quite a large waterhole with a Bird Hide so you can sit and enjoy the view. Because it’s off the road we didn’t take Fergus out but I went to see if there were any birds and I did see some. There are warnings all through the National Park about 1080 baits being laid.

There were great views of the Mesas from the Jump Up Lookout.

After about four and a half hours we approached the Silver City Highway and saw our first car since leaving Cameron Corner. Coming into Tibooburra there are interesting sculptures which reflect the history of the place.

Only 164 people live in Tibooburra but since we arrived I think we’ve seen at least that many visitors. Over the weekend there was a Music Festival at Mundi Mundi near Silverton and today people were returning from that. We happened to be sitting outside the Corner Store/Servo when caravanners started lining up to refuel and it was very interesting to see the relationship between rigs and fuel bills.

With so many people passing through there were no powered sites available apart from four outside the Park beside the road. We wanted power so agreed to take one, we’re set up under a shady tree, right beside us is a shaded table, great boulders and some garden plants. There are only a few flies. Not a bad site after all, we might just stay for two nights.

Last night we had some weird Potato Soup for our dinner tonight we made up for that with a lovely meal at The Family Hotel. There was so much chicken in my Warm Chicken Salad that I had to put a Doggy Napkin down on the floor for Fergus. I saved two little pieces though because since we brought him home over four years ago he’s had a Milky Stick at bedtime but we’ve run out. Tonight it will be the little bits of chicken I’ve saved especially for his bedtime.

Views from Sunset Hill, the colours are completely different depending on the direction you look.