Innaminka to Clare and Home

We left Innaminka and headed to the Clare Caravan Park in the Clare Valley. We had two nights here and then headed home, 900k's in one day from Clare to home.

Whilst we were in Clare we took a side trip to Burra.  This is where they had the largest copper mine (no longer operational) in the world. We did a tour, by ourselves, around to the different sites of where the mine was and then a tour of mine offices of 1859.  This is where they thought they would find copper but never did only water which supplied the town for many years.

As you can see this is the Boilerhouse

Tony outsider the dressing tower.  As you can see it is rather cold and we are rugged up.

This is Burra's first fire truck and our guide on the right who was absolutely frozen.

Evidently some of the movie Breaker Morant was made in Burra.

We did go out for dinner in Clare and guess what? we actually got fed.  The meal was lovely, we had antipasto first which we shared and then Tony had pork fillets and I had a lamb rump roast with rosemary, garlic and preserved lemon.  We also had two cups of coffee, the best I have had for a long time.

That's it until our next, unless I have an urge to rattle on.

Tibooburra to Cameron Corner

We left Tinbooburra and travelled to Cameron Corner, a very dusty drive.  We have now stood on three states at the same time.  We spent the night at Cameron Corner and after viewing the shared bathroom asked for a private one to ourselves.  As you opened the door to the shared bathroom, there was a urinal with only a half cover across it, three toilets with doors and plastic curtains for the two showers all in one room.  The private one was lovely.  There is a mice plague at the moment and we ended up with one in our van which Tony heard at 1.30am. 

This is the post where all states meet.

This is Cameron Corner Store and Caravan Park

We then went to Innaminka via Oricom, Epsilon and the first 120 k's were fairly ordinary.  The road was cut up by cattle and horses overnight and it was an interesting drive.  We were told to go this way to do the round trip rather than going up and back the same way.  There is no camping in the town so you have to camp about 20k's out of town and we were on the river.  A toilet and no showers, if you want a shower you have to go back to town and it is $2 for 3 minutes. We camped on Cooper Creek at the Gullyamurra Waterhole and as you can see it was pretty ordinary and we did it hard.  When we woke up in the morning we opened the curtains and lay there looking at this.

This was the view from our van. The river was full of Pelicans.

We took a drive to the Dig Tree - Where Burke and Willls buried their provisions and there is a tree next to it with a carving of Burke's face. This was about 70k's from Innaminka and across the border in Qld.

The Dig Tree

A monument to Burke.

Burke's face carved on a tree.

We then went back near our campsite and off on a side track to Burke's Grave.

                                               This is the sunset at Cameron Corner.

We left Innaminka and headed down to Leigh Creek, stayed there Tuesday night and are now in Clare.

Tibooburra

This is the jail in Milparinka and if you look close at the hole in the door, there is someone inside.

These are for you Shane, Happy Birthday.  This just want you always wanted.

We found these on the Mount Gipps Station.

This is Sturt's Cairn

This is taken whilst we were walking up, when we got to the top we had to walk almost this distance twice more.

We had dinner last night at the local hotel, thinking it would be a treat and were told to book as they are very busy on Friday nights.  They have happy hour from 6.00 to 7.00 pm and dinner starts at 6.30 pm.  We arrived just after 6.30 to be told from the lady there that she wasn't going to take any meal orders until after 6.30, which it was already.  So we sat and waited and then decided we needed to order, the guy there that took our booking told his wife that we had booked.  That was at approx 7.00.  At 8.00 pm we had to ask for our meal as they seemed to be serving the locals and not visitors.  By the locals amount to approx 150 people.  We have decided not to eat there again.  The guy running it did not charge for Tony's first beer or my champagne.

That's all for now, Tony is going to have his first beer for the day and I think I will have a shandy.  By the way it was 27 degrees today.

This is the painting that was given to us by Alan.

Our Lunch in Broken Hill, Lemon and Thyme Crusted Barramundi.  This would be the best I have had in Barramundi.

Today we have been to Milparinka to see the history of the old town, then out to Mount Browne which is a station, a lot of people stay out there and are allowed to prospect for gold by paying a fee first.  We left there and went to James Poole's grave, he was second in command to Sturt and died in1845.  We then went to Sturt's Cairn which is a pile of rocks which he had his men build as they were stuck and needed something to do.  The rocks are on Mount Poole and overlook Poole's grave.

Mount Gipps

We have spent 3 lovely days at Mount Gipps Station, with bike riding and walks.  Last night before we left we had champagne and nibbles with John, Kym and Kristy watching the sun set.  We have had a long drive today 300 and something k's and are now in Tibooburra at the Caravan Park.  It is the Granite Caravan Park, still no mobile phone service and we are at the general store writing this as it seems the only place with internet access.

Have taken quite a few photos and will have to download them to the computer before we get on the internet.

Tomorrow we will be going to Milparinka to check out what is there.  It is only 40 k's from here and then probably to Cameron Corner and will check to see if we can get to SA from here.  Evidently there is a way.  It is about 25 here at the moment and it is 4.45 pm.  Tony has had his first beer and will probably head to the hotel for dinner, they also have happy hour.

Broken Hill

It is Monday 16th May and we have arrived in Broken Hill. We spent the first night in Bendigo (after a late start on Saturday) and the next in Mildura.  The weather is lovely even had shorts on this afternoon, but it has cooled down now and it will be a very cold night.  Tomorrow we are going to the Bush Gallery as we met Jenny and Alan on the way up and Alan is an artist with his paintings and sculptures exhibited in Broken Hill and Daylesford.  Alan did give us one of his paintings.

After the gallery we will be heading to Mount Gipps  an 85,000 acre farm stay. Tony is cooking steak at the moment for dinner.