Mon, 3rd June, 2024 Bush camp at Potch Gull, White Cliffs to Bush camp near Round Hill Rest Area, Broken Hill, NSW (exploring Wilcannia)

3 degrees, clear sky with a lovely sunrise through the flyscreen wire - too cold to go outside for a photo!

We can hear someone working their mine with one of the sucker machines. Decided to keep moving but will definitely come back again.

Four emus waved us goodbye as we headed back to town and back to Wilcannia (70m elevation). Thin cloud coming across from the west.

Stopped to get a photo of the information board.

Stopped at the park for a cuppa. Wendy (the birthday girl) and her husband (missed his name) stopped by and chatted with their cuppas they just bought at the cafe. They were hoping to do the Darling River road down to Menindee too but the road is still closed. Two chaps stopped and asked if we had seen their wives. They were from Cunnamulla and are freezing even with their jumpers. One chap introduced himself, Cameron, and shook hands and chatted for a bit. They saw their wives at the Post Office and headed off. Cameron came rushing back to us to show off his wife’s handbag, or goon bag as he called it - had a hole in one end for the cask wine dispenser. He was very proud of it, bright green crocodile leather but it had a bottle of port in it. Very funny chap.

Walked down around the Post Office and across to the river and the old bridge. Amazing to think of all the boats that travelled up and down the river.

On the other side of the new bridge was more information and more in the park beside that.

Wandered up and down the street reading the history boards.

The Baaka Cultural Centre is being built behind the old frontage of Knox and Downs. The building was destroyed by fire in 2002. The plans are on the side.

Continued along. Love how they have boarded up the building with pictures to look like doors, windows and even a mechanical workshop. Another building with a fake door.

Up another street. Lovely home opposite St James Church.

Back to where we parked the truck but then continued along the street. The Queens Head is up for sale. More old building across the road are all boarded up!

Further along is the Courthouse and Police Station. At one time there was a night watchman who called the time as he did his rounds of the cell block. Looks like we have gone back in time as this statement is coming true again. There is a petition in Qld at the moment to give householders more protection to be able to defend their homes from trespassers etc - Castle Law.

Old shack across the street. Another one being restored, I think.

The river is on the other side of this building to make unloading from the boats easier. Looks like it was a second hand store or museum.

Topped up the diesel tank @ $2.019 at the card place where the only servo had it for $2.399 and there were people paying that too.

Parked near the river height marker where there was a picnic table for lunch. It is quite nice sitting in the sun. Interesting facts - 700km to the Murray River from here. 1530 km with a slope of 5cm/km to the sea. Highest marker is 12m, at 2.5m now.

Lots of big signs about local people too. This one was interesting as she corrected the linguists on the local language. Great to see them involved in making sure it is correct as for us it is hard to pronounce a lot of the names and I hate saying things incorrectly. I found this with the Canning Stock Route where Canning had written the names phonetically only to have a linguist come through and change the lettering so the lay person can’t pronounce it correctly.

Hopefully we can do the Darling River Run next year on our way home. When we were in Wentworth there was no water coming down the Darling - just the Murray water being pushed back up it by the weir holding back the water.

Back through town. Stopped at the dump point and a chap was washing all the mud of his car and making a big mess - some people are so inconsiderate.

Continued on the Barrier Highway to head to Broken Hill. Passed the Teddy Bear Tree.

Around the edge of Lake Woychugga that is just grass and low salt bush at the moment.

Passed a rest area on the top of a rise - nice view over the plains and the road continues on.

The goats are still roaming too and we spotted a few emus.

Slowly climbing in elevation through the open country to Dolo Hill (130m). Up and down some hills for a while and up to 220m. Onto a plateau for a bit then down to 170m again through flat open country. Two low ranges are on each side of us in the distance.

Nice view as we slowly rise over long wide ridges.

Passed a sign about 50km before Broken Hill - Central Time Zone, subtract 30 minutes. Obviously we don’t wait till South Australia to change our time which is another 10km past Broken Hill. A bit further on and we spotted more goats - they are everywhere. Another crazy emu played chicken on the road but we managed to miss him.

40km from Broken Hill and my phone changed the time automatically.

Across dry Stephens Creek - should have stopped for a photo with the sign.

Into hills along side the railway line then we crossed a big water pipeline.

Turned off and drove up to Stephens Creek Reservoir for a cuppa. Nice park in honour of Spud Mashford though the water has run out in the waterfall.

Across to an old water tank? The water pipeline comes in to here.

Nice park in here too with very green grass - artificial. Along to the dam wall.

Don’t think it is pumping water anywhere with this pipe.

Back out to the highway and continued to Broken Hill. Some satellite dishes on one side and an astronomy observatory on the other side of the road.

Mining equipment and poppet head greet us as we drive into Broken Hill (315m elevation) - the first heritage-listed city and home of BHP and silver mining.

Lots of lovely older homes and some not so well kept homes as we head towards the information centre. The chap was very helpful and suggested a few places to try to ‘bush camp’. Lots to do and see here and at Silverton. Booked in for a historical walking tour tomorrow morning. I said we had been out to the reservoir and he said that pipeline brought water from Menindee Lakes. Now the town gets its water from the Murray River at Wentworth. Got a photo with one of the locals.

As it was getting late we drove around to the old mine site and up to the Line of Lode Memorial and Lookout. Interesting architecture. Spotted some orange signs that are part of the Silver Trail Drive - will have to start at beginning and work our way along it. Up and around to the top overlooking old mine buildings.

Bit chilly up here. Checked out the big park bench. Another one to add to my photo collection.

Great view from up here.

Some machinery and information as we walk around to the memorial.

Very nice memorial.

View over more mining area from the little platform. The road we came in on.

No point staying up for sunset - doesn’t look like it will be very good tonight.

Looking over more mine area we drive back down.

A memorial to two men trapped under here in 1902. So young, must have been so devastating for their families.

Back down then around to the ‘housing’ area of the BHP mine. Wikicamps says this is the old mine’s office. Some places are empty but some have people living in them as there is still a mine company, Perilya, in operation here. Turned around - another view of the buildings.

A bit of info from the Silver Trail booklet.

Back across the railway line and stopped to read the info board. I think the old one is being fixed up.

We decided to go back out to the rest area before town for the night. Steve remembered a gravel pit area a bit further along. There was a track from it and we spotted another traveller who had gone along the track a bit further so we went up there too. Parked up and got the heater going. Two utes came past with horse floats but no one stopped to check on us.

Rang Jon to check when he was going to be heading home. He said he was at Two Wells now as they pulled out of the job as rain was forecast and they didn’t want to get stuck in there on the muddy roads. His flight home will be Wednesday morning at 6am so we decided to just head straight down there in the morning so we can see him and get set up in the yard while he is still there.

Will cancel our walking tour in the morning but will come back and do all the sightseeing on our return next year.