Tuesday 28 May. Menindee / Kinchega National Park

While the weather is so good we decided to do a big trip to the Menindee Lakes in Kinchega National Park, 110 km south east of Broken Hill. The countryside on the way was similar to what we saw yesterday. Some distance along the road was a sign telling us that we were now switching back to Eastern Standard Time, so we got to Menindee half an hour “later” than expected. Menindee was the first town established on the Darling River and the last stop for Burke and Wills.

There was a little cafe on the corner as we came into the town and we stopped for a cuppa and a cake, and bought a sandwich for lunch somewhere in the park. The town has some great sports facilities for kids and there was children’s art work displayed around the town. Some workmen directed us to a great spot to view the river.

Once into the park we followed the Lake Drive which took us along the edge of Lake Menindee, but we never got really close to the water. It’s a huge lake though. We also followed the Riverside Drive and got more views of the Darling and some pretty great places to camp. There were a number of signs warning people not to camp under trees as they are known for dropping branches. The road around the lake was red dirt and quite corrugated in places but my lovely car took the road surface in its stride.

By now it was about time to head back to Broken Hill as we wanted to be off the road well before dusk. We stopped at Sunset Strip for a final view of the lake from the other side before getting on our way. I have never seen so many dead kangaroos as we did today. There were lots yesterday too. We also saw a number of emus, lots of goats, a few sheep and two living kangaroos, fortunately not hopping across the road.

Got back to Broken Hill and the SA time zone around 4.00. Bought petrol and got some cash out out at Woolies. Lots of places around here only want cash. Dinner tonight was at the Demo Club. I wondered about demonstrations but turns out it’s The Barrier Social Democratic Club. It is T bone Tuesday so we had a $25 T bone which was very good, though of course it didn’t compare to the eye fillet we had in Mildura!

Ready for another early night after our big day.

Monday 27 May. Broken Hill and Silverton

 We started the day at the Tourist Information Centre where Pat, a lovely volunteer, gave us heaps of pamphlets, maps and ideas for the next few days. 

First stop was the Line of Lode (mullock heap) which dominates the town. From the top we could see the whole of Broken Hill. The miners’ memorial sits up there and shows the name, age and cause of death of the hundreds of miners killed throughout the years. There were some horrible deaths of very young men .

From here we headed out to Silverton which was only about a half hour drive. There were very few houses and I don’t think you could live there unless you were a pretty colourful character.  The Mad Max Museum was closed but the facade and front garden were pretty interesting. Fortunately the pub was open and we had lunch there while a few donkeys wandered past. There was a Mad Max VW parked out front, with an unusual love story attached.

Just 5 minutes beyond Silverton was the Mundi Mundi lookout. The view from there is enormous and the road seems to just disappear in front of you.

Back in town we stopped to look at the 1915 ambush site. A train load of picnickers was shot at by two Turkish camel drivers who were later hunted down and shot. A number of people were killed or injured in this, the only hostilities on Australian soil during World War 1.

Next stop was the beautiful Trades Hall building. The hall,inside was lovely and we watched a video about the history of the trade union movement in Broken Hill.

By now we were ready for refreshments so we stepped back in time at Bell’s Milk Bar. Renee had a Widgie’s Blood spider and I had a Mars Bar milkshake.

Our final landmark for the day was the Palace Hotel, famous in “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”. We had dinner there and “admired” the murals all over the walls and ceilings. 

 

Sunday 26 May. Mildura to Broken Hill

 After a big breakfast ( included in hotel room fee) we set off on the Silver City Highway. It would have been just after 10.00. I was delighted to see orange trees full of fruit but didn’t feel inclined to offer to help with the picking.

It was only about 30km to Wentworth where the Murray and Darling Rivers meet. There is a lovely park where you can see the conjunction of the rivers. We saw pelicans, galahs, cormorants, ducks, budgerigars and birds we don’t know. Must have spent an hour or more there. A few hundred metres on was Lock number 10 and a weir. This lock is only 30.8 metres above sea level.

Once we left Wentworth there were no more settlements until we reached Broken Hill. The landscape was mostly flat and scrubby. At one spot there was a lake in the distance. We did see a few crossroads and the occasional driveway and letterbox but no houses. There were a lot of dead kangaroos and a lot of living goats. We also saw two big trucks loaded with goats heading towards Mildura. The other wildlife was a wedgetailed eagle circling above something, maybe one of the baby goats and a couple of emus.

There were quite a few rest stops along the way and the one with toilets was a dud because they were both out of order. There was a strange winged sculpture nearby.

We arrived in Broken Hill about 3.00 and looked for a cafe that could give us a cuppa but the only one that looked open was actually closing and sent us away. We finally got a green tea and a brownie at the BHP - Broken Hill Pub. They had run out of coffee beans and had no ordinary tea bags, just green tea and Earl Grey. Sat on their terrace to have our cuppa and it was hot there. Renee was down to short sleeves and I had removed my jumper.

Our motel rooms are upstairs (bugger) but quite comfortable and this evening we could walk a couple of blocks to dinner at the Sturt Club. My advice to potential travellers is don’t arrive on a Sunday afternoon. Everything is closed. I got a shock to discover that my watch was half an hour different from the time on my phone but the booklet in the motel explained that Broken Hill is on South Australian time, so my watch hadn’t run mad after all.

Saturday, 25 May Melbourne to Mildura

 

Saturday 25 May

Melbourne to Mildura

I set off from Upwey at 7.30 this morning, picked up Renee in Coburg around 8.30 and then we were on our way. We headed out on the Tullamarine Freeway and it was strange to be taking the Calder Highway rather than the exit to the airport. 

Our first stop was Bridgewater on London where we had a cuppa and a toastie followed by a stroll along the river walk. Very pleasant apart from the noise of the corellas.

We stopped for petrol in Wycheproof and I thought of Smith’s role in the Wycheproof  production of South Pacific back in 1974. “Going to the beach Nellie?”

Next stop was in Ouyen for a drink and to stretch the legs. Nothing was open in the main part of town so we made do with the Ampol service station. Beautiful sunny weather as we’ve headed north, after a cold and foggy start this morning.

We arrived in Mildura just after 4.00 and checked into the Mildura Grand Hotel. Our rooms are upstairs and around a maze of corridors. A trail of breadcrumbs would have been a good idea.

Went for a walk down (about a thousand) steps to the Murray River and then back up across a bridge over the railway line where we got an amazing view of the sunset.

Had a delicious steak dinner at the Spanish Grill. The steak was barbecued over red gum coals. This was accompanied by a local Sangiovese wine which I really liked, so I bought two bottles on the way out. I didn’t even ask the price but I got quite a shock when I checked the receipt. Never mind, it’s a holiday.

Thursday, 6 to Saturday 8 July. Frankfurt to Melbourne

Getting home took 44 hours but fortunately all flights were smooth and on time.

Frankfurt to LA in a lovely Lufthansa 747 - 10 1/2 hours

Transit in LA - 10 hours

LA to Sydney in a horrible QANTAS  A380 - 15 1/2 hours

Sydney International to Domestic and then to Melbourne - 4 hours

There were problems with transport between terminals at Sydney and I only just made my flight.

The journey would be even longer if I counted 3 hours from check-in at Frankfurt before the flight left.

It was wonderful to have Rob and Judy waiting for me at the airport and chauffeuring me home.

I’ve loved my 7 weeks of travel but it’s good to be home in wonderful Melbourne.

Taking off at LAX

Wednesday, 5 July. Frankfurt

Jochen and Ingrid Freytag picked me up at my hotel and with them were two great nieces from Adelaide who also know my lovely German teacher, Sue. They are here visiting family in various parts of Germany and they both speak excellent German. Fortunately most of today’s conversation was in English.

We drove to Wiesbaden and an amazing winery in an old monastery. Can’t remember the name of it and it doesn’t seem to be in my photos but their Riesling was delicious. They have won international prizes with it. We had a great walk around the place and it is huge. It is now owned by the state.

The next winery was not far away and was called Schloss Vollrads. It had an old tower, the original building, surrounded by a moat full of carp. There is also a considerable manor building. It is used for exclusive events these days and may also be a hotel.

From here we went to Schloss Johannesburg, which has the really really special Riesling, including an Eiswein made from frozen grapes. The price was eye wateringly high.There was a terrific statue of a man on a horse holding a bunch of grapes and a document. Way back when, the people had to get written permission to pick the grapes so he rode off to get the permit but stopped for a drink or 6 on the way home. As a consequence the grapes were picked later than they should be but with a happy result. They became the first vintage of spätlese wine. Spät means late.

We had lunch in a lovely restaurant with a view across the vineyards and the valley and towns below. Then it was on to Rudesheim to see a gigantic monument to a war between the French and Germans. It was pretty clear that the Germans were victorious in that one. The view of the Rhein from here was spectacular and it was great watching the activity on the water.

We drove down into the town of Rudesheim to walk along a little lane that is full of wine and beer halls. Apparently it is also full of drunks later in the evening so this was a much more pleasant time to visit.

A good trip home despite the missing bridge on the autobahn, which necessitated a major detour. What lovely people to take me out for the day, especially when they already had overseas visitors.

I have been instructed to give Sue many hugs from each of them so I’ll be attending to that in a few days.