We awoke to another day of clear blue sky. Prior to breakfast “He” went for a walk to locate the local war memorial where the famous name of Harry Harbord “Breaker” Morant is recorded. Harry at some time was a local of Tilpa.
Our trip plan today saw us heading north before turning west to White Cliff. This was the shortest route from our current location but we were informed that the Paroo River was flooded and the road was broken in several places. The alternative route was longer but quicker and saw us continue down the western side of the Darling River to Wilcannia (about another 120 kilometres on dirt) and then about 98 kilometres north on a sealed road back to White Cliffs.
Generally the road to Wilcannia was good and we made reasonable time. We saw a couple of kangaroos (a red and grey) cross the road about 100 metres in front of us and some very large cattle roaming adjacent to the road. One thing that “He” noticed was that the cattle grids seemed to get smaller as we travelled south but were still taken at the same speed. We also saw the benefit of the CB radio with information about traffic being conveyed to other motor homes.
After Wilcannia, we travelled on what must be one of the smoothest roads in Australia. After the noise and vibration from the dirt, we had 98 kilometres of peace and no rattles.
We were very happy with how the motor home handled the 345 kilometres of dirt that we travelled on and it confirms Winnebago’s statement that they are built for Australian roads. We have now decided that several places we were not prepared to visit and now back on our “to do” list.
White Cliffs is a little like Coober Pedy but it is green. After refuelling at the only spot in town ($1.46 cpl for diesel fuel) we were able to find a powered site in the caravan park. We invested time and removed the majority of the dust from the motor home and had a quiet afternoon. “She” went for a walk to the shops (there are not very many) and “He” had probably the best shower since leaving Sydney. For an unattended caravan park where a caretaker visits twice daily, the amenities located adjacent to our site are probably the best we have seen since leaving home.
At happy hour we met other members of the WRVC who are currently visiting the area. We cooked BBQ steak for tea and then after chatting for a while, returned to the motor home to watch Sydney City defeat the Gold Coast in the ARL final. Tomorrow night we will watch the West Tigers and the Dragons do battle but that is after the AFL Grand Final that we will be watching in the local pub.
We saw a magnificent sunset tonight and watched an almost full moon rise just after 7:30pm. The clear skies provide incredible views of the night sky. Pity we left the telescope at home as there are several planets currently visible early in the night.
Tomorrow we are going on an unofficial tour of the district with one of the miners. We are well into the routine of living in the motor home but now realising we will be heading home in just over a week. We still cannot get our small personal computer working for video conferencing and will ensure that we bring a larger laptop next time we travel.