Our day started when the alarm sounded at 6:00am and it was still dark when we went for a comfort stop shortly thereafter. Our day had to start at that time as we had the motor home booked for an 8:00am wheel alignment.
After being away for over a week, we have now got a good routine going and we were ready to leave just after 7:30am.
We arrived at the truck dealer at 8:00am and shortly thereafter we were waiting in their “drivers” room for the work to be performed. At 8:55am we received a call from the mechanic advising that they could not do a complete wheel alignment as the Iveco has independent suspension and they could not deal with the caster. We were offered a safety check (which we declined) for the cost of an hours labour but decided we would wait until we return to Sydney where we can visit an axle specialist who we have the upmost faith in (Pro Axle at Smithfield).
At 9:00am we were on our way.
First stop was just before Wentworth where we took photographs of reflections on the Murray. We then headed to Junction Park at Wentworth where the Darling and Murray Rivers meet. We need to check photographs from our last visit as we believe that there is a lot of water in both rivers. It was very cold so our stay was quick.
Next stop was at the Perry Sandhills at 10:00am which are located to the north of Wentworth a short drive from the Silver City Highway.
According to geologists, the Perry Sandhills originated after an ice age (40,000 years ago) and are formed by wind erosion over thousands of years. The dunes are a unique land formation of 400 acres of continuously shifting sand dunes.
The sandhills were used as a bombing range during WWII. Now, the area is utilised as backdrop for many films, T.V. shows and ads, theatre/music presentations.
Other than trucks heading way from Broken Hill, there was very little traffic to be seen during our 300 kilometre trip north. To the right of the road we saw several large bodies of water and later learnt that many of the roads to the south of Menindee Lakes were closed as a result of the recent rain. The Darling River run from Bourke through to Wilcannia is also closed as a result of recent rain.
We stopped for lunch adjacent to an area known as Popitach Lake which was full of water. The lake was a light shade of blue and seemed to stretch into the distant horizon. It is difficult to imagine how much water is required to create this body of water. For a country that is majority desert, the inland is currently alive with water.
We checked into the Broken Hill Caravan Park just after 2:00pm and then headed to the visitor information centre to make arrangements to obtain the key to see the sunset from the Desert Sculptures. Times have changed and you now have to pay an entry fee to the park and there is no lock on the gate. We were provided with a map.
Next stop was a visit to Woollies to refill our refrigerator. We only have a 150 litre fridge and a very small freezer so frequent visits to supermarkets are required for fresh food.
After shopping we had an hour before sunset so we headed to the Desert Sculptures and after paying our $10 entry fee, we drove to the top car park which is located a very short walk from the sculptures. We spent the next hour taking photographs before watching the sun descend over the distant horizon on a day when there was not a single cloud in the sky. “He” photographed the sunset through a 400mm lens. Pictures will be added to this blog entry later when we have bandwidth.
We headed back to our campsite in the dark and “He” cooked tea outside with a cold wind from the south making the cooking difficult. We need to purchase (or build) a windbreak for our stove.
STOP PRESS – We just heard on the news that the wreckage of a plane that departed Wentworth Airfield at 10:00am on Monday was found on the 30th. We believe we may have seen the aircraft depart the airfield as we left the Silver City Highway at that time when we visited the Perry Sandhills. We feel for the family of the pilot.