Heading for the Bash!

Since leaving Brisbane, I've been discovering the delights of the RSL parmi, free camping with mosquitoes the size of Maggie and the joys of travelling in the same direction as thousands of people who are also going to the Mundi Mundi Bash.  

The interesting shire hall in Meandarra - almost in the same league as those School of Arts buildings

Muckadilla ... now who would have thought that such a little blip on the map would be such an interesting place.  The first thing Muckadilla is famous for relates to Freddy (Ludwig) Leichhardt (he of tree-carving fame).  He set off from a station close to Muckadilla, attempting to trace Major Mitchell's route to the Barcoo River and then make his way to the Swan River.  He was never seen again ... his fate is unknown.  The second interesting thing is that Muckadilla was the home of Frank Forde, one of our esteemed prime ministers.  Who? I hear you ask.  Well, he was prime minister ... from 6 to 15 July, 1945 ... earning him the distinction of being the shortest-serving prime minister in Australia's history (they didn't mention THAT on the plaque!).  Muckadilla was also the place that the quote "Country good enough to fatten a crowbar" was coined.  Personally, I've never heard this before but it makes me giggle every time I say it.

At the Mucka Pub.  There was also a Bench of Bullshit.

After travelling through Amby, Mitchell, Womalilla and Mungallala, I reached Morven where I decided to stay at the recreation reserve.  The weather was foul - gusty wind and rain - so I was keen to select a site that was a bit protected.  I'd just found one and was about to pull in when two huge vans zipped around me and took MY spot!  When I got out to reason with them, the woman said "We have kids".  Should I have commiserated with her?  Or said "Oh, that's fine then ... you're more important than me" or just slunk away ... I did the latter.  But it still rankles!  I should have said "I have a border collie" or ... any suggestions gratefully received!

Morven had a hut made of kerosene tins - there used to be five of these and they were built to house people who were homeless in the Great Depression.

Then it was off to Charleville, where I met up with Phill and Liz (my fellow travellers to South Australia last year).  This was a bit of fun and it was great to swap some travel stories and catch up.  They are off to Winton to play with dinosaur bones (they are going to be cleaning and discovering them) before heading to the coast to dive.

Bloody red sand ... all through her fur, on the paws and everywhere in the van!

School of Arts, Charleville

The famous Hotel Corones

These are Vortex Guns.  Used in Europe in the late 1800s to dispel hail-bearing clouds, it was thought that they could also bring rain to an Australia deep in drought.  Unfortunately, they didn't.  What they did do (in the trials at Charleville, Roma and Harrisville) was absolutely nothing, or (more excitingly) explode, narrowly missing spectators.

Bilbies ... super cute but seriously randy!

Saying goodbye to Phill and Liz, I headed to Cunnamulla.  Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea because I really enjoyed this town.  I shopped and walked and watched the fabulous light and sound show at the old railway station but ... and it's a BIG but ... this town has the most vicious, loud, aggressive, angry dogs!  All the front yards had at least a metre of wire added on top of the front fence so that the pitbull/bull arab/german shepherd/insane cattle dog couldn't get over and rip Maggie's throat out.  Poor thing!  She hated it when I said "let's go for a walk".  By the way, I met Mavis and she offered me her huge Queenslander on a double block for $150K.  Do I look desperate for a home?!?

The Cunnamulla Fella

The smallest Queenslander I've ever seen!

But enough of this!  It was time to start heading towards Broken Hill and the Mundi Mundi Bash.  So I left sunny Queensland, crossed the sunny border into New South Wales and then the weather turned to shit!  Cold!  Wet!  Windy!  I have been spoiled with my traveling so far since the weather has been, on the whole, quite good.  But now I'm back to three layers, raincoat and puffer jacket and even the Oodie!

Gulargambone was my next favourite spot (apart from the torrential rain) and I stayed for a couple of days in one of the best caravan parks of the trip!  The camp kitchen was about the size of my house and included a huge firepit, pizza oven, two ovens, two stoves, seating for about 50 people AND Peter cooked damper for us in the camp ovens.  If I'd stayed another night I could have had roast beef!  The town was obviously working hard to stay afloat, with a community owned cafe and various art works and sculptures around the town.

The Castlereagh River, after the rain

Galargambome is affectionately known as Galah and so it comes as no surprise that there are galahs (corrugated iron ones) all around the town.

What to do with a deserted main street?  Paint the abandoned shops in bright colours and use the shopfronts to display artworks.

After my pleasant and soggy stay at Gulargambone, I visited Narramine (with a hi to Glen McGrath) where the local butcher has a gorgeous shop complete with tiles dating from 1906.  On to Nyngan then Cobar and I'm now just outside Wilcannia, ready to get to Broken Hill tomorrow.  Mundi Mundi is just around the corner and I'm starting to get quite excited.  I've been listening to Russel Morris and the Oils as I drive the boring, straight roads, dodging the goats in time to Beds Are Burning.