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Saturday 7 September: The Last Post

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The sun is sliding down and tonight is the last one of our holiday. As always, the Wimmera River at Dimboola has been delightful. It’s been a wonderful 12 weeks on the road. Our initial objectives to travel to Perth to see family and Broome to meet our London friends were achieved without too much fuss, though the bust part was always in the background, with a small caravan, hybrid car, a dog that doesn’t like the heat and two older people not sure if we were still capable of such adventures. The roadhouses across the country were new to us. Vital for fuel and water and rest but not always attractive. The respectful behaviour of all caravan occupiers, often staying close together but keeping the peace at night until morning was consistently adhered to. Across the Nullarbor and then north of Perth until Port Augusta the only road traffic would be caravans and road trains. While the majority of travellers would be seniors like us, there were also a significant number of families with sch
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Thursday 6 September: Crossing The Border

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Today we are on the land of the Wotjobaluk people. After a final walk in the Barossa Bushgarden in Nuriootpa, we have arrived in Dimboola, our last stop before home on Sunday. Red gums in the Barossa Bushgarden Crossing the Murray River at Murray Bridge At Coonalpyn Dimboola is perhaps known to many only as the title of the play, by Jack Hibberd, who sadly, died just a few days ago.  Dimboola was also where Sidney Nolan was stationed after being drafted into the army  in 1942. According to The Art Gallery of NSW he countered the tedium of army life with a regime of reading and painting when able, resulting in a period of intense artistic questioning and experimentation. Dimboola, by Sidney Nolan, 1944 As for us, we like Dimboola for its birds and the walks along the Wimmera River, which is how we will be spending tomorrow, our last full day of our Broome or Bust Holiday. Corellas Ducks The path along the Wimmera River
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Location: Dimboola VIC 3414, Australia
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Thursday 5 September: Change Of Scene

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  At Maggie Beer In a day of moderation, we only went to three wineries - Yalumba, Penfolds, and one of Gayle's favourites, Gibson. This is a small operation compared to the other two. We had a very tasty (and reasonably priced) share plate lunch at Maggie Beer. The caravan park is next to Nuriootpa Linear Park, which includes the Barossa Bushgardens,  a community-led project displaying, conserving and distributing local native vegetation.  We had a great chat with one of the volunteers, who pointed out a 400 year-old red gum. Chops says he wants the last word on today. At last. Grass after all that iron red dirt.
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Location: Nuriootpa Linear Park, 5355/13 Tanunda Rd, Nuriootpa SA 5355, Australia
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Wednesday 4 September: Trains Can Be A Strain

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Today we are on the lands of the Ngadjuri, Peramangk and Kaurna peoples. Who doesn't love trains? A quick trip into town, an adventure on an overnight sleeper.... But when there is a cacophony of bashing, crashing, banging and clanging in the early hours of the morning, one's love can be shaken. Our overnight stop at Port Augusta seemed to be a long way across Spencer Gulf from shunting containers, but not far enough as it turned out. Mangroves, sand, water, mountains and trains - there is something for everyone at Port Augusta Port Augusta lies at the head of Spencer Gul Oystercatcher on the sand at Port Augusta Driving to Nuriootpa in the Barossa, we started to leave the arid landscapes and arrow-straight roads behind.  All of a sudden we were amongst greenery and winding roads. Nuriootpa delivered a holy grail - a fenced dog park! Chops has been on the lead for weeks - and so have we, at the other end. A very happy Chops It will be a busy and no doubt tiring day tomorrow. We
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Location: Nuriootpa SA 5355, Australia
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Tuesday 3 September 2024: A Long But Not Very Winding Road

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Today we are on the lands of the Nuking people. After an early morning walk we made a start from Coober Pedy for Port Augusta. For city people like us it was going to be a long drive, but probably it would not be seen that way by the locals. Underground building at Coober Pedy A real tail-wind  Between 1956 and 1963, the United Kingdom conducted seven nuclear tests at the Maralinga site in South Australia, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area. Approximately 1000 local Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara were forcibly relocated to Yalata, located 200 kilometres west of Ceduna, hundreds of kilometres from their homeland.  The site was left contaminated with radioactive waste, with several attempts at "cleanup". Alan Parkinson, a nuclear engineer and former Government Representative to oversee the Maralinga Rehabilitation Project, in his 2007 book  Maralinga: Australia's Nuclear Waste Cover-up   states that "What was done at Maralinga was a cheap and nasty solution that w
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Location: Port Augusta SA, Australia
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Monday 2 September: Making Tracks To Coober Pedy

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Today we are on the lands of the  Antakirinja Matu – Yankunytjatjara peoples. Tyre marks on the Finke River Road at Kulgera following recent heavy rains   The A87 to Coober Pedy leaves the ranges of the Northern Territory behind and enters very dry and  flat countryside.  The Adelaide to Darwin railway line north of Coober Pedy Coober Pedy is of course famous for its opal mines. We found out that mining laws discouraged large-scale mining by allowing each prospector only a 15m2 claim, with additional requirements on how many hours a week must be worked. It is a democratising of mining in its way. Coober Pedy and its surrounds have long attracted film makers, and it has been the setting for productions including Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Waste dirt from the opal mines The machines used to suck out the waste dirt Another move tomorrow - to Port Augusta about 550km south. Plenty of time for podcasts, music and audio books.
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Location: Coober Pedy SA 5723, Australia
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Sunday 1 September: The Last Roadhouse

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Today we are on the land of the Pitjantjatjara people.  Farewell to Uluru We are spending the night at Kulgera Roadhouse, about 23 km north of the SA Border. The Northern Territory was part of South Australia from 1863 to 1911. In 1911 it was separated from South Australia in what was said at the time to be in the “national” interest, and today the Federal Government still retains ultimate control.  Kulgera Roadhouse We had an interesting discussion about the purchase of paintings that are available, for example, in Ayers Rock Resort Town Square, or here, at the roadhouse. You can see the artist at work, and the pieces are often priced at around $200 to $400. Are they art or souvenirs? Should they be purchased in the spirit of providing income, even if some may be considered amateurish by knowledgeable people. We didn’t come to a conclusion - we rarely do. 
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Location: Kulgera, Ghan NT 0872, Australia
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Saturday 31 August: Uluru Sunrise And Kata Tjuta Walk

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 A memorable day for Jeffrey. Lots of photos were taken, but we'll only put up a few (phew!)  Aboriginal people have lived in the area around Uluru and Kata Tjuta for at least 30,000 years.Anangu Culture has always existed here. The Central Australian landscape (of which Uluru and Kata Tjuta are an important part) is believed to have been created at the beginning of time by Ancestral Beings.Uluru and Kata Tjuta provide physical evidence of feats performed during the creation period. Anangu are the direct descendants of these beings and are responsible for the protection and appropriate management of these ancestral lands. (see  https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/history/ ) The morning commenced with a 5.30am bus pickup from the campground and the resort hotels and then to the viewing platforms. Although not conducive to a contemplative mood at sunrise, the platforms have stopped chaotic parking along the road and the random scuttling of tourists keen to get a good shot. W
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Location: Kata Tjuta / Petermann NT 0872, Australia
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