Ryan's Journal - Days Four to Nine

Day four:

Distance travelled: 386km

We left Mildura! We packed up in another freezing morning and started off to Menindee.

We stopped once at Wentworth, where the Murray River meets the Darling River. We stocked up on supplies and were about to leave when there was a sign saying the road was closed. So we went to the information centre and got new directions. The straight road was lifeless, but still taking us towards Menindee. Arguably, the most entertaining part of the trip was when a sign informed us that there were kangaroos for the next 240km!

We were finally near Menindee and were looking for our campsite, but because of recent rain, the road to the campsite was closed as well! We drove round and round, looking for somewhere to stay, and eventually found a place called Copi Hollow. It was beautiful! We stayed right next to the lake, but as the sun went down, the view was magnificent!

After sitting by the fire and eating dinner, we went to bed, wandering what the next day would bring.

Day five:

Distance travelled: 208km

After a little discussion over breakfast, we decided to pack up camp and move out. We left and looked around Menindee, not that it was very big. We stopped off at an old woolshed, that, until 1969, had sheared hundreds of sheep a day!

Our next stop, Broken Hill was a shorter trip. We quickly found a spot to stay, called Lake View, where, in the distance, there was a great view of a lake.

We went into town for dinner, and got pizza. While we waited for the pizza to cook, we walked up the main street. Everything was closed but there was still a historical side to things.

Day six:

Distance travelled: 31km

All night, it was raining! All of our plans were shattered because it was too wet. We ended up walking through art galleries and getting a hot drink outside a closed mine.

The best part of the day was probably Pro Hart’s gallery. He was a talented sculptor, artist and collector. His gallery, full of his own work was three stories high!

We went to some other gallery and did a bit of shopping. We parked outside McDonalds and got their free Wi-Fi in the dry car.

We cooked dinner in the camp kitchen, which was incredibly dry compared to our tents. We watched movies and played table-tennis for the rest of the evening.

Day seven:

Distance travelled: 86km

We were still in Broken Hill, because all the roads were closed due to the rain.  But we were able to get out of town and head out to Silverton. On the way we stopped off at Day Dream mine. It is an old mine that was used to mine silver. We went on a tour. The land above it was barren and empty, with historical landmarks in some places. The mine went down a long way. We were given a helmet and a head-torch and followed our leader down the mine. It was dark and stuffy. When we came out of the mine, the sun was brighter than ever.

We continued out to Silverton, which used to be a mining town, but is now a ‘ghost’ town. No one lives there but there are many old buildings and a few movies, including Mad Max have been filmed there.

Day eight:

Distance Travelled: 344km

We woke up after another cold night and started packing up. Our next goal, Tibooburra seemed unlikely after our visit to the information centre. The road was closed up to Packsaddle (about half of the way). So, after a drink and a talk, we decided to drive up to Packsaddle and see what was there. There was nothing there; just a small pub and a campground.

Not wanting to stay at the campground with all the people who were stuck there, we drove up to a rest area. There was another person there, who, as we drove in, approached us and said, “I’ve seen a few cars come through the closed road, I’m going to try my luck. Do you want to come?” Dad, being lawful, said no but after some nagging by us kids, he agreed. So, us being rebels, drove down the closed road to Tibooburra. The road was fine, a few muddy patches but that was it. We managed to make it to Tibooburra and went to the campground in the Sturt National Park we planned to stay at.

Day nine:

Distance travelled: 8km

Light! But only for a second, then it’s pitch black again. Lightning and the low rumbles of thunder were surrounding the tent. It was about 4:30 and the rain was pouring down and again, light, but only for a second as the lightning passed over head.

The morning woke to a tired family, who, during the night had been up listening to the storm pass. This was us. Another storm. More closed roads. But the sun was out, and the clouds moved on.

We dried out the camp, and planned our day. First, a walk down Granite Nature Trail. The surrounding countryside was showing for miles! It was great! But long.

We didn’t have much to do, so we went into town and walked up the main street. There wasn’t much. It was muddy, due to the rain, had two pubs and a school, that was awesome, it even had a pool! We went into the historic family hotel which has paintings from famous artists all over its walls. Mum and Dad had a drink while Nick, Ryan and Jackson played pool.