Menindee Lakes.

We have travelled nearly 7000 km, been from rivers, mountains, sea and desert to finally arrive at where we initially wanted to come when we set off over 10 weeks ago! Seems also that we saved the worst roads till last and unfortunately have struck cold winds! And it also seems lots and  lots of people had the same idea as us, as all around the lakes are dotted caravans, campers and tents. The road from Wilcannia to here was pretty rough, corrugated and very slow going. You really can’t believe the green around in what is usually dry and barren scenery.

Our first peep at the big Menindee Lake really hit home just how much water there is here as this lake is huge! We drove down Sunset Strip - for years these shacks have had a dry lake to look out but now it’s amazing to see water lapping the boat ramp. A once desolate place is now buzzing with life - fantastic to see.

The weir is open to let water through - and we couldn’t believe the weed above the weir. 

We are camped along Pamamaroo Lake in a secluded spot by ourselves - and we just saw a flock of pelicans fishing! There must be fish in the system but the fisher people aren’t catching many! 

Copi Hollow us a very popular park with lovely green lawns down to the lake - the caravan park was booked out. We also liked seeing these relics of the past steam train era in Menindee township. 
So we are pretty happy that finally we’ve been able to see the Menindee lakes full and hope this isn’t the last time we will be able to witness such an event. We look forward to seeing the Darling downstream from the weir and assume it’s pretty full too. 

Our little Mitzi is a little underpowered for this new van, but has performed very well. However, this will be her last trip with us as we have a new Ranger on order - fingers crossed it’s delivery isn’t delayed too much.

We have enjoyed a marvellous trip and probably only have one or two nights more on the road before we get home. Our supplies are rather low and we’ve found supermarkets in these outback towns being very hard to source. But as we sit here by our campfire watching another wonderful sunset over the lake, we recall just how privileged and fortunate we are to be able to travel as we do. 

So this will be the last blog - thank you to our readers for following our travels. Until our next trip, love from us ❌❌

Going solo.

Heading south across the border, the temperature decreased, we’ve put away shorts & tshirts and pulled out long pants and jumpers! 

At Bourke, we marvelled at the height of the Darling River and loved seeing all the backwaters full. It’s amazing to think that the rains which we witnessed in St George, are probably flowing past us now! It’s a wondrous system which we just love. This is their 3rd flush this year which is so good to see after some hard dry years. 

We stopped at the Bourke cemetery to see Fred Hollows grave site - he was an exceptional man and loved Bourke as much as they loved him. We travelled along the east road towards Louth and the water lying around is wonderful to see. Some roads between Bourke & Menindee are however closed due to flood waters. 

We stayed at Rose Isle Station right on the river, which is a lovely spot. Some campsites are under water but we were in a grassed area near amenities. Samantha puts on a morning tea each week day - which we enjoyed. Her spread rivalled any of those provided by the CWA  - cakes, slices, both sweet & savoury scones and sausage rolls. It was coincidence that their pet dogs are dauschunds when Kristian & MJ have just taken possession of their little one. 

It was here that Dennis & Tops learned of another funeral they would like to attend, so they made the decision to leave us and head home, whilst we have continued on alone, along the river.

Our first stop after Rose Isle was  at Trilby station - our 3rd visit and how terrific it is to see the river full plus the billabong! To give you some idea of the difference in river level, the photo on the left was 2017 & the right yesterday! 

We camped right on the banks with no one else around so Darryl could play loud music! We had a ‘loo with a view’ which previously was just dry, but this time we had water views! 

The billabong is full and a haven for hundreds of water birds. We did tackle a canoe with success - but it was cold and windy so we didn’t enjoy it as much as we would have in sunshine. 

We are now at Wilcannia - again on the river which is creeping into the park. Along the road to Tilpa, we had a water crossing - which will close that road if it gets much deeper. As it was, we had to detour 130kms from Tilpa to here as both the east and west sides of the river run are closed. 

Our next destination is Menindee - and we can’t wait to see those lakes full. From there we’ll head home to end our journey of over 10 weeks. We are getting used to colder days and nights so it won’t be a huge shock for us when we arrive home. Till next time, love from us ❌❌❌