Blyth - Clare Valley

On the way back from Broken Hill we suddenly found ourselves in Clare Valley. Well, we had to stop here, take in a few wineries and visit a few galleries plus eat some local food. We stayed in a small place called Blyth which was well situated to tour the area. Simon liked Pikes Wines which is in Clare.

We also came across this great little village, Mintaro. It was like stepping back in time.

Silvertown outside Broken Hill

Silverton is located about 25km outside Broken Hill and was established in 1880  as a base for the silver miners, today it is a mixture of cafes, art galleries and the Mad Max museum which was fascinating. The last few photos are of the Day Dream mine, we went on a tour down the mine shafts and were given an account of the history of the mine and mining in the area. We were able to do this as we had a dog free day as they were getting a haircut down to the wood, the muppets were suffering in the heat.

The Mad Max museum full of props left behind after filming.

Pics of Day Dream Mine

Broken Hill

Built on mining Broken Hill was somewhere we had always wanted to visit located in far west NSW, you really get a sense of the outback here. The town is dominated by a mine on the south side and the main street populated with old buildings. We stayed at the campsite here for four days which gave us time to explore the area. We visited the Pro Hart museum which holds a great collection of his work, we learnt a lot about his life and work, including his many years working in the mines. A lot of his work depicts the miners and their struggle in harsh conditions, this side to his painting is not one that I associated with him, his dragon flies, ants and bush life appear to be far more popular.

Phil and I found a great 'local' pub on the edge of town while walking the dogs on an evening, we had a drink outside each night and a good yarn with the regulars who popped out for a chat, they were a great bunch and we heard a few life stories along the way.

The regional art gallery is well worth a visit.

Narrung

On the south east corner of lake Alexandrina this was a special free camp, the jetty was inhabited most of the time by pelicans that the little white one had fun chasing off. The picture below just shows the only inland lighthouse in Australia. A fact we didn't know was that all the ferries in South Australia are free and we used this to go over to the lighthouse for a walk around, we picked a few figs up from a tree on the way back. 

The Murray River

We decided to do the journey from Murray Bridge to Broken Hill in one go it's about 550km.

Below are some shots of the Murray, taken on a bend in the river that has cut down through the rock creating huge cliffs.

Murray Bridge

An ordinary stay at a campground in Murray Bridge, nuff said

Boy Simon is harsh, probably because we encountered our first and hopefully last snotty camper.  There is a thing between, Camper Vans (RV's), Caravans and Camper Trailers. Some people, so I have heard think that Camper Trailers are not self contained (meaning you have to have a toilet and can store all grey water). We can do this, but not all caravans can, but some think they are better than us. Anyway at Murray Bridge a nice caravan owner had to suddenly leave due to a family crisis and offered us their spot, which was the only powered spot available. It was admittedly a large plot and we are smaller than a caravan, which made the space look even larger. We did get a few frowns from a few and mutterings under the breath. This one guy approached us as we were setting up, and told us that two could fit where we were. We said no, but after the dirty looks and more muttering so, we decided, as we didn't want to be bad guys on the block  and we would move over. Anyway, once they moved in they realised that the space wasn't as big as it looked and we had to ask them to move over so we could open up our cook area to cook! He, I have to say, was not a very nice person at all and just wouldn't leave us alone,  so this is the reason Murray Bridge hasn't got a write up or photographs! Thankfully, to date, everyone else has been lovely!

Kingston

Kingston was a one night stop off met up with a lovely couple and plan on meeting up on the west coast. The locals were friendly and the butcher/ fishmonger was helpful, saved us some butterflied mullet which I smoked. The first time we have had them and they were good.           

                                      

The Big Lobster up for grabs for $300,000 including a huge restaurant and bar and big car park, bargain.

Views from the chair

Robe

Robe is an old town and is a popular holiday destination for people heading out of Adelaide. The council have created a good series of walks round the harbour and along the cliffs pointing out interesting facts about the area. Lots of fishing and a tasty chippy at the docks, The battered garfish went down well. There is also a monument which lists the fishermen who have lost their lives at sea, there have been a lot of shipwrecks over the years.

Me and the chaps in the old gaol

PHIL and the muppets on part of the coastal walk.