To continue our trip…
We left Nyngan on Easter Saturday and travelled to Cobar, where we had to take to obligatory photo of the ute in front of the Big Cobar sign on the way into town.
After a walk up and down the street and a nice morning tea, it was back on the road heading west. I was disappointed to see that the Cobar Quilt Shop was closed for the long weekend. Oh well, I saved my money.
The road is long and straight out here, with long distances between towns. We did enjoy seeing all the vegetation, after the years of drought. We saw some wild goats and a couple of emus, but no kangaroos, which was unusual.
Our destination for the day was Wilcannia, on the banks of the Darling River, which is 260kms from Cobar, with only one roadhouse between the two.
We haven’t stayed at Wilcannia before. “Warrawong on the Darling” is a caravan park a bit out of town and is right on the river. We were surprised to find nice grassy sites and new amenities.
Next morning it was time to have a bit of an explore of the town.
The first road train we saw just happened to drive past the entrance to the caravan park as we were leaving. The perfect photo opportunity.
Wilcannia, located on the Darling River, has a very a rich history, having been the largest inland port in Australia in the mid 1800s. The river was the main form of transport for goods, in particular the transporting of bales of wool to port. The river sometimes flooded and other times ran dry, so trade was affected by both.
The Centre Lift Bridge is a majors feature of the town, being opened in 1896. It was one of 23 opening bridges over the Darling and Murray Rivers, one of only a few left.
Traffic does not drive across it now, but you can still walk across.
The last time we were through here was in 2017. The Post Office was undergoing restoration even back then. Obviously a slow ongoing process.
Having said that, the facade of the attached residence now looks beautiful.
However, this is just one side of Wilcannia.
This is a much maligned town, with a large indigenous community and not a lot of services or employment, and being so isolated. Many people travelling through feel scared to even stop for fuel, which you need to do, as the distances are so great. Worried that things would get stolen. There are all these stories that people believe. We knew no different when we first came through, many years ago, but soon learned that it was a huge exaggeration. We tell people that is silly and that they should stop at the park, go for a walk up the road to have a look at the beautiful old buildings and then have a bit of a drive around and see what is there. Yes, the town does have it problems, but things have improved greatly over recent years.
There are also the sad buildings in town.
The one and only supermarket burnt down a couple of years ago, which created much hardship, as the closest town is 195 kms away. Fortunately, there is now a small replacement trading. The sign on the old building says it will be a cultural centre one day. I hope that happens.
On our previous visit we came across the old convent, which had a sign out the front saying it was going to be restored.
Sadly, nothing seems to have happened in the last five years.
It isn’t all bad, though. The streets were neat and tidy and the park has lots of new information boards giving the stories of some of the local elders. They were really interesting reading. There were also some about the youth and the programs that are in place for them.
I loved this old garage.
And I’d really like to visit the museum when it’s open.
The new mural adds a nice pop of colour as a you head west on your way to Broken Hill.
We still had quite a way to travel, so had to get on our way.
Lunch was at the rest area at Little Topar Roadhouse. This is the only place between the two towns.
You know you are getting closer to “civilisation” when you see one of these signs.
Before long we reached our destination for the next few nights. A nice couple of days on the road.
If you would like a little recap, here is my post about travelling through this area in 2017.
More soon.
9 comments:
It's a long way to Broken Hill. Interesting pics of the buildings that are to be restored - maybe one day.
The Cobar sign is amazing, as is the Lift Bridge. Must admit I've got a bit of a thing for interesting bridges, goodness knows why.
Looks like a beautiful old town.
I enjoyed that. Love the photo of the long straight road.
Your colours are so different from ours.
Your photos were so true of travelling in the outback areas. I thought you were going to say you stayed at Wilcannia. I have never been there but I do love the old sandstone buildings.
Enjoy it's great country out there.
So interesting to see what travel is like for you through those wide open spaces!
I checked out your 2017 trip just to compare. There were certainly a few recognizable places. It all looks so relaxing and serene.
That is a lot of driving Janice, the old buildings at Wilcannia are beautiful. I think there stories of many towns like the one you tell here. Love the road photo, big sky and open spaces.
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