The longest shortcut-The long drive home (10)

Day 1: Esperance, WA to Madura, WA (738 km: 7.32 hrs) The rain and wind dogged our last days in south-western Australia and followed us for a couple of days as we crossed the Nullarbor Plain and into SA. We headed 200 km north from Esperance, reaching Norseman soon after the sun rose. Breakfast and fuel were on the menu. A right-hand turn at Norseman took us onto the Eyre Highway and the Nullarbor Plain, and eventually, to the east coast of Australia. Rain and wind followed us off and on all day as we drove to the truck stop at Madura about 180 km before the WA/SA border at Eucla. Madura was just a run of the mill whistle stop but the staff were friendly, the motel basic but clean and the food enjoyable. An interesting sign of the future was the electric vehicle charger socket located outside of our motel room. Day 2: Madura, WA to Wudinna, SA (882 km; 9 hrs travel) We crossed the WA/SA border near Eucla, stopped at some of the scenic lookouts located along the Great Australian Bight-what amazing views, and continued in wet and windy weather into South Australia eventually finding a good country pub in the town of Wudinna. Day 3: Wudinna, SA to Broken Hill, NSW (670 km; 7.10 hrs travel) The days tended to blur a bit: drive, top up with fuel, find a motel, eat, sleep and repeat. Broken Hill (population (17000) has a fascinating colonial history, starting in September 1883, when sheep station worker, Charles Rasp, discovered what he thought to be tin oxide on an unusual formation known as 'the broken hill'. It turned out to be a specimen rich in lead and zinc. Two years later large quantities of silver were discovered. This really started the mining boom resulting in the wonderful colonial architecture that still graces the streets of the town. (https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/blog/minerals-of-broken-hill) Day 4: Broken Hill NSW to Brewarrina NSW (751km 7.50 hr travel) Another long day from Broken Hill to Wilcannia and then onto Cobar, Bourke and Brewarrina. The edge of the outback towns of Wilcannia and Bourke were both thriving 19th century Darling River paddle steamer ports, transporting wheat and wool. Today, Wilcannia’s streets are dusty but still lined with a remarkable collection of heritage buildings. (https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/outback-nsw/white-cliffs-area/wilcannia). Bourke is also a pleasant river town with a busy commercial centre and various historic buildings and river infrastructure well worth spending some time exploring. We stayed in the small town of Brewarrina (population 1143), located on the Barwon River, south of the New South Wales/ Queensland border. The town is famous for the local indigenous fish traps which are known as one of the oldest human-made structures in the world. The fish traps reflect an ancient genius in the simplicity of their design, which was adaptable to the seasons and changing water levels (https://www.mpra.com.au/brewarrina-fish-traps). Day 5: Brewarrina, NSW to Toowoomba, Qld (680 km: 7.30 travel) Taking a more circuitous route than you might expect, we headed north from Brewarrina, crossing the Queensland border at the village of Hebel before heading north to St George, east to Toowoomba. Some stats: • Overall length of circumnavigation: 15200 km • Overall time of circumnavigation: 38 days • Return travel from Esperance to Toowoomba: 5 days and 3721 km

Headin home-Esperance, WA to Toowoomba, Qld-close to 4000 km

THE NULLARBOR PLAIN, WA

Great Australian Bight Scenic Lookout No. 3 Bunda Cliffs South Australia

Scenic Lookout No. 3-Bunda Cliffs, Nullarbor Plain, Great Australian Bight, South Australia

Great Australian Bight No. 2 Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Great Australian Bight Scenic Lookout No. 1 Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

BROKEN HILL, NSW

Argent Street, Broken Hill, NSW

Dummies, Broken Hill, NSW

The Broken Hill Pub, Oxide St

The Imperial Hotel, Corner of Cobolt and Oxide Streets, Broken Hill, NSW

Southern Cross Hotel, Oxide St, Broken Hill, NSW

Now colonial offices in Argent St, Broken Hill, probably built as one of the many pubs in the town in the 1800s

Town Hall, Argent St, Broken Hill, NSW built 18991

Beryl Lane, Broken Hill NSW

Beryl Street commercial building, Broken Hill, NSW

Beryl Street commercial building, Broken Hill NSW

Miners cottage, Beryl Street, Broken Hill

WILCANNIA, NSW

Bridge over the Darling River, Wuilcannia, NSW

BOURKE, NSW

1923 Crossley Oil Fuelled Stationary Engine, Bourke Pier, Darling River

BREWARRINA, NSW

Barwon River, Brewarrina, NSW

Pub at Brewarrina NSW

GOODOOGA, NSW

Goodooga, on the bank of the Bokhara River, 20 km south of the Queensland border crossing at Hebel. The village has seen better days although there is still a pub, Great Artesian bore and 223 inhabitants. The derelict church and servo suggest there was more life in the old girl at some point. Now a shadow.

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