A cold grey morning in Clare A short drive from Clare brings us to Burra – a visit to the cemetery to pay our respects to our Mill family ancestors. Burra was a copper mining town that boomed in the 1850s supplying over 5% of the world’s copper at the time. Miners’ cottages The historic … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 12 – Burra to the Barossa

Driving from Port Pirie, every small town has large silos. Most of the land is cleared – here a small patch of bush densely packed with grass trees. Grape vines in Clare Main street of Clare Seven Hill Catholic Church The Jesuit priests at Seven Hill have managed the winery since 1857. Oak casks at … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 11 – Clare Valley

Rawnsley Park history – then we headed south. Elder Range Lookout Last view to Wilpena Pound from Elder Range Lookout Sturts Desert Pea in Hawker Just south of Hawker Near the site of the Kanyaka town settlement Kanyaka Waterhole Death Rock Another family history site Quorn has many old buildings The road from Quorn to … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 10 – Mount Remarkable

Very early morning 30km drive in the dark to get internet reception for university course sign-ins. Very slow trip due to large amount of wildlife. It was still very dark – Wilpena Pound lit by starlight. The early morning crew. Orion in the eastern sky Very compliant road users. St Mary’s Peak Morning light on … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 9 – Wilpena Pound

Chace Range from Rawnsley Park The south-east corner of Wilpena Pound. Pair of red kangaroos – only the male is red. Emus near Wilpena Pond Cazneaux Tree, a river red gum made famous by the photographer Harold Cazneaux. The tree was photographed in 1937 by Cazneaux in a picture entitled The Spirit of Endurance which brought him international … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 8 – Flinders Ranges

As we get closer to Port Augusta, the industry increases. Saltbush plain at Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, Port Augusta The extension of Spencers Gulf This is caused by a rift valley. The Indian Pacific Railway line crosses here. Sturt Desert Pea Saltbush Flowering gum The road to Quorn The train on the Pichi Richi railway … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 7 – Flinders Ranges Way

Old Broken Hill Mine – early drive around town before departure The Pinnacles west of Broken Hill The goats numbers did not decrease Thackaringa Hills Border Gate store at Cockburn Welcome to South Australia A viewpoint as we cross the Indian Pacific rail line. Emus are regularly seen. Beside the highway, no home in sight. … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 6 – Into South Australia

The Old Willyama Hotel – another family history site of ours Saltbush country between Broken Hill and Silverton The road to Daydream Mine The joys of the outback in a creek bed with red river gums. Daydream Mine road Daydream Mine Old shafts Memorabilia – man in the photo at top second from the left … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 5 – Daydream Mine & Silverton

Our morning was exploring Broken Hill by foot after a visit to Macs Bakery for authentic cornish pasties. Above is the Broken Hill Post Office. Town Hall Line of Lode above the town centre Trades Hall The original railway station – now a museum. The original locomotive used at Broken Hill – part of our … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 4 – Broken Hill

The Barrier Highway west of Cobar Rest Areas give a chance to take in the vast landscapes – also you also never know how far the next toilet is. There are thousands of goats on the highway in groups up to 30. I am not kidding you. There are arrays of collections along the side … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 3 – Barrier Highway

Morning light on the Nandewar Range Silos are a regular sight on the western plains. The helicopter at Nyngan in front of the historic railway station. The Iroquois was donated to the town of Nyngan by the Federal Government to commemorate the evacuation of residents during the tragic 1990 Flood. Helicopters were used to airlift … More South Australia & Victoria 2015 – Day 2 – Moree to Cobar

The road west to Warwick with the Main Range – Cunningham’s Gap visible. The local pride in country towns – in this case Inglewood. We drove on into New South Wales overnighting at Moree.