The Manna House: Thrills and spills in Broken Hills

The Moama markets were on the day we left Echuca, so we crossed over into NSW to have a browse. They were larger than expected and we picked up a few needed items before heading for Swan Hill, back in Victoria , 160 km away. We were thinking of stopping before Swan Hill, to free camp by lake Boga, a rather large lake which looked beautiful in the pictures . However, we arrived, to find it completely devoid of water. Only some brown crumbly soil remained on its bottom and we later heard that it was shallow, and without rain for some time, the water evaporated over the hot summer, cooking all the fish and leaving a stinking smell for the poor residents to live with . That was 3 years ago and they are still hoping for enough rain to fill it again one day soon. So, naturally, we drove on to Swan Hill.

The van park was well situated at a bend in the Murray and we set up in a beautiful spot overlooking it. We were just a short walk from the Pioneer Settlement which we planned to visit the next day. There was a cute baby magpie which came looking for a feed. It was really tame and flew up onto our laps, We gave it wet bread and it couldn’t get enough of it. Then it promptly fell asleep on one of our chairs.
The Pioneer settlement was very well set out. Genuine old buildings and equipment, all brought together and laid out like an old town. We had no trouble spending most of the day there. So much to see.
Mildura was our next stop and we had a beaut day cruising the Murray on a paddle steamer (diesel) which took us to the Trentham Estate winery, where we were given an informative tour of the estate and shown the process of wine making and then we got to taste the end product. A delicious BBQ followed. Not to mention the purchase of a few bottles.
While we were in Mildura CBD we had a look at some electric bikes and I even tried one out. It seemed a good idea for me to have a bike as Marnie often rode in to a town and I was left to walk, poor moi! After some deliberation, I decided to take the plunge and bought one, not at all confident I would be able to master it. Thankfully, our bike rack can hold 2 bikes, so after strapping it on, we took off for Broken Hill. It was about 300km away and it didn’t take long for the landscape to dramatically change from trees to desert. Mildura was surprisingly green and now everything was red dirt and low scrub with the odd wild goat the only sign of life. The road was good and 110 all the way . We stopped a few times at rest stops and as there was virtually no traffic, the silence was amazing. This really is the outback.
So, now we are in Broken Hill, 3 km out of the CBD. Today we took the RV in so we could get around more easily as there are many art galleries to visit. First was Pro Harts daughter Julie, then on to Pro’s gallery then the regional national gallery which, as luck would have it, was showing the Archibald prize paintings. One more and we were done with art for the day. Checked out the original 1950’s milk bar and Marios , the palace hotel, where parts of “Pricilla queen of the desert” was filmed, then drove up to the Miners memorial, high above the town, and offering a great panoramic vista of Broken Hill and surrounds.
Actually, I neglected to mention why we didn’t take our bikes into town…..I was practicing last night and skidded on some gravel and yes, I fell off! So now I am sporting a raw and swollen patch on my left arm and not really looking forward to my next attempt.
Later in the day we went back into town to watch the Christmas parade/ pageant with dozens of decorated floats to be followed by carols in the park. Most of Broken Hill’s residents turned out to see it with us.
Our decision to come to Broken Hill before it got too hot, was a good one, as it has been a pleasant 28C for the past 2 days and had we come in Feb as planned originally, it would have been considerably hotter.
Tomorrow we are going to Silverton for one night before heading towards the Flinders Ranges.

Vicki