Just past the
shortest day and with winter frosts descending, the lure of Australia’s
great red centre is compelling.
The sheer
enormity of the Great Victoria, Simpson, Strzelecki and Gibson desserts. The
Channel Country with its huge cattle and sheep stations. The vast inland system
of dry creeks which when the occasional rains do come, feed into a network of inland rivers which ultimately
drain into our usually dry land-locked lakes.
Flying over
this vast country is always a unique quest for adventure, and the beauty of the
ever-changing scenery as viewed from far above is truly remarkable.
The tiny towns
and hamlets that support this sparsely populated country are the very heartbeat of
our outback communities.
Meeting the
folk who live in and work this great land is always a highlight. To listen to and share their stories,
which unfold at the close of each day, is a priceless experience.
And so we are
off again in theUGlyDuckling, VH-UGD, a Cessna 172M, on another chapter of life’s big
adventure.
From Kyneton in
Central Victoria through New South Wales and South Australia, then heading
further North to the red centre of the ‘Territory”. On through the vastness of outback Queensland, and the
‘back-blocks’ of New South Wales before returning to Kyneton.
Staying at such
legendary settlements as William Creek beside the enormous salt lakes of Lake
Eyre, and the nearby painted hills of Anna Creek, visible in true colour only
from the air.
And Oodnadatta
known by some as ‘the arsehole of South
Australia’, an
unflattering
term that wrongly discounts the attraction and warm welcome of the famous ‘Pink
Roadhouse’, at the start of the Oodnadatta track.
The Kulgera Pub
with its runway beside the Stuart Highway just inside the Northern Territory
border, and its rightful claim as ‘the
first and last pub in the NT’.
A landing for
fuel only at Ayres Rock, followed by the obligatory circuit round the rock and
the nearby Olgas before heading off a further 43nm to Curtin Springs Station
for the night.
This privately owned
cattle station of over one million acres is a veritable oasis in the red
centre. With comfortable accommodation, and meals with the owners and staff, and relaxing in the famous 'bough-shed' at dusk with the massive outline of Mount Connor in the distance.
Across the wide red sands to Alice Springs before a 325nm flight across the Simpson Desert to Birdsville.
Then on through some tiny hamlets of central NSW; some with populations well below one hundred, and finally to Narromine and Temora on the return flight to Kyneton.
Monday 4th July 2016
Across the wide red sands to Alice Springs before a 325nm flight across the Simpson Desert to Birdsville.
Then on through some tiny hamlets of central NSW; some with populations well below one hundred, and finally to Narromine and Temora on the return flight to Kyneton.
Monday 4th July 2016
Yesterday it
looked possible we would not get away today, but we have. The report for the track(s) at
Wentworth was ‘heavy’ so we decided to head to Swan Hill, top up a bit, and then on to Pooncarie.
Average weather
with cloud at 2,500 leaving Kyneton and a
brisk northerly breeze, which kept the ground speed down to 80-90Kt
until Swan Hill, where we landed on runway 33 and adjourned to the terminal for
lunch, catered for by the plumber.
Corn beef and
pickle sangas, pieces of lasagna for those so inclined, and mandarins for
vitamin C I guess. He has set a high standard at a very early stage. Sure it
won’t last!
It was
refreshing to see our local country so green north of Bendigo after long
drought, with winter crops sprouting and further fields prepared for planting.
 |
| Across the Murray |
 |
| Crops planted, looking good!! |
I scored my
landing at Pooncarie as a 10, assisted by a very long smooth gravel runway, and
a considerable drop in the wind.
We called the
publican on the courtesy phone and were transferred into the Telegraph Hotel
some 500 metres away.
And have a nice
clean twin cabin here, and tea with the locals will be on from six.
The climate
here is still not conducive to shorts and tee-shirt, but we are hoping to
discard winter garb within the next day or so.
 |
| Todays run--only about 250nm |
Tuesday 5th July
It is interesting how minute communities like Pooncarie survive. With a current population of forty, what holds the place together must be pretty fragile. The population was seventy about twelve months ago, but then with a couple of marriage stuff-ups and families moving on the population rapidly declined. Josh and Lee in the pub are a young couple, wide eyed and bushy tailed, and keen to make a go of both their marriage and the business. But with one little daughter about four and a brand new two weeks old baby, what future is there here for them? I hope it is very bright.
But the nearest school is Mildura, and the bus stop is thirty km south of here, at the junction of the Mungo Park road.
There is no kindergarten, no play school, and nothing to occupy young people, and no employment prospects for teenagers.
Yet the community seems very cohesive and supportive. Apart from the pub, there is a shop/cafe, and an electrician and several other trades. And quite a few miners camped about 50km to the west, mining sands: they frequent the pub a bit and generally play havoc!
The passing tourist trade is no doubt the lifeblood of the area and the main source of income.
The units here are clean and reasonable, and they cook great country meals! So who are we to complain!
Quite a bit of
traffic in here during the afternoon, several Rex flights from Mildura, Wagga,
Sydney, plus a lot of light aircraft movements. And of course it is a major base for the Flying Doctor.
It is interesting how minute communities like Pooncarie survive. With a current population of forty, what holds the place together must be pretty fragile. The population was seventy about twelve months ago, but then with a couple of marriage stuff-ups and families moving on the population rapidly declined. Josh and Lee in the pub are a young couple, wide eyed and bushy tailed, and keen to make a go of both their marriage and the business. But with one little daughter about four and a brand new two weeks old baby, what future is there here for them? I hope it is very bright.
But the nearest school is Mildura, and the bus stop is thirty km south of here, at the junction of the Mungo Park road.
There is no kindergarten, no play school, and nothing to occupy young people, and no employment prospects for teenagers.
Yet the community seems very cohesive and supportive. Apart from the pub, there is a shop/cafe, and an electrician and several other trades. And quite a few miners camped about 50km to the west, mining sands: they frequent the pub a bit and generally play havoc!
The passing tourist trade is no doubt the lifeblood of the area and the main source of income.
The units here are clean and reasonable, and they cook great country meals! So who are we to complain!
Breakfast this
morning was a short waddle down the main street dodging the peak hour traffic
and obeying the traffic signals.
There has been
about 3mm rain overnight and the road from here to Wentworth and through to
Broken Hill has been closed—and the alleged fine is up to $1000 per wheel. It
seems this red dirt turns to heavy mud when it gets wet, and the road signs
mean business.
After sausages,
eggs and bacon we were driven out to the strip by the all-day breakfast
proprietors.
 |
| Darling River on climb our of Pooncarie |
Ths flight to Broken
hill was below low cloud and generally at 1500 feet. As YBHI is nearly
1000’ AMSL we needed to climb to circuit height which was just at the cloud-base. However, an uneventful flight followed by a landing on the long runway 23,
and we are camping in the aero Club ‘Dongas’.
It’s still very
cool, but we have the run of the clubrooms, with a good gas fire, a well
stocked fridge, TV and all mod cons.
 |
| Local Club Fuel |
 |
| Todays Milkrun |
 |
| The Shearer was great!! |
 |
| Add caption |
 | |
| RFDS Base There are 36 RPT flights into YBHI each week. Local member Laurie has been here to entertain us for an hour or so, and organise our linen and 'donga' facilities. He started flying at 56, and is now well into his eighties and still commits aviation regularly. Hope for an ‘ole bloke yet!
Wednesday 6th July
Toasted the
remaining sagas for dinner last night, together with the dreaded lasagna; which
is really nothing more than sheets of cardboard with a scraping of Pal layered between.
And the plumber
heated a frozen container of Indian take-away, which really made him stand
on tip-toes!
Much colder
than Faraday here, so we settled in front of the fire with a couple of warming
coldies.
And we had
visitors.
Firstly, the
local model flying club for their AGM. Much debate about who should be office
bearers, only six of them, so the each got an exhaulted position.
And much later,
a visit from Security!
A real wanker,
with nothing much to do.
So he made
himself at home. And told us his life story.
Riveting
stuff!.
A great sleep
in our ‘donga’, and up early this morning for coffee in the terminal.
Still low cloud
hanging about and pretty cool. We will sit it out for a while and when the base
lifts will be off to Leigh Creek where we have booked into the caravan park.
The cloud had lifted a bit by 10am, so we packed up and taxied to the fuel bowser. As OzRunways says, ‘No BP Card, no avgas!’ We had a BP card so no problems.
Then warmed theUGlyDuckling, back-tracked over 2Km on runway 23 and lifted off for Leigh Creek.
 
Above: Lake Frome, and just West of YBHI
Pretty low
cloud again, and we were about abeam Lake Frome before we could climb on top,
and stayed there for a while at 5000’, the highest altitude yet!.
On top, 5000
And then down through a hole as the Cu became more dense, just in time to get around Mt Hack at 3478' and quite a bit of tiger country.  Abeam Mt Hack Managed to maintain 4000 and keep right of this hill, and then things cleared a lot and we got into Leigh Creek without any problems. 
Called the
Caravan Park, and a bloke came out to collect us.
 Booked in there to a nice tidy twin cabin for only $80 bucks then got a ride to the Tav, a Km away, just in time to miss lunch!
Since the coal-mines
closed here, the population has fallen from several thousands to just on fifty.
The town has amenities for many more, and now relies heavily on the tourist
trade. Quite a few stronad outfits in the park which will help. We may yarn with them tonight.
And we will do
our bit for the economy!!
YBHI-YLEC
Thursday 7th
July
A great meal in
the Tav, which despite the small resident population was very busy with meals,
including many take-aways. So the touries are doing their bit. Got a ride back
to the caravan park with the bosses wife from the supermarket.
It seems Leigh
Creek is in pretty dire straights following the Adani coal mine mob being
released from their lease on the place.
The present town was constructed by the
S.A. government only in 1982, built with all modern amenities including
numerous houses for mine workers, a huge supermarket, medical centre, heated
swimming pool, all sealed roads with curb and channeling, schools and other
services.
With coal
mining ceasing abruptly in only March this year, the population has fallen
dramatically from some 2,500 to only 50-100 today.
The local
Progress Association is very proactive in endeavoring to re-invigorate the town
with an emphasis on the passing tourist trade.
And so we bid
farewell to our hosts at the caravan park and were driven out to the airport,
re-fueled the UGlyDuckling and lifted off for William Creek.
Very calm air,
but cold and overcast and we had the heater on most of the way.
The cloud base
lifted however and we were able to maintain 6000’ in cruise.
Superb views
from up there, firstly as we passed to the east of Lake Torrens, and further on
over the southern
 end on Lake Eyre South with the huge expanse of Lake Eyre
North on the distance. 
A very light
shower of rain approaching William Creek, and some traffic transiting Lake Eyre
on tourist trips, and virtually nil wind as we landed on the sealed strip right
behind the pub!
Just before the
‘final call’ for lunch, which was a giant hamburger each.
We have booked
into a twin cabin here for two nights. With en-suite, and a good HEATER—it is
still bloody cold!!. The TV won’t
work but that’s not important—I hear there’s been an election down south, but
there are many far more important local stories here!
Heaps of 4WD’s and people everywhere, about to tackle the Oodnadatta
track, which starts at the pub. Both the pub and the caravan park with camping
grounds are full.
In the evening we met up with Trevor the proprietor, and Andy, one of
his many pilots.
And what a character Trevor Wright is!!
A real snappy dresser with tattered jeans and an op-shop jumper, a bit
like the writer!! But a very snappy businessman and
raconteur.
The pub is doing a roaring trade and has been expanded since Heather and
I flew in here in the ‘Great Air Race’.
Trevor, trading as Wrights Air, has a formidable stable of aircraft including 2xC210’s, 2xC182’s, a GA Airvan, 2 or 3 C206’s, 2x172’s. And now there is a Cessna Caravan on order!!
They usually have 3 or 4 aircraft in the air at once, doing joy-flights
over Anna Creek and of course, Lake Eyre.
He and Andy were very interested in our adventures in Kupang, and want
to see some pictures of our incarceration, tomorrow night. We will oblige.
They have suggested a slight alteration to our proposed route. Next Oodnadatta as planned, then Cadney
Homestead instead of Kulgera Roadhouse, before Ayers Rock.
Apparently a better strip at Cadney, and they DO have an avgas bowser, plus meals and accommodation. Sounds like a good idea!
After a nice feed of flathead tails for dinner (and it’s a long way from
the ocean) we camped comfortably in our cabin with the heater on full!
Friday 8th July
A cold morning again, but clear skies and full sunshine to warm the
soul. But still not in uniform yet!
A photo session before breakfast, there’s a lot of interesting things to
record. Then eggs bacon and tomatoes to keep the fuel supply up until
lunchtime.
William Creek is actually ON
Anna Creek station, the world’s biggest cattle station of 23,777sq km, or
5,873,000 acres. A fair sized hobby farm I guess, about the size of Wales or
Israel. Established by none other than Sidney Kidman, after which Kidman’s hens
(emus) were named.
Today has been a day of rest for me, with the TV working at last.
The Wrightsair aircraft started their tourist flights over Lake Eyre at
7am and there were three launched by breakfast time.
And the 4WD vehicles flooded in all day; what a gold mine this place is!
At dinner time, we had a yarn again with Andy, one of their pilots, and
he was fascinated to have a look through some of our Indonesian photos!! He
will be ferrying a C210 down to Horsham Aviation in the morning for
maintenance. All their aircraft
are looked after by Tony Brand.
I have organised with Trevor to get some avgas in the morning before we
leave for
Oodnadatta.
Saturday 9th July
The first two scenic flights took off right on 7am, just as the sun
started to break through. Another couple of grand in the till before breakfast!
So we rose and helped the takings a bit with bacon, eggs and tomatoes.
The wind was all crosswind during the morning with the sock out at right
angles to the runway. Without exaggeration, it must have been thirty knots.
A couple of the Wrightair flights came in OK, and then a Bonanza who
said it was a real struggle. There is no cross-strip these days, but Trevor
suggested we could taxi across the road (the Oodnadatta track!!) and use the
dirt old 03 which has a bit of saltbush and is a bit rough, but would be almost
straight into wind.
We sat it out for a while, but the wind didn’t abate and remained very
gusty.
So taxied round to the Wrightair hangars and fueled up, and waited for
the wind to ease.
But that didn’t happen, so at 1pm we fired up theUGlyDuckling and
cautiously taxied across the road,
backtracked the disused 03, and took off for YOOD.
It was very rough down low and didn’t settle down till we were at 4,500
below scattered cirrus cloud.
And then a smooth flight to Oodnadatta, but only at 65-75Kts.
Out track basically followed the Oodnadatta track and the old Ghan railway
line. The 4WD’s below could be seen battling the dirt.
Passed Mt Anna (873’), over ‘Peake’ and Old Peake, Algebuckina Hill and
Mt Dutton.
On approach it was clear that the landing on runway 31 would be all
crosswind, and indeed it was quite an exercise.
We tied down facing into a very strong and gusty breeze, and headed off
to waddle about 2Km to the Pink Roadhouse, where we are staying in a nice
air-conditioned unit in the caravan park.
To my great disappointment, there is no WiFi, no mobile coverage and
Telstra have pulled the pin here for the present. All visitors are signing a
petition to have the service re-instated. Telstra are corporate arseholes, but
do pay a decent dividend, occasionally!
The next stop will possibly be Cadney Homestead, where we are told there
is avgas available, and hopefully WiFi—I have quite a few days of ‘blog’ to
publish!
Sunday 10th July
The wind kept up during the night, but by morning is was still again,
but lightly raining, and dark clouds looking towards Cadney Station.
The plumber cooked up baked beans on toast for breakfast so we will need
to keep up-wind of things for a while and wait till the wx improves.
Never known the outback to be so cool, and to have had so much rain this
time of the year.
I will contact Cadney on the pedal wireless this morning and check on
the runway conditions. If it’s too wet there, we could be spending another day
in this backwater paradise!!
Contacted Cadney Homestead on the Telstra jingle eater, and somehow found out the wx is improving and there has only been about 5mm of rain, and the runway should be OK.
So fired up theUGlyDuckling and headed off. A smooth flight over ever changing scenery.
 A couple of choppers were taking off as we approached and they were able to confirm the strip is fine, even though it doesn't matter much to them! 
Landed here 2pm local, and have booked into a nice cabin at the back, with theUGlyDucking only a few metres away.
Monday 11th
July
Awoke to a
beautiful cold but sunny morning in the real outback with the UGlyDuckling
moored just outside our window.
 Surely into
shorts at last today!
The Ghan line runs just behind Cadney Station.Have (sort of)
skyped Curtin Springs and someone will go out and check their runway at 10am.
In the meantime
we will fuel up with breakfast and avgas for the bird, before heading off 232nm
to Ayres Rock for fuel only, and then a lap of the rock and the Olgas and on to
Curtin Springs Homestead, a further 43nm.
They had 16mm
rain yesterday (probably nearly a years supply), so hopefully the strip is OK,
or it will be a night of rip-off at the ‘Rock.
Called Curtin
Springs back shortly after 10am, and the strip is fine.
So we topped up
89 litres of avgas and headed off about 11am for Ayers Rock.
A long flight
of 232nm to the Rock with lots of photos on the way. Only getting 70+ Kts
again, so a slow trip also.
Cruised at
7,500-8,000’ and passed over Aston Minor, Wintinna Hill, Mintabie opal fields,
Ernabella and Mr Everard (4023’) and Mulga Park just over the Territory border.
From here the
Rock, the Olgas and Mount Connor were visible 100nm out.
Eventually
landed on runway 31 at the Rock, with lots of traffic in/outbound.
Re-fueled here
(112 Ltrs) then on a further 43nm Curtin Springs.
Buzzed the
homestead down low, and by the time we had landed and tied down Ashley was there
in the 4WD to drive us back to the homestead.
We will be here
two nights, and tomorrow will be a day
of rest before heading off to Alice on
Wednesday 13th.
Tuesday 12th
July
After dinner last night in
the outdoor 'bough-shed', I had a long chat with Peter Severin, the ‘Father’ of
Curtin Springs.
He and his wife arrived here in 1956 and built an
 ‘outback
shack’ on what is now a cattle station of 1,600 square miles or some 1,260,000
acres.
Peter and three
others erected the climbing chain all the way up Ayers Rock many years ago.
Peters’ son
Ashley and his wife Lyndee run the place these days, with the help of about 20
staff.
However, Peter
at 88, still rises at 5am each day and does his bit.
Mount Connor,
which is located on their property, at 36 miles around, is three times bigger
than Ayers rock. There are also several salt lakes on the property, and over
100 bores have been sunk for water, most of which are brackish but the
homestead water is quite soft and drinkable.
Mt Connor looks
brilliant on approach to land, and during the day the colors change constantly.
Tourist buses
and 4WDs flock in here all day and the ‘other’ part of the business—accommodation,
meals, a shop and bar are now a major source of income from the station, in addition
to cattle, which are mainly Murray Greys.
From age-old
mustering on horseback, through quad bikes and then by aircraft, things have
changed and today the cattle muster themselves by a system of ‘water
traps’—huge cattle yards surrounding a bore have a one-way entrance. The cattle
come in to drink, and that’s it!
A huge diesel
generator with back up unit runs day and night providing power for the
homestead and visitor accommodation, workshops, vast cool-rooms, heating,
cooling, cooking, the lot.
Management have
healthy disrespect for the constant ‘burning’ by the ‘traditional owners’, and constantly
need to remind the do-gooders that they as custodians of this vast pastoral
property also care for the land, respect the environment and work with it and
not against it.
Camels and
other introduced pest species are regarded with the disrespect they deserve and
are ‘processed’ accordingly.
After recent
rains the native grasses have sprung to life and the return of the 5 to 7 year rain cycle has
been warmly welcomed, even though for us, it’s bloody cold!!
The land looks
green and lush from above, and the sunsets are to kill for!!
Wednesday 13th
July
Another very
cold morning at Curtin Springs, it must be all that global warming.
And so we
rugged up again, packed up to head off to the tropics of Alice Springs. One of
the station hands drove us the three Km out to the airstrip and we loaded up in
the freezing wind.
Great view of Mount Connor as we lifted off, then the salt lakes on Curtin Springs Station. 
A bit of crosswind for take off, and then of course, a strong headwind and
pretty rough all the way to Alice.
 Across the Peterman ranges, and followed the Lassater Highway for a while,  with road trains and  A lot of RPT including Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin inbound, and the tower was great.  Contacted them at 30nm and tracked via VFR route 6 at 4000 and then cleared to join base for runway 12, and after landing directed to the GA area for fuel and tie-down.
A taxi into
town cost $45 but I’ll bet the poor Indian driver didn’t get much of that!
Booked into the Todd Tavern which is good value and central, and quite luxurious compared to the sands of the Todd river!
It was 4pm by
the time we had lunch here, so it will be a late meal this evening.
We will stay an
extra day in this metropolis, the temperature is expected to be ONE DEGREE
overnight.
We will try and rent a car for today, but with local holidays they seem a bit scarce.
Hopefully a bit
warmer and possibly a tail wind for a change on Friday, for the flight to
Birdsville.
After all, QLD
is meant to be the ‘Sunshine State’ and that’s something we haven’t seen yet!!
Thursday 14th
July
We called all
the rental places this morning, not one car available as they are all out due to
the local holidays.
So we may have
to have a look about on foot. My hand-crafted mobility aid will get a bit of a
working out!
The town itself
is very small, and there is an aviation museum within waddling distance.
The waddling
distance however turned out to be more than formidable, and hence we looked for
other options.
The advertised
on-off bus tour of the town ‘highlights’ is no longer running, so we decided on
a walking tour of a few spots.
First stop was
the Alice Mall and food court for sustenance of a good ‘Aussie’ Greek souvlaki
with heaps of lamb, yoghurt and garlic to keep the flies at bay.
And then to the
old Government residence with its original plush furniture and old world
fittings, including a vintage rocking horse which the plumber insisted I
test-ride—he sure is hanging out to get to a race meeting; perhaps at Carinda
in about ten days time!.
As the town is
a dementia friendly place, why not try and climb their version of Mt Everest;
known as Anzac Hill? At 1850’ AMSL it
was would be a real challenge for this ‘ole bloke!
And it was, but
somehow I made it!
Back at the
Todd Tavern it was ‘schnitzel night’—chicken or beef schnitzel for ten bucks,
and the place filled up to capacity.
Another
freezing night, but a roaring fire in the dining area, and a good heater on
our room.
Friday 15th
July
The temperature
bottomed at minus 3 degrees overnight, and the weather forecast is for more of
the same, and with decent south-easterly wins forecast for the next four or
five days.
So not much point
sitting it out here any longer.
A forty dollar
taxi ride to the airport, packed up theUGlyDuckling and warmed up, taxi
clearance to the holding point of runway 12 as a Qantas B737 came in.
Held for a few
minutes due wake turbulence, then off, climb to 4000 and call at fifteen miles.
Then resume own
navigation for the 332nm run across the Simpson Desert to Birdsville.
The usual
strong south easterly on the nose, but managed to maintain 80+Kts for a four-hour flight to Birdsville.
 A challenge to the bladder on this leg, but the on board hospital facilities proved useful, if somewhat difficult.
Taxied to park
within 50 metres of the pub.
Tied down between a couple of C210’s and some big
twin bird.
Now, except for
the races in September, the Birdsville pub is usually virtually empty except
for a couple of local derros like us.
However, not
so!!
Completely
booked out with a large organised group of 4WD stronads.
So over to the
caravan park—same issue!! They still had one couple booked but not in yet, and
would let us know if they didn’t show!
But of course they DID!!
They suggested
the only other option would be a cell at the local Police Station—a reasonable
option without locked doors, if we didn’t mess-up! This could have been it--
Before
negotiating this last resort, I pleaded again with the pub manager who is a local,
and remarkably
he handed me the phone to Jena, who has just started an ‘airbnb’ place here.
Jena picked us
from the pub, and drove us to the B&B—an excellent, clean, fully equipped
three bedroom house with all mod cons, plus cereal, eggs and breakfast goodies
included.
And even
cheaper than the pub or caravan park!!
(Serious) problem solved!!!!!! We will give her place a good plug on OzRunways!
Saturday 16th
July
With the whole
house to ourselves, we had the best sleep since the trip started.
Cereal and
toast for breakfast, just about bum-nutted out, so will save them for the
morning.
The bakery is
within trekking distance, so possibly there for lunch.
After the
debacle with accommodation, I have started to try and skype our next stops to
check on beds!!
Windorah
tomorrow night, and I have had success there.
Will work on
the others during today—it seems it is the camel racing season in the back
blocks and for some bizarre reason they seem to have a huge following!!
Birdsville
seems to have grown a bit since I first flew in here about 1992, and then again
about 1997 for the races (which incidentally I have never seen).
There is even a
bakery, a tourist information centre, a centrelink office (of course).
 And a lot
of recent houses.
The tourist
trade including lots of fly-ins like us, plus many, many stronads have no doubt
boosted a lot of the outback places.
And they don’t
get much more outback that here!
So we visited
the bakery to try anything other than camel pies, the history display, and
checked out the aircraft hadn’t blown away.
And Jena’s dad
has a C210 parked here also, rego VH-BDV, I imagine he arranged that one
somehow!!
Several other
aircraft came in during the day, including a large twin with a load of
visitors. Hope they have beds organized for tonight!
The plumber did
a load of washing, his turn of course, and I had a good rest in our B&B.
I guess it will
be the pub for tea again, but at least we have a great place to escape to for
the night again.
Sunday 17th
July
Last night at
Birdsville, we met up with a couple of young(er!!)
blokes who are flying around from somewhere south of Canberra. They were
hitting it pretty hard in the bar, no doubt with the ‘eight hour bottle to
throttle’ rule at heart! It was
about zero degrees and they were camping under the wing in swags. We suggested
perhaps they would appreciate a bit of comfort as we had a spare room, but they
were happy to sleep on the hard tarmac.
They would be
up and leaving at 7:30am, but we watched them lift off at 10:30, just before we
checked out!
Oh dear, I
guess I did that years ago too!!
The plumber got
into real housewife mode and cooked up a batch of curried bumnuts and made a
heap of sangas for in-flight catering.
I think he must
have not been feeling too well, as he then proceeded to wash all the dishes,
sweep the floor, and put out the rubbish.
We eventually
took off for Windorah at 1pm local, again with a mostly easterly breeze ad we
were heading east-north-east!
The cloud base was
only 2000 and pretty rough down there.
Eventually
climbed up through a hole, and remained on top for most of the way at 6,500.
Out came the
in-flight catering, and we can confirm that curried egg sandwiches are a good
stimulant for the digestive system.
The airport at
Windorah is about as secure as they get!
No need for
ASICs here, just a wire gate with a sliding bolt.
Yet the tiny
terminal has coffee and milk, aircon, and a free phone to call the only pub.
Which we did,
and while we waited, a young bloke in a Robbo chopper dropped in, left the
thing running as he climbed out and grabbed the fuel hose, topped up, replaced
the hose and was off mustering again in less than a minute!
An interesting
operation—‘hot’ re-fueling, no earth lead, and needless to say no fuel drain!
No mobile, or
WiFi here. Population forty!!
 But the pub have a ‘portable’ fixed phone which patrons can use for
a small donation to the RFDS.
So at last I
was able to call Heather and have talk to her without the static or delay
of Skype in the outback.
That was a
great bonus!!
Some
interesting locals at the pub.
We met the
young bloke from Quilpie who does the mail run.
Only 700Km a
day, starting at 2am and finishing at 3pm.
Or a bit later
if he drops a line in the Cooper to catch a few yellow-belly to take home.
Live brown frogs
are apparently the best local bait!
His sister does
a bit of cattle mustering in a C172!
Being a Sunday,
dinner at the pub was a BBQ for all—chops, pork pieces, snags and heaps of
salads.
Also had a yarn
to a couple of stronads staying next door to us. One of the blokes formerly
flew for Rex, but hasn’t for years, and is now attempting to re-validate a PPL.
Monday 18th
July
We are off to Thargomindah today, another tiny
outback gem, somewhere in the middle of the Bulloo Shire, basically the centre
of nowhere the heart of ‘Matilda Country’.
Gota love these
places, most with long sealed runways for the RFDS, a pub, a servo and a
‘shop’. And lots of characters.
A bright sunny
morning for a change, and it will be definitely into shorts today.
After egg and
bacon rolls for breakfast the publican drove us out to the airstrip.
The flight to
Thargomindah was low and lumpy, but with a tail wind at last, sitting on 115kts
for the first time since leaving YKTN.
This leg was
over some interesting country including the Cooper Creek with many tributaries
in flood, typical of the channel country after rain.
Over Raymore
Homestead, Kyabra, and the tiny hamlets of Eromanga (pictured) and Mount
Margaret.
Landed on the
good gravel cross strip here, directly into wind with a cross wind over the
long sealed runway.
Avgas aplenty
with a Visa card, and into the tiny terminal with aircon, coffee machine and
free phone!!
Called the
Bulloo River pub for a free pick-up, and while we waited I was able to call Heather
on the free landline and talk for a while!
Shirley
(‘Daisy’) picked us up and settled us into a ‘motel’ room behind the pub. Only
house guests I think!. But the locals hate a beer, and we were soon joined by
many of them, plus a couple of stronads for dinner.
Couldn’t drink
the water here, probably straight out of the river!
Don (‘Duck’)
and Shirley run a pretty tight shop!
Tuesday 19th
July
Checked out the
local café for breakfast as ‘Daisy’ is on the local shire and had an early
meeting!
 Then the tourist place, and the girl there made a couple of calls to
Hungerford to book us in for tonight, also to check on the runway. Doesn’t get
much mention on OzRunways, but a good sealed strip (RFDS of course!!)
Only a short
leg today, so plenty of time to absorb the attractions of Hungerford, right on
the QLD/NSW border, against the dog-proof fence!
This tiny
border town was made famous by Henry Lawson’s short story, an excerpt of which
I will add. The population these days is eight. Yes, EIGHT!!
But it will be at least TEN this evening!! But the roads are closed, so possible only fly-ins.
A ride out to
the airport with ‘Duck’, and the cleaning lady there and was really on for a
chat. I had hoped to use the ‘phone to call Heather, but the girlie just
wouldn’t vanish—what a job she has, but then it is paid for by the shire!!
So we packed up
and after pre-flighting thUGlyDuckling we were off for Hungerford.
The Dementia Friendly place we visited in Alice doesn’t seem to have worked, as I have left
my mobility aid either in the terminal building at Thargomindah, or even possibly
lying on the tarmac!
I will have to
get it freighted back home somehow and in the meantime attempt to whittle
another one.
A bit of a tail
wind again, and only a forty minute flight to Hungerford, circled the pub a
couple of times, and landed on the huge sealed runway about 4Km out.
The publican
was out to meet us and drove us back into ‘town’, along the QLD side of the
worlds’ longest fence!
Before long we
had met all the locals of Hungerford, plus a couple of wayward stronads.
It had rained a
bit the previous night, and at about 5pm is poured down here again for half an
hour and the blood-red sand temporally turned to sticky mud.
Soon Marshy and
Mac, combined age 170 years, called in for their daily outing. Marshy didn’t
say much, but Mac at 90 next birthday was a wealth of knowledge.
He has lived
here for over sixty years.
 Mostly on his own. Did get married later in life for
a while, ‘but she was just after me money
I think’. He worked for the pastoral company that owned most of the blocks
round here. 
Marshy was one
of the lucky ones. His Dad had gone into the draw for a ‘block’ in the early
1950’s, and he got 43,000 acres with a bore and homestead on it for $30,000.
I remarked that
that was a pretty big spread, but it was only one of the smaller lots.
Prospective
purchasers could select a lot, and go into a draw, thirty marbles drawn out of
a hat.
But much of the
land offered had no improvements, fences or water, and many decided not to take
them up. Others had not even bothered to inspect the land.
Marshy’s Dad
did pretty well, and I think Mac still has a quid or three having been involved
in the sheep and cattle industries all his life, including as a ringer and
shearer and general manager.
Mac reckons he
used to drink a lot, but these days only goes to the pub every day at 5pm and
has his three scotches. Still drives an old Holden ute, and still has a T-Model Ford he bought new!
We wanted to
shout them a round, but no, extreme independence.
Mac is getting
a bit frail, and the RFDS nurse suggested he might like to try a nursing home
in Cunnamulla for a while.
Reluctantly he
did so, but only for a week. He got homesick and the place was filled with ‘boring
old people’, so he ‘escaped’ and came home!!
Would he stay
and have a feed in the pub with us? No, in the cold weather he likes to cook up
a big pot of beef stew.
Because of the
isolation here, they are able to purchase bulk frozen meat in huge lots at wholesale
prices, and of course have giant freezers.
Can get 50Kg of
frozen beef or mutton for about fifty bucks!!
And I’ll bet his
stew is brilliant!
So we were the
only ring-ins for dinner in the pub, giant chicken parmas with the lot. Also of
course, the publican Graeme and his mate Phil.
This pub would
have to be the greatest gem yet!
And the rooms:
only three; all with the original sloping floors which have subsided over the
years, corrugated iron walls, ancient timber roof, and old wooden doors which
just don’t quite fit the hole they were made for.
Brilliant.
No mod cons, no
basin, and as Mac suggested ‘if yer need
to go to the outside bog, better take a cut lunch!’
The bar would
hold a dozen or so comfortably, and the adjoining ‘dining room’ is just an
extension of the kitchen.
But plenty of
outside seating for weary travellers.
Most supplies
come from Cunnamulla, or Bourke, both about six hours drive away.
The pub is also
responsible for the mail run, which is taken to Cunnamulla twice a week.
The RFDS base
here is formidable and includes a fully equipped
surgery. The RFDS fly in for a clinic once a month!
Our beds were
comfortable despite the sloping floor, and we slept well until the local
rooster started up at five am.
After the
inevitable bacon, eggs, tomato and toast for breakfast, Phil drove us out to
the airport, next stop Louth! I wonder what surprises that little hamlet will
hold!
Here is a bit
of what Henry Lawson had to say:
One of the hungriest cleared roads in New South Wales runs to within a couple of miles of Hungerford, and stops there; then you strike through the scrub to the town. There is no distant prospect of Hungerford — you don’t see the town till you are quite close to it, and then two or three white-washed galvanized-iron roofs start out of the mulga.
They say that a past Ministry commenced to clear the road from Bourke, under the impression that Hungerford was an important place, and went on, with the blindness peculiar to governments, till they got to within two miles of the town. Then they ran short of rum and rations, and sent a man on to get them, and make inquiries. The member never came back, and two more were sent to find him — or Hungerford. Three days later the two returned in an exhausted condition, and submitted a motion of want-of-confidence, which was lost. Then the whole House went on and was lost also. Strange to relate, that Government was never missed.
However, we found Hungerford and camped there for a day. The town is right on the Queensland border, and an interprovincial rabbit-proof fence — with rabbits on both sides of it — runs across the main street.
This fence is a standing joke with Australian rabbits — about the only joke they have out there, except the memory of Pasteur and poison and inoculation. It is amusing to go a little way out of town, about sunset, and watch them crack Noah’s Ark rabbit jokes about that fence, and burrow under and play leap-frog over it till they get tired. One old buck rabbit sat up and nearly laughed his ears off at a joke of his own about that fence. He laughed so much that he couldn’t get away when I reached for him. I could hardly eat him for laughing. I never saw a rabbit laugh before; but I’ve seen a ‘possum do it.
Hungerford consists of two houses and a humpy in New South Wales, and five houses in Queensland. Characteristically enough, both the pubs are in Queensland. We got a glass of sour yeast at one and paid sixpence for it — we had asked for English ale.
The post office is in New South Wales, and the police-barracks in Bananaland. The police cannot do anything if there’s a row going on across the street in New South Wales, except to send to Brisbane and have an extradition warrant applied for; and they don’t do much if there’s a row in Queensland. Most of the rows are across the border, where the pubs are.
At least, I believe that’s how it is, though the man who told me might have been a liar. Another man said he was a liar, but then he might have been a liar himself — a third person said he was one. I heard that there was a fight over it, but the man who told me about the fight might not have been telling the truth.
One part of the town swears at Brisbane when things go wrong, and the other part curses Sydney.
The country looks as though a great ash-heap had been spread out there, and mulga scrub and firewood planted — and neglected. The country looks just as bad for a hundred miles round Hungerford, and beyond that it gets worse — a blasted, barren wilderness that doesn’t even howl. If it howled it would be a relief.
I believe that Bourke and Wills found Hungerford, and it’s a pity they did; but, if I ever stand by the graves of the men who first travelled through this country, when there were neither roads nor stations, nor tanks, nor bores, nor pubs, I’ll — I’ll take my hat off. There were brave men in the land in those days.
(Google 101)
Wednesday 20th
July
After lifting
off from Hungerford we were immediately out of QLD and into NSW, and the
weather wasn’t improving.
Within five nm
we were in moderate patchy showers of rain, and this continued almost all the
way to Louth.
The amount of
water lying about out here is remarkable, and many of the usually dry lakes and
waterholes are flooded for the first time in many years.
Obviously
leaving cattle country, with the occasional patches of dry land where sheep
(and goats) were grazing—easily visible from the cloud base of 2000’!!
And lush green
pastures, following an exceptional winter.
Followed the
Paroo river for a while, past
Cuttaburra Basin now full of water, Lake Burkanoko and Nichebulka likewise, and
a lot of swampy land approaching Louth.
 However with virtually nil wind, we
maintained a good 115kts and things cleared a bit as we circled the ‘town’
(polulation 29!!) and landed on the long sealed east-west runway.
Dave the
publican was out to collect us soon after we landed for the short ride back
into town.
I asked him
about the other Cessna tied down beside ours, and it is his. A ‘D model’ with
Continental motor, the first series with a rear window.
He also has a C172G
somewhere, but uses the local one for contract mustering.
Quite a bit of
work available mustering both sheep and goats, and it involves flying low and
loud to round up a scattered flock—reckons he nearly brushes the wheels on a sheep’s
back now and then!!
We have booked
into a ‘cabin’ behind Shindy’s Inn (the pub) for the night—more like a fully
furnished modern two bedroom cottage.
New, heating
which is needed here in the tropics, TV, full kitchen and ensuite.
And the view
out the front is of the Darling river which is carrying a great lot of water
down at the moment.
A very quiet
night at the pub, as all the roads from up north and down to Bourke have been
closed due to the rains. Hence no tourists, which are of course the main source
of income.
We were the
only ones for dinner.
I was able to call Heather on the landline from the pub, again with a donation to the RFDS
which we are quite happy to support.
Apart from the
pub, Dave and Cath must be doing it a bit tough—they have 40,000 acres down
towards Bourke, and have just bought a larger block in WA!
Watched TV for
a while in our ‘humpy’ and were very comfortable with the heater on full during
the night!!
Thursday 21st
July
After a good
dingo’s breakfast Dave drove us the 500 metres or so out to the strip, packed
up, per-flighted and took off in nil wind for the short hop to Bourke and fuel.
A good Shell
swipe-card system at Bourke, and avgas at 2.26/l seemed Ok for out here.
Then taxied
again and held while a private jet, maybe Falcon or Citation came in on a very
long final.
Then we were
off again for the 44nm run to Byrock.
Very low cloud
again, and so just followed the Mitchell Highway beside the abandoned railway
line, at 1000’.
Another long
gravel strip, pretty wet and soggy, but all weather of course for the RFDS.
Circled the pub
and Gail was soon there to drive us into ‘town’.
And what a
town!! Population TEN (10). Wow, we sure are picking some gems, I just love
places like this.
Pubs like
Byrock are far more that just a ‘boozer’. They are also the local restaurant,
motel (four rooms),
caravan park, post office, public telephone, public hall,
tourist information centre, bus stop, diesel supplier, snack shop, weather
station and ‘newsagent’.
There has been
over 30mm of rain here in the past 24 hours, and as our next proposed stop is
Carinda when the annual cup and only race meeting for the year is scheduled for
this weekend, it would be fine if things dried up a bit.
We have booked
there for Friday and Saturday nights, but it is still very much unclear whether
the event will go ahead.
I have
contacted the Walgett Shire a number of times re: the runway condition. They
have had heaps of rain, and the ‘winter herbage’ needs mowing on the strip.
They haven’t
been able to get the machinery onto it yet due to further rain, and I need to
call the bloke at 11am tomorrow to check on conditions.
And we hear the
stewards still have to meet and decide if the cup will go ahead.
In the meantime
we will brave the local crowds and sit it out here for a while.
Paul the owner at Byrock decided some years ago he'd like to learn to fly! ie: teach himself! So, he bought a Thruster! After working out how to start it, he taxied up the runway a bit. Next time, a bit faster, faster, until it slightly lifted off. Next time it really became airborne, and he was thus a pilot! He flew it round a bit until he had to land it, but the front part hit mother earth first and smashed the prop, which is on display in the bar!. I think CASA would be interested in the number of bush pilots who are self-taught!! After that, he took some formal lessons, and eventually bought a Cessna172 which is somewhere out at one of the properties they own!!!! 
After dinner we
sat in front of a great open mulga-wood fire with most of the locals and
watched a repeat episode of The Vicar of Dibly on the idiot box!! Great
entertainment.
The furniture
in the pub is all made from Mulga-wood or Beef-wood, and the massive bar from
Redgum. The workmanship in these timbers is superb and would have cost
thousands.
Then off to bed
in our very comfortable ‘Room 1’
right next door.
Friday 21st
July
No rain
overnight, but there is still lots of water lying about. Rang the shire bloke
who was going to organize to check and mow the bush strip for us, but hasn’t
got it done yet. Gave me another number to check later. There is a bit of a
breeze and the sun has broken through occasionally, so the place could dry out
a bit.
One of the
locals said he heard on the radio that the races will (probably) still be
on! The plumber will be wrapped if
they are, as long as the runway is serviceable. We will wait further calls!.
After a light
lunch, I called Mick at Carinda and he has nearly finished clearing the strip
and reckons it is ok, and drying out well. We will leave here about 3pm.
Got a ride to
the airport and took off for the short run to Carinda, with a bit of a breeze
but in sunny skies.
After finding
the ‘strip’ I flew very low down wind to have a good look at the surface. Its
‘herbage’ has certainly been slashed and it looked OK and very long, so
cautiously approached and held off for a gentle flair and ground roll—no
problems, but a bit soft where we were able to park on the edge of the strip.
To our surprise
our phones worked and I was able to phone Malcolm at the pub for a ride into
town.
Only to learn
from him on the way in that the races had been cancelled!!!
However there
were already heaps of people in town (usual population less than thirty), and
the crowd built up during the evening.
We counted
about 160 people crammed into the bar, the outside area and beyond by 9pm!
The races have
been re-scheduled for mid-August, so the pub will make a killing again then!!
This place has
nothing much to offer. Apparently some character called David Bowey came here once and had his photo taken in the pub. Khrist knows why he came here, or for that matter what significance if could possibly have. However the locals insisted we have our photo taken with he!
He WILL now be famous!!
So we will try and cancel for Saturday night and head
off to Narromine.
Saturday 23rd
July
There were some
serious hangovers amongst the few locals who live in town this morning, and I
wonder how the hoards of visitors got home; or at least I hope they did!
The pub put on
a greasy bbq breakfast for those remaining, out on the footpath at the front of
the place.
I don’t think
we will miss Carinda much!
Nor for that
matter will they miss us. So with
appropriate graciousness I cancelled our ‘booking’ for tonight on the basis
that we had flown over 3000nm to go to the Carinda races and they have been
cancelled.
All we asked
was another ride out to the airfield and we would head off for Narromine.
However, I must
admit that the poor council bloke had sprung into action to at least try and do
some airfield preparation prior to our arrival.
I wonder if it
had anything to do with me saying ‘I hear
there are a few planes might be coming in from Scone!!.’
There is
nothing in ERSA about Carinda, and it sounded a bit doubtful on the AOPA
country guide.
But the bloke
sprung into action, got a local contractor to ‘mow’ (more like plough) the
strip, and measured the length (1437 metres and width, and elevation!!!
When I first
enquired the publican said ‘I think
someone landed there a few months back, but just use the sealed road into town,
that’s what the RFDS does!!.’
Now that they
have made an effort, I hope they continue to keep it up, there much be a few who
would like to experience this really outback place!
And a wind-sock
wouldn’t go astray either, bloody hard to pick the winds on approach to a one-way strip!!
The flight to
Narromine was pretty quick; above cloud most of the way and then down to 3,500
below, a few miles out.
There are
massive flooded paddocks in this area and rivers well over the banks.
And some well
groomed fields of canola some of which as just starting to flower.
Sunday 24th
July
After settling
into the Catalina ‘suite’ at the tourist park on the field at Narromine,
we got
a free ride into the All Services Club last night. The place was
packed, most of the population of 3,500 must have been there.
Including a
huge contingent of young bucks glued to the giant TV watching some sort of
activity they call football, obviously excited that their team had a chance of
winning at one stage.
Dejected and
depressed beyond comprehension at the final result, they all filed back to the
bar for serious medication. Meanwhile in the peace and quiet of the lounge area
we were able to hear ourselves think, and to order a fine meal and relax in
relative tranquility.
Our
accommodation staff had provided us with $5 taxi vouchers for the ride home,
and the cabby was a former flyer, and an Aussie to boot!.
So he was happy
to get a fare out to his old stamping grounds and to talk propellers on the
way!
After a late
breakfast this morning, we visited the NEW Narromine Aviation Museum here on
the field, only opened last month.
For those who
have not flown in here for a while, it is a must see!
In pride of
place is the replica Wright Flyer model A, flown for the first time in October
2005 by the late Col Pay during the visit of none other than the great Buzz Aldrin to Narromine!!
Buzz dedicated
the aircraft, and named it the ‘Spirit of Flight’, hence its registration of
VH-SOF.
The plumber
 and
I were present on that weekend and had an informal lunch with the great man and
our photos taken with him. 
And due to a serious lapse of security and despite a
major wardrobe malfunction, we attended an exclusive black-tie dinner in the
Bellman hangar with Buzz as guest speaker that evening!!
But, dear readers,
that is another story which cannot be
told here--just wait for the book which is presently in preparation. (Its availability will be advised of in
these pages.)
What I find
remarkable to this day is the lack of publicity and subsequent attendance by
aviation buffs to this astonishing event, which I regard as one of the most
significant of my lifetime!
I am not aware
of one other pilot who flew in from Victoria. And to meet the second man to
walk on the moon!!!
And so this
evening we talked to a few interested ‘land-lubbers’ here in the lounge who
were fascinated to hear of the visit by Buzz. And we watched the episode of
Neil Armstrong’s descent to the surface, matched with recent film created by
Google Earth!!
Monday 25th
July
We will be off
to Temora some time today,
if the weather clears a bit. After breakfast,
it did slightly,
so we packed up and headed off.
Only 137nm to
Temora, but after the few miles, down came the rain and the conditions were
vaguely VFR and with intermittent showers often right on track, and at 1000' most of the way to maintain some semblance of an horizon.
What a tropical
holiday we are having!
After passing
the pit just south of YNRM which perhaps the resident Faraday geologist can
identify,
it was all basically flooded cropping country with quite a few hills
in mist to work around.
The flooded
lands are so severe and unusual that the locals at Temora reckon the grain
crops are stuffed for yet another year.
It is all due
to human induced climate change of course and the farmers encourage everyone to
‘Doze a Greenie’ to save the earth.
Some signs in the
real outback pubs are far less kind to this mob of tossers!
After an hour
and a half we sighted Temora in the misty distance and it was great to finally
land on runway 36 there.
Not a soul
about, and after tying down we went over to the museum and called a taxi.
And are now
entrenched in the Terminus pub, well known to derros who fly!
 With five pubs
closed in Temora and many shops for rent, it seems a bit like a town in
decline; the cabbie insists that the aviation Museum is one of the best saviors
for the place, and the population expands dramatically on flying display days
and during other aviation events.
Been here done
that many times, so will leave it to the plumber to inject some funds into poor David Lowry’s coffers tomorrow.
A great meal of
roast lamb in the bistro at the Terminus was the highlight of a pretty average day.
And with Telstra coverage again, I was able to call Heather back at 'Minto', keeping the home fires burning.
Tuesday 26th
July
Another day of
flightless excitement in this cold, wet, cloud-to-the ground paradise. Even the
crows and magpies are totally jacked off they can’t enjoy the wonders of
flight.
An excellent
opportunity to have a really good whinge.
We are now far
from the outback with its unparalleled beauty, its silent isolation, its
remarkable characters, its tiny cohesive communities, its endless landscapes
and crisp clear skies.
Nor are we
home!!
We are in a
holding pattern of wishful anticipation and unquestionable boredom.
To overcome
such depths of despair I indulged in a large mug of hot chocolate and a
fresh coffee scroll prior to a serious shopping spree.
After trying
David Jones I settled for Vinnies and emerged with a new vest at considerable
cost.
Should have seen the look on the old dear running the place when with a
dead-pan face, I asked if she would give me a trade-in on the red one!!
However it all
ended happily and she has gained new stock due to my generosity, but
regrettably was not interested in the bloody red jumper I had hoped to discard
in favour of tee-shirts a month ago!!
The plumber
still has high hopes of getting to Wagga some time tomorrow for the races on
Thursday. The track is still rated heavy 10 which apparently makes it suitable
for swimming at this stage!
And he got excited about this little prick perched up in his buggy; Paleface Adios, apparently a local hero to some.
He just cant
wait to get home to Stem the Flow of leaking sewers and water pipes. And has even made a fuss about it in the local paper.
Perhaps we
could leave here by train.
But it seems we
have missed that also!!!
In the glow of
the miserable evening we had a warming dinner at the local services club and I
even had a couple of good scotches to help restore the blood flow.
Life’s too
short to drink cheap scotch!!
Wednesday 27th
July
We awoke in our
one star habitat in the Terminus to the soft symphony of pissing rain again.
The plumber is still ever hopeful however that our escape to Wagga for the race
tomorrow is still definitely on!
After toast and
cornflakes and coffee however, he was devastated by the news in the local paper
that the course is still a heavy 10 and that the races have been irrevocably
cancelled.
All those
little pricks who sit on the horses’ backs have pulled the pin and gone home!
After the
sobbing subsided a bit, I announced that I was 'over this place', and we were
going home. Today!
However, after
serious consideration it was agreed that that was also neither practical nor
sensible, or indeed possible.
Another day of
misery, punctuated only by a light lunch at the Ex-Services Club; dinner at the
Terminus and a wishful dream that we could get home in the morning.
Thursday 28th
July
Up at 7am and
it seems there had been no rain overnight, only pea-soup fog, which slowly
lifted as we checked out at last and called a taxi to the airport.
There were two
croppies off doing their thing early, and also a couple of local flyers able to
push aircraft out of their hangars at last!.
Re-fueled and
took off, planning to call into Tocumwal to have our sausage sandwiches for
lunch.
The cloud base
was about two thousand with constant light rain showers moving across our
planned track.
Just as YTOC
appeared through the mist it started to rain seriously and we got in on runway 27and
 into the warm clubrooms for our lunch.
It seemed we
would be here for a while, hoping the scattered showers would abate.
Things didn’t improve
much, or deteriorate further so we headed off between light whiffs of showers,
at 1500-2000’.
Flooded paddocks everywhere.
Spotted Waranga
Basin and so headed over there, and then were able to navigate by reference to
known ground features. Couldn’t quite make out the top of Mt Alexander but
Eppalock and Redesdale led the way into YKTN where is was reasonably clear for
a ‘straight-in’ on 18!
Drained the
oil and then----
 "Home sweet home"!!Till next time!
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