Terowie and Petersborough

The little town of Terowie is between Adelaide and Broken Hill and Pertersborough is about 20ks north. Both towns are just chocca block with old buildings which, as you know, I just love to see. The unfortunate thing is that these old towns are literally falling to bits and the buildings in Terowie are a good example of what happens when a town dies when the railway closes down. What was once a thriving and hectic town is now literally a ghost town. Terowie tries to encourage the tourist trade by offering free overnight camping at the old railway station. It's a lovely spot (although freezing when we were there) and the lovely lady, Karen, at the information centre/cafe was very welcoming. There are 150 residents residing in Terowie but there will be one less now as the very day we left there, police did a search of one of the houses and found human remains in the fireplace and back yard. They have arrested the owner of the house who is now awaiting charging as the remains were found to have evidence of violence causing death. Very spooky that this happened while we were leaving town. Not exactly what you want to hear after you have spent the night there. Anyway, this town could be used in a movie except that if the buildings aren't restored or maintained they will just be beyond repair.

What was Very interesting though is that this railway station is exactly where General Macarthur stood when he said those very famous words "I shall return". This plaque commemorates the very spot on the platform.

Petersborough is also just as old but seems to have captured the tourists a little more. A very pretty town with much more restorations done and a lot bigger. The railway station was demolished in the 60s which is a source of regret for the town. One of the residents made an exact replica to scale of the station. The bricks were made from the original bricks were which had been used as landfill when demolished. The wood was also made from original beams. Quite amazing. Some of the buildings were very ornate. Note Queen Victorias head!!

We had a wonderful morning tea at the cafe and John had a delicious serve of lemon meringue pie that was almost as good as his sister, Beth's. I had the best hot chocolate drink and a homemade sausage roll. Yum! On to Adelaide Talkies soon Xx Sonia n John

Mildura, the paddle steamer and the sand hills.

A trip to anywhere near the Murray River must of course be accompanied by a ride on a Paddle steamer. We arrived at the very scenic Buronga caravan park in Mildura on a 37 degree HOT day. We had just about melted on the way there so it was so nice to have a spot right near the river. Mildura itself is similar to towns like Geraldton or Bunbury but with older historic areas and of course paddle steamers. We cruised very slowly (max speed allowed is 4 knots on the Murray) for a mid day cruise. Thankfully it was a much cooler day. It was great to actually see and be part of the boats that were the lifeblood of the towns once upon a time. Very smooth and gentle. The Murray has different water levels and so to pass from one level to another the boat must pass through a lock system where it is locked into an area, water drained to decrease the level then the gate is opened and out goes the boat. I will try to show you in pictures so you can see the different levels. There is no sound greater on the Murray than the paddle steamers whistle as it toot toots to let you know it's there. The engine is of course run by steam and they say they use only box wood as it gives the best heat result.

After leaving Mildura we visited the Perry Sand hills at Wentworth. These Sandhills are out in the middle of nowhere and have been there for thousands of years. They have found ancient fossils underneath as the sands shift. The kids like to slide down the edges and they leave bits of cardboard around the place for that reason. I was of course tempted to slide down but didn't want to move the Sandhills. LoL...

I will leave you with a picture of. BIG LIZZIE, the invention to haul wool up the banks of the Murray but at 2 miles per hour was far too slow. Good idea though

Hope you like this Lizzy ha ha Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John

Larry Lobster

A little place called Kingston also has a large lobster called Larry (as does Dongarra in WA) It must be the name for large lobsters. Lol. Anyway he was quite a good looking fellow so thought you might like to see him

Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John

Gundagai

This lovely town is like a step back into time in some areas. The original town was built on the flat just the other side of the bridge but succumbed to floods of course so was then built on the hilly area. Just a few pictures of the bridges and train station which no longer operates. Notice the ticket machine still full of tickets.

Once again an iconic town and one we have sang about over the years.... By the way, If anyone one has a spare 4-500,000 The modern hospital building is up for sale. :) PS. This is the worlds largest rolling pin located in Wodonga (thrown in for your amazement ha ha) Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John