2 August to 6 August 09

Sunday 2 August 09

The morning was spent planning where we were going to go from here. I put a spanner in the works by suggesting to Barry that we weren’t far from the road to Broken Hill and that it might be best to go there before we head down to Mount Gambia. There doesn’t seem to be a great deal to go to see around Broken Hill if you go from the east coast. It appears it would be a trip just for that. Anyway that is what we have decided to do.

After lunch we drove out to take a look at Burra Creek Gorge. This turned out to be a really pretty spot which would have been a lovely camping spot where we could have stayed for a few weeks to veg out and recoup some money. Not worth the bother now though. We walked along the river bank for a little while and got a few photos and then walked back through the camping area. The creek is flowing probably due to all this rain we have had over the last couple of weeks.

There wasn’t a great deal else to see so we drove on to have a look at Robertstown and Eudunda. Robertstown didn’t have anything that we could see worth stopping for but Eudunda was the home of Educator and Author Colin Thiele. This man wrote among other things ‘Storm Boy’ the novel from which the movie was made. If you haven’t seen the movie you have missed some of the most amazing scenery.

There is a statue of him at Eudunda, which he unveiled during the 150 year South Australia celebrations in 2001. This statue is situated in some rather nice gardens which are featuring the two schools – Eudunda and Robertstown. The actual children’s play area has stepping stones each with two names of what appears to be the children who were attending the schools at that time. There were also a couple of the teachers’ names.

The actual town of Eudunda is about the same size as Burra and probably has some interesting history. Unfortunately the gallery where we could have obtained information was closed and we could not see a visitor centre.

We decided to travel on and do a loop through Marrabel and Saddleworth and then back to Burra.

When we got to Marrabel we found a statue of a bucking horse with a man on its back, so we stopped to take a photo. It turns out that Marrabel is famous for its annual rodeo where the brumby ‘Curio’ who was mustered in 1945 and due to her unusual bucking action unseated most riders within 3 seconds. The statue is of Curio and the now famous man, Alan Woods, who managed to stay on for 10 seconds. I took a photo of the history board but it was leaning back and is only just readable. The rest of the town wasn’t really worth much of a look but that bit was good. Somehow we took a wrong turn here (although we don’t remember turning) and missed out Saddleworth. We went through Waterloo and Black Springs most of the trip on dirt roads which of course we hadn’t expected and ended up on the main road to Burra. We decided not to worry about Saddleworth and headed back to Burra.

Monday 3 August 09

We took the annex down in the morning because the cloud was starting to come up again and the annex was only a bit damp. Our intention is to get an early start in the morning to reach Broken Hill in one go.

We took a walk along the creek bank in the afternoon which took us back past the dugouts that we mentioned earlier. There is a garden along the creek bank which was made up and is maintained by the senior citizens of Burra. It is quite a pretty garden and some of the spring flowers are starting to open. We continued in a circle going back down the other side of the creek and through the town. A walk of about 30 minutes, probably not enough for our exercise regime but something. We had an early night to assist our early start in the morning.

Tuesday 4 August 09

As I mentioned we were up and on our way by 8.30 today. I put a corned silverside joint into the Dream Pot before we left with some vegetables so that we will have a cooked meal when we get to Broken Hill. Barry is actually not keen to due the journey straight through so we might stop on the road somewhere. As we were nearing the turnoff to Peterborough I suggested that we stop of for an hour or so in Peterborough as we hadn’t seen much of the place when we drove through in 2002 on our way to see Garon and Sue in Melbourne. When we got to Peterborough and stopped at the very unusual visitor centre (a railway carriage) we discovered that there is quite a bit to see in Peterborough so we decided to pull into the caravan park for one night. This is the great thing about having no itinerary; we change our minds as the mood takes us. Actually that is not quite fair it is me that changes my mind and Barry goes along. Not that I think he regrets it generally.

After we parked the van and didn’t bother to unpack anything we headed back into town to look at the various points of interest. We bought a little book which had a map and a write up about the various tourist things to do.

Our first stop was at “Meldonfield”, a house with a museum in the shed at the back. The museum was filled with various different horses and wagons with people and various other accoutrements.

Absolutely everything in the museum was handmade by Eldon and his wife Mary, completely to scale. There was some fantastic stuff in there and Mary talked us through some of the wagons, where the originals were or are and what they were used for etc.

After this she took us through to another shed where Eldon is building a replica of the Peterborough train station. He made the bricks in exactly the same way and with the same materials as those used originally and he showed us the tiny template he made to make sure the bricks were all the correct size. They were also able to obtain a piece of the original rock from which the station was built so absolutely everything is authentic. Eldon showed us all round his work shop, the various tools he uses and what he has done to miniaturise everything.

He told us that he and his wife started this hobby after they retired from the ‘Agri vation’ industry fourteen years ago. It was hard to believe that he has taught himself to make these wagons so perfectly in such a short time. He also told us that if there was anything wrong somebody was always quick to point out the error which was why he was so careful to do it right. He gets a lot of clubs, bus tours and enthusiasts visiting so he is particularly vigilant. Barry and I though this museum or collection was one of the highlights of our trip so far. Eldon showed us how he steams the wood to bend it into the shape he wants and the various templates he has for the different size shafts. He also showed us how he makes the spokes for the wheels – they are whittled – and how he gets the spokes to fit into the wheel rim. He even showed us how he shrinks the metal band around the wagon wheel by heating the metal and then cooling it once it is round the wheel. I learned so much while I was there about making wagons and how wood can be bent to make different shapes rather than cutting through the grain which weakens the wood. He showed us a shaft and the grain of the wood going through it so that you could see that he had not cut through it. I looked out through the window and saw what looked like a tree with miniature oranges on it and I asked Eldon if it was a miniature orange tree but he said it was a cumquat which of course I remembered as soon as he said it. Actually I think Barry said it was a cumquat.

From Meldonfield we went to get some photographs of the train engine which is a feature of Peterborough and the war memorial. Everywhere you look in this town you see trains or wagons. This is because this is where the three rail gauges met for many years. The town was originally settled as a service town for the agriculture in the area but before long the narrow gauge railway came through the town, later the broad gauge railway came through from Adelaide and the narrow gauge came through from Leigh Creek to Port Augusta.

Eventually the standard gauge was added which brought the India Pacific train through Peterborough between Sydney and Perth. During its zenith the town had 100 trains a day passing through and many had to change gauge at this point. The railways were the life blood of the town for 110 years. There was a huge rail yard in the town providing work for over 1000 people. The “round house” which was the largest in the southern hemisphere is largely still in tact; with several old carriages and engines either restored or well looked after, and there is a depot turntable (the only three gauge example in the world) according to the literature provided. The town is now a small rural town existing largely on tourism although we heard that the town is growing again with twice as many children in the primary school as in the high school.

There is a memorial to all the railway workers who died whilst on duty and were based at Peterborough (originally called Petersburg until 1918) and there is a paved area around the memorial with what appears to be some of the workers’ names.

After this we visited the Motorbike museum. This was quite small as the couple who own the collection have only been going for less than a year. Lynn and Ian own the collection and Lynn was telling us that they came to Peterborough from Adelaide and found a church for sale and Sue told Ian that either they bought the church and started a museum or some of the eight bikes he had in his garage had to go. So they bought the church and set up the museum.

They have bikes from 13 different countries and their aim is to get representation from as many countries as possible. At the back of the museum there are quite a lot of other interesting items which they bought as a job lot from an old man who was retiring in Peterborough. There were dozens of different tins in the kitchen area of the church. Lynn was telling us that they eventually intend to turn part of the church into their home as funds allow. They intend leaving the pulpit area as it is, which will become a focal part of the residence. What a good way to make use of old buildings. I told her about our friends in Manjimup who have turned the village hall into their home. There was only one British bike, a James which Barry was not impressed with. I recognised the name of a Ducati but that was about all. There was one Belgian bike there, quite a few French and Italian bikes and obviously other countries to make up the 13. Lynn was really nice and told us quite a bit about their lives which was really interesting.

There is a penny farthing sitting outside the museum and Lynn told us it was stolen from its original owner and when they started the museum somebody found the 2 wheels in an old shed and offered it to them. Ian made a frame and handlebars and Lynn put a saddle on it. They then placed it outside the museum. The original owner saw it and said “Hey that was stolen from me years ago” but they said they didn’t want it back when Lynn told them that her husband had restored it and all that they were given was 2 wheels.

Our next stop was the Steamtown Museum which was where the railway yards are situated with the turntable mentioned earlier.

This track shown on the turntable has all three gauges. Note the centre rail which is the standard gauge is skinnier than the other two. This was done simply to accommodate the rail between the other two gauges.

We did a guided tour here and most of the tour was very interesting. We climbed inside several carriages and saw how things changed over the years. The original sleeper carriages were really opulent but gradually over the next 20 or so years the opulence disappeared and more functionality took over. We walked through the workshop and lifted some of the tools which weighed a ton. We climbed up into a steam engine and looked at the cramped conditions that the engine driver and fireman worked in.

Interestingly the spotter was the train guard who sat on a very high ledge in the brake van at the back of the train. It was only him who could see the rail half a mile ahead and he applied the brakes if something or someone was on the track. The round house where the carriages and engines were held was a huge area which is actually only a part of a circle going around the turntable.

The last part of the day was spent driving to the four entries into the town to photograph the miniaturised locos that were built and donated by Colin Campbell, a retired blacksmith, to the town of Peterborough at no small cost.

Dinner from the Dream Pot was, as usual, a success and saved such a lot of energy as it had been cooking away in its own heat with the dream pot sitting in the sink while we were travelling earlier in the day. The notes from the caravan park said that the TV reception was poor so Barry set up the satellite dish and he managed to find the satellite in about 3 seconds which was a relief. We still didn’t do much in the way of unpacking, just put the chairs and table outside and made do with a wash rather than take all the washing and baskets out of the shower.

Wednesday 5 August 09

We decided that we would stay another day to look at the rest of the attractions the town has to offer and the other nearby towns. We started at 10.00 with a visit to the house of Colin Campbell. He was not there so we didn’t get to see his workshop but we did take some photos of some of the things he has made that are scattered around his garden.

His house is very modest but he has the most ostentatious wrought iron fence you are ever likely to see. In the garden is a train which will eventually be placed in front of the train station that Eldon is building when it eventually goes on display. From what Eldon told us this could be some considerable time in the future because bureaucracy is getting in the way.

We then visited the Dragon’s Rest gardens but on looking at the fees and the garden from the street we decided that it was the wrong time of the year and the garden was not worth a visit. Our next stop was the government tank lookout which was very disappointing with trees blocking out most of the view. We did not bother to get out of the car.

We went on to take photographs of the visitor centre and visit the town hall where there is a quilt hanging which depicts the history and business of the town. There is a talk which runs giving you a run down of all the pictures in each of the three panels. The quilt is really beautiful and the work that went into it is quite something.

I took a few photos of the buildings in the town and then we did some shopping.

After lunch we drove to Terowie. We had picked up some trek notes from the visitor centre but we didn’t realise that the trek started in Peterborough so we hadn’t zeroed the trip meter. This meant that we got confused about where various buildings were but we eventually worked it out. On the way into Terowie we came across a paddock filled with tin men and women and an obvious invasion from Mars which was a bit of a worry.

I took photos of just about everything in the paddock much to Barry’s disgust. He sat in the car while I played. Terowie’s claim to fame is that it was “The Hub of The North” being a major supply centre for the developing areas to the north and northeast.

Even before the railway reached Terowie there were as many as 50 hors and bullock teams arriving in the town daily. Shortly after the broad gauge railway reached Terowie it was linked to Petersburg (later Peterborough) and Broken Hill by the narrow gauge line. The narrow gauge line was eventually extended to reach Quorn and then Alice Springs. All transfers, of people and goods, from the broad gauge to narrow gauge occurred at Terowie. The arrival of the railway coincided with mineral discoveries in the Broken Hill and Silverton regions who looked to SA as an outlet and for development and transportation of the vast north eastern pastoral regions of SA. As a result Terowie became the centre to which all supplies were drawn and produce delivered. The railway yards in Terowie were immense with the population of the town reaching 2000 at its peak.

In March of 1942 General McArthur gave his first Australian press interview in Terowie after his escape from the Philippines and it was here that he issued the now famous statement “I came out of Bataan and I shall return” which are depicted on a plaque at the station. In 1969 the broad gauge railway was extended to Peterborough and the station became a whistle stop. The Barrier Highway constructed at the same time bypassed the town and the population dropped rapidly to 130. This was almost the demise of the town but the Citizens Association fought to obtain heritage listing for the town as an historic town. We actually thought it was just another scruffy little country town and other than the station we did not bother with photographs.

We then drove back to Peterborough and after remembering to reset the trip meter to zero we travelled on to Orroroo. We soon discovered that the distances on the sheet bore no resemblance to our trip meter. I don’t know whether our odometer is miles out or their sheet is miles out possibly a combination of the two in opposite directions but it was still difficult to pick up the land marks and some we didn’t find at all.

We drove through the town of Orroroo and in the process of trying to get our bearings we discovered a picnic area built by the local Lions Club and the town swimming pool which dammed part of Pekina Creek. I noticed that there was a walking trail which appeared to go around the pool and I suggested to Barry that we take Foxy for a walk along this trail. While I visited the lou Barry read the sign board and said that there was a bridge across the creek which we could cross to get back down the other side of the creek. We headed out with one bottle of water between us. It was not cold but it certainly wasn’t hot so we didn’t think to get water for what looked like a short walk. Barry said the sign board did not mention a distance. We walked up one side of the creek and eventually came to what we though was a crossing, not a bridge. Eventually we came to a reservoir and we discussed walking across the wall but decided that as the board had not mentioned this we had better not so we carried on down the side of the reservoir. We followed some pink marker pegs which took us right round the reservoir and back past the other end of the dam wall, and then picked up the path on the other side of the creek. When we eventually arrived back at the car park, we studied the notice board a little more thoroughly and discovered that what looked like a bridge actually represented the dam wall. If we had used it the walk would have been 2.9kms long and about an hours walk which would have been good. We estimated the reservoir added about another 3kms, and the walk took well over 2 hours. Foxy walked all of the way and slept like a log afterwards.

During this walk we, of course, ran out of water and as quite a bit of the walk was by the creek I decided to refil my water bottle. The edge of the bank was very muddy and slippery and I ended up with one foot in the water. I managed to fill my bottle but the water was a bit muddy. Nevertheless we drank it on the way back. Fortunately we found some puddles for Foxy. What a good job there had been rain in the area recently. A dry creek bed and no puddles for Foxy would have been a very different story. We obviously need to check what we are going to do more thoroughly before we start in future. The most worrying feature was that we didn't know where we were going and as we appeared to cross the creek several times (actually they were run ins we discovered later) we had a nagging feeling that we were just walking along the creek and were going to end up hours later in another town. Barry didn't have a jumper of jacket and it was starting to get quite cold by the time we eventually arrived back at the very welcome car.

As it was gone 5.00 pm by the time we got back from the walk we decided that we could do without seeing the rest of Orroroo. Six kilometres should not wreck us but it did which just goes to show we need more exercise.

Thursday 6 August 09

As I had slept really badly which meant that Barry did not sleep very well either, we decided not to drive to Broken Hill today. Instead we had a lazy day, a bit of shopping and writing up the blog.