Begrudgingly left Currawinya, on what we thought would be a romp in to the next stop – only 290kms. Started off at 8.10am, and traversed possibly the worst road to date! Approximately 240kms of bulldust, corrugations etc. etc. – heard it all before? The bush was interesting, quite a lot more vegetation, healthy looking trees and shrubs, but so much concentration on the road prevents enjoyment of the surroundings.

Our past memories of Bourke were not the best, as we chose a caravan park in the middle of Bourke, and we were kept awake by dogs, of which we think there must have been four to every one human. This time we chose the Kidman Camp Caravan Park, in North Bourke, and it has green grass, is extremely well designed, with a pool, spa and attractive homestead-looking cabins. Tonight there is a bush poet and a meal for $15 a head. We have seen several bush poets on the way, all have been entertaining.

Day 2

Last night’s bush poet was excellent, definitely the best to date. He was a real actor and although had not written any of the poetry himself, recited The Man From Ironbark and Mulga Bill splendidly. In addition, he cooked sausages, vegetables, spuds, billy tea, then entertained us with more old yarns and poems. He owns Digger, the draft horse, who pulls the wagon that takes people down to the paddle steamer, that tours up and down the beautiful Darling River twice a day. The man driving the wagon in the photo is the poet.

Bourke is proving to be a very interesting place, which we will make sure we come back to. The locals have really thought about tourism and we have been given some very informative newsletters and brochures on what to do and camps to move on to. There are three Stations mentioned that provide camp stays, fishing, etc. so tomorrow we’ll head for one of those.

The photos at the top are of the street party at Quilpie and the lunar eclipse, the same night.