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Swan Hill Map
Day 2 finds us packing our bikes and heading for the first destination, Swan Hill. 77klm away makes it an easy ride where we are in for a treat once in Swan Hill.
Swan Hill Tree
So it’s right here that Burke and Wills arrived to make Camp 15 on Sept 6th 1860. Burke decides to stay 4 days while he gets busy sacking a few guys and hiring some new hands. One man hired in Swan Hill will play a big part in the final days of Burke and Wills. Charlie Gray was a former sailor from Scotland but was getting on in age. Regardless, Burke brought him on board and they broke camp and crossed the border into NSW. Now I have placed a picture of a Fig Tree that local legend says, was planted by Burke and Wills. The Tree is located on Curlewis Street. This seems like a great spot to stop and have morning tea before we push on.
Balranald
Balranald
100klm from Swan Hill and we hit the town of Balranald. 15 Sept 1860 Burke gets his men here and decides the expedition is still too slow so he decides to offload lots of his provisions. Sugar, guns, ammunition, even young Camels. He decides to dump his massive quantity of lime juice ( that was a big mistake ) as it helped compensate for the fact they couldn’t take fresh fruit and veg with them. He buys flour and pays a huge price. But perhaps his most memorable act was selling his barrels of rum. His 2nd in Command Mr Landells was furious as he claims it was for the Camels so they didn’t get sick. So far we’ve covered just 200klm from Swan Hill and the day is still waiting to treat us to beautiful things to see. So I have decided to take to the outback and head for MUNGO NATIONAL PARK.
Mungo National Park
Mungo
255klm from Swan Hill and we are ready to enjoy an afternoon in Mungo National Park, home to the " Great Walls of China". This beautiful place has NOTHING to do with Burke and Wills, and it's simply a beautiful place to see and photograph as well as ride our bikes across the dry lakes..
Mungo
Desert Riding
Turlee
With the day over we plan to ride back 20 klm to Turlee Station. Turlee is a working farm that hosts visitors and provides accommodation ranging from camp sites with no power all the way to 4 STAR!!!!! powered Aircon rooms. This will be a great stay as we get to shower and finally use a real bathroom and toilet after a couple of days on the dusty roads. $8 per person per night allows us the use of a common Kitchen to cook and eat in. It’s a chance to freeze up a bottle or two for ice and some human contact. Camping is still what we plan to do for accommodation in Turlee, and it will be a pleasant change to sit with other folk who are exploring the country and get a chance to share some food, song, stories and fun. If Datto or anyone one is looking for me at the Turlee farm, please look for this group of backpackers.. I'll be drinking with them and telling them lies! Lol.