My trip to Cameron Corner    

(24 to 30 June 2012)

Sunday

Left Coffs Harbour at 7:41 by train and nine hours later arrived in Sydney.   Due to having to leave early on Monday morning, I did not sleep too well but did wake up in time to arrive at Central Railway Station first thing on Monday. 

Monday

The Outback Explorer train left Sydney at 6:20 and eventually arrived at Broken Hill fourteen hours later covering a distance of about 1,260kms.

Tuesday                                             

After a good nights sleep at a nearby motel, we were met by our host Peter in a Mitsubishi Canter - 4wd vehicle costing about $350,000.  The body was specially made in Brisbane for taking passengers safely into remote areas.

Only two other seniors and I were on this trip. While boarding the coach, we briefly saw a reindeer with antlers running down the main road, probably being scared by dogs.  Peter said it was the first time he had seen such a sight as they dont have reindeer in Broken Hill.

After a short distance on the Silver City highway, we left the bitumen and travelled on gravel/dirt which was in good condition as there had been no rain for some time and the road had recently been graded.  Our first stop was at the Packsaddle Roadhouse, 175km from Broken Hill.  This roadhouse had memorabilia pertaining to the Australian wool industry and a number of saddles, harnesses and well-used hats were hanging around for decoration.  Fuel here cost $175.5 a litre.  In one of the nearby trees was a large flock of white corellas - a large parrot.

 After a short break we continued and saw some kangaroos, emus and a wedge-tail eagle.  Soon we came to a unique Tool Tree near the Henry Roberts road to White Cliffs.  It seems that some workmen were stranded due to road conditions and used their time by creating a tree made of workmens tools.  Wrenches, spanners and other tools were welded to a post creating tool tree on the side of the road with a small sign stating Tool Tree Do Not Water.  This is a type outback humour.

Historic Milparinka the first town on the Albert Goldfields came into view with only an Information Centre (museum)  operated by the help of visiting volunteers during the tourist season.  A walking trail around the town connects significant historical locations with signs depicting what the building used to be.  All the food and supplies have to be brought from Broken Hill as there are no open shops here and even the hotel was closed.

Gold was never found at Milparinka, but something more precious - water. In the 1870s, Milparinka grew into a substantial township with four hotels, a bank, shops, a library, a newspaper office, police station and courthouse, a Cobb and Co office, school, post office and more.

Peter brought lunch of bread, salad and drinks which we enjoyed before continuing to Glen Downs.  After travelling 10kms, we saw Sturts Cairn and shortly after were taken to the water hole where Sturts exploration party had spent a number of months during a severe draught.

In 1844, Captain Charles Sturt and his expedition ventured into the Corner Country looking for an inland sea.  In July 1845 James Pool died and was buried beside Depot Glen. His lonely grave can still be found, marked by a gnarled and twisted Grevillia tree. Sturt had the initials J.P. and the year, carved into the iron like trunk of that ancient desert tree. To stand in the meagre shade of that tree 154 years later and run your fingers over those crudely carved characters is to establish a direct link to the living history of the desert. Sturt named a nearby mount in honour of his second in command, Mount Pool and had his men erect a large stone Cairn on the summit, a Cairn that can still be seen from the nearby glen.     

In the mid-afternoon, we arrived at Tibooburra which has a population of about 160. Although facilities in Tibooburra are limited, fuel, meals and a range of accommodation are available.  Our first stop was to view the exhibits at the New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife office.   I then walked up the dusty road to view the replica of Sturts whaleboat that was hauled over the sand dunes when they were looking for the inland sea.  I also briefly visited the Family hotel which (opened 1882) where various artists painted a number of murals, drawings and sketches on inside walls.

The nearby school seemed very modern and clean with a number of murals and next door was the School of the Air for students located in remote areas.  A dusty drive-in (still in use) was next door and across the road was a long petrified tree trunk as this area of Australia was once the floor of an inland sea.

The Tibooburra Hotel was our home for the next two nights and in the evening we enjoyed a nice dinner and discussed what we had seen and what adventures awaited us tomorrow.

We travelled 380kms today.

Wednesday

After a continental breakfast downstairs we left at 8 going through the Sturt National Park to Olive Downs Campground for morning tea and as the road near Pinaroo Lake was closed, we had to take another track to Cameron Corner Road.  There were lots of kangaroos and emus along the roadside and some cattle.   As there were no fences in these areas, Peter had to be alert because emus have a habit of running alongside and in front of vehicles.  All the gravel roads were in good condition.  Crushed rock was put over the sand dunes so that they would remain firm longer.  The country side had a brownish/green grass cover on the sand due to the recent rains whereas earlier it was much more arid. 

Nearing lunch-time we arrived at Cameron Corner where New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland meet.  As I was sitting next to the driver, it was my duty to open and close the gate through the dingo fence into South Australia. The fence is only around NSW to reduce the number of dingos from entering.  There were a number of signs including agriculture and geographical which I took pictures of as well as a time capsule.  I then walked into Queensland over a grid in the road as the Corner Store was in there. 

There is only one shop/store on the Queensland side although their postcode is in NSW and telephone number is SA.  As each state has a different time zone, they are known to have three New Years each year.  I was told by Fenn, the shop-keeper that last year, they had about 70 guests passing this area for New Years and that they walked from one state to the other to  celebrate the different times (which are only metres away from each other).

There was a large camping ground and some dongas (relocatable cabins) with air-conditioning at reasonable prices.  The shop had groceries and camping items and served nice meals. Theres a flat rate for both ULP/Diesel of $2.20 a litre (it is several hundred kms to any competitor).  We enjoyed a burger and chips and then continued a short distance along the dingo fence to another camping area before returning to the Cameron Corner road back to Tibooburra.

Yesterday when in Tibooburra we noticed a young chap taking pictures and later saw a bicycle with a number of pack saddles.  Today when going to the corner we again saw him cycling in the hot sun and on our return saw him cycling toward the corner.  He must have been a keen cyclist and camped along the roadside as there is no accommodation or water between communities in the outback.  

After refueling in Tibooburra we were taken to Sunset Hill to see a number of granite rocks with the sun reflecting on them.  It is understood that the word Tibooburra means heap of rocks.  We travelled 363kms today.

Thursday

Before breakfast, I wandered around the hotel and saw a garden with blossoms of the Sturt Desert Pea which looked lovely.  The weather in the morning was cool but soon warmed up with the sun. 

After an early breakfast, we left at 8am to travel eastwards to Wanaaring, a town of about 140 residents 250kms.  This morning there was wildlife on the road including kangaroo, emu and a large variety of birds especially around the water holes. The road today was mainly unfenced and gravel so the driver had to be aware of cattle.  In places the road was sandy as we travelled through parts of the Sturt National Park and a number of pastoral stations which are separated only by grids across the road.

The only town we went through was the small town of Wanaaring where we stopped for lunch at the only shop which was also the post office and fuel depot.  Fuel here was $1.96 for ULP and $1.99 for diesel.  There is under 140 residents in that town.  The shopkeeper was very friendly to us probably due to being in a small community.

From time to time, we saw large mounds of dirt which Peter was able to drive up and along.  Often we would see wild animals resting and a variety of bird life.  On one occasion, we disturbed a wedge tail eagle with road kill.  He flew alongside our vehicle for a short time so that we could view his wings and the colourful feathers.  Unfortunately, there was no time for pictures then.  On another occasion, we saw two dead wild pigs on poles next to the road and later a dead dingo hanging up.

Altocumulus clouds started to appear however they did not indicate that there was any rain.  I had noticed that Peter would confirm regularly with his wife of the weather conditions.

At North Bourke we stopped at the old unused wooden (lift-up) bridge built in the 1880s which we walked over while the driver drove across the river on the new bridge.  The trees along the river near the bridge had a variety of different birds on them.  We then visited the Back OBourke Exhibition Centre which consisted of three buildings and allowed us to experience a number of audio stories, pictures, murals and hands-on items depicting the rich cultural history of the Australian Outback.

Our last stop was at the Bourke cemetery where well-known eye surgeon Dr Fred Hollows was buried.  He was a famous eye doctor known for his work in restoring eye sight for thousands of people in many countries and passed away in 1993.

Tonight we stayed at the Major Mitchell Motel which was very close to the town centre.  The distance travelled today was 480kms.  The tour from Broken Hill to Bourke was a total of 1,223kms mainly over gravel/dirt roads.

Conclusion of Trip:   I found the guide/driver, Peter to be informative, friendly and helpful in taking pictures and of explaining the local sites. The variety of wild-life was interesting and viewing the variety of landscape mostly flat, some hill, ponds, sandy hills mainly covered over with light green vegetation due to the recent rains.  For me, the highlight of the trip was going to Cameron Corner where the three states meet as I felt this was a special place in a remote part of Australia. 

I was disappointed that the roads were so good being recently graded and fairly level without ruts.  I felt we had paid a substantial amount and had a luxurious 4wd vehicle which was not necessary on this occasion as almost any type of vehicle could have travelled this route.  I do realize that if there had been rain or the weather conditions changed then a 4wd would have been required and of course safety is essential in this part of Australia.

Friday

After breakfast, I was dropped off at the Bourke Railway station and Peter and the others continued back to Broken Hill.  The Countrylink bus arrived at 9am and went to Dubbo where I was to take the XPT train to Sydney.  However it seems that the train had an accident in Sydney and was delayed so that the passengers had to take another bus from Dubbo to Orange before boarding the train.  We only arrived half an hour late in Sydney and the next day I returned safely to Coffs Harbour with many great memories.