Over the Border to Renmark

On the road again. Today we are heading to Renmark. We stopped for morning tea on the side of the road and were curious about the melons in the paddock. At first they looked like rocks or very large pebbles. After checking with binoculars they are definitely melons of a sort. We enquired at the next stop and found out they were no good for consumption, they grow wild.



Our first fruit fly checking station.





There is a large Dunlop tyre across the road. The checking station is in full attendance checking all.
We gave them our potatoes,pumpkin,onions,parsnip and cucumber. Now we have no fresh food left.
This is fine as now l don't have to cook tonight.




Arriving into Renmark we had to cross over this very narrow bridge and l mean narrow. It opens for boats to pass through on the Murray. We did a quick tour into town and to the Information centre. Sad news the areas we had mapped out to visit are no longer operating any more. That's fine less money spent.
The land driving in today is worked with many farms. It is an area for Oranges and Grapes. The largest in Australia.I am looking forward to going to a market to buy fruit and veg that we don't have to hand over because
fruit fly exclusions. Another day tomorrow just looking around town and watching the boats and water skeing at our front door on the beautiful full Murray River.

BIG LIZZIE

Big Lizzie remained in the Red Cliffs area from 1920-1924 at which time she was driven to Western Victoria to clear other areas of land.
In 1938 her Blackstone engine was sold to a company in Pyramid Hill who used it to run stone crushing equipment until 1942. It was

broken and sold as scrap in 1945.
In 1970 Cr Ern Wolfe discovered the location of Big Lizzie on a property at Balmoral, near Horsham.



The wheels made of steel had timber casings attached to help it move around.





This is where we are today. On the Murray River at Mildura.

Mildura

This the Wasp we caught on the CB aerial big.





Thought it would show up better on the post and have it face you. Bring it up close as it has beautiful colours.
Red Cliffs by name and this is why. They look like they are made from clay and sand. The town where they are is named Red Cliffs. da! The colours are so strong. This is only about 8 km from Mildura and they grow grapes everywhere and fruit. The soil has the red clay as well and it must produce a good strong crop for them to be so plentiful.



Now this shot l am proud of it looks terrific and would make a great picture.

Tumut Show

Love sheep this one is a beautiful winner.






Checking out the fleece

Here we are fitting in with the locals at the show
Name these chooks. Different!

Hay Gaol

An Institution all bad. Girls who's parents may have died and they didn't have family
left were sent here to be looked after
Inside the Gaol where the girls were raped and abused by the guards and staff.
Another photo of the same

as requested photo's

Photo from Tumut. These are the possum's we feed every year. Every night they come out for their dinner.






Tumut: We went to the stock sales for a sticky. John was in his glory and so was Graham
they both were picking out their pen they wanted for their farm.






This is a mother with her baby. The next time you have veal think of the baby.!
He is the veal. Now that was sad.

Tumut show judging the cattle

Sandy & John

Today has been interesting as we traveled from Hay to Mildura. The territory from Hay to Balranald is just so flat that you can see a semi way in the distance as another passes beside it. There was this very old man with his pack on his back all bent over and walking along the highway in the middle of what seems like a dessert. It is actually quite pretty to see.

One farm gate was named HELLS GATE and living that far from everything it must seem like it. The farmers and their wives must be very dedicated.The scenery started to change from Wakool which is orchard country. Wild life is rare we spotted a few emu's  and caught a large wasp on our CB- aerial which we watched for an hour.

 How unlucky was it to be caught like this. I will eventually send photo. Euston has the largest winery you could imagine then we found the name. Mc Williams wines. That's why it was so big. The Murrumbidgee river meets up with the Murray river at Robinvale near Murray valley.


 Never to old to learn.
Lesson for today is that if you have any fire extinguishers in house or van, every six months you should turn them upside down and tap the bottom with a rubber mallet so that the powder isn't solid on the base. If you don't then when you go to use it it won't work.
There has been a forecast of more rain for this area on the 19th March, 2011.


We are 28 km from Mildura and it is so flat that we can see Mildura in the distance.Oasis country. Monak- citrus and grapes everywhere. Trentham-oranges and mandarins.
Gol Gol then Buronga and we are here. Found the best park on the Murray River watching the steam boat passing us. $21.00 per night and it is recommended that if passing stay here.
Buronga Riverside Caravan Park. five star