Australia 2023 - Victoria Outback Trip

APRIL 2023

It was now time to leave our comfortable beach house in Apollo Bay and start a new adventure. That is all bar, Nikki, who had to return to Melbourne for work.
The rest of us, which included Neil & Steve, were about to start a road trip into the outback. But before we turned inland there was more of the Great Ocean Road to explore.
Just under 70km west of Apollo Bay is Wreck Beach, our first stop. After navigating the gravel road to the carpark there were 350 steps to descend before we reached the Beach. An almost deserted sandy beach greeted us at the bottom of the cliff with just one set of footprints revealing we were not the first visitor today. The beach is only accessible at low tide and its main draw is the iron work left stranded on the rocks following numerous ship wrecks over the years. We investigated the anchors and other metal remains, enjoyed the solitude and then made a hasty retreat back up the steps before the incoming tide cut us off.

Remains of ship wreck on the beach

Anchor on the beach

A further 26km west along the Great Ocean road was the next point of interest, the Twelve Apostles. Rising abruptly from the tempestuous Southern Ocean, these seven limestone stacks (the ocean has already devoured five of them) are one of the main attractions along Great Ocean Road. A viewing platform is accessed via a shop and souvenir complex and provides a great view of these outcrops sitting a few hundred metres out from the current coastline.

The ramaining of the 12 apostles

These natural wonders were not the only bit of entertainment for our visit. A little bit of commotion erupted close to shop complex and two park rangers were at the scene. Soon we were witnessing a skilful remover of a large Tiger Snake (fifth most venomous in Australia) before it attacked an over inquisitive tourist.

Tiger Snake captured

Tiger snake safely bagged to be released in a safe place

It was now time to finish our first day’s journey so we progressed to the overnight destination of Port Fairy. Once installed in our three bedroom apartment we went to explore this very attractive little coastal town. Our walk took us passed many period buildings and out to the Moyne River. We followed the river passing waterfront properties until we reached some old fortification at its mouth, then hunger kicked in and we searched out somewhere for dinner.

Moyne River

The previous day had been bright and sunny but we weren’t so lucky for day two. Periodic showers and constant threat of something heavier was with us all day. A 600km drive north to the town of Wentworth lay ahead of us, but before that we had a visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site called “Budj Bim”.
Located about 50km north of Port Fairy, Budj Bim consists of a lake and surrounding forest. A local, but now extinct, volcano formed the landscape over a hundred thousand years ago. It is estimated that the area had been inhabited by aboriginal people (1) for many thousand of years before white settlers forceable took there land. Fortunately, those same white settlers did not destroy all of what the legitimate land owners had left behind and today it provides a window into Australia life 6,000 and more years ago.
Getting protection for this site wasn’t easy. It took constant petitioning from aboriginal tribal leaders over many years plus the support of UNESCO to get where it is today.
A long driveway bordered by gum trees, with a few Koala’s and a couple of Wallabies to welcome us, brought as to a carpark and an impressive visitor centre. A boardwalk led from the visitor centre out into the adjacent lake filled with bird life. Shortly after our arrival we started a tour of the site. The tour was conducted by a local aboriginal guide and was one the most informative and interesting we have ever had.

Budj Bim Center

Budj Bim Lake

Eel Tank at Budj Bim

Our guide explained that his people had lived on this land for many thousands of years with the most recent structures dated some 6,600 years ago. They lived in stone and wood houses, constructed to provided comfortable shelter for all weathers. They lived on eels from the lake plus fruit and veg from the forest. They operated a system of aquaculture, harvesting eels using eel traps, only taking what they needed when they needed them. A few of these traps and houses still survive for us to see. We learnt about the lifecycle of the eel, the lake’s formation and how the local people lived and traded all those thousands of years ago. What was particularly fascinating was how sophisticated and sustainably they lived back then.

The remaining foundation of an aboriginal dwelling

Budj Bim eel holding pond where the aboriginal trapped the eels

For the rest of the day we were on the road heading north. Brief spells of sunshine were dwarfed by constant rain sometimes heavy, but mostly showery. The terrain changed as we progress with tree covers becoming more sparse. Finally, as the light faded we reached our destination and after a quick bite to eat we retired exhausted to bed.

Silo art on the road to Wentworth

Only a three hour drive lay ahead of us the next day so the start was more leisurely. We had time to visit the confluence of Australia’s two longest rivers. The Darling and Murray where they meet at Wentworth.

Confluence of the Murray and Darling Rivers

It was then onwards north to our next location of Broken Hill. Pretty much a straight road into the outback. The terrain was much more desert like now, with trees only growing near a water source and small shrubs covering the rest. Massive trucks use this road 24 hours a day transporting ore from the mines in the north, hence the road kill was numerous. We punctuated our journey with a couple stops, both times to be amazed by the unusual sight of standing water in this part of the country. Torrential rain further north a few months earlier had allowed dry rivers to flow and even created a lakes.

Desert Water after heavy rain fall

Our car for the trip

Road to Broken Hill

The whole town of Broken Hill is Heritage protected and because of that you feel like you have stepped back in time.

Broken Hill Street

Neil had visited here many times and became our town guide, a role he had been playing all through the trip with his constant flow of interesting facts. Especially those relating to renewable energy and the output of wind and solar farms we passed on the road.
Broken Hill also provided us with our most luxurious accommodation of the whole trip. We had rented a 1911 church that had been converted into a house with the most upmarket fittings you could imagine. This made leaving our very comfortable surrounding more difficult each day.

Outback Church, our accommodation

Inside the Outback Church

We had two nights in Broken Hill which gave Neil the chance to show us all of his favourite places.
In the centre of town we visited two galleries displaying the work of local artists and the Palace Hotel where a famous scene from “Priscilla the Queen of the Desert” was filmed.

Art Gallery display

The Palace Hotel

The Shoe from Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Away from the centre we visited the mine that made the town famous (2), a vast solar farm generating massive amounts of clean energy and a little piece of desert that had been set aside as a sculpture park.

Solar Farm

Broken Hill Mine (BHP)

Desert Art

Then there were the more unusual attractions.
Camels played a big part in Australia’s transport history, initially being imported from the middle-east and central Asia. With them came their Afghan handlers together with their islamic religion and the need for a Mosque. Tucked away in what is now the suburbs is the first Mosque constructed in the area. We meet the curator there and were given a very interesting and entertaining history of Camels, their handlers and islam in Australia.

The Mosque in Broken Hill

Inside the Mosque

Again tucked away in the suburbs we visited an old ice cream cart, originally owned by Badsha Mahommed Gool. On 1 January 1915 a fatal incident took place on this spot, known as the The Battle of Broken Hill. Two men shot dead four people and wounded seven more, when they attacked a train taking picnickers from Broken Hill to Silverton, before being killed by police and military officers. The attackers were both former camel-drivers working in Broken Hill. Badsha Mahommed Gool, was an ice-cream vendor, and his partner Mullah Addullah, a butcher and local imam. The attackers left notes connecting their actions to the hostilities between the Ottoman and British Empires, which had been officially declared in October 1914.

Ice Cream Cart

During the previous day, reports were coming in of Cyclone Isle which would hit the north west of Australia that evening. It would then push a band of heavy rain across the country over the next day or so. Therefore it wasn’t a surprise when we awoke to find the sun had disappeared and light rain was falling. Although it was a wrench, we had to leave our luxurious accommodation in Broken Hill and move on to our next location of Silverton.
Silverton is only about 30 km up the road from Broken Hill so it gave us time to visit the Indigenous market before we left. Having watched some traditional dancing, bought some local art and sampled a Kangaroo Hot Dog, it was time to leave.

Traditional Dance

By now the rain was getting harder and dampening down the normally hot and dusty landscape. The roads around Silverton had turned from dust to mud but still drivable. We visited the local reservoir and a view point but with both under sodden skies we didn’t linger long. An undercover tour of the Mad Max museum was our preferred activity for early afternoon followed by lunch at the local cafe.

On the road to Silverton

Silverton Main Street

Outside the Mad Max museum

Inside the Mad Max museum

Silverton is small settlement with no more than around 50 permanent residents. It gives you the impression of an American wild west town with a handful of buildings surrounded by a barren landscape. The centre piece is the Silverton Hotel which would be our accommodation and dinning option for the night.

Silverton Hotel

On the horizon, a wind farm could be seen, albeit shrouded by the now heavy rain, with over 20 turbines rotating in the wind. Neil was one of the main instigators in getting these colossal structures built and was recognised immediately when we walked into the hotel. The owners (Peter and Patsy) greeted him as a friend as did others during our stay. Drinks before and after an early dinner were the order of the day, plus guitar playing and singing as the alcohol took hold. We left the party earlier and missed the arrival of a large Australian Tarantula, which Patsy swiftly intercepted and put in a jar of methanol, before it could cause anyone harm. We heard the story at breakfast the following morning and saw the results as the pickled spider sat in a display jar alongside other trophies of dangerous visitors.

Inside the Silverton Hotel

Australian Tarantula captured that day

Deadly collection at the Silverton Hotel

Wind Farm at Silverton

Although the sun was now shinning it had rained heavily all night. This had caused a burst of greenery and pockets of standing water that hadn’t been there the previous day.
We didn’t delay in leaving Silverton as we had a four hour drive in front of us. Our next destination was Lake Mungo the significance of which is explain below (3). We had booked a tour for 16:30, a dinner reservation at the lodge in the evening and tented accommodation over night. The excitement grew as we got ever closer, that was until we turned on to the access road and met with a sign stating our road of choice was closed. We phoned the help line hoping to find another route but were informed that the heavy rains had made all the dirt road to Lake Mungo impassable.

Road Close to Lake Mungo

It was now around mid-day and our bed for the night had been cancelled so we needed a new plan. After deliberation we decided to push on to the town we had planned to visit the following day. Echuca was a further four and half hours drive south but it still seemed the best bet. We managed to organise accommodation en-route and rolled into Echuca as darkness set in and nearly nine hours after we had left Silverton. On the plus side we had a bed for the night and would have more time to enjoy the area having arrived earlier.

Although a little jaded from our long drive the day before, we were keen to make the most of our stay in Echuca. After breakfast Neil left us as he had to return to work. Whilst we, together with Steve, set about exploring the town. A walk along the river bank and through the historic dockland area was followed by a Paddle Steamer cruise along the Murray River. The cruise lasted for an hour and included commentary on the history of the town and river (4). We passed bridge pillars that indicated the flood levels achieved over the last 100 years or so. The height seemed unbelievable and surely would have flooded much of the town on many occasions. The Murray River reached heights in 2022 not seen since 1916.

Echuca 2022 Flood level

The Murray River paddle steamers

Echuca Moama Bridge with lever of flood water recorded

Echuca Old Pier

The afternoon was spent shopping and transferring from our hotel room to another luxurious property for our two remaining nights in Echuca.

The plan for the next day was to explore the surrounding area.
We started with a morning visit to the Kow Swamp in the Gunbower National Park. A large shallow lake full of bird life. This was followed by an excellent steak lunch in a local hotel, but not before we engaged in conversation with a local fisherman. A conversation about the local area that was both interesting and informative.

How Swamp

Brown Falcon with lunch in his talons, a little bird

For the afternoon our destination was the Barmah National Park. Late afternoon is the best time to see wildlife so we timed our departure accordingly. The plan worked and we were treated to some amazing Kangaroo and Emu sightings, even if the bird life was a bit sparse.

A Roo

Grey Kangaroos aka Roos

Emus

That brought us to the last day of the road trip. With no hurry to get back to Port Melbourne we decided to take the longer scenic route via the Wombat State Forest. A stop at Trentham Falls and the quaint Trentham village punctured our journey back. As did an unplanned stop when a branch from a tree fell on the car. We were just passing some road works when a digger hit a tree causing a rotten branch to fall on the car. Fortunately there was no damage and was able to continue our journey without much delay.

Trentham Falls

We completed our stay in Victoria at Neil & Nikki’s place in Port Melbourne (See Australia 2023 P1 for details).

Observations & Interesting Facts

(1) Being an ignorant westerner I was interested to know how to correctly refer to what is generally known as Aboriginals. I didn’t like this term and felt it may be derogatory. What better way to find out than to ask our Budj Bim guide, who was from the Gunditjmara Aboriginal people. He said, although opinions may differ, he was happy to be referred to in any format - Aboriginal, First Nation, First People, Indigenous or Black Fella’s. What he said was important was that they were noticed and treated the same way as all other Australians.

(2) BHP the massive mining conglomerate stands for Broken Hill Proprietary’s who rich history began in a silver, lead and zinc mine in Broken Hill. Incorporated in 1885, BHP engaged in the discovery, development, production and marketing of iron ore, copper, oil and gas, diamonds, silver, lead, zinc and a range of other natural resources.

(3) Mungo National Park is a protected national park of 110,967 hectares, that is located in south-western New South Wales. Mungo National Park is the traditional meeting place of the Muthi Muthi, Nyiampaar and Barkinji Aboriginal Nations. People are no longer able to climb the sand dunes by themselves as stricter rules have been enforced, all visitors groups need to be accompanied by an accredited tour guide to access the sand dunes.The national park is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Willandra Lakes Region. The Mungo National Park is noted for the archaeological remains discovered in the park. The remains of Mungo Man, the oldest human remains discovered in Australia, and Mungo Lady, the oldest known human to have been ritually cremated, were both discovered within the park. They were buried on the shore of Lake Mungo, beneath the 'Walls of China', a series of lunettes on the South eastern edge of the lake. (courtesy of Wikipedia)

(4) Echuca, Victoria State, is on the confluence of the Murray and Campaspe Rivers. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales State. Echuca lies within traditional Yorta Yorta country. The town's name is a Yorta Yorta word meaning "meeting of the waters”. At Echuca, the Murray River is at its closest position to Melbourne which contributed to its development as a thriving river port city during the 19th century. In 1850 an ex-convict named Henry Hopwood purchased a small punt to ferry people and goods across the Murray River near the Campaspe junction. The small settlement known as Hopwood's Ferry grew to become the town of Echuca. By the 1870s, Echuca had risen to prominence as Australia's largest inland port and railway junction. Paddle steamers would arrive at the 332-metre long redgum wharf, were unloaded by hydraulic crane, and the goods then transported by rail to Melbourne. Wheat, other grains, livestock, and timber were the most common commodities transported to Echuca. The expansion of the railways from Melbourne to most parts of Victoria, as well as improvements to roads and fickle river conditions all combined to lessen Echuca's importance, and by the 1890s the paddle steamer fleet was in decline. An economic depression and the collapse of several banks virtually ended Echuca's role as a major economic centre, and its population began to disperse.