The Outback

No trip to Oz is complete without a visit to the Outback.  Of course, I was expecting to land in the Outback and discover Crocodile Dundee sitting on the nearest rock!  It was not at all what I expected.  For one, there was alot more green, and the ground was very red.  The distances driven were huge, and for hours we could drive and not see a single car.  It makes you realize that you need to be prepared, as if you break down, you can't count on someone driving past to help you out.  We had a momentary heart stopping moment, when our car got stuck in the mud (a wee bit of rain and your dirt road becomes a mud road).  Thankfully hubs was able to work the 4 wheel drive and get us out, but even so, my heart didn't stop banging for the the next hour!

We decided, for our trip, that we would fly into Mildura, on the outskirts of the Outback, and then drive up to Broken Hill.  Next to Broken Hill is a town called Silverton, although it's more like a ghost town now.  Although the name is not well known, the town is, as it's the town most widely used for movies set in the Outback.  It's also used in many Australian commercials.   The Silverton hotel, a bar, is still open and has the car from Mad Max II parked in front of it.  

Just past the town of Silverton, you can drive to the lookout that oversees the Mundi Mundi Plains. From here you can see multiple days drives, on a clear day, it's awe inspiring the distance you can see.  

What started off as a day trip was our drive to White Cliffs.  Our intention was to drive there (3.5 hours) and then drive back to Broken Hill in the afternoon.  With all the wildlife, it's not advisable to drive after dusk.  Getting hit by a kangaroo is not fun!  With rain clouds in sight (a drop of rain can close the one and only road) I was a little nervous, however once we arrived in White Cliffs and did a tour of PJ's Underground B&B, we decided to stay there for the night.  White Cliffs is an opal mining town, whose temps rarely get below 40C (104F).  To counteract the sometimes unbearable heat, the residents mainly live underground in the used mines, where the temp remains at a pretty constant 22C (71F).  PJ's is a B&B, but also an active mine.  Access to the mine is either through the 'roof' or through one of the bedrooms!  It was definately exciting to stay in an underground B&B, but when they had a power outage in the middle of the night, it was very dark and hard to get around.  Thankfully the iPhone has an app for that!! Hubby's flashlight app came in very handy.  

Our last stop was Mungo National Park.  Lake Mungo is an important site, as it's where the remains of Mungo Man (oldest human found in Oz) and Mungo Lady (oldest person in the world to be ritually cremated) were found.  The lake itself dried up over 15,000 years ago, leaving it's dried up banks, known as the Walls of China.  The lake is home to a lot of wildlife that has no qualms about crossing the road in front of your car.  Definately have to keep your eyes open while driving here!  

Note the 'big red' who was giving us the eye as we drove past.  Wouldn't want to cross him!  

On our trip we also stopped by to visit the home of the Royal Flying Doctors.  I thought it was just a TV show!  These amazing doctors bring medical aid to the entire Outback, often flying and landing in some pretty unusual conditions.  Nothing like a kangaroo bouncing down the runway!  

Another fun thing about the Outback ... locust swarms!!!  Not just something that happens in the bible! Driving down the road listening to splat, splat, splat as the locusts fly into our windshield.  Leaves quite a mess and can even cause your car to overheat ... too many bodies in the radiator!  That's definately something I won't miss. 

Alas it's time to return home as our adventures in Oz have come to an end.  Who knows where the Roaming Richmans will end up next!