We drove around Moree for a bit before we stopped in at a McDonald's for breakfast. I wasn't hungry but Isabella had a little something. I remember thinking that I quite liked Moree. It seems that it is at the center of a large aquifer region with many farms surrounding it. For some reason there are also hot springs and Moree has been a tourism destination for over 100 years for that reason. Anyway, we didn't linger in Moree and we set off down the Gwydir Highway again, this time westerly. Our destination today was either Bourke or Cobar. Bourke is a famous Australian outback town and lent its name to the expression "Back o' Bourke" meaning a long way away. Bourke was meant to be a sort of trade-off as our destination the next day would be Broken Hill. Going to Bourke would mean a shorter drive today but a longer drive tomorrow than if we drove to Cobar. As we set out, it looked like we would make Bourke before noon.
As we drove we passed several very small towns and sheep stations. One was called Calgary and we got a photo of it as Calgary, Alberta is where Isabella lives. As we continued west the landscape became more prairie-like as the trees started to give way to vast unyielding grassland. We then reached a town called Walgett which was a small hub of activity. It sits on the intersection of 2 highways and we saw the road trains, those gargantuan trucks of the Australian outback, at their various marshalling points.
As we left Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway I noticed a sign that said "Road Closed Beyond Brewarrina". I took a look at my atlas and discovered that Brewarrina was right on our road to Bourke. I also noticed that there were alternative routes from Brewarrina to Bourke so after some discussion Isabella and I decided to risk it. We drove for about another hour before we reached the town of Brewarrina.
At Brewarrina the highway was indeed closed. I stepped into the local shire council to see what the status of the roads to Bourke was and the news made my heart sink --- they were all closed or virtually impassable. Unless we'd had a 4WD vehicle, most of the roads were completely flooded and it wasn't just a question of waiting for a few hours for the water level to go down; this was fairly extensive. Needless to say, I hadn't expected this. Although I knew that Australia's internal drainage meant that Queensland's flood waters flowed this way I thought we'd have more time. Also, there'd been nothing in the news about floods in NSW. I guess floods are not respecters of political boundaries.
I chatted with a very pleasant fellow employed by the shire to see how we mightn't be able to reach Bourke without having to do a huge detour. We tried every possibility but nothing worked for us. Less than 100km from our destination and we couldn't reach it. It was clear that we'd have to give Bourke a miss so I informed Isabella of the situation and that we'd have to make for Cobar instead. It also meant a very large detour involving a backtrack to Walgett and then going through towns like Warren and Nyngan. It meant that about 400km was added to our journey that day. So much for our plans for a short drive.
Since we were already there and it was approaching lunch time, Isabella and I decided to make the best of it and have a look about the town. We wandered in to the local museum where we saw a short history video of the town. It turns out Brewarrina is the furthest navigable point on the Barwon River and it has the oldest fish traps in Australia. These fish traps were made by Aboriginals many thousands of years ago and consist of sort of funnels in the river made with rocks to channel fish into them. Brewarrina still has a large aboriginal population. There were also small frogs in the bathroom. At first I thought they were little plastic models but when I looked again they were indeed alive. I didn't mind them.
For lunch, Isabella and I stopped in at a local cafe that seems to be a bit of a landmark. The interior has the feel of an early 1900s general store and it had this large mirror. We had some sort of burger and chips which were pretty good and we were told that this was the first day they had received fresh food after the flood waters had receded. So, filled and anxious to get under way, Isabella and I turned back east to see what sort of headway we could make.
Once we returned to Walgett we turned south along the Castlereagh Highway towards the NSW town of Coonamble. Along the way we saw more great fields and in town more road trains. There seemed to have been some flooding in the area, I think it had occurred a few months before, but the road wasn't in pristine condition, although still driveable. We rushed through Coonamble and then turned onto a smaller highway towards the town of Warren. This particular highway had no speed limits as told by the signs with a large black circle and line through it. I was particularly happy because I thought there were no such roads anymore.
We reached Warren and filled up on gas. And just to show how well-connected I am, I know someone from Warren too. Matthew is his name and he is also part aboriginal. He stayed at Fenner that summer but I told him about this little side trip when I got back.
From Warren it was west down the Oxley and Mitchell Highways towards Nyngan, the last town before Outback NSW began. We didn't stop in Nyngan and as we drove out the farms gave way to vaster properties. And then, a sign said "Outback NSW Welcomes You." At last, Isabella and I had reached the famous Australian Outback. It's my favourite part of Australia although I'm not sure I can say that as it's so vast.
After about an hour's driving on the Barrier Highway west of Nyngan, we finally reached Cobar. There seemed to be quite a few people stopping for the night and that would be right as Cobar is the last town with good facilities until you hit Broken Hill, 450km to the west. Looking at the menacing clouds, Isabella and I decided to find a motel and we found a good one with a pool and free wireless. They even gave us some coupons for a discount at the local bowling club, which also doubled as a restaurant and Chinese take-away. In the outback, you have to multi-task as you only have limited resources and I commend the Australians for their ingenuity.
After a quick swim in the pool, Isabella and I had dinner at the bowling club. After the day we'd had we were very happy just to be somewhere and we weren't taking anything for granted. We checked and made sure that the Barrier Highway was open all the way to Broken Hill. Since this is the major route west, it is a proper highway that is meant to withstand flooding but our experience had taught us to be wary. We settled in for the night hoping that the rain might decide to leave us alone.
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