Wilcannia to Olary

 

Thursday 18 August 2022

Day 4
Wilcannia to Olary

We’re up a bit late, but plan to drive as far as we can today, preferably into South Australia.  We leave after breakfast and at 60km past Wilcannia we stop for morning tea at Dolo Rest Area.

We haven’t seen many animals, only one group of seven emus.  There seem to be less goats as well.  No kangaroos except for 1 or 2 carcasses along the roadside.  It was a different story when I drove this highway with Patricia a number of years ago now.  I had to dodge them in the middle of the road and zig-zag around all the dead bodies.  There were plenty!

I enjoy watching the ever-changing landscape.  The vegetation as well as its colours differ every few kilometres.  We also see lots of wildflowers, although not as spectacular as those in Western Australia (I make this observation from the photographs I have seen.)

We arrive in Broken Hill before long and the clocks on our phones adjust to the local time.  A difference of ½ hour, which will change back again once outside the town. We fill up with fuel and have a quick lunch down the road. We don’t spend time here, because both Kevin and I have visited before and don’t need to see it all again.

A few kilometres down the track we cross the border into South Australia where the time adjusts again.  It’s half an hour behind Queensland time.

We keep going until we arrive at Olary, a small town that doesn’t even deserve the name.  It consists only of a few houses and a pub.  We park in the late afternoon sun and take a few photos.  Kevin, loving trains, is happy to be along the railway line and takes photos and videos of passing trains. 

I love the surroundings, in particular when draped in sunshine against a dark grey stormy background.

We receive a few drops of rain, but after dinner the wind picks up and we rock into the night.  The ice-cold wind blows through the ventilation roster for the fridge and cools the whole motorhome down to a frosty temperature.

Spot for the night: Olary Rest Area (#216 - 32 16 53 S 140 19 39 E)