For a few weeks now we have been having issues with our batteries whenever we are free camping.  At night we have been getting an alarm going off saying that we had low volts and to disconnect all appliances.  After discussion with the good people at REDARC and some line testing of our system we all came to the conclusion that our batteries are probably u/s.  This was disappointing as they are only 18 months old and it appears that some additional work we had done by the dealer to the van prior to pickup was the issue.  After some discussion between ourselves we decided to drive down to Adelaide and get some new batteries for the van.  This was a 300km deviation to our original route but we wanted the issue sorted out.

The drive to Adelaide went well and by around 1pm we had the new batteries in the van and the headed back out of the city to Gawler for the night.  We had been to Gawler before and decided to stay in the same caravan park we did when last here.  Its quite large and the sites are as well. We got here around 3pm so plenty of time to set up and then relax.  They also have a Dan Murphy’s in Gawler so we paid them a visit to get some essential supplies.  We weren’t sure when we would see the next one again.

Next day we were on the road again and heading for Peterborough.  This was going to put us back on our original planned route to get to Queensland.  On the drive to Peterborough we passed through Burra again.  We didn’t realise this until we were in the town centre and recognised some of the buildings.  We came in from a different direction this time.  Burra has some great old buildings you can do in a heritage trip through the town.  It was time for morning tea anyway so we decided to stop here for a break.

At Peterborough we booked into the caravan park in the town.  We wanted to wait a few days before trying out the new batteries and decided to do caravan parks for a little while longer.  Peterborough is quite a nice small town and they have done a bit of work in the town centre trying to make it a bit more appealing.  Like most small country towns over this side of the country they have some great old buildings and it is good to see an effort being made to try and bring some life back into these areas.

We did a couple of walks around the town as park wasn’t very far away.  Being so dry in South Australia at the moment all towns are struggling to keep any green in the place.  They had a nice big park called Victoria Park that was really struggling to keep up with the dry.  Hopefully they have a good winter this year, they definitely need it.

From Peterborough it was a short drive up the highway to Manna Hill.  Manna Hill has a free camp not far off the highway next to the hotel.  It was also time to test out the new batteries and see if we had managed to solve the low voltage alarm issue we had been having.  Manna Hill doesn’t consist of a lot.  Besides the local pub, police station and old station ruins there isn’t much else to look at in town.  Unfortunately for us the pub was closed for the Easter weekend so our entertainment was limited to our own imaginations!!!  A good thing to report though was that we both had a great nights sleep with no alarm going off during the night.  Hopefully we have solved our problem.

Manna Hill is definitely only a one night stopover.  Being so close to the road there was some noise but it did quiet down pretty well during the night.  Broken Hill was our next stop.  We had been here a couple of years ago but still decided to stay for three nights.  Again we also decided to stay out at the racecourse.  They have a pretty good set up there and you are camped on grass which is nice.  The price had gone up a bit since we were here last so it wasn’t as cheap as we thought it might be.  If their not careful they may find people will try and find alternative places to stay.

There were a couple of things we didn’t see last time we were here so we did manage to fill our time in quite well.  The Line of Lode Miners Memorial and Lookout was worth a look.  It looked like they still have some more work to finish off on this display, I hope so as it was a bit bare and barren on the outside.  We also did a day drive out to Silverton and looked at the Mad Max 2 museum while there.  Not quite what I was expecting but probably pretty good if your a Mad Max diehard.  On our way back to Broken Hill we called into the Daydream Mine for a look and small tour.  The tour was average but the tea and scones were very nice.

Wilcannia was our next place of interest after Broken Hill.  This was getting us up to the Darling River.  We were interested to see if any water was flowing at all in the river as there had been some rain in the area.  Alas no there wasn’t any water flowing, just a few small areas of water on the bottom.  The caravan park in town hadn’t been getting very good reviews so we decided to stay a couple of kilometres out at a place called Warrawong on The Darling.  This was a fairly small but well kept park but a bit on the pricey side so it was only a one night stay.  Lots of kangaroos around the park and nice grass so at least the ambience was good.  Word about the park in town must be well known as we ended up really crowded and when we went for a drive into town there was only one van in the town park.

Wilcannia was in its heyday was a thriving town of over 15000 people and also the third biggest port in Australia with all the paddle steamers going up and down the Darling River.  Its only a fraction of that now though there are some nice old buildings still standing in the town.  Wilcannia also has one of the oldest Lift Span Bridges on the Darling that had a centre section that raised when the river was high to allow the paddle steamers to travel further up the river. With the river now dry for most of the time you cant see much happening to help the town develop a more viable tourist trade.

Cobar was our next stopover for a couple of nights.  We were wanting to do some more free camping to try out the batteries but with the rain they have had recently in the area, a lot of the roads were closed.  This also included the National Parks that we were hoping to stop off at.  On our drive from Wilcannia to Cobar we had water all along the side of the road for the whole 260 kilometres so our chances of staying anywhere off the road were looking grim unless we wanted to be walking around in mud – no thanks if I don’t have to.  We were changing our plans a little bit which also meant we were travelling a bit quicker than planned.  Hopefully it dries out a bit and we can do a bit more free camping and slow down.

The Cobar Caravan Park is quite a nice park with reasonably large sites and a concrete pad that you can set up next to on each site.  We were thinking that Cobar was going to be a bit smaller than what it was as well.  The town seems to be surviving quite well.  We knew it was a mining town but both thought it was not being done anymore in the town.  Just a couple of kilometres out of town you can go to Fort Bourke Lookout and look at Cobar and its surrounds as well as look down about 150 metres into the New Cobar Open Cut Gold Mine.    One thing that surprise us both a bit was the train station at Cobar.  Most towns seem to spend a bit doing up there old stations and Cobar seems to have ignored theirs a bit compared to other towns.

Next along our way was Bourke.  This was going to be our last stopover in NSW before getting into our ultimate destination of Queensland.  We stayed at the Mitchell Caravan Park and decided to go on an unpowered site to give the batteries a good test.  This was a 160 kilometre drive today and we still had water all along the road for the whole drive, even more as we got closer to Bourke.

There were a few things to see around Bourke but again even with the rain they have had the river was still bone dry.  The country was greening up a bit though which was pleasing most of the locals.  Some were having green lawns for the first time in a while.  Fred Hollows, our famous Australian eye surgeon is buried in Bourke.  The cemetery also has the grave of Senior Constable McCabe who was shot and killed by the bushranger Captain Starlight.

Other places to visit in and around Bourke are North Bourke Bridge.  This is the oldest lift span bridge in Australia, similar to the one in Wilcannia.  There is also the Back O’Bourke Exhibition Centre and the paddle steamer PV Jandra that was sitting in mud in a dry Darling River when we saw it.  The Lock and Weir at Bourke was the first to be built along the Murray/Darling River Systems.  Not a pretty sight at the moment with no water in the river.  The Wal Mitchell Wharf Precinct was the base for the largest inland port on the Darling River in its heyday.  Not much here now though, just the remains of the old wharf that thankfully you can still walk around.  There also is the old Crossley Engine nearby that has been fully restored.  This once provided power for Sydney and the Power House Museum and is now situated in Bourke.

Well after a couple of days not being hooked up to power we had no alarms going off at night so we feel quite confident that we have sorted out our electrical/battery issues we were having.

Our next stop is over the border in Queensland, its good to know that we will finally be there.  Hopefully it a bit drier so we can get off the road a bit, fingers crossed.