The Cormanus Chronicles: The Wintersun Run 2018

[Cormanus]

Day 3: Cobar to Broken Hill (471 kms)


Link to Map

Another glorious but chilly day saw us on the way to Broken Hill. It was more of the same: flat land, low scrub, dead kangaroos, endless grey nomads, wild goats, emus, big trucks, and the occasional live kangaroo.

A not very good photo of roadside emus between Walgett and Bourke

The land, although flat and seemingly endless, is, to my eye, surprisingly interesting. Just when you think you’ve had enough, you realise the red soil that produces bull dust has changed to a paler colour and the size and type of tree has also changed. There is also the endless spectacle of the Big Sky. Out here it is mostly untouched even by aircraft vapour trails.

We stopped for breakfast and fuel at the Emmdale Road House, passed by Warrawong on the darling, saw the empty Darling River at Wilcannia, refuelled again at the Topar Roadhouse before rolling into Broken Hill in good time. We both enjoyed the final 10 kms or so where the road surprisingly developed a few turns.

At the Emmdale Roadhouse. The Harley in the background was the first bike we’d seen since leaving Narrabri

At Emmdale, we talked to a couple of ADV riders who told us to avoid the dirt roads as there were some horrendous potholes which they though CB1100s would not appreciate.

Pterodactyl settles in for the next leg


Back on the road. It’s a while till the next stop


On the road down the incline in front of me is a truck. Behind it on the horizon is the faintest hint of a hill. There are some more off to the right of the road. By that time of the day, even a hint of a hill was enough to make me stop and take a picture.


The plain to the left of the road. No hills that way!


At the Little Topar Roadhouse. There’s nothing there except a small store and some petrol bowsers

The Palace Hotel looked substantial and inviting, had a television to watch the rugby, cold beer, a reasonable tariff and a lockable garage for the bikes. An agreeable chap on a Harley—only the fourth bike we’d seen since leaving Narrabri—appeared and shared the garage. Later three ADV riders also borrowed the key and parked their bikes.

Broken Hill locals admire two fine motorcycles!


The main street of Broken Hill in the very early evening

New South Wales won the State of Origin, much to Pterodactyl’s disgust. I probably should have been disgusted too, but it was such an exciting match I slept through the second half.
Day 4: Broken Hill to Silverton to Menindee to Broken Hill (318 kms)

[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=12X2YrdF90OT_lguMoXjdB2hA7Wj5l7Y3&usp=sharing]Link to Map

Broken Hill was something of a high point of this part of our trip. From Narrabri (212 metres above sea level) we had descended to Bourke (106 metres) before climbing to Cobar (260 metres), descending again to Wilcannia (75 metres) and then climbing through Little Topar (127 metres) to Broken Hill (315 metres). Our Day 3 ride would take us down again to Menindee at 60 metres. Mildura would see us at 51 metres.

It’s also a bit of a high point because it’s a pretty spectacular town in the middle of nowhere. It’s nearly 1,000 kms from Sydney as the crow flies and 1,200 kms from my home in Brisbane. By road, straight though they are, I’d travelled a tad more than 1,500 kms. Curiously, my fuel consumption on the way here was slightly higher than usual.

[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Hill]Broken Hill got its name from an explorer, Charles Sturt. Neither exists any longer: Sturt from the effluxion of time, Broken Hill because it has been mined away since 1883 when silver was discovered. Although I saw two motorcycle shops that had shut down, the civic buildings in Broken Hill are magnificent and speak of significant past prosperity.

For movie buffs, the Palace Hotel, was a stopping point for the characters in the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The hotel was used for some of the filming. Even better, from my perspective, the hotel started life as a coffee palace paid for by the temperance movement as a counterpoint to the plethora of licensed hotels in Broken Hill. In the long run, the temperance movement lost out.

The hotel features a number of splendid murals. Priscilla’s shoe float adorns the foyer.











Murals in the foyer of the Palace Hotel, Broken Hill


I hope I’m right that this came from the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

After a late-ish breakfast across the street—partly to avoid the chill—we set off for Silverton, around 25 kms to the north. It, too, will be recognisable to movie buffs, as it features in Priscilla, A Town like Alice, Mission Impossible II and others. Mad Max II was filmed around Silverton and the town features a Mad Max II museum which was closed when we got there.

The road undulates slightly and must be amazing on the rare occasions it rains. To warn hapless motorists of an impending dip, yellow, diamond-shaped signs proclaiming “DIP” feature beside the road. About half-way to Silverton, I noticed some one had painted “Radish and Onion” above the word “DIP”. On the way back, I spotted a Gluten Free dip and an Avocado Dip (Guacamole). I didn’t take photos, only partly because it would have been hard to stop beside the road.

A chill desert breeze blew through the town

The museum




The Silverton Hotel complete with external tribute to Mad Max




Posters in the Silverton Hotel


Silverton’s gallery


For those who enjoy Australian place names ‘Umberumberka’ must be up there with the best

The town felt like the Australian equivalent of a wild west set so, after a look at the Hotel, we turned south again to Broken Hill and Menindee, home of some celebrated outback lakes.

At one stage of our planning we’d contemplated riding from Wilcannia to Menindee via a dirt road. The three ADV riders we met at Broken Hill had persuaded us not to. Leaving Broken Hill we were treated to another feast of sweeping corners as the road headed downhill. After that, though, there was a seemingly endless flood plain.

Of water there was little sight. Menindee Lake was just another flood plain and, when we visited the historic Kinchega Woolshed we found it a little hard to believe the wool used to be collected by paddle steamer which took it south to Wentworth.

The road from the little town of Menindee to the Kinchega Woolshed


Pretty much had the place to ourselves


A windmill! Must be a CB photo op


The old woolshed


Where the shearers used to strut their stuff


One of a number of wool presses

As we’d arrived at the Woolshed, there was a single Land Rover. By the time we’d finished our tour, the car park was full of them. A Land Rover rally, no less. We spent a while wandering around, working out how to weave our way between them. One bloke even moved his vehicle for us. Pterodactyl mounted and took off in a completely different direction around and exited without difficulty. I followed, laughing fit to bust. I hope the bloke didn’t think us ungrateful.

A Land Rover rally
Nowhere in Menindee looked all that inviting as a place to stay. In any event, we’d have to return to Broken Hill before turning south to Mildura, so we headed back, thinking to find somewhere different to stay. Nothing appeared as we rode in, so it was back to the Palace.

On the way out of Menindee, we climbed a hillock to look at the lake, but there was little to no water to be seen.





Day 5: Broken Hill to Mildura (311 kms)

[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Nz1bDKr_BLI8kEQlg4ANCBn7gYQkQHN4&usp=sharing]Link to Map

Another cold morning with the promise of rain greeted us. In a place with an average annual rainfall of 242 mm (9.5 inches), even a drop’s a treat for the locals so, even though it offered the likelihood of donning the dreaded wets, we didn’t begrudge them.

From Broken Hill to Wentworth is 261 kms. Theoretically the CB would make it; but, even allowing for noroomtomove’s first law of motion and fuel consumption, I was not anxious to put it to the test. Particularly as the CB had been sipping slightly more petrol than usual to this point. As it turns out, based on the fuel I actually used, I would have made it with a few kilometres to spare, but I’m still glad not to have attempted it.

Even though the Coombah Roadhouse—pretty much in the middle of nowhere—was only 120 kms down the road, after recording Pterodactyl’s 111,111 milestone ([url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=9640&pid=208042#pid208042]see here), we stopped there. A number of road trains were parked as earlier rain slightly further south meant they couldn’t negotiate the dirt road taking them to their destination. We wondered whether they’d be there for a day or so.





Milestones

Others at the roadhouse said it was raining in Mildura, so we donned our wets and set out again. Rain it did in patches. Not much, but persistently enough to make me glad of my waterproofs. Having nearly lost my damaged visor once when I turned my head right forgetting about it, I was pleased to discover it still kept the water out. I’d not been confident. Having realised on the first day that I’d be very lucky to find one, I’d rung Mildura and ordered one. I was relieved it was there and that it fitted.





The Coombah Roadhouse. The Road Trains were sitting around waiting for a dirt road to dry out


Inside a sign told us where we were heading

A bloke in the motorcycle shop told us the road into the Wintersun rally was a quagmire and he’d decided not to ride in. Setting up tents in the rain is never appealing so we retired to Mildura’s Grand Hotel where we found a comfortable room at a very reasonable rate. After an excellent Thai meal and a couple of cleansing ales at a local beer house we slept well.


Pterodactyl consults the internet with the Honda shop in the background. I was relieved to have a replacement visor that was not going to blow away in a moment of forgetfulness
Day 6: Mildura and thereabouts (161 kms)

[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fQBMgswBqMJsxfM6Uo6PJ3k3uLMvVcLP&usp=sharing]Link to Map

The Wintersun Run is mostly about going to Mildura. There local Motorcycle Club, where one camps, hosts a bonfire and entertainment on Saturday night, flat track racing on Sunday, and a barbeque in the evening, but that’s about it. They also provide breakfast for three mornings and, on both days, a local food van was on site. The rest of the time you’re on your own.

We checked in and set up our camp.

This Kawasaki ornamented the outside of the check-in tent



It was time to go for a ride. On the way from Broken Hill I’d noticed a sign to a place called Pomona. I lived in Pomona, Queensland for a number of years and had always wanted to visit its southern namesake. We did. A sign and a boat launching ramp were about it.

While stopping to take a photo of the sign for my wife, I gained first had experience of just how treacherous the desert dirt is. I pulled off the black top onto what looked like damp gravel. Even after very minor rain, it was soggy and sludgy and sticky. Pterodactyl told me he thought I was going to get bogged in it. Blech!


We rode on through the town hoping we may find a circuit to take us back to Mildura. We found only dirt roads and so turned back. A break at the boat ramp provided brief entertainment.

Spot the belated competition entry

We rode back along the norther side of the Murray River and settled in to enjoy the entertainments.

I passed a milestone on the way



Day 7: Pooncarie (298 kms)

[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1D90iXjIFJ3-gFsxK1MUDIgSydiLyIWKb&usp=sharing]Link to Map

We’d hoped to ride from Menindee to Wentworth via Pooncarie, but the road is dirt and all the advice we collected urged against it. However, as the road from Wentworth north to Pooncarie is sealed we decided to while away the morning with a ride. More of the same flat, fast country, but a surprisingly good breakfast of eggs benedict at a surprisingly sophisticated café on the banks of the Darling River. It was a particular counterpart to the sign that warned about the state of the river!

The sign says: ‘WARNING! This water may be contaminated with algae. Do not DRINK, SWIM or allow pets in the water. Avoid contact with water.

Pooncarie is a pretty oasis and was once a major port for the paddle steamers plying the Darling. They couldn’t do it now, as I’ve noted, as there’s insufficient water in the river, but that’s not the reason they stopped. The advent of faster (and presumably cheaper) road transport spelled the end of waterways as a major transport route.

As well as the café, [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pooncarie]Wikipedia tells us,
Quote: … the village has a postal centre and Centrelink office (which is housed in the former Pooncarie police station), a hotel, a golf course, a tennis court, a general store, a cemetery, and a racecourse, where the Pooncarie Cup - held on Labour Day (NSW and SA) - attracts a crowd of over 1,500 enthusiasts.
Pooncarie is also close to the Lake Mungo National Park, where the remains of the oldest known human in Australia were found. The remains are believed to be around 40,000 years old, although there has been some controversy about that, [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Mungo_remains.]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Mungo_remains.

Although any number of people said Lake Mungo was worth a look, the long dirt road ride involved in the aftermath of rain put it out of the question.

The woman at the café told us about an alternative route to Mildura which would take us past Fletcher’s Lake. She claimed it was pretty when there was water in it. It was.


An afternoon of flat racing, a spit roast, plenty of motorcycle and other conversation around the fire pit at the Mildura Motorcycle Club made for a rather-too-good afternoon and evening.







A couple of bikes hanging around

I enjoyed seeing one of the new Kawasaki Z900RS in the metal. I liked it. Pterodactyl didn’t. It’s owner was sporting an interesting hoodie—[url=https://www.google.com/search?q=kwikasfuki+hoodie&safe=off&client=firefox-b-ab&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=E0MRH7Iv_W1MHM%253A%252C3J8yRrmco-j1rM%252C_&usg=__RZNjre45f2i9KNyR-NvEmlVQnE0%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWgIP-wv3bAhXbdN4KHcSeAbQQ9QEIKzAA#imgrc=E0MRH7Iv_W1MHM:]see here.