At Warrnambool, we headed North East on our way back to Narrandera. We were out of sightseeing mode and definitely in the "Let's get home and out of this car" mode. Dan needed to be at work the next day and we had some serious miles to put behind us. Hopefully we will get back to check out the paddle wheel steamers on the Murray River at Echuca, the Gold Rush towns of Bendigo and Ballarat and the sheep shearing competitions in Hay.
The last thing we want to note from our ride was the desolate area between Deniliquin and Hay. It is pretty much an hour of NOTHING! It is a little frightening to think of breaking down out there as for the majority the ride we were alone on this highway.
This area of Australia (including where we live) has been in drought for 10 years. This means that in last 10 years, there have been red dust storms and heat and dryness like we have never experienced. The year of our arrival has brought relief and more rain than they have had in years in just a few months. It has also meant an explosion of flora and fauna. Areas that would have been just red dust are now covered in scrub grass and other desert type vegetation. It has also meant plague like invasions of grasshoppers, crickets and now, mice (our first night home, I woke up to a mouse on the bedside table)!
The region we drove through is called the Shear Outback because it is a Sheep Shearing area (
the Hall of Fame is here) and it is rich in history. It chronicles the sheering and wool industry history. It would definitely be worth a day trip back to one weekend.
Anyhow, we took some pictures of the desolate outback area and Jacob to a soil sample. Now that we are home and the holidays are coming to an end, we are gearing up to head back to school for the second term and to settle back into our normal routine.
The last thing we want to note from our ride was the desolate area between Deniliquin and Hay. It is pretty much an hour of NOTHING! It is a little frightening to think of breaking down out there as for the majority the ride we were alone on this highway.
This area of Australia (including where we live) has been in drought for 10 years. This means that in last 10 years, there have been red dust storms and heat and dryness like we have never experienced. The year of our arrival has brought relief and more rain than they have had in years in just a few months. It has also meant an explosion of flora and fauna. Areas that would have been just red dust are now covered in scrub grass and other desert type vegetation. It has also meant plague like invasions of grasshoppers, crickets and now, mice (our first night home, I woke up to a mouse on the bedside table)!The region we drove through is called the Shear Outback because it is a Sheep Shearing area (
the Hall of Fame is here) and it is rich in history. It chronicles the sheering and wool industry history. It would definitely be worth a day trip back to one weekend.Anyhow, we took some pictures of the desolate outback area and Jacob to a soil sample. Now that we are home and the holidays are coming to an end, we are gearing up to head back to school for the second term and to settle back into our normal routine.
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