Long Ride (Drive) 2014 - Day 19 - Mildura to Melbourne

Mildura, VIC to Melbourne, VIC
Distance - 540km (8585km)
Weather - Sunny, 22 Degrees

The final run of the Long Ride saw us return to Melbourne from Mildura.

We left in absolute glorious weather and returned to something far from great, a haze hung in the sky and dark clouds looked like they would be bringing rain.

The way home saw us head straight down the Calder Freeway however, it was just as varied as many of the road we had already been on.  Leaving Mildura we passed through many beautiful vineyards, some for wine however, many for the delicious sultanas that Mildura is famous for.  There were also plenty of citrus orchards, the area was so green and lush, compared to what we had been seeing it was amazing.

Big Lizzy, you can't comprehend how
big this thing is.

Towards the outskirts of Mildura you come to Red Cliffs, once a town on it's own but now more a suburb, Red Cliffs is famous for a giant among farm machinery called 'Big Lizzy'.

Big Lizzy is absolutely amazing, in fact if you are into 'big' monuments, then Big Lizzy is a must.

The giant machine was built in 1915 by Frank Bottrill who saw a need to replace the camel trains that carried goods across the sandy terrain. Over 12 months Big Lizzy was constructed and became a legend of the area.  The machine was constructed in Richmond,

Big Lizzy must have made a hell
of a noise.

the suburb of Melbourne.

The plan was to drive it from Melbourne to Broken Hill, it would take one year to get it there.  Almost a year behind schedule and not yet earning an income Bottrill and Big Lizzy were still in Mildura.  By 1920 it was being used to clear land at Red Cliffs.  This pretty determined the future for Big Lizzy until it was dismantled in 1938.  Thankfully it was rebuilt and is now display for all to see.

After taking a look at Big Lizzy we were on our way and soon passed through Ouyen and then Sealake on the banks of Lake Tyrell, another dry, salty lake, much like Lake Eyre only smaller and much easier to access.  These lakes make you realise just how inhospitable this area of Australia can be.

The road past these towns soon became long, straight and uninspiring, that is until we reached Wycheproof.

The first thing you notice is that like some American western movie there's a rail line running right down the middle of the main street.  We were soon to discover that the trains now only run an average of once per week when the harvests happen, the last one hadn't actually come through for 6 weeks.  It must be a sight to behold when they do come through.

Mum, you going to this?

In town we went to a sandwich shop and I was pleased to see a sign that was close to my heart - Bogan Bingo, billed as being 'crude, politically incorrect and downright rude', it just doesn't get any better.  A word of warning, if you intend attending be careful, my dear old mum will be the one fighting to get the best seat.  Having a laugh I turned and noticed something across the road.  A yard full of amazing sculptures, at first I thought it was a display, I soon found it was one man's work.

The yard was full of amazing shapes which, soon became apparent that they were all made of farm machinery, engine parts and rail spikes.  Meandering through the yard I noticed an old bloke sat on a couch, at first I thought we were intruding until I noticed the grin on his face.  It was clear he was keen to show off

Giant sculptures made of
all sorts of things.

his work.

There must be a thousand
rail spikes in this.

We began to chat, he explained that he makes all of the sculptures and when asked why, his response was "why not?"  If you question having a crack at anything then you will never succeed, I told him he had certainly succeeded and his response was that every one was a failure that got out of hand.  We had a good laugh as he motioned us inside.  

Entering through the door brought a world of wonder.  Here was many sculptures made from old coins and basketball's.  This old guy was truly amazing and living a great life, doing what he loved and when he wanted to do it.  I walked away thinking this is what life

should be about.  His words of wisdom were certainly something to consider.

Charlton, a pretty little town.

A little further down the road we came across Charlton, a town that was the complete opposite of Wycheproof with it's extremely wide open streets. Charlton was narrow and twisting, and with it came a very different character, it was a beautiful town, and one that I'd like to visit again.

We continued on and it became apparent that the Long Ride was coming to an end, the roads were becoming more congested and the drivers more aggressive, there was no point

looking back and thinking about what could've been, just what had been achieved and what was still to come.

Melbourne, we were home and already planning what needed to be done to complete my Long Ride ...

Long Ride (Drive) 2014 - Day 18 - Silverton to Mildura

Silverton, NSW to Mildura, VIC
Distance - 320km (8045km)
Weather - Sunny 19 degrees

It was sad leaving Silverton, it really is one of Australia's little gems, just a shame that the majority of caravaners that go there don't get out and explore it a little - I guess that's the same with most places the 'nomads' visit.

The day started reasonably early as we had to visit the gallery across the road, it belonged to the voice that thanked everyone coming each night at the pub, famous artist John Dynon.

We walked to his studio which had a sign that read "If this is here, we're open", it was hung over a trail bike.  The funny thing was no one was here, then we noticed a lone figure pedalling his heart out from the pub, hanging on to his hat in the strong wind.

"Told you we'd be here", I said.  He laughed and said he had seen some 'tourists' stopping by.  Apparently John goes to the pub for a coffee and keeps an eye out for people stopping by his studio.  In fact John is notorious for whistling at passing tourists to get their attention with the hope that they will call in.  He doesn't try to sell his work, he just wants to have a chat and a pet hate is that of people who come to the town yet don't get out of their cars for even a look around.  I too don't see the point of people going somewhere if they don't explore.

We walked into his shed, a studio, that was quite impressive.  John wasn't afraid to show all of his work, even those that are unfinished. I wish I had been loaded, I would certainly have bought many of John's works.

He was good enough to give us a run down of his story, that of the town and his works. John's a real character and what impressed me most was when I noticed a helmet he had painted for the local motocross club to raise funds.  It was great and so I enquired about the cost of commissioning a helmet for the next Long Ride to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

John said he preferred to only do stuff for local charity, otherwise he gets so much work that he can't deliver.  I was a little bummed.  I'm not sure if John picked up on this however, he did say to grab a couple of his prints and he would sign them so we could get them framed and use them to raise money.  It was a very generous thing to do, and gave a great insight into the nature of this man.

John Dynon has a coffee at the pub
every morning.  He sits & waits for
visitors to his gallery.

If you are in Silverton please stop and have a look around especially at John's gallery, you can't miss it, you see John is the one who paints the emu's all around Silverton, even on the VW's that are all over the town.  If you don't I'm sure you will get a whistle or even a "thanks for coming".

As a fan of the Mad Max movies I couldn't come t Silverton and not visit the Mad Max II museum.  It wasn't here the last time I was here, and as the second of the post-apocalyptic trilogy was filmed here it just had to happen.

The museum was opened by a Yorkshire man, Adrian Bennett, who loved the movies so much he just had to live where his favourite was filmed. So the family uprooted from Bradford and moved to Silverton - work that out.

The Ford Landau from the opening
scene of Mad Max II.

Adrian became obsessed when friends dragged him along to see the movie in 1982, he became an instant fan of Australian cinema.  His obsession grew so much that he created three replicas of Max's Ford Falcon XB GT Interceptor, amazingly these were in Britain, more amazingly he shipped them to Australia.

Adrian is very proud of his museum, especially the fact that many of artifacts were donated by locals of Silverton and Broken Hill who starred as extras in the movie.  In fact many locations in the area were used in the movie.  The road leading to the Mundi Mundi Plains is where the final scene takes place, the opening is actually at the lookout overlooking the plains.  The scene reading "Mundi Mundi Plains Lookout" can be seen in the movie.

I think this would be a little
uncomfortable for the Long Ride.

A number of people were visiting the museum and Adrian was keen to speak to all of them about the movie, he almost wet his pants when I said I was from the area where the first one was filmed and have even driven down 'Anarchy Road' (Anakie Road near Lara in Victoria). He explained why the producers made the first film there, I've got to admit I don't think Adrian has seen the area, it's a little different to what it really looks like.  I must send him a photo of the Halls of Justice (Scienceworks in Spotswood).

Hmm another Beetle.  

Unfortunately it was now time to leave Silverton and start heading south, as we turned back onto Burke Street and headed towards Broken Hill I took one quick look back at the pub, I had the same feeling that I had almost 15 years earlier, the last time I left Silverton, I'd miss this place.

I had a slight chuckle when I looked and saw the Interceptors 'love child' ... the Beetle parked out the front of the pub.  The legend says that one night the Mad Max Interceptor was drinking at the pub, got a little drunk and had it's way with one of Silverton's many Beetle's.  The result was the 'love child'.  I think one of my Beetle's bred too, and gave birth to a few more ... mum, dad, sorry about all of them taking up the driveway all those years ago.

Passing through Broken Hill, I couldn't help but think I had to come back, despite what I had heard (and seen) it's actually a beautiful town and obviously has a lot of money, from mining.  It's unique in that the mines are right in the middle of town, well worth checking out some time.

A flat land with nothing but salt bush.

The road south is the Silver City Highway and the landscape pretty uninspiring, mostly flat and covered in salt bush. A highlight was something Adrian had told us to look out for, three small peaks on the horizon just outside of Broken Hill.  The middle one is where the compound in Mad Max II was filmed ... I could see why.

One thing that I did notice as we ventured further south was that the dry river beds were becoming deeper, suggesting that when the rivers were flowing the water was greater and stronger.  It made sense as we were heading towards the Murray River, so the occasional rains had to flow to it some how.

The land further south was starting to show great life, and very definitely becoming greener. In amongst the great patches of green many wild goats were devouring what they could, we even saw a road train that was jam packed with goats obviously going to the slaughter.  It's the first time I've looked at a cattle truck and didn't feel a sense of shame or sadness.

We eventually pulled into Mildura, a city that seems to be always green and lush as well as claiming to have more days of sunshine than that of the Gold Coast in Queensland.

The fact that Mildura is so green is that it sits on the Murray River at an area where other rivers run into it. I've heard it called the 'city that sits on the twin rivers'.  With a population of around 30,000 Mildura was founded in the 1880's when irrigation was introduced to water the grazing lands that they many sheep farms used.  

In the 1890's rabbits made their way to the Mildura region and pretty much destroyed the sheep industry overnight.  This left the locals with no choice but to turn to grapes and citrus, and is now regarded as a world leader in both, thanks mostly to the immigrants who came to the region after World War II.

The Mercure's view of the twin rivers.

Mildura is quite a nice city, it's not all stuck in the 1950's as Ross Noble would have you believe, although some areas do have beautiful art-deco buildings.  There's an abundance of hotel and motels, we checked into the Mercure which was an older style building, a great feature was the heritage listed elevator, it still required you to pull the door closed yourself.

The Mercure's rooms were great, and had an interesting view, but I wasn't complaining the bed was massive and would ensure a great nights sleep, the Long Ride (drive) was quickly coming to an end.

Long Ride (Drive) 2014 - Day 17 - Silverton

Day 17 was supposed to have been a day of exploring the Silverton area by bike, especially the Mundi Mundi plains area.  For obvious reasons this wouldn't be entirely possible however, the ghost town still had to be explored.

It started with the night before in the Silverton Hotel's new accommodation.  The rooms were very spacious and extremely modern, the ruins separating the pub from the accommodation were a little spooky but that really added to the appeal.

The first night in the pub was great, meeting the locals as well as a number of tourists, an older couple from South Australia were brilliant.  Quite a few drinks were consumed and stories told.  We were almost the last to leave and as we did so a voice from the far corner said "Thanks for coming".  It wasn't the staff or owners, so who was it?

We went to bed with the rooms boiling hot, the day had been well into the mid 30's, not long after the wind picked up making the front door bang slightly.  

It was easy to get to sleep, and even easier to be woken up.  In the early hours of the morning the temperature had dropped dramatically, there was a huge bang at the front door and a god awful howling coming from outside, it sounded like the hounds of hell had been released.  I lay in bed frozen with fear, not sure if the pain killers were making me dream of weird things again or whether something sinister was outside the room.

Bloody hell Leigh, I thought, wanting to slap myself into reality, it was just the wind blowing through the ruins.  I eventually fell into an interrupted sleep, waking when the sun started to come up. Unbelievably the sun did little to warm the land, it was cold, very cold.

After a breakfast of Jordan's granola and Black Swan yogurt the plan was to explore the town, on foot. 

There's an excellent Heritage Trail around the area taking in many of Silverton's ruins and what better place to start than the busiest street in the town, Burke Street.  The pub sits on the corner of Burke and Layard Streets.

Almost all of Australia's early explorers passed through the area, Major Thomas Mitchell, Charles Sturt and Burke & Wills, yet the area wasn't settled until a false claim of a gold discovery was made in 1867.

Less than a decade later silver was found by accident when a bore was being sunk for water.  This lead to a population explosion which reached it's peak in 1890 of 3,000.  During this time the area was organised into a town proper, the Silverton Tramway (train line) was connected to the South Australian network at Cockburn in 1888, opening up the region to further development.

The towns population fluctuated during the late 1800's and early 1900's especially as richer iron and silver deposits were found at Broken Hill however, Silverton was a popular destination for the residents of the newer town.  In 1915 the Battle of Broken Hill took place, just a few months before ANZAC troops landed on the beaches of Gallipoli.

Two Afghan former camel workers declared their allegiance to the Ottoman Empire, who Australia, through its planned involvement in the Great War, had essentially declared war against.  They planned to target the Broken Hill to Silverton New Years Day picnic train loaded with 1200 holiday makers.

In doing so, they essentially brought Australia into the war on our land (not to forget the first shots of World War I actually being fired from the heads of Port Phillip Bay in Victoria.  Two people were killed in the attack and seven injured, a number of the victims were children.

As the two attackers fled they killed another man, in the meantime the train stopped at a siding and was able to alert the police who on turn contacted the local military.  The two Afghan's shot and wounded a local constable as the continued to flee.  Once pinned down locals joined the military forces and a 90 minute gun battle took place although, little came of it. Unfortunately a local man, who was cutting wood, was hit by a stray bullet and became the fourth person killed.

In the aftermath of the battle, the locals didn't turn on the Afghan or Muslim communities instead turning their anger on the German's in the area, stating that they had instigated the entire attack.  Unfortunately the local Turkish people said that the whole event had been staged by the local military to bolster support for the troops heading to the battle fields.  

It seems that in 100 years we have learnt very little from the events.

With this new knowledge of the town we moved across Burke Street and started to explore the many buildings laying in ruins.  The wind was howling through the landscape adding to the ghostly atmosphere, it was brilliant.

While walking through what was left of this part of town I couldn't help but feel how difficult it must of been for the people.  While the buildings, or what was remaining, were essentially solid stone I doubted that that would have offered little protection from the extremes in weather as we had witnessed over the past few days.

The ruins were beautiful and now I was beginning to see why so many artists saw this area as a perfect place to ply their trade.

The walk now took us into the hills to a lookout giving brilliant 360 degree views.  The map suggested we had to walk to the next hill, we could see it but it looked like the walk would be another 2 or 3 kilometres away.  We looked at the map again and decided to cut across land to the nearby rail line which, had ceased to exist since 1970.

The walk across the land wasn't tough although, we were mindful of the many snakes in the area.

The old rail cutting shows how much
work went into creating the connection
with South Australia.

We eventually made it to the railway and entered the cutting. This was just as spooky as the ruins, with the wind blowing across the top creating a strange sound that made it feel like someone was watching us.  We continued up the narrow cutting back towards town and to our surprise we stumbled across a rail spike, and looking at it's condition it looked original making it over 130 years old.  How the hell no one had seen this before has me beat, but I wasn't complaining it was now mine ... anyone who knows me well enough knows I love old 'junk'.  I know it would be worth nothing but it is a little piece of Australia's history, a pretty good find I reckon.

A relic of the past.  How was this not
found years ago?

The cutting was quite large and eventually went through some strange walled area that looked like it must of been some sort of platform although, I don't think it was where the original station was located.

Eventually the rail line led us back to the outskirts of the town, the map suggested we take a right turn and up to the cafe on top of the hill.

The cafe, while in an older style building, looked as if it had been rebuilt yet kept to the style of the surrounds.  The food was pretty good, and the place was popular.  The building next door was amazing, it was in ruins yet gave a clear picture to the size of this building.  It was large, with four rooms and two fireplaces, I'd say someone with a bit of money owned this place, now it was a unique garden for the cafe.

Slightly further up the road was the Mad Max II museum however, they didn't take EFTPOS so this would have to wait until tomorrow.

Even the dump has a beauty about it.
Someone obviously had a massive
night some years ago.

In this part of the 'town' there were a number of art galleries and all worth a look, the artists in this region are brilliant and are here for the unique colours and light, I totally get it, the place is beautiful, even the rubbish dump had a unique look to it. Silverton is a photographers paradise, I just wish I didn't have a gimpy arm at the moment so that I could handle a camera a little better.  

One thing that strikes you about Silverton is the number of Volkswagen Beetles that are scattered around the landscape, and all with the original teardrop headlights. One that took my eye was an older 1960's model, similar to what I used to own, it had strange emu paintings all over it, adding to the character, I loved it.

It turned out to be in front of the house that belonged to Pete and Patsy, the owners of the Silverton Hotel.  

By now my shoulder was giving me hell and just wanted to rest but there was just too much to look at so we pushed on passing a number of churches, some were vacant, one had been turned into a beautiful home.  I guess someone looks after churches, they always tend to be some of the last buildings to fall into ruin.  They were magnificent and added great character to the town.  Further down the road was the school museum, manned by an old military man, he was able to give us a great history of Silverton and point out which people were original families, amazingly there are still a few that live here that can trace their history right back to the start.

After a short rest the next thing to do was check out what the Silverton Common was all about.  It essentially means that the whole area around the town is looked after by a committee.  The committee are responsible for ensuring that the natural landscape is maintained and not ruined by people walking or driving over it.  There's also a clause that allows the towns people to let their animals roam freely, it's pretty unique and looks amazing when you consider that horses and cows just walk through the town area like they own it, although it can be a little dangerous at times.

Inside the pub, a little different to the
way it used to be but still full of
atmosphere.

From here it was back to the pub for a few refreshments and some dinner.  The food is pretty basic, there's no chef, the bar staff actually cook what you order, our cook for the night was a young British backpacker.  The great thing is, the food is just as cheap as what it would cost if you cooked it yourself.

Over dinner we discussed the days adventures and the fact that I had been told that my bike had been written off by the insurance assessor.  I didn't think the 'off' was that bad but apparently there was considerable damage to the bike. I wonder if they'll do the same with my shoulder?

The night ended talking about the Long Ride and men's health, so another good result.  As we left we were asked where we'd been for day, we explained.  Then we were questioned why we hadn't been to the gallery across the road.  With no excuse we promised to visit in the morning.  As we walked out the door a voice from the corner said, "Thanks for coming".  I know realised who it was.

Long Ride (Drive) 2014 - Day 16 - Peterborough to Silverton

Peterborough, SA to Silverton, NSW
Distance - 304km (7725km)
Weather - 34 degrees

Leaving Peterborough, it seemed appropriate that the next stop on the Long Ride would be Silverton in New South Wales.

Now a very real ghost town, Silverton was once a thriving mining town that was connected to Peterborough via the train line we had just learnt about, in fact it was much more important to Australia than Broken Hill. Eventually both of these factors would be the death of Silverton.

We would essentially follow the rail line that now bypasses Silverton as it heads to Broken Hill, in this regard we were following a very important part of Australian history.

Manna Hill pub, said to be one of the
regions best in its day.

Following the Barrier Highway we came across Manna Hill after about 130km.  There's not much to this place, a pub and a train station which, is no longer used, and this is the story of many towns along the Barrier Highway.  Once steam was fazed out, the towns simply faded away.  It really is sad however, a number have refused to die completely and now form a very unique part of the landscape.

The pub had an unusual garden that even had a 'pot tree', great some pain relief, no, it was a tree that had a collection of pots and pans in it.  While this was interesting it was the station across the road that really grabbed everyones attention. It was simply beautiful.

Manna Hill rail station, completed
before the rail line even was.

Here I met a man who was traveling with his wife and thought of the station much the same way I did.  We got talking and he explained that he had had heart surgery a while back after almost dying and this had given him a different perspective on life despite having been through two tours of the Vietnam war.  Speaking foir just a short while I think we got to know each other a little better, parting I thanked him for what he had done for our country and he was choked up, he thanked me for what the Long Ride was doing.  We departed, both with a glint in our eyes.

The town itself was founded on the prospect of gold but soon became more of a water station for the trains that ran the area.  The interesting thing is that the station was actually completed before the line itself was, so confident were the people of the area that they had something to offer.

During the peak of the steam trains, as well as the local gold diggings, and sheep farming (shearing) the pub would accommodate up to 50 people at a time plus those now passing through.  These days they are lucky to have 50 people a month.

Just over 100 kilometres further east we came across Cockburn.  This town sits on the border with New South Wales and in fact was the end of the line for the South Australian rail system.  In the 1880's the NSW government refused to build a railway between Silverton / Broken Hill and the SA border so it was up to private enterprise to do this, something the government was heavily against.  It seems even back then that Australian governments, federal and state, couldn't see that building for the future was important.

Cockburn was essentially setup as another water station for the trains heading along the line although, the hotel had been in existence for around 15 years prior.

Approaching the town the weirdest thing appeared the on the horizon.  A bloody Hills Hoist, a clothesline, in the middle of what is essentially still desert.

What the hell?  Why is this here? Who put it here?

One of the weirdest things I have seen.

I couldn't help myself, I had to take a look.  It appears that originally it might've been some sort of art, there was a pair of steel socks hanging on it however, over time it seems that passing tourists have stopped and added their own bits and pieces.  Some of the undies hanging on the line look like they would be better suited to a maxi-yacht competing in the Sydney to Hobart classic.

A little further down the road was the Border Gate Hotel.  Originally opened in 1870, the pub had closed in 1986, and was now just a truck stop.  As it had a Ulysses club sign out the front we thought we had better stop and have a look.

Border Gate, one of the oldest around

Inside was very similar to what it must've been like 140 years earlier.  We ordered from the very basic menu and sat down while the 'barman' went and cooked the meals.  At the table next to us were a couple of truckies chatting about past jobs.  They told us they were waiting for another truck that was coming from Adelaide but didn't expect it to turn up at the due time, I guess this is why it''s important that people keep this old pubs running, so that the drivers have somewhere to get a decent feed and rest while waiting for more cargo.

We finished off the meal and then as we were paying the lady serving us put her hands together, as if in prayer.  She was so thankful that we had stopped by and had a meal at their little establishment that it was quite humbling. It certainly made the stop very much worthwhile.

Back on the road we made straight for Broken Hill and ultimately Silverton.  Out on these open roads it's become pretty evident what a problem Australia has with feral animals.  I always thought rabbits were a major problem however, it would seem that goats are just as bad.  There must surely be the need for some sort of cull or baiting to eradicate the problem although then I guess the people from PETA would be up in arms.

Less than 80 kilometres up the road we started to see the mining city of Broken Hill with it's massive open cut mines and associated equipment.  This then lead us on to Silverton around 25 kilometres outside of Broken Hill.

With a population of around just 60 people, Silverton is a far cry from what it used to be.

I'd been here a couple of times before when working on advertising shoots and was always

fascinated by the place however, it seemed to have changed, becoming a little more commercial.  First impressions of the famous pub were very different to what I had witnessed previously, in fact I was probably a little disappointed.  Nevertheless we checked into the new accommodation which has been added to the property and were pleasantly surprised.  They were extremely modern and upmarket yet kept in theme with the region and the pub.

After setting up we went back into the pub to have a drink, a feed and meet the locals (and tourists).  It was here that I discovered that my fundraising had hit $12.5k, taking the total raised for the Long Ride to over $300k.  I have to thank you all for the help with that.  I still have a little way to go to reach my target of $20k.

Long Ride (Drive) 2014 - Day 15 - Woomera to Peterborough

Woomera to Peterborough
Distance - 312km (7421km)
Weather - Sunny 29 degrees

Woomera the day after was just as deserted as the day before so it didn't take too long to get away after refuelling.

The bulk of the journey would see us drive to Port Augusta.  The road there was pretty straight forward although the amount of road kill did start to increase and in some areas to a dramatic level.

Once there it was amazing to see how the desert literally does meet the sea, it was actually quite an amazing sight.  The same could be said for the town itself, despite what many people had said about Port Augusta it was actually much nicer than what I had expected.

A lot more animals were on the road
out of Woomera.

A quick bite to eat and we were on our way again, there's no doubt I will be back to Port Augusta to have a much better look around but today the plan was to get to Peterborough as quick as possible, we had much to see in this former railway town.

The road out of Woomera.

After the 181 kilometres to Port Augusta the remainder of the drive would be just a short run.  We soon found that this wouldn't be the case as the road took a left turn and head for the hills.  Indeed it was hills, it was the Flinders Ranges, after almost 2 weeks on the road we were going to get some twisty bits of road, bloody hell, not on a bike.  The Love Bus just isn't made for this sort of stuff and was beginning to show the signs.

Horrocks Pass

Stopping at Horrocks Pass to check the view the Love Bus was starting to smell, it was hard to tell whether it was the engine, the brakes or a tyre, either way it was a hot smell.

A decision was made, what could we do?  We continued on regardless of the smell.  The hill roads were great and would've been even better on a bike, unfortunately they didn't last long enough and so we were back on the straights.

An hour or so later we were at Peterborough and after checking into the caravan we set about learning about this town, it's a fascinating story and continues to do so, in fact we didn't realise that this town could be considered one of the most important in Australia's history yet I doubt whether many people know about it.  I certainly didn't.

Peterborough, originally named Peterburg although changed during the years of World War I, was a hub of the South Australian railway network and became an important centre for troop transport during World War II and more importantly livestock and ore transport from the surrounding area.

Steamtown, a great look at the past.

In 1880 it was announced that all of the surrounding rail systems would be linked in Peterborough and so the town began to spring up.  That same year a hotel and post office was erected, soon followed by a school and town hall.

Peterborough soon became very important when silver and iron deposits were discovered in Silverton and Broken Hill, the railway linked the mining towns with the nearest port at Port Pirie, it also became the main link for the Transcontinental Railway and the Ghan Railway.

Steamtown encourages visitors to get
up close and touch the exhibits.

The railyards and linking lines catered for all three rail gauges used through South Australia making it possibly the busiest railyard outside of any capital city, in it's peak 100 trains a day passed through or stopped at Peterborough.

This continued right through the era of steam until in 1970 it was realised that diesel trains were much more efficient and thus the era of steam ended and so did the glory days of Peterborough.

Instead of letting the town become a relic the local people have fought back and started to turn the place into one that leads the way in tourism.  Steamtown opened which showcases the towns history through the railways.  They have a fantastic museum which has many great displays of steam powered transport.  They also have a sound and light show however, I wouldn't really call it that as it really only displays a video production of the history of local rail.  Despite its short comings I would recommend it as many people would actually know a lot of the history, especially that of Australia's war against Turkey before the ANZAC's even landed at Gallipoli.

One of the greatest things about Steamtown is that they get the local school kids to do work experience restoring the exhibits.  They've found that this has given the older kids a sense of ownership and pride in their town which has had a flow on effect to the younger kids and is having great results.  So much so that recently the towns kids raised enough money to build a skate park and the town has no graffiti at all.

Peterborough Motorcycle Museum

We'd been told that while we were in Peterborough we had to visit the local motorcycle museum.  I was surprised that there was one out here and even more surprised to find the varied collection within it.

A 1920's James is one of the bikes in
Peterborough.

Housed in a beautiful old stone church hall the collection had mostly European bikes and that of 50cc although, there were a few larger capacity bikes and even a 100 year old Australian made bike, called 'The Favourite'.

This unique machine was actually built in Peterborough and eventually made it's was to the United States.  A few years ago a bidding war started on eBay for the machine and then under a number of spooky circumstances The Favourite returned to it's home town for much less than it was listed for.  The owners are convinced that this bike wanted to come home.

The owners of the bikes are more than willing to talk about the history of the machines and how they acquired them, their knowledge is outstanding and yet are always looking for peoples stories to further the history of the machines.


While talking to the owners they were both impressed by the Long Ride and what we were doing for men's health, especially as we were 'on' motorbikes.

If you are ever in the mid-north area of South Australia you need to check out Peterborough and it's two fantastic museums, it's well worth spending a day or two in the area.