Our lunch stop was the information bay that looked across to Gundabooka National Park.
Louth
We camped on the river at Dunlop Station and made use of the fire pits and wood that was delivered to our site to make dinner.
The next day we did the tour of Dunlop Homestead and Store. It started with a very generous morning tea!
Kim then gave a really interesting talk about the founding of the station by Sir Samuel McCaughey and the state it was in when they bought it.
After the talk we were allowed to look through the homestead and the old store. The history of the place demanded sepia photos!
The back wall of the old kitchen faced onto a courtyard, and the colours were too pretty to put this one in sepia.
Trilby Station
After Dunlop Station we went a few kilometres down the road to Trilby Station for two nights. We had a lovely spot on the river, but it was a long way down to the water.
The station provides a mud map to follow, showing off the varied terrain of the property, some of the sheep yards and plenty of relics of the past.
The old New Chum homestead was a real highlight. When they built a new homestead in the mid 60s they just left this one as it was when they moved so it could be used in emergencies like floods. It was a step back in time with lots of things that reminded us of our childhoods and our grandparents' homes.
More Emus
Tilpa
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Our next stop was Tilpa for an overnight in the free camp. We had a hot northerly wind at Trilby and it swung around to a cold southerly at Tilpa, so no one went looking for birds.
We crossed the Darling River again and headed down the eastern road to the Coach and Horses Campground in the Paroo Darling National Park. It was a nice spot on a bend in the river and the morning light was perfect to capture the birds that came down to drink.
Galahs
Little Corella
We stopped for lunch in Wilcannia and had a stroll around the town looking at the historical buildings.
Wikicamps showed a camp spot about 30km south of Wilcannia, so we aimed for that for the night. It was a pretty camp to the west of the Darling River with some massive River Red Gums and low patches that become lakes when they get some rain.
The road south yielded another new bird when we stopped for lunch. I thought I was hearing fairy-wrens, but when I first saw it I thought it might be a finch, but couldn't work out which one it might be.
Southern Whiteface
Menindee - Lake Pamamaroo
We were hoping for a nice lakeside camp for our three nights at Lake Pamamaroo, but we had a slow start to the day with photos, and then a slow trip with a couple of stops, and then a long stop filling all our water tanks in Minindee. It was after 5pm on a Friday when we started looking at the camp sites and we were seeing lots of vans already taking up prime positions for the weekend. Once we got further along the lake we found a choice of two, and picked one that had some nice big trees for afternoon shade, knowing there was a forecast hot northerly on our second full day. We got set up in time to watch the sun set over a perfectly calm lake.
The morning we left the wind dropped, but the lake was still looking a bit murky.
Kinchega Woolshed
We went out to the Kinchega National Park to have a look at the historic woolshed, which was quite different from the one at Currawinya.
Pooncarie
Our last stop on the Darling River Run before heading out to Mungo National Park was Pooncarie. It was another nice spot on the river, with a few birds around.
Our last stop on the Darling River Run before heading out to Mungo National Park was Pooncarie. It was another nice spot on the river, with a few birds around.
Eastern Shriketit
Crimson Rosella race flaveolus (Yellow Rosella)
Red-rumped Parrot
Purple-backed Farirywren race assimillis
