Thu 11/09/14 Late start as blogger was up until 1am writing and uploading photos on a SLOW internet connection. On the road by 10am and decided to change planned route from heading towards Adelaide, to shooting 450km east to Broken Hill in NSW... avoiding going further south into the cold for as long as we can...hope it will start to warm up down there soon! Drive begins going across the end of the Flinders Ranges. The hills, trees and winding roads all a welcome change which blend into lush green crops and flocks of sheep on the other side. Soon enough we leave that behind and find ourselves back to straight road travelling through flat empty nothingness. The occasional small town crops up, most looking Ballan'ish' but smaller, eventually dwindling to a random roadside pub here or there...no petrol pumps, no roadhouses like the main highways....thus the jerry cans get a workout at Orlay. Cross the state line - Goodbye SA, Hello NSW! Lots of roadkill on this stretch, dozens of kite hawks taking advantage of the fresh meat, 4 stumpy tail lizards make road crossings at various intervals and many, many wild goats straying along the roadside; we manage to miss hitting any of the above. Arrive at Broken Hill Top Tourist Park around 3pm, still a lovely warm 25oC, Kids to playground, K&M quick, peaceful setup. C/van park is next to BH Cemetery, which I only mention because it is so huge they run tours! Only 10 more nights left of this trip and we will be back home; can't believe we've come so far. Kids can feel it and are becoming excitable, agitated & hard to keep focused on where we are, what we're doing etc etc as they begin to talk of our house, their rooms, no more sharing a bed and seeing their cousins, grandparents, school friends, planning sleepovers and so on. Night down to 5oC...hoodies & ugg boots are out.

Fri 12/09/14 Touristed around Broken Hill township today. First visited the Geological Museum which had helpful staff and loads of well organised displays of mineral & ore with info boards; great stop. Also saw the epergne "Silver Tree" here, a very detailed piece. Were hoping to visit the original BHP mine site up top of the hill at the head of the town, but can only do so on an organised tour so had to settle for photos from a distance. Lunched at the Musicians Club - $8 roast with complimentary tomato soup - yummo & great value. Took some pics with busts of the seven founders of BHP (Broken Hill Proprietry Company), then visited the Historic Sulphide Street Railway Museum, which the kids loved, likening the train carriages to the Hogwarts Express! This place also had exhibits of various historical horse drawn buggies, train track bicycles, rock minerals and hospital equipment - including a collection of various shaped bedpans which produced uncontrollable giggling fits by LBA. Also found a nurse manual on polio and related the story of GAM & Mummar's cousin, Tommy, which led to telling of an unauthorised haircut he once gave Mummar - more uncontrollable laughing fits....had meant to explain the trials of polio sufferers....hmmm...think the message was lost somewhat. Next visited a small park and took snaps of some Pro Hart sculptures, then went for a look around the Kintore Headframe & Shaft. Last stop was the BH Silver Mint & Chocolate Factory...very nice...kids all bought themselves a slice of coloured agate with their remaining Poppy money and K treated herself to an apple carved from alabaster rock. Groceries, then home, busy day. When asked their best thing for today, all 3 cherubs replied "scooting on the mini shopping trolleys at Coles"!! Little b*****s! Cats v Kangas in AFL finals tonight...who will it be? Kanagaroos victorious.

Sat 13/09/14 Off to Silverton this morning...navigator noted "need fuel", driver response "will get it there". We arrive, no petrol station; hmmm...bit deja-vu-ish? Silverton prides itself on being the "Outback Hollywood", as many movies, commercials and documentaries have been filmed there - Mad Max 2, Razorback and A Town called Alice - to name a few. First visit the Historic Silverton Gaol Museum, fantastic memoribilia collection of all sorts. Dame Mary Gilmore (on Oz $10 note) lived here in her youth. Friendly volunteer manning the door let the kids have a dig through some boxes and pick out something each to keep; L - a cow horn with beaded cover, B - a wooden turtle, A - a folder of asian water colours and M - a leather wallet....clearly all 'must haves'. In a room filled with memoribilia, old magazines etc, L spots a covergirl bikini babe and comments "her jock isn't covering much", B&A burst into hysterics, another visitor in the room (male) has a coughing spasm. Leaving the gaol we proceed to WALK all around town. Lunch at the Silverton Hotel...loads of photos on the walls and in albums of actors, film crews, filming of movie scenes...pretty cool. Checked out John Dynon Art Gallery, visited the Mad Max2 Museum...a shed with photos, costumes, props and vehicles from the movie - BASIC, but fun to see 'the interceptor'! Another gallery called "After the 39 Dips" - refers to the many dips in the road between Broken Hill and Silverton. Seems Silverton is a bit of a haven for artists - painters, leatherworkers, glass workers, leadlight, pottery, sculpture, photography...it's all here in the middle of nowhere. We make the 25km drive back to BH...having to put the car into neutral on downhill sections to conserve fuel, we hit the outskirts, follow a sign to town centre, car starting to chug, fluke a petrol station and ROLL in next to the diesel pump. If out think I exaggerate, once fuelled up we drive off and the car cuts out and won't re-start cos of air in the fuel lines...driver has to get out and give priming button few pushes before we can get going again. Back in action we next visit the Pro Hart Gallery - very interesting, quirky person; diverse works. Lastly drove out to The Living Desert and took a walk through the rock sculptures atop the range that overlooks Broken Hill. Home in time for dinner before Freo v Port Final....ripper close game. Head toward Mildura tomorrow .