Day 67: Medlow Bath to Darlinghurst, via Caringbah, 150km. Total distance: 13,717km

Made it home after calling to mum and dad, nearly 14,00km and 67 days later. House and occupants all well. Now, to plan the next trip ...

Day 63: Wellington to Medlow Bath via Rockley, 320km

Rockley and Bathurst have changed a lot since we used to go there regularly, for the better. Before we got there, we found this place on the main road at Molong. Looked like an abandoned junkyard, with no one around but piles of metal junk and hidden amongst them were these weird large-scale sculptures.

Day 62: Bourke to Wellington, 420km

Following the Macquarie River and the Mitchell Highway reminded me about how the early explorers (Mitchell, Stuart etc) were all looking for the inland lake and giant river, like the equivalent to the Amazon, Mississippi, Ganges, Nile etc. It made sense because every other continent had such a river, all the rivers this side of the Great Dividing Range run west, they had seen the big rivers in the northwest of the country flow to the sea, and Flinders (who charted the southern coast of the country) said he never found the mouth of any big rivers. Below is one of the proposed maps of inland Australia. 

They weren't too far off - they called the area around the lake "The Dead Level" and it is pretty flat

Day 61: Cunnamulla to Bourke, 255km

Nothing between Cunnamulla and Bourke, except the lone lady who sold roadside coffee out of a converted caravan - 120km from any town.

The coffee van, in the middle of nowhere

Day 60: Tambo to Cunnumulla, 400km

Southbound again. Cunnumulla was the end of the (Western) line (which now ends at Charleville) and the train was vital to the town until the roads were built (and a truck carrying 50 ton of ammonium nitrate blew up in 2014 causing a Richter 2.1 quake and taking out the road bridge and the neighbouring rail bridge south of Charleville). But the town still thrives and the museums, of course, are great.

Part of the Cunnumulla Off The Rails, All Aboard 3D Light and Sound Spectacular 

Day 59: Longreach to Tambo, 310km

Stopped at Ilfracombe, Barcaldine and Blackall and were surprised each time by how well presented these small QLD towns are compared to the rest of the country. They all have art galleries, cafes, aquatic centres (of course) and historical sites that are so well looked after. Tonight though, we are staying at the Royal Cannangarra Hotel and attended the chicken races held out the back in the Schnitzel Stadium.

Horse sculpture by Pip Fearon

Day 58: Longreach

The Qantas Founders Museum was the reason we came on this path, and it was worth the trouble. I got to see all my favourite planes and learned a lot on the way.

DC-3