<< Get Out there

Silver, Dust and a Painting.

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Mike Sutherland takes us on a journey through the heart of the country into outback NSW

After our adventure to the centre in October we were ready to expand our horizons. So we started planning a trip to Tibooburra in N.S.W. Maria and I have a special reason for this trip. Way back in 1986 we were in Tibooburra on a R.A.C.V tour with our two young daughters Joanne and Angela. We met Clifton Pugh, the artist in the ranger station ,who was in the process of painting a mural on the wall depicting the pioneering history of Tibooburra and the desert country. Observing Angela from a distance he asked us if he could include her in the scene he was painting, so we agreed, but we had never seen it completed. So this was a bit of a milestone for us. On the way you go though Broken Hill which is a wonderful place with a wealth of history, mining of the past and the tourism of today.
As always with our trips, the planning starts early as I try to leave nothing to chance when you are in the outback. As on our last trip we are travelling in our 1991 Nissan patrol with a Kanger Camper trailer on the back. We are looking to do things a little different this time and spend more time in the bush, not in camping grounds.

But first there is the Patrol to service and the camper to re-check. I try to be self sufficient on these trips so spares will have to be looked at. With the last trip we did we had to get three new tyres for the camper so this time we won’t have that expense. It’s always better spending the time before you go than doing it when you are away when you just want to explore. For this reason we bought an 850/w generator for light and to run the radio. I have fitted a new set of shockers and springs that give us a 50mm lift so you can stay out of the deeper wheel ruts. We also bought a shower tent which can also be used as a toilet tent. We are all set to stay in the bush where we can cook on the open fire and just take in the outback magic (I am not a bad cook in the camp oven so I can used as a see a nice roast coming up).

This will give us a bit more of the pioneering spirit. Doing this trip at Easter the weather should be quite good; it also fits in with the school holidays. Maria gets the time as she is a teacher and I will take some leave. I also find that reading about the place you want to go to helps you to take it in better. A couple of the books I read before the last trip which I thought were very good were Mailman of the Birdsville Track by Kristin Weidenbach, The Dog Fence by James Woodford and also Innamincka by Elizabeth Burchill. All are a good read.

After many weeks of planning the time to head north again had finally come. With the Nissan fuelled and the camper packed we were off on a new adventure to the outback. Leaving Melbourne our first over night stop was to be Mildura. Travelling along the Calder Highway the km’s soon passed by. On arrival in Mildura we stayed at the All Seasons Caravan Park on an en-suite site and found the staff and the park to be of a very high standard. After setting up the camper we did what everyone that comes to Mildura has a wont to do. We went for a walk along the river in the fading light of the day just listening to the sounds of the night come alive. Next morning it was up early and on to the Silver City Highway to make our way to Broken Hill. As the vastness of the outback opened up before us we were taken back to that time twenty years ago when we passed this way with our girls. We wondered if the painting at Tibooburra would be all we had hoped for.

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