We have driven many dirt roads across Australia, but I must say the current condition of Hungerford Road to Bourke was one of the most unpleasant journeys we've had lately. Even with the van tyres at 22 psi and the 4WD front tyres at 25 psi and rear at 28 psi, the road was a bone-jarring experience. The road resembled the Thargomindah road but was just worse, with plenty of corrugations, stony sections, and a hard clay-based surface full of holes and washouts that you can't see until you're right upon them. The 220 kilometres took us 4½ hours. We are staying at Kidman's Camp Caravan Park in North Bourke.
Tuesday 11 October:
This morning, we took the PV Jandra paddleboat cruise, and in the afternoon, we went on the "Back of Bourke" tour in a 20-seater bus. I recommend both tours. The Jandra tour lasts one hour, and the commentary is continuous, providing fascinating information about the Darling River, its history, and the historic North Bourke Bridge, built in 1883. The "Back of Bourke" tour lasted four hours, and Stuart, who has lived here for over thirty years, guided us through the town, then to a cotton gin, and finally to an orchard where we could pick as many mandarins as we wished.
Photo showing the North Bourke Bridge:
This morning we visited the Back O' Bourke Exhibition Centre, which I highly recommend. Afterwards, we went into town for some shopping and lunch at the Chinese restaurant at the Bowlo. Tomorrow, we depart south to take in the Darling River run to Menindee.
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ReplyDeleteJust read your comment on the road conditions between bourke and Hungerford i hope it has improved we are doing the trip later on this week.08.04.2013
ReplyDeleteGed,
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to know how the road conditions were.