Skip to main content

Darling River


I fell for the advertising ... NSW Tourism are encouraging people to drive the Darling River Run. The blub says "The Darling River, Australia's longest, runs 2,740km through Outback NSW. Part of the Murray-Darling basin, the Darling River system is fed primarily from the summer rains of southern Queensland and makes its journey south-west across the state to Wentworth where it joins the mighty Murray River. The Darling River Run is not simply a Point A to Point B drive but as the river forms the 'spine' of Outback NSW, the journey provides the perfect tour to not only experience the Darling River and the towns along its course but also enables the traveller to experience the best of Outback NSW via the many side trips on offer"

They break the Run into sections. Some years ago I had seen the Wilcannia to Menindee section and now developed an obsession with seeing the last leg from Pooncarie to Wentworth.

The photo is of the Darling at Pooncarie. No big surprise here but Pooncarie was, I had thought a town worthy of a significant dot on the map would have have a population of more than 85 people! As a river port from the time when the waterways and river boats were an important part of the transport system it was a town with a big past and maybe a big future if the advertising works on more that me.

Comments

  1. A very atmospheric photo - I would like to sit under that tree ....

    ReplyDelete
  2. I keep thinking we must see the Darling with water in it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a classic view of the Darling. I have seen the Murray but not the Darling. Would like to ...

    I like the typo ... adds to your sense of chagrin.

    ReplyDelete
  4. How did they get a proper boat on that teeny tiny river?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Martina, you needed to be in the shade of a tree, it was jolly hot that day.

    Pete, I've seen it in flood at Wilcannia ... nah, nah, nana, nah.

    Julie, when I reread my comments in particular there are always typos. Yes is is a classic view with the river gum hanging over the water.

    Letty, I was glad to see it had water in it ... so didn't really think of it as being small. The recent flood up at Bourke is probably making its way down the river now and making it a bit wider.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coolibah?

Is that a Coolibah tree beside the abandoned house? Every Australian knows about Coolibah trees because the bush ballad Waltzing Matilda is nigh on our unoffical national anthem but most of us live nowhere near the inland where they grow. Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, Under the shade of a Coolibah tree, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.

The end

I retire from the workforce this week and to celebrate have decided to retire my current blogs and start afresh with a single consolidated blog -  My Bright Field  - to record the delights of my new life adventure. If you are interested follow me over there.  I will still be Sweet Wayfaring and collecting Royal Hotels.  The delights I discover along the way will appear together with my gardens and towns where I live.

Brown streams and soft dim skies

I gave my husband a thick book on the history of Australian Art for Christmas. It documents just how long it took the artists to paint what they actually saw -- at the hands of early artists our wild Australian landscapes looked like rolling green English countryside. Today's photo has "that look" so I have referenced words from the poem describing England. It was Christmas Eve. We were camped by the Tumut River in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. A shady spot planted with exotic trees from the "old world" and with the soft burble of a swiftly flowing stream. Bliss after a hot afternoon drive. But the old world dies slowly, a hot roast for Christmas dinner followed by plum pudding is one of those traditions that just won't die. Knowing we were going to be on the move on Christmas Day we settled for having our traditional hot meal on Christmas Eve this year.