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We changed states again today, this time from South Australia into New South Wales. No quarantine station or check point, which is good as we had quite a bit of fruit and veg with us.
This morning, before we left Peterborough, we did the guided tour at Steam Town learning more about the history of the individual trains and we were able to climb up and explore various engines and carriages including some magnificent old first and second class carriages, some rich with wood panneling, lead light windows, fret work ceilings, luxuriously appointed sleeping cars, some even with foot warmers, individual wash basins and a couple with toilets and showers.
We also explored accident trains complete with onboard workshops that would travel the railways so workers could fix railway lines along the way. There were also workman carriages complete with sleeping accommodation and kitchen facilities, and a Baby Health Centre train that travelled outback with nurses on board to check up on new mothers and their babies.
After our tour we went in to town to the post office to hand in our census form and to empty our toilet before heading off along the Barrier Highway to Broken Hill.
The landscape was fairly flat the whole way, initially covered with green and silver scrub and low lying trees, but these soon gave way to vast flat arid plains stretching for miles, dotted with yellow and purple wild flowers by the side of the road. We saw several herds of wild goats along the way, even having to slow down for some in the middle of the road. I also spotted a few emus close to the road, as well as many dead kangaroos in various stages of decay.
We drove steadily all afternoon, passing tiny towns along the way with not much more than a pub and perhaps a general store, stopping in a roadside rest stop for lunch along the way.
We got close to Broken Hill late afternoon and planned to stay in a rest stop for the night and head in to town in the morning, but decided to push on and made our way through town to the racecourse, where we had decided to spend a few nights as they offer low cost camping on the edge of town.
We set up camp along the edge of the track, watching a trainer put his trotter through its paces. We headed in to town to have a quick look around and get our bearings. We had a bite to eat and walked past the Palace Hotel, peering inside to check out the hotel from the movie Pricilla Queen of the Desert. We also drove past the synagogue, hopping out of the car to read the signs and take some pics using the headlights of the car to light up the building.
Time to head back to our campsite and settle in for the night, snug in our home on wheels in yet another state of Australia. How lucky we are to be here exploring this wonderful country of ours. I shall go to sleep dreaming of Priscilla, and all there is to see in this historic outback town in NSW.
Night night xx
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