Menindee - 14 July 2014

The population of Menindee is only 981. The area was visited by the explorer Major Thomas Mitchell in 1835 and was the first town settled on the Darling River. It is also the birthplace of the Menindee Seedless grape.

It was a dismal and cold day today and I had my scarf, beanie and gloves on all day. I checked the temperature a couple of times this afternoon and it was only 9.8 degrees. Ouch!

We went for a walk this morning along the edge of the Lake. There is an old sailing club (all closed up) up past the caravan park, but when we reached it, it was in a very rundown condition.

We managed to find a place to have a cuppa this morning before setting off to explore. Maidens Hotel is the second longest continuously operating pub in NSW. It was built in 1854 and Burke and Wills actually stayed there on their expedition in 1860. At the time of their expedition it was called Pain's Hotel. The Hotel has been run by the same family since the 1890’s. It is in great condition and is obviously well looked after. Out the front is a huge rock with a plaque on it with all the information about the expedition.

On our drive round Menindee we saw a sheep in the front yard of a house. Menindee is a tired looking place. Water is no doubt always a problem so the yards and gardens are not very well maintained.

We drove out to have a look at Pamamaroo Lake, another one of the lakes in the system, and this had more water in it. We saw a couple of Major Mitchell Cockatoos as well. They are white and pink.

Out near Pamamaroo Lake is the campsite of part of the Burke and Wills party. Burke had left with half the group heading to Cooper Creek after a disagreement with the Deputy Leader of the group.

After lunch we drove to the Kinchega National Park, passing 6 dead wild pigs that someone had killed and left on the side of the road!

Inside the National Park is the Kinchega Historic Shearing Shed built in 1875. 6 million sheep were shorn in the 100 years it was operating. You can walk through the Shearing Shed and they have old machinery on display. There was even another timber jinker with the wooden wheels like we had seen at Trilby Station, although this one was bigger. In the Shearing Shed there were stands for 62 shearers. Today you can stay in shearers quarters there.

We then went to have a look at the ruins of the Kinchega Homestead, before heading back to town on the River Drive through the National Park which took you along the Darling River past lots of bush camps. The drive was great, passing through lots of the Red River Gums. And yet on the other side of the National Park, where we had come in, it was stunted growth. In the countryside that we have driven through on out trip, the countryside continually changes.

We drove along a section of the river which we felt was the widest we had seen so far. We will be leaving the Darling River tomorrow. It is hard to imagine what it must have looked/looks like when it is full. I don’t even know if that happens any more. By the 1890’s about 40,000 bales of wool were shipped down the Darling River each year and approximately 100 paddle steamers and barges worked the river. A paddle steamer towing a barge could carry up to 2,000 bales of wool. An equivalent load today would require 20 semi-trailers. You look at the river now and there is no way that could happen now.