Lightning Ridge to Bourke

I went to the cactus garden at Lightning Ridge with to take pictures but my camera was playing up and eventually told me I was out of memory. I cleared some memory and went back on our last day with Gill and Sue. We were all set to have the manager of the garden take our picture with my camera but the battery was flat! Sue got her phone out and that wouldn't work because the memory was full, so good job there were three of us because at least Gill's phone camera was working. Some of you may have seen this garden featured on Better Homes and Gardens and it is well worth a visit if you ever get to Lightning Ridge. Some of the cacti are more than 100 years old.

We did the red car door drive and a woman engaged us in conversation about this weird construction. She said she bought it but I could not understand why! It is some sort of monument to astronomers. There is a dispute with the tour operators because it is not identified on the brochures. We could not get to the bottom of the issue but it is a good example of how some of the locals spend their time when they are not underground!

Our route to Bourke was on sealed roads via Walgett and Brewarrina. The security of shops and offices at Walgett was overwhelming, and there is a very large police complex with all cars parked behind a tall fence. It was Saturday morning and groups of Aboriginals were loitering in the main street, apparently with nothing else to do as most of the shops were shut. Lightning Ridge is less than 100km away and while there was reasonable security it was nothing like that in Walgett. Bourke also has a large Aboriginal population and significant security on the shops and other buildings, but the town feels friendly. I was taking a photo of the magnificent court house when a group of Aboriginal boys wanted to have their photo taken, and then wanted to see their picture. The eldest wants me to put it in the newspaper but I have added it to the blog so they are now on the world wide web which in some ways is the world's largest "newspaper".

We went to the Back O'Bourke Exhibition Centre and the favourable Tripadvisor reviews were justified. It is well laid out and very informative. There is a fee but we thought it well worth the money, particularly as you can go back the next day at no extra charge. We may do that as there is so much to take in during one visit. The visitor information centre also has two kennels out the back which can be used for free, apart from paying a deposit on the key. As it was cool and there is a large shaded area we left our pooches in the car where they are most comfortable. Some of the caravan parks also offer dog minding either for free or a nominal fee. Unfortunately when our mates put their two dogs in at Lightning Ridge they apparently whimpered all morning driving the staff crazy! They weren't given the option of a second chance.  

We are still uncertain whether we can do the Darling River Run because there is conflicting information whether the roads are open. The information centre assured us the road is open but the Council website still has sections closed. We will check tomorrow and make a decision whether to wait an extra day or so for the roads to open, or take another route.