Coober Pedy, Outback S. Australia, reminds us of Egypt's tombs

Coober Pedy, opal mining capital of the world, is also an underworld where people live in homes carved out of the sandstone to escape the harsh outback climate.
Roy loved the feeling - it was like being back in Egypt... in tombs and passageways on some archaeological adventure with the fictional hero of his novels, Anson Hunter, the alternative Egyptologist.
(Now he appreciates how life was for the Egyptian Coptic monk Abuna Daniel who also lived in a man-made cave in Roy's Egyptian adventure thriller novel 'The Smiting Texts' .)

Woomera Testing Range, Outback South Australia. The Truth is Out Here

On a quiet weekend, a blanket of silence and secrecy hangs over the world's largest testing range

What is it about men and rockets?

Things didn't always go to plan

'Blue Streak'

Model launch area. The entire range is the size of England.

Silvery reflections of The Silver City

Old Broken Hill mine shaft

The iconic Silverton pub

Mad Max memorabilia

To the Max

Roy hits the Silverton pub

So we went barreling along The Silver Highway, just the two of us silvery nomads, travelling in our Silvery Nomad Merc to The Silver City and the next day we went along to the Silverton Pub for lunch and a beer...
Enough silver.
But a few golden memories.
Not just of Mad Max and a slew of old Aussie movies, but Roy also happened to have shot a Television commercial here back in around 92 for Orlando Coolabah Cooler ('mirage'). It showed a single coolabah tree sitting on a glaring red plain and a group of party-goers sitting under the shade of the coolabah tree, enjoying their refreshing Coolabah coolers, when along comes a caravan of camels and desert trekkers across the plain and instantly the Coolabah drinks disappear like a mirage... as the jingle asks: "Where do you hide your Coolabah!"
Do you remember that? Do you remember coolers?
Next stop?
Maybe Port Augusta en route to Coober Pedy.

A big birthday kiss

Plus a seafood dinner tonight!

Birthday breakfast on the Murray

Roy is spoiling me today. Breakfast at a Bistro restaurant on the Murray, lunch in Swan Hill and a seafood feast tonight.

Maybe we'll chuff along to Mildura tomorrow. And maybe we won't.

Being totally in charge of our own schedule is a big responsibility.

The ghosts of river towns, Victoria

Roy remembering his children's novel Paddle-Ghosts

More paddle ghosts

Poor kids of yesteryear - under the lofty gaze of teacher's desk, and Queen Victoria

Pioneer village, Swan Hill

I saved this goose from a fish-hook in his bill - and made a constant camp friend 

From Echuca to Swan Hill... absolute Murray frontage

If we were any closer to the Murray, we'd be in it!

Loved Echuca. Even the name sounds like the pant of a paddle wheeler's exhaust..... echuca-chuca-chuca..

But this setting at Swan Hill is even more amazing. Heaven. We're just enjoying a bottle of wine and pinching ourselves!

Breakfast Echuca Victoria, dinner Moama NSW

Breakfast on a branch of the Murray, Victoria. Last night we crossed a bridge to dine in NSW

Amusing warning in a shop, Echuca

 

 

Floating a Murray paddlewheeler on the dew

It was said that in a drought, a skilled Murray River Captain could float his paddlewheeler on the dew

Fortunately there seems to be a bit more water than that around right now and the river current is quite strong, with more water on the way.

Port of Echuca

Paddle Ghosts - Echuca, Victoria

 A unique Australian riverland tree - The Thong Tree

We're at the historic port of Echuca on The Murray in Victoria - paddlewheeler capital of Australia.
It reminds us of a children's novel Roy wrote years ago: "Paddle Ghosts".
A great site - we hope to be staying for a while.

Back on the road again - and in a Melbourne laneway

Easter, Melbourne