outback machinery
Few things photograph better in black and white as old machinery; the real character of the handcrafted machines and equipment is borne out and is a reminder of when things were built to last. These pieces of engineering have stood the test of time and as they weather, wonderful textures and lines emerge and in the right light they render supurbly in the monochrome medium. From the inside of old shearing sheds like the one found at Kinchega to the old cars and tractors of Lightning Ridge they will still be around for many years to come (and there not even made of plastic).
These pieces of engineering have stood the test of time and as they weather, wonderful textures and lines emerge and in the right light they render supurbly in the monochrome medium. From the inside of old shearing sheds like the one found at Kinchega to the old cars and tractors of Lightning Ridge they will still be around for many years to come (and there not even made of plastic).
The Australian Outback is a unique place as are the buildings that early pioneers erected to establish the remote areas of the vast country. Photographing the architecture of places like Milparinka, Silverton, Broken Hill, Lightning Ridge and Kinchega National Park evokes the romanticism of the early Australian pioneering spirit and when done in monochrome, the structure and form is poignantly recreated to produce timeless images.
Sturt National Park:
The innate quality of those who travel the Outback is to see the icon destinations that are ingrained in the Australian psyche and Cameron Corner is one of those Outback destinations. The surveyed north-west corner of NSW, Cameron Corner, is the point at which the states of NSW, Queensland and South Australia meet and it is this corner that forms the north-west boundary of Sturt National Park - one of NSW's largest National Parks at 340,000 ha..
This massive park which spans the sandy dunes of the Strzelecki Desert across the ancient Mesas of the Grey Range and Mt King (The Jump-Ups) and to the Gibber plains, gorges and hills of Mount Wood. The area provides the visitor with a great insight to the geomorphology of Outback Australia with ancient eroded mountain ranges and vast gibber plains easily illustrating the concept of the inland sea that early explorers like Charles Sturt believed covered the interior of Australia. The park also provides several vantage points to the Dingo Fence (at 5,000+ kms it is the world's longest fence) which forms the north and western boundary of the park
In the eastern section of the park, there are 3 wonderful and informative self drive tours:
- The Gorge Loop Road: This around Mt Wood and the Mount Wood Hills covers the outdoor pastoral heritage museum, Mt Wood Homestead & shearers quarters, the Gibber and Mitchell Grass Plains, the Twelve Mile Creek Gorge, and the old pastoral remains at Torrens Bore and Horton Park Station. Wildlife such as Emu, Kangaroo, and Wedge-Tail eagles are commonly sighted.
- The Jump-Ups Loop Road: The ancient landforms that are known as the Jump-Ups are the remains of an ancient mountain range that have been eroded down over millions of years leaving the 150m plateau (Mesa) and the granite strewn plains which form the catchment of the Connia Creek (Ephemeral) which follows south-east into the Twelve Mile creek.
- Cameron Corner: The drive from Tibooburra to Cameron Corner takes the visitor through a diverse landscape including the Waka Claypan, past Fort Grey which was provisions stockade built by explorer Charles Sturt for his inland expeditions, and on to the Corner and the worlds longest fence; the 5,000+ km Dog Fence which was constructed to keep roaming Dingos of the north and west out of the pastoral lands of NSW.
The most 'Outback' of all NSW parks, Sturt National Park is an essential destination for any outback adventure and is located 330km north of Broken Hill (50/50 gravel/sealed) and 400km west of Bourke (unsealed).
Lightning Ridge:
There are many 'must see' destinations in Australia and Lightning Ridge is certainly that; home of the beautiful Black Opal and like the wonderful gem, Lightning Ridge shows its varying colors depending on how you look at it. The Black Opal is elusive but Lightning Ridge, its character and hospitality certainly are not. There is a wonderful welcome from the time you arrive; you can understand why some travelers stay. It is a wonderfully eccentric place and the eccentricity is comforting in this day of conformity.
You can read all there is to know about The Ridge' and even hear stories, but that will give you as much understanding as trying to smell a color. You can experience sculptures underground, bottle-houses, antique lamps, castles, astronomy monuments, unique gardens, hills named 'Lunatic', 'Pig' and Bald', a pub crawl to 'The Pub in the Srub', 'The Glengarry Hilton' and 'Sheepyard', and even tour underground mines. And how do you find all these thing?.. look out for a colored Car Door. Make sense? Thought not...it will when you go though...
Kinchega National Park:
With the magnificent Darling River forming its eastern border, Kinchega National Park was formerly part of the Kinchega-Kars pastoral lease which covered 800,000 hectares and extended all the way from Menindee to Broken Hill. The area of Kinchega incorporates half the lakes which makes up Menindee Lakes; man-made lakes (originally pondages of the Darling River) feed by the seasonal flow of the Darling River.
Some of the most iconic Darling River vistas can be viewed at Kinchega and the banks provide idyllic camping sites with abundant birdlife and wonderful fishing spots.
Kinchega shearing shed is in remarkable condition and is a great insight to a bygone era with many preserved examples of equipment and machinery. As part of the handover ceremony in 1967, the last sheep was shorn and that took the total to 6 million over the life of the station.
As it is part of the Menindee Lakes and the Darling River, the area has an abundance of remnants of Aboriginal occupation including settlement sites, middens and ceremonial sites and scarred trees. It was often a meeting place of the Barkintji people (the people of the Darling River) and Wiljakali people traditionally of the Broken Hill area. Kinchega NP is located at Menindee, 1 hr drive south of Broken Hill (Sealed Road)
Trilby Station:
About 20kms downstream from Louthon the western side of the river is Trilby Station which is a 5th generation sheep farm (200,000 acres) which holds a special place in pastoral history as it was the first property in the world to use mechanical shears. Trilby Station is a wonderful place to visit and allows the visitor to experience a working sheep station with a wonderful interpretive history. Its location forms a perfect stopover point for the Darling River Run; an outback journey through NSW from Walgett to Wentworth on the Victorian/NSW border.
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