January 29 - silence and heat at Pooncarrie

Silence and heat! At sunset as the air cools a little and tiny puffs of air do their job of evaporative cooling - but only partially - we sit and soak it up. The silence is punctuated by bird calls and occasional cracking of branches while the visual stillness is broken only by the shadow of a bird flying between trees, a tiny bat out on a twilight forage or a goat wandering to the rather tepid algae-tainted water of the poor old Darling River trickling through Pooncarie where we are camped. 

Hard to believe that Pooncarie (population <50) was once a major port on the Darling - the river was deep flowing passed its busy wharf. So now? The locals have started to find dying fish here too. What a tragedy, a travesty really. 

At over 3000 km in length, the Darling river system covers almost 15% of Australia. With river systems like this which have sustained the land for millennia one has to wonder why we, or rather many communities like this along its length, have such a problem with water - or the lack of it. Well no of course we don’t wonder - but they shouldn’t have a problem. Time people really talked sustainable farming practices and crops suited to our regional climates. Stepping off my soap box now, sorry 😏. 

But here or rather there we were in Pooncarie, why?  We were attempting the Darling River Run - not the entire length but the stretch between Wentworth and Bourke, as a starter. The first leg for us began in Wentworth where the Darling meets the Murray then on through Menindee, where the famous lakes are dry! to end in Wilcannia. Dirt a lot of the way - and mud! We struck some rain and the road turned into a bit of a quagmire, but it was a fascinating drive under slatey, thunder-clouded skies. The rain brought the kangaroos out in groups onto the road where the water collected; they weren’t shy. 

We made it to Wilcannia in time for another deluge which bucketed down just after we started changing a wheel on the caravan - isn’t it always the way!?

Salt bush - one of many. Samphire is a member of that same chenopod family and is rather a trendy salad in some quarters.

Our favourite kind of road - no traffic!

High wind swept sand and dirt in clouds like low fog across our path and the air was tinted pale orange with willy willies scattered around the horizon.

Large willy-willy shaded grey in the shadow of the storm clouds

There’d been a wee bit of rain!!

The mud was a couple of cm thick.