Well it is blog time again after a very interesting day.
I drove from the Morgan Riverside Caravan Park after my usual walk, exercise and chores successfully along the river. There were the usual photo opportunities so it was a fairly slow trip. It was also raining consistently which means that I must be getting close to Victoria. Anyway first big stop was Waikerie where I had a good look around.
Elaine and I stopped in Waikerie last February when we bought the van across from NSW. We parked overnight in the civic centre car park and due to the circumstances did not have a good look around. Today I did and found a lookout with great views of the river and the town. A few photos there and a wee bit of shopping and I was off to my next stop. However I got fuel on my way out of town.
Having been recommended to the town of Cobdogla and its museum with a Humphrey Pump I chose that as my next stop. According to GeoWiki there was camping allowed next to the museum, this turned to be incorrect, although my guide was going to let me in to the grounds. I gather that the camping is limited, anyway I chose to move on.
Now this pump is rather magnificent, firstly this is the only one left in the world capable of being operated. In fact they do operate the pump at set periods for show, it is however no longer part of the irrigation system. Operating the pump is something special in that it requires 6 people to start it up! The actual pump is absolutely enormous, with 12ft of it buried underground it still rises 3 rather large stories high. The operating system is very clever and if you are interested you can google it and read the explanation on Wikipedia. To see it in the flesh, so to speak, is rather special it is absolutely huge, I cannot think of a better word, and they have two of them. Although only one is working. Everything about it is special from the size of the valves to to gas (combustible gas from a gas producer like our parents had on their cars during the war, only bigger, much bigger) inlet chambers, pipes inlet and outlet, very special spark plugs, etc. Then there are the water towers outside, about 30ft above the ground and when you look down inside you can hardly see the water at the bottom of the tower.
These pumps were installed here in 1928 having taken 3 years to be manufactured and shipped to Cobdogla. The buildings and construction that is required to house the pumps is also an enormous undertaking. Also at the museum were two very nicely restored steam trains from yesteryear, long ago yesteryear.
I did not take up Lyn’s offer to open the grounds up for me to stay overnight and moved on to a town called Moorook where I am now camped. This is an idyllic camp on a reserve right on the rivet bank and amongst other thing is very pretty, the first really pretty spot that I have come across.
I drove from the Morgan Riverside Caravan Park after my usual walk, exercise and chores successfully along the river. There were the usual photo opportunities so it was a fairly slow trip. It was also raining consistently which means that I must be getting close to Victoria. Anyway first big stop was Waikerie where I had a good look around.
Elaine and I stopped in Waikerie last February when we bought the van across from NSW. We parked overnight in the civic centre car park and due to the circumstances did not have a good look around. Today I did and found a lookout with great views of the river and the town. A few photos there and a wee bit of shopping and I was off to my next stop. However I got fuel on my way out of town.
Having been recommended to the town of Cobdogla and its museum with a Humphrey Pump I chose that as my next stop. According to GeoWiki there was camping allowed next to the museum, this turned to be incorrect, although my guide was going to let me in to the grounds. I gather that the camping is limited, anyway I chose to move on.
Now this pump is rather magnificent, firstly this is the only one left in the world capable of being operated. In fact they do operate the pump at set periods for show, it is however no longer part of the irrigation system. Operating the pump is something special in that it requires 6 people to start it up! The actual pump is absolutely enormous, with 12ft of it buried underground it still rises 3 rather large stories high. The operating system is very clever and if you are interested you can google it and read the explanation on Wikipedia. To see it in the flesh, so to speak, is rather special it is absolutely huge, I cannot think of a better word, and they have two of them. Although only one is working. Everything about it is special from the size of the valves to to gas (combustible gas from a gas producer like our parents had on their cars during the war, only bigger, much bigger) inlet chambers, pipes inlet and outlet, very special spark plugs, etc. Then there are the water towers outside, about 30ft above the ground and when you look down inside you can hardly see the water at the bottom of the tower.
These pumps were installed here in 1928 having taken 3 years to be manufactured and shipped to Cobdogla. The buildings and construction that is required to house the pumps is also an enormous undertaking. Also at the museum were two very nicely restored steam trains from yesteryear, long ago yesteryear.
I did not take up Lyn’s offer to open the grounds up for me to stay overnight and moved on to a town called Moorook where I am now camped. This is an idyllic camp on a reserve right on the rivet bank and amongst other thing is very pretty, the first really pretty spot that I have come across.
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