DIARY OF AN AUSSIE WOMBAT: ON THE HOMEWARD BOUND LEG NOW FOLKS!

WELCOME TO SILVERTON N.S.W!

Greetings fellow travellers... and wombats alike!

Well!! Over 7 months with just a week or so to go! Here we are back in NSW, no, not shearing sheep as big as whales... just finalizing a few more stops.. both freebies and at friends before going 'home', that is, home like four walls and a ceiling that's bigger than a bread box. Where the kitchen is in the kitchen, the bathroom is inside and not a spray bottle, a loungeroom that doesn't double as the kitchen table, and a bedroom that isn't in the same room as the kitchen sink... LOL

We travelled to Broken Hill (didn't look busted to me though)... and saw how the caravan park was set up and while it looked very nice, the sites were very small and on the main street. Dad decided to have a look at his maps and showed mum the town nearby called "Silverton", she said it was very nice, and guess what? It had an art gallery, a pub, a school, an onsite artist AND there it was! At the very end of the street.. MAD MAX MUSEUM! It had a copy of the interceptor, the actual sign from the movie where the police station was, that was called 'HALLS OF JUSTICE' and lots of photos from the movie including film that was donated from the movie that never made it past the cutting room floor. Mum and dad talked with the owners for a bit but as they didn't take cards, we didn't go in. I think it would have been awesome, as did mum and dad but we were fine with it 'coz we got photos taken outside the museum... so that was cool! Did you know that in America the movie Mad Max didn't get a good review like it did in the rest of the world.. but, when Mad Max II was made, the American investors decided to call it 'ROAD WARRIOR' and wow... it went to like the top box office pullerinerer in ages! It was also to be the starting block in the United States for Aussie actor but US born Mel Gibson.

We set up the van at a place called Penrose Gardens in Silverton, it is classed as a bush camp but you wouldn't know it. Wonderfully hot showers with high pressure so mum blasted her sore neck and dad was able to really blast and massage his sore back. I hope mum and dad don't fall to pieces before we get home.. I can't tow the van! Powered sites this time and got no argument from mum as we were able to fire up the air conditioner ( as we don't have a diesel heater), and let me tell you, even with my thick fur coat it got down to 1 degree! Brrrrr!

Mum made damper and got a slice.. dad did magic with it and made it disappear pretty fast! We stayed there for two nights and had dinner at the Silverton Hotel and looked at all the photos from the movies that had been made in Silverton and nearby country towns. A lot of Aussie and international starts too! I saw a photo of Donna Mills, and mum showed dad a photo of John Mellion, he was in a lot of movies and a special TV programme in the 1960's that mum's mum loved. "My name's Magoolie, what's yours"? As I looked more and more at the photos, I thought Australia has a lot of talented actors!.. Dad made a wonderful campfire and we toasted marshmallows and the toilets were really close because that's where the power box was! LOL. oh well..... Penrose Place has picnic shelters, fresh drinking water, tennis courts, hot showers, laundry, and three bunk houses as well as other accommodation... and the people who looked after the place were lovely!

Mum true to form even found horses! It's wonderful that everyone in the town looks after them.. They are the 'horses of Silverton Common'... They even have donkeys just roaming the street.. I laughed at the one that decided the souvenir shop's ash tray looked tasty but spat it out in disgust.. silly thing!

Well, I had better be off as we have to pack up again and set off, this time for a few nights at different rest areas until we get to Gilgandra where we all will be staying with Chris and Dave.. Mum used to work with Chris and they are good friends... Should be lots of laughs for sure. Then! after the couple of days there we will be heading towards our last stop over also at a rest area at Jerry's Plains.. This is also where mum hopes to catch up with one of her FB friends. It will be nice to meet her!

Until then, enjoy the pics before my last blog of our adventure!

Tahune xx