We went up a hill today

Yowah to Thargomindah to Noccundra to Eromanga. Along the way we went up a hill….

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a highlight, 193 metres above sea level.

However Thargomindah has some fame as the first Australian town to run on hydro-electric power…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A turbine is driven by water from an artesian bore at both great pressure and temperature. The bore is over 1000 metres deep, drilled by the yellow drill tower which in turn was powered by the portable steam engine. What’s truly remarkable about this is it dates back to 1891. The last picture is of the “switchboard”. If I remember correctly this electricity source was in use to about 1950 when diesel generation took over. Thargo currently has a population of about 350 but was quite a bit larger years ago. This is a long way from civilization and everything is expensive –  $5.95 for loaf of bread, $1.86 per litre of diesel, $2.00 for an apple. The normal servo was out of fuel so we had to go to the Toyota dealer. The Toyota dealer was out of cars, just brings them in to order – Gotta buy ’em off the net.  But, it’s a tidy town and the Council operated caravan park was quite good. Lot of history….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100km or so onwards to Noccundra for lunch. A pub in the middle of nowhere somewhere south of Nockatunga Station which is somewhere north of somewhere else but there is a road going there so we followed it. We were it. The publican finally agreed to do lunch but it wasn’t with much grace. The food was Ok though but $15.0 for a burger was probably a bit over the top. Dining room was closed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We thought the hosts would have been happy to see us and take our money but we got the impression that we were just a nuisance and the sooner we left the happier they would be. I didn’t see a lot of traffic!  There is an airstrip but I’m not sure why

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Noccundra it was on to Eromanga – Wow! But we did go up another hill.

By the way – Nockatunga Station is on the ‘smaller’ scale of stations at just 2,200,000 acres, although it was interesting to learn that at capacity it only runs about 29,000 head of cattle ie one beast for every 75 acres. Imagine rounding them up.