Day 3 White Cliffs

After a difficult night in the camper, we all woke fairly early and started getting ready to head for White Cliffs and hopefully a much easier day. Yesterday got as high as 41 which made for a very sticky night in the camper before the wind kicked up at about 2am. We’re beginning to learn that the wind roars across the open plains during the night out here and after a shower and breakfast, we hit the road at 8:30.

The 1st 190km was dirt road which kept us down to about 70km/hr but the road was pretty good. When you see letter boxes built in the shape of an old stagecoach, you get an idea that there are not a lot recreational outlets in this part of the country. We topped up the fuel and oil at Wilcannia and the last 100km to White Cliffs was good sealed road. Didn’t see another car the entire way and a gentle 31 degrees made the drive very comfortable.

White Cliffs is unique to say the least and the Underground Hotel is well worth a visit. After a quick exploration through the tunnels, we headed down to the hotel to join the locals for a Melbourne Cup function which was a bit of fun.

No TAB or Bookie so we had to settle for tickets in the $5 sweep and Jacqui picked up 3rd place. After the race we headed back to the hotel for a swim in the pool and then to the bar/entertainment area to meet the other travellers. We met Germans, Poms and a Queenslander; all here for the same reason as us, exploration. We hunted through the abandoned opal shafts after dinner and I can’t imagine how the people survive out here. What sustains their spirit to continue digging alone while living in such harsh conditions? There also seems to be a few foreign backpackers working in the town which I’m sure keeps things intersesting..
Cheers,
Jorg