G’day from Broken Hill,

I left Narromine this morning ’round 7, and it was 8 degrees, with patchy cloud in the sky. I headed north-west along the Mitchell Highway to Nyngan, then west along the Barrier Highway. I was in Cobar by 9:45, where I filled the tank (both the car’s and mine). I headed for another bakery that I’ve frequented in the past (I think this is my fifth time in Cobar), and obtained a steak and chilli pie, for immediate consumption, and some cheese and bacon rolls, for sustenance along the 460km run to Broken Hill. I consumed the pie with morning coffee, in a park just off the main street. It was close to 10:30 by the time I headed off again, and the temperature was now 20.

I stopped for a 12ish lunch at the Baden Park rest area, and was accosted by some Apostle Birds (Struthidea cinerea). At first I thought they were scrounging for a feed, but when they started flying directly at me, I realised that they were defending their territory. I was going to take a photo of them when I finished my lunch, but by the time I’d done so, they’d moved off to harass some newly arrived interlopers.

Up until that point in the trip, feral goats were to be frequently seen foraging by the sides of the roads, where there were green pickings in the drainage ditches, in contrast to the slim pickings in the paddocks. Thankfully, they seemed unperturbed by the traffic, so there was little chance of hitting one. Their numbers decreased dramatically from that point onward; I’m not sure why?

I took afternoon coffee around 2, at the Spring Hill rest area, and arrived at my motel at about 3:30 by my watch (3:00 local time – Central Standard Time), and it was a very pleasant 24 degrees.

Today’s leg of the journey was 720km.

Cheers,
Julian