Saturday was Beccy's birthday. We had early dinner because she had to perform at 8.15pm. As things turned out her show didn't start till 9pm because of other events running over time. For some of the non Roadie audience that was way too late and they left before seeing the headline act. The audience was not very resposive - many of them seem to think Beccy's style of entertainment is not country music, because it is different to the likes of Slim Dusty. We Roadies all enjoyed ourselves! On Sunday morning we all packed up and farewelled our old and new friends. The rain held off so we managed to drive out without getting bogged again. We only had a short drive to a caravan park at Yamba. Anita will have a break from cooking and we will just have a rest before heading home.

We are at Ulmurra which is our final destination on our Aussie Road Crew tour. This small town is on the Pacific Highway beside the magnificent Clarence River. Over 300 caravans were already here before we arrived. There has been a lot of rain in this area so there is lots more mud, although st least the paddocks are green. The Jeep was bogged again with the weight of the Bushtracker, but we had plenty of help getting free. I drove the dogs to Yamba Kennels where they will stay till Tuesday, as it is challenging keeping them dry and out of the mud. We will spend a few days at Yamba before heading home. There is a large covered area for concerts and we all went up to hear Bec Hance and Pete Wilson. Bec is pregnant so occasionally forgets her lines due to baby brain. She still manages to finish her songs and have a good laugh.

There is an old store in Tingha that is a museum. It was opened in 1881 and closed in 1998. The last owner sold the property to NSW Heritage and it opened as a museum in December 1998. Some of the stock and store shelving looks like it has been there 100 years. The museum wasn't due to open while we were at Tingha, but they obliged when we told them we had a group that would like to see inside. There is clothing dating back to when many Chinese worked in the local tin mines. Much of the produce on the shelves has been there for decades. It is a large building with rickety stairs leading to accommodation out the back.

Our next stop was in stark contrast to thw dry outback. We were 15kms outside Tingha which is not far from Inverell in NSW. The farm lives up to its name in that everything is green. Bizarrely the longest waterslide in Australia is on this property - and no, we didn't have a go but many Roadies had several goes. The animal collection includes monkeys, lambs, geese, ducks, cattle, llamas and alpacas. We had electricity but no running water so were reliant on our tank water. There were good showers and toilets. One concert was made up of requests from Roadies. Apart from hearing great music we had an hilarious time as Beccy was in top form doing her Tina Turner impersonation.

I lost a day at Lightning Ridge with a lurgi that is going around. Other Roadies have been unwell but I seem to have been the unlucky one getting a chest and sinus infection which is lingering. From Lightning Ridge we travelled to Wee Waa for 3 nights for the Cotton Capital country music festival. This drought stricken area benefitted from thunderstorm rains, but caravans didn't fare too well. An awning was wrecked and people were out during the lightning trying to stop it from causing more damage. Fortunately all ok. There was other minor damage and by morning we were surrounded by mud. We had to be towed to more solid ground before I could let Max and Coco out of the Bushtracker. The rest of that day was spent getting rid of as much mud as possible.

We drove through Brewarrina and Walgett on our way to Lightning Ridge. The remains of Aboriginal fish traps are an attraction in Brewarrina. These clever constructions allowed the capture of fish and eels. Unfortunately they are not well preserved and I saw a syringe on the water's edge. The town is only 130m above sea level. While the area is currently in severe drought, the floodgate indicates the river could rise 20m plus. We are staying at a caravan park located on Lorne Station. This is a huge property just out of Lightning Ridge. The managers led us on dirt tracks to see the sunset on the Ridge. We also saw lightning in the distance. The facilities are basic but it was a great venue for our Bec Hance and Pete Wilson concert.

We drove 450kms from Wilcannia to Bourke, stopping for a very ordinary steak sandwich at Cobar. It was cloudy but not raining. I found a shady spot to park the dogs out of the car. All Roadies bar one couple were settled in at the caravan park. The missing Roadies had unfortunately damaged their car and caravan were both damaged when they went over a deep gutter leaving a service station. They hope to have everything repaired so they can rejoin us tomorrow. Our concert was brought forward due to a forecast there would be thunderstorms. It turned out to be a very short concert as we all had to head for cover. Max and Coco were freaking out with the thunder and lightning so we had to bring them into the caravan using the ramp I have to use to get them in and out of the car. We have less than a square metre of floor space in our Bushtracker so it is very crowded. Eventually we converted the table and seats to a bed for Coco, and Max can take up most of the floor. They drooled everywher

I rode my electric scooter along the gravel road to the Barrier Hwy then into Wilcannia township, about 3kms. Wildlife abounds - the kangaroos were at the caravan park, the lizard just crossed the road, and the emus were wandering around town. The road bridge across the Darling River was built next to the old lifting bridge, dating from when barges and paddle steamers were able to navigate the river. It is hardly a river - more like a series of muddy puddles. While Wilcannia is almost a ghost town, I did see work being done on two historic buildings in town.

On Saturday Beccy and her crew cooked breakast for more than 130 Roadies. We farewelled those on the SA tour not doing the back to back NSW tour, and formed a new group. On Saturday evening there was a welcoming get together and a free concert at the Musicians Club where our other travelling entertainers all performed - Bec Hance and Pete Wilson, Dan Murphy (not the one behind a chain of grog shops!), Alison Forbes and Roadie Ron on his harmonicas. Today we hit the road again and headed for Wilcannia. It isonly 200kms from Broken Hill so we stopped in town for coffee near the information centre. Have you ever wondered what happens to old mining eqipment? Well worry no more as I can tell you it is put on display for tourists! We are staying at the same caravan park at Wilcannia that we have visited before - where there is a "pet" emu and heaps of roos. Before setting up camp I borrowed a rake to clear our site of roo poo! Beccy and crew cooked dinner for us all tonight. The

The final destination for the South Australia Aussie Road Crew tour for 2018 was Broken Hill. We stayed 3 nights at the Lakeview Caravan Park - there is no lake and no view! The first night it was just the SA group, but on Friday we were joined by more than 70 Roadies for the NSW tour. That night there was a fabulous concert at the Musicians Club in Broken Hill where we made up nearly half the audience. Shane Nicholson flew in from NSW - he is a great singer/songwriter and guitar player, and also producer for many of the top artists. Beccy Cole was the headline act and she was in top form - she is a very funny entertainer as well as being a great singer and songwriter. I caught up with my sister Marian and nephews Jon and Stevie who live in Broken Hill, and briefly with Stevie's wife Sarah who was working just near the cafe. I took Coco with me when I went to Marian's place. We kept him around the front to avoid any fracas with Marian's dog Ugee - the minute we went insi

From Copley we drove to Peterborough to stay on a station 15kms from town via a dirt road. We had no phone or internet unless we drove back into town so my blog has been neglected! The first night was seriously cold with really strong southerlies driving a little rain. Facilities were basic as in a couple of long drop toilets - there were also 3 flushing loos. To escape the wind most things happened in a large shed - unfortunately the large shed door was on the southern side so could only be left open part way to keep the cold out. Concerts in the shed were great fun. The last pic is Beccy singing with her mum Carole. Brad Butcher was our entertainment the second night.

I walked along the highway towards Cutaway Hill, and returned along the old railway track. There were numerous skeletons of kangaroos and emus in various stages of decomposition. Copley is at the intersection of the Outback Highway and an unsealed road that eventually becomes the Strezlecki Track. Permits are required to travel along this road.

We have seen wonderful sunrises and sunsets at Parachilna. I took these pics when I went back to the caravan to check on the critters. It looks idyllic but there are prickles everywhere, two old toilet blocks, no running water or power for our vans. At least it wasn't too hot.

Saturday morning there was almost a tragedy right before our eyes. Four of our group were in a car which had stupidly turned onto tbe main north-south road, without realising a road train was barrelling towards them at 90kph. The truck driver blasted his horn so most of our group looked up to see the truck hit the sign on the inside of the car then continue in the dirt. It was a miracle the four occupants in the car were not all killed. The truck driver managed not to roll the truck or trailer, even though he had blown at least one tyre. The car escaped with only the loss of a mirror. The driver of car cannot understand he was in the wrong! The concert that night featured Sara Storer and Beccy Cole, with Libby and Kellie as the warmup act. Beccy's mum Carole Sturtzel is travelling with us and she gets up to sing a rock and roll number. Beccy always tells the audience that Carole is 74 years old - because when Beccy was a girl singing with Carole she always told her audiences that

I had lunch in a cafe that has many original fittings. The timber shelving and benches must date back 100 years. The contraption hanging from the ceiling was used to send money in cup-like containers to the office. Unfortunately half of the shops and houses are unoccupied. While over 200 people visited Quorm today to travel on the Pichi Richi Railway, there is otherwise little passing traffic. Quorm is regarded as the gateway to the Flinders so 4WD travellers and grey nomads stock up on groceries, but the only thriving business is the IGA. In the dry climate the historic buildings are well preserved. The town hall has two male statues holding up the structure. For unknown reasons t hey look like replicas of Greek gods.