Day 29 - Wed 1 May: Jerilderie to Deniliquin

Temp: 17-21 degC

Walk: 2.5km

Ride: 13.5km

Drive: 99km; total towed: 2753

Due to the rain and cloud cover, it was relatively warm so we were up at the usual time of 6am. There are no toilets at this free camp so we walked into town and took out time on the way back to see some of the sights of Jerilderie; not many but enough.

We intended to stop at Finley however, it was raining so we kept on going until we reached Deniliquin. We have wanted to come here for a while for no real reason other than it is a town we've never visited before. We found a lovely spot on the Edward River at Willoughby's Beach campground free camp. It was a bit wet in places and the road in is quite corrugated however, if you take it slow it doesn't matter. As it was raining, we had our breakfast and when the rain stopped we hopped on the bikes and headed into town to find a mornos stop. Task 1 completed, it was off to see the sights of Deni. We stopped in at the Info Centre for a map and list of 'best things to see' and off we headed. Again, not much to see and much of it is the same as other NSW country towns, but slightly different.

The only new thing we saw is the Mulwala Canal which is a huge irrigation channel that is gravity fed for 155km from Lake Mulwala before being syphoned under the Edward River. Oh, we also saw the Deniliquin Rice Mill which is the largest rice mill in the southern hemisphere, exporting to over 60 countries, feeding approximately 20 million people per day! That's a LOT of rice. One other thing we had to see was the Ute on the Pole as a symbol for the Deni Ute Muster.

The rain stayed away and the sun came out intermittently. We were happy but we don't think the locals were; it is very dry.

Jerilderie

Jerilderie

Jerilderie Cenotaph

Jerilderie - Leopard Tank

Jerilderie

Jerilderie - 25 Pounder field gun; the same gun Greg crewed and fired as a Gunner in the Australian Artillery in 1968

Jerilderie

Jerilderie

Jerilderie Public School

Jerilderie - old bridge and new bridge (at our free camp)

Scenery - flat and featureless, and a bit wet

What happens to your windscreen when a B-double passes you in the wet (in either direction)

Deniliquin - Info Centre and old school

Deniliquin - FB Holden Ute decorated to celebrate the Deni Ute Muster; design depicts local landscape, agriculture, river, sunset, sky and much more ⇧ ⇩

Deniliquin - "Shod" - sculpture represents, allegedly, half of a bullock shoe. Part of the Long Paddock Tourist Drive

Deniliquin - image in Wendy's bike mirror

Deniliquin - at the back of the Info Centre and old School

As above

Deniliquin - Ute on a pole (and Wendy)

As above

Deniliquin - Waring Gardens

As above

As above

Deniliquin - Uniting Church - bit fancy

Deniliquin - old building

As above

As above

Deniliquin - Cenotaph

Deniliquin - Federal Hotel and Clock Tower

Deniliquin - Old Anglican Church, now the Multi-Arts Centre with 3 sculptures representing art, science and literature

Deniliquin Town Hall and Clock Tower

Deniliquin - Mulwala Canal

Deniliquin - Rice Mill

Deniliquin - scenery around our spot at Willoughby's Beach campground

As above

As above

As above

Greg did an emu-bob this afternoon and collected all this stuff just within 20m of our spot! Tossers have obviously been here