August 15th 2017

Yango Homestead

There was a small amount of rain overnight but not enough to make the grey banks of the Murrumbidgee River slippery and boggy. We set off to see the historic Yango Homestead which was built during the 1870s. The beautiful decorative and quite well tended gardens, overlook the Yanga Lake. There are many buildings to walk around and through..including a wonderful old Carriage Shed and the Cook's Cottage which overlooks the Tennis Courts, and now houses a fascinating display of artefacts, photos, films and memorabilia. The wide verandas and gardens would have lent themselves to some very generous entertaining by the families who lived here.

John enjoying lunch on the banks of the Edward River

The rain was intermittent but we were able to enjoy lunch on the banks of the Edward River. However the rain increased so we eventually decided to abandon our last night of camping among the red gums and opt for a Caravan Park in Deniliquin. Now, at 8.30 pm, the rain is steady so we are pleased to be on dry, hard ground which will have no chance of bogging our rig.

The road between Moulamein and Deniliquin has long been declared a 'Stock Route'. We drove these 88 km today. It is a road with very wide verges. One side was fenced quite close to the road and the other fence was some distance away, we could not easily see it. We came upon a large mob of black cattle. They were happily feeding and then we realised that they had 'minders' or drovers..not with horses and dogs but with a couple of utes and a 4 wheel motorbike. Further on there was a caravan plus a couple of other vehicles which, I am sure, were providing cooking, eating, sleeping and general living conveniences. Modern droving is far removed from the old days of droving with many horses and dogs, plus a food wagon and a cook. Your bed would have been the ground with your head on your saddle. Because of the many dry areas in Australia, these cattle have, most likely, been taken out on the road to find food/grass to eat because they are suffering from the drought conditions on the property to which they belong.