A pretty laid back day today.
Started with a coffee at the Old Darling Store, down by the Port Of Bourke and then next door for a demonstration of an old Crossley engine. Built in Manchester 102 years ago, its initial post was at the Sydney Powerhouse, where it generated electricity for the city of Sydney from 1923 to 1938. During those fifteen years, the engine ran non-stop. Replaced, it was shipped to Coffs Harbour where it used to run the churns and other machines in a butter factory. Its final working life was on a river bank at Narromine, where it pumped water from the Macquarie River for use on a farm until 1964, where it finally gave up the ghost.
Left there, it was inundated several times by floods, rusted and decayed to a terrible state until Bourke Shire retrieved it in the late 1990's and bought it to the Port Of Bourke to be painted and displayed. Don Burns then offered to restore it and it now takes pride of place in the park and is started up every day for tourists. Its a truly magnificent beast. I have always loved engines, as did my Dad. There is just something fabulous about watching all the levers and rods and flywheels and the various gizmos go up and down, in and out, round and round. The two blokes demonstrating where our Skipper from the Jandra and his deckhand, only with roles reversed.
Top marks to Bourke Shire for maintaining this great old machine.
After sandwiches we went for a walk across and under the replica wharf. This replica was constructed in 1996 but the original dated back to the river boats of the 1880's. There had been a succession of wharves, all smaller than the one replicated now. The main wharf features different levels to accommodate passenger traffic to and from the paddle boats at different heights of the Darling. Before the wharves were built, the boats were unloaded by a crane pulling items up the bank across large skids of wood which had been laid up the bank. Back in the day, a punt used to run across the river for golfers, to get them between holes. The Darling is possibly one of the world largest water hazards!
We went back out to the Back O Bourke Centre for another more detailed look and to absorb more information. Its a must see in Bourke.
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The former London
Chartered Bank building |
As the afternoon wore on, we returned to the town centre and while Sue did the grocery shopping, I went for a walk about centre of Bourke. There are some delightful old buildings but as useful for country towns, especially those a long from their capital cities and "civilisation", the most prominent are the banks, the hotels, the police station and the court house. The best of them all was a two storey, wide verandah building which had been the home the London Chartered Bank of Australia, built between 1886 and 1888 after being designed in Melbourne. The bank became a major holder of pastoral properties and one of its managers became the Mayor of Bourke. It was closed in 1942 and purchased by the Tancred Brothers who converted in into a boarding house. The Commonwealth Bank operated out of it for ten years from 1946, despite the fact boarders still lived there. It remains a residential building to this day, accommodating seasonal workers, mostly for the meatworks and usually those on work visas from overseas.
Tired of walking and with no cafe insight, I retreated to the Port O Bourke Hotel, a rather large affair on Mitchell Street. Entering the bar, I had to walk through a group and in particular had to excuse myself to squeeze past a giant of a bloke who was answering questions about cricket. He sounded pretty knowledgeable, although it was clear he had been a bowler, so really, how much could he know?
It wasn't until I reached the bar and it dawned on me that the bloke I had squeezed past was Glenn McGrath! He was on some sort of meet and greet promotional tour. Came away with a snap. Seemed the least I could do for Australia's most successful quick. Jokes aside, it was a buzz for an old cricket tragic such as I to meet him but of all places, in a pub in Bourke!
Finally getting to Queensland tomorrow as we head for Cunnamulla.
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