The first place I made the travelling troop stop was Olary, on the Barrier Highway in eastern South Australia. This photo pretty much sums up Olary - just add 9 million blowies and open the oven door to get the full ambience.
Even after the Olary stop, I was allowed to choose the caravan park in Broken Hill that night. I think the one I chose had a small selection of steam locos quietly rusting behind it. If the photos seem blurred its because I was more worried about the local snakes than framing the perfect portrait (all of my photography in the 1970s was done in thongs). I am not sure of the identity of the loco in the first shot, the middle shot is of Y82 and the final shot is No.99. Nearly 40 years later, I am not even sure this was Broken Hill!
Once we were back into NSW proper, things got more familiar. Like at Dubbo. Here we found the Comet and a couple of 44s lurking in the yard.
Then it was home via Forbes and the railway high-point of the trip - the Lachlan Vintage Village. As the other tourists participated in convict floggings and generally tried to avoid the 110 degree heat, stupid here was snapping away at the following.
Nothing quite like an undressed tank loco...
And then there was a selection of narrow gauge beasties...
And that was about it! Can't believe it was 40 years ago - maybe that caravan park was Peterborough?
Until next time,
Don
