Stuck in Moree
We’ve had a very nice day, getting up late and fiddling around here for the morning. We did some washing. A large number of Army trucks and personel have arrived and are camped on the oval. Apparently this is one of the places they come to regularly. Stephen asked one of the men what they had been doing and was told they were part of the recent defence force games. On the whole they are pretty quiet. A large building has been set up as their mess, but they are using the same showers and toilets as us.
We went for a walk back into the town centre. It was possibly not quite as attractive in normal lighting as in the twilight last night. The Art Gallery didn’t have much on display. Lunch at a small Indian restaurant was a success however. We had wraps for $5.00 vegetarian for me and $6.00 chicken for Stephen, much cheaper than across the road at the cafe, and freshly made, hot and delicious. We also had mango lassi drinks for $3.00 each. We found it so filling we had to sit for a while afterwards.
We came back to the van for a rest, then went to the Aquatic Centre for the hot springs experience. We mostly spent time in the slightly cooler pool, the other one was a bit of a challenge after a little while, I felt like I was cooking. It was recommended to only stay in the hot one for 10 minutes, but some people spent at least half an hour. We had been told that people can feel very tired afterwards, which is partly why we went at about 4.30 p.m. We enjoyed watching the sunset whilst there. We are feeling a bit tired, but not overly so. We are hoping that our visit to the hot springs leads to getting a really good night’s sleep.
The showgrounds has become very filled up tonight with a lot more vans than last night. However, it is still quiet, and having a van close to us will hopefully block a bit of the light from a nearby lamp post. I expect having lots of light here is a safety measure, but a little bit less would be nicer.
Just a few photos from today.
We are well located here within a fairly short walk of the shops and the Aquatic Centre.
There has been fall out from the ABC 4 Corners program on water theft. We are still 1,000 kms from Broken Hill. It will be interesting to talk with people there and see how things are progressing. They had thought they would have to build a pipeline to supply water to the town, but if this report stimulates and enquiry that leads to more water flowing downstream the town may not have to go to the expense of a pipeline. We are following the story with interest as we are visiting some of the towns mentioned in the ABC report.