The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Wednesday 12th May saw up to 67 travellers from all over Victoria and South Australia gather in Wentworth at the
Willow Bend Caravan Park for our RVFR Southern Division May Muster. This was the third a empt to hold the Went-
worth part of the muster—a number of years ago the area was washed out, and last year we couldn’t go anywhere.
David and Judy Tulloch, with their extensive local knowledge did all the preliminary planning and Judy van der Vlugt
(& Cat) took over to complete the nal details for this year. And what a great job they all did!
Most of us headed down to the Crown Hotel for dinner a er arrival and the balance ended up “over the road” at the
Royal Hotel.

Thursday 13th May 2021
WENTWORTH GAOL
We le camp around 10.00 am and travelling in convoy and head-
ed for the Wentworth Gaol.
The gaol was quite impressive from the front but the inside is not
a place you would want to stay. The men’s gaol cells were quite
large un l I found out that they had to accommodate 3 men and
then also found out that they slept on the oor on hessian mats.
There was a ladies gaol sec on with only 2 cells, they weren’t ex-
pec ng the Salva on Army ladies (could be up to 14 at a me)
who were also put into the cells for singing in the street. We saw
lots memorabilia including the ogging rack with a sign below say-
ing “Floggings will con nue un l MORALE improves!”. The gaol
was closed in 1927 and was then used as the Wentworth Area
School with 100 pupils.

PIONEER MUSEUM

The Rotary Folk Museum rst opened in 1966
at another loca on and then in 1990 at a new
loca on the current building was built with
the name of the Rotary Club of Wentworth
Pioneer Museum. The building is owned by
the Rotary Club of Wentworth and operated
by the Club members and some volunteers.
At rst I didn’t like what I was seeing as I rec-
ognised too many items which made me feel
rather old, but in actual fact I loved the
museum. Walking around seeing all the memorabilia and the memories ooding back was great and realising just how
far we have come in technology and gadgets.
Susan Nichols the Mayor of Wentworth a ended and gave a welcome talk and the Rotary Club of Wentworth ladies
supplied a fabulous morning tea.

FORT COURAGE
Fort Courage is 86 acres of bush land with a 7 acre area for caravans on the Murray River frontage. It has had several
owners and is currently owned by the Angling Club and is run by a commi ee of 9.
We had a self-tour of the Barry Doherty Lodge which has been turned into accommoda on (very rough style). A sand-
wich lunch was provided which was enjoyed by all.

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
PERRY SANDHILLS
From Fort Courage we travelled onto the Perry Sandhills which sit on the edge of the ood plain. According to geolo-
gists, the Perry Sandhills originated a er an ice age (40,000 years ago) and have been formed by the wind and erosion
and are a unique land forma on of con nuously shi ing sand dunes.

JOINT MEETING with the Rotary Club of Wentworth and the Southern Zone Members of RVFR
When we walked into the Coomealla Club in Dareton we knew it was going to be a great
night and it was. A er all the toasts and welcome from the Club President Joe Kervin, it
was our own Terry Williams turn to talk. He talked about what the RVFR stands for and
the type of things we do and places we have been to. Terry then presented the Rotary
Club of Wentworth President with a gi .
There were two speakers for the night, our very own David Tulloch who spoke on the
“Grand ear of Paddle Steamers” plus more and was extremely interes ng. The second
speaker was David Tonkin who spoke on the “Life & Times in Broken Hill”, his talk was
also very interes ng. There were 5 ra e prizes and I think the RVFR’s won the majority.
They also had a quiz/trivia session which was fun with the ne money going to Opera-
 on Cle . Oh yes, the food was very good also. So all in all a great night.

.

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Friday 14th May
Ron Gol Sta on:
O in a tag-along convoy about sixty kilometres upstream on the Darling River not
knowing what to expect. On arrival we drove into the bush to park by the river.
The welcoming commi ee were owners of the property Andrew and Marina with
their dog Diesel and pet sheep Clover, which proved to be very friendly and checked
out what everyone had brought for lunch.
A er a cuppa we were taken on a tour of the almond grove with a great commen-
tary by Andrew about the produc on of almonds which was extremely interes ng.
They have 80 hectares planted with 20,000 almond trees which when in full produc-
  on will produce 8 – 10 kilos of fruit per tree each year, most of which is sold in Aus-
tralia.
On the roof of the huge machinery shed they have 600 solar panels producing elec-
tricity for the whole property, this has reduced the power costs from $50,000 per
year to $5,000. Water from the Darling River is re culated underground to all of the
trees and controlled by a fully computerised system. It even includes a large lter
that stops any sh and other aqua life being sucked up into the irriga on network.
The trees take about 7 years to reach full produc on which lasts for about 25 years.
Two varie es are grown, one being used for table nuts and the other for processing
into such things as snack bars and almond milk. The bulk of the work is done using
a variety of machinery which we were able to view with a detailed explana on from
Andrew on how it all worked and what it was used for. Being an “organic” farm
much of the machinery had been designed specially to suit. Andrew explained that
that one harvester cost $100,000 to buy so he bought all of the parts and made it
himself for $30,000.

Andrew and Marina work the property themselves with one full me employee and
two part me employees during harvest which is done in February. The nuts are
stored in a shed un l the factory is ready to take them. We were all, able to sample
 some that were wai ng to be picked up. A er the tour it was back into the bush
for lunch by the river around a couple if camp res, then back to the caravan park
for a much-appreciated rest.

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Camp re Dinner:
We gathered in the shelter at the caravan park for dinner. A couple of camp res
were burning out front and there was a warm buzz of fellowship. A er we all
enjoyed a delicious dinner of four meats and a tasty variety of salads, chairman
Ian introduced guest speaker Cheryl Rix, Chair of the Lower Murray Water Corpo-
ra on.
Cheryl called on her assistant, husband Geo , and we were treated to a very in-
teres ng talk about the past, present and future, the control and the importance
of the Murray-Darling water system to New South Wales, South Australia and
Victoria. They both had great knowledge about the topic and answered several
ques ons from our members.
Drover Judy then played some music by our park host who is a renowned local country music ar st. The res were
warm, but the night was cold and we all soon dri ed o to dream me at the end of a very good day.
Ken Rook

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Saturday 15th May
Our rst stop this morning was at the Dareton Men in a Shed group, where we
were welcomed by President Peter Waters and Secretary Neil Plumridge. Wow
what a great e ort by a lot of members in restoring machinery, boats and a Sabre
Jet plane and many other projects. We were told later that they even have a 12
and 21 year old as members. A er a very scrump ous morning tea of sandwiches
and scones jam and cream, which we since found out was prepared by the Went-
worth Rotary Club members and their wives, we visited the Indigenous Barkindji
Wilmpatya Murray Art Gallery located next door. Unfortunately we could only see
some of the local art work as they were restoring the gallery and some things
were put into storage. We then made our way to the Coomealla Club in Dareton
for a delicious lunch.
                                    The next leg of our journey was a visit to the
                                    Australian Inland Botanic Gardens. Half of the group were served a ernoon tea
                                    and entertained by a local group of musicians called the “Stray Notes” some of
                                    our group were seen dancing to the memorable tunes, whilst the other half had
                                    a train ride around and through the arid gardens. Highlights of the tour through
                                    the gardens, which use part of a 150 acre crown land allotment and has 80
                                    di erent specimens of birds, were many. Old Red Gums, a Cape Chestnut tree,
                                    Emu Bush, Bunya Pine, 1624 Roses and many arid Australian trees and shrubs
                                    including Mallee trees one of which was the famous “Wow Tree”, reputed to be
                                    2500 years old. The open air bush Chapel and the Rotunda which was made of
                                    all sorts of local mbers. The gardens are mulched by grape waste from nearby
                                    wineries and drip irrigated. There are only 2 full me and 2 part me gardeners
                                    who are helped by many volunteers. Also of note was Marist Sion College War-
                                    ragul who sends an interest group of year 11 students to help out each year.

At 4.00pm we made our way back to the caravan park and had re ec on me around the camp re followed by our
Zone Mee ng. Thank you Bill Watson, for another wonderful poem on the highlights of the Lake Tyers muster.
We were out again by 6.00pm to the Wentworth Bowls Club and a delicious meal. President Terry and the Ser-
geants entertained us with a lively ne session. Home to our Vans and Cabins a er a very busy and fun day.

Scribes Barry and Pauline Morris.

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Sunday 16th May
Rowing Club

  On Sunday morning we were invited to the Wentworth District Rowing Club– just a short walk from the cara-
  van park. Again, with the bene t of family connec ons, Geo Rix (David and Judy Tulloch’s nephew) explained
  the history and opera ons of the Club.

Monday 17th May
O to Broken Hill
Around 55 people le the Wentworth Caravan park and travelled north to Broken Hill. Wildlife was scarce with a cou-
ple of mobs of goats and the odd eagle spo ed. The weather was pleasant and no wind which all caravaners are
grateful for.
Some of the group stopped for morning tea at a wayside stop while the majority of the group called at Coombah truck
stop for a wee break and a cup of co ee or ice cream. We arrived at Broken Hill Caravan Park in me for lunch.

The a ernoon was spent relaxing before we gathered at the tent for our “much needed” happy hour and a few words
from our boss drover Ian, as to our upcoming program.
We then headed to the Musician’s Club for dinner with the Rotary Club of Broken Hill. A
great night was had with about 20 Broken Hill Rotarians and partners spread among us.
Terry gave a brief account of the RVFR and a member of
Broken Hill Rotary told us of a few historical events. This
was followed by George giving us an entertaining ne
session.
A great night of fellowship was had by all.

Deb & Kevin Reade

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Tuesday 17th May
Our day started with a Heritage Walk around the central town area -
with a very enthusias c tour guide explaining the many historic points
of interest.

These included the mining Head Frame, the Titanic Band Memorial,
some of Pro Hart’s sculptures, many Civic buildings - including the Court
House, Town Hall facade, Trades Hall and many hotels and another
explana on of the 1st January 1915 terrorist a ack on the picnic train.
An interes ng quick visit to the Train Museum to look at the old carou-
sel and carnival side- show games was fascina ng.
This walk was a good introduc on to the history and life of Broken Hill.

A bus trip was enjoyed in the a ernoon showing us a broader view of the
township and were told stories of interest.
- we saw the many buildings made of the local stone and corrugated
iron - most homes in Broken Hill are made of a mixture of these material.
- many of the streets are named a er minerals mined in this area and
also prominent town’s people.
- visited the place of the New Year picnic shoo ng and the White Rocks
where the perpetrators were caught.

We stopped and visited JP Keenan's Lookout and the Broken Earth Cafe
and the very sombre but beau fully presented Miners Memorial.

A good trip giving us a comprehensive overview of Broken Hill and sur-
rounds.

As sunset approached many of us took the opportunity to visit the Living
Desert Sculpture Park. Looking at the 12 very di erent sculptures as the
light of beau ful red/orange sunset bathed the area in a very peaceful
but eerie ambiance was very special.

A very full and enjoyable day.

Jill Graham

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Wednesday 18th May

Wednesday was a free day with everyone heading out to see the sights of their choice.
Ian Johnson and I picked up my friend, Jodie Lawrence (who lives in Broken Hill and previously lived at 9 mile Sta-
  on where the windmills are situated.) We travelled to Silverton and perused a couple of the galleries, mee ng
several familiar faces en route.
With a toilet stop becoming a necessity we found the pub....and er....a few Proseccos later and a bite to eat we
headed out to the Mundi Mundi lookout.

A er dropping Jodie home, Ian and I visited both Pro Hart and Jack Absalom galleries and then drove to the Living
Desert and Sculptures for a sunset experience.
Upon returning we joined happy hour and enjoyed a wonderful spit roast in a very noisy and happy marquee.
Jenny Fox

                                       Some members took the opportunity
                                       to visit the Daydream Mine on the
                                       way to Silverton.

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Thursday 19th

Thursday at Broken Hill muster was a "free" day. which gave us a chance to explore some of the many interes ng plac-
es in the town.
First up for us was a visit to the "Royal Flying Doctor Service". For decades the R.F.D.S has provided health services to
the communi es surrounding Broken Hill and beyond A very interes ng visitors' centre as it emphasised the im-
portance of this service to the people of the outback and may they con nue to save lives for genera ons to come.
Our next visit was the Railway Museum. A very informa ve and well set up exhibi on of Railway life in the past. A
walk through the Silver Train bought back memories of travelling on the "Old Red Ra lers"

A visit to the "Silver City Art Centre" which is home to "the Big Picture" which was painted by Peter Anderson {"Ando"}
This is the world's largest pain ng on canvas and is 100 Meters long and over 12 meters high and painted with nine
tonnes of paint. The Pain ng features natural and manmade landmarks within 300 kms of Broken Hill. Topping up
with chocolates to take home, it was a very interes ng exhibi on.
Last on the list was a visit to Whites Mine. A museum of mineral art and living mining artefacts. Run by Kevin and his
wife Be y it was interes ng and a huge collec on. Kevin gave us an explana on of his Crushed Mineral Collage art
works.
But the Highlight of our very busy day would have to be the night out at the "Palace Hotel" for dinner and show. The
Palace Hotel is a majes c old Hotel with Murals painted on every wall and ceiling. Arriving at the Palace we were
greeted by "Amanda". She/he gave us a show of singing (maybe miming) and dancing of songs we could all sing to. A
2 course dinner was served during the show. A er the music show of wooing our "Young" gentlemen Amanda was
prepared to pose for photos. Nearly all the gentlemen with smiles beaming on their faces, wanted to get a photo with
Amanda. The fellows of the group had a great night of fun while the ladies just sat back and watched. George was
heard to say " He/she has great legs" and apparently Carron "had a ripper night". I am sure Wakey enjoyed it also.
Well done Wakey.

Tim and Jan Ahern

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The Wentworth/ Broken Hill Muster
Friday 17th

The plans for today included a drive to Menindee Lakes and the o er of a boat
trip on the lake…many enjoyed the boat ride on an unexpectedly large water
area, the fate of the large gum trees in the water worried some of our mem-
bers.

For those not wan ng to drive to Menindee there were s ll plenty of op ons le . We went on an hours walk
through the Living Desert Na onal Park enabling us to see the huge range of na ve plants placed in that beau ful
outback area, labelled and obviously irrigated and well maintained. Further on to the stone sculptures in daylight
presen ng great art and their stories were easy to read and understand. Such an ambi ous project involving seven
sculptures from all round the world which will be part of our heritage for ever.

Next to the Pro Hart gallery, now a magni cent portrayal of his work, from his early life as a miner to his becoming a
proli c ar st.
The old Railway Museum closed far too early and we could not enter. So the day nished in the marquee with a pizza
dinner and farewell to all our friends. Box a er box of pizzas arrived and we all enjoyed the feast. A surprise nes
session with a di erence in that Bronwyn selected the members for a whole range of reasons and each received an
appropriate prize, lots of laughter. Well done Bron!! We all gave our hear elt thanks to the organisers of our rallies,
it was obvious we had all enjoyed ourselves and we appreciated the hard work of our teams.
We take away from here great respect for the people who have built and cared for this great outback region.

 Brian and Alison

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Saturday 18th May
Beth & I were very pleased with the number of par cipants who went to Broken Hill(55). We all had a great me,
star ng with the Broken Hill Rotary Club mee ng where George was the sergeant and Sue won the ra e. The herit-
age walk around the town was well supported as was the coach tour. Everyone appreciated the two free days to be
able to do their own thing and the “Priscilla in Drag” was a fun thing to do. The trip to Menindee and the river cruise
on the Friday was well worth doing and it was great to see water owing into the lake systems and Darling River. In
all we had a great muster.
Ian & Beth

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