We left Big Lizzie town and moved on to Wentworth. The Wentworth Council have now combined the lawn bowls, the tennis and the golf clubs in one area but they are not used that much so they have opened up to free camping in the parking lot for 48 hours. Pulled in, set up and dropped in on the Info office for some advice. The young lady at the counter suggested some places to go and see in a very excited manor (I think she was just glad to see someone) and we left with maps, a handful of flyers and a small booklet.
The weather had changed with the sun trying to poke through the clouds, so after lunch we went for a walk that she had suggested to Junction Island. A nice easy walk until almost to the end where we had to take our shoes off to get through the ankle deep water to higher ground. Wet feet was definitely worth it as it brings you to the junction where the Darling and the Murray River meet.
With shoes back on we went for a drive up to the Number 10 Lock, I know catchy name, and the weir The lock makes make it possible for boats on the river to pass the weir. It has two gates one at front and another at the rear. The Lock Controller opens the front gate so the boat can enter, water is then pumped out to lower the water level to the level on the other side of the weir, the rear gate is then opened and the boat can continue it's journey. The whole process works in reverse with water being pumped in if the boat is travelling up stream. Lock 10 is 117 metres long and is one of 13 locks and 15 weirs on the Murray River.
Sunday came along dragging the sun with it, so we jumped in the truck and headed 6 kms west out of town to the Perry Sand Hills. The sand hills cover 160 hectares, and are approximately 40,000 years old. During WWII they were used for bombing practice. One of the unique things about these constantly shifting sands is in the middle is a giant tree and it has been dated at about 500 years old, but as you climb the dunes you only see the top canopy of the tree as the rest of it is buried in the sand. When you see the photos it is mind blowing how extraordinary mother nature can be.
Next stop Wentworth Gaol . Before the gaol was built prisoners were chained to a tree, the tree had a bullock chain wrapped around it with ring bolts driven through the links of the chain into the tree. To shame the prisoners further this was on the main road.
Feeling the need for a prison, Wentworth Gaol was built in 1881. It originally had 10 male and 2 female cells but as the town grew, the prison expanded. More cells, a kitchen, a hospital, a store room and warden's residence were added.
As more gaols were built in the surrounding areas Wentworth Gaol closed in 1928.
In 1935 the hospital was remodeled for class rooms for Wentworth Central School with over 100 students using it until 1963 when more rooms were built at the school.The Gaol was temporarily re-opened in 1962 after riots broke out in Mildura. The gaol was restored in the mid 1970's and in 1981 was opened as a tourist attraction.
Our last stop was Fortherby Park. One of the attractions at the park is the Paddle Steamer Ruby, currently being restored to former glory. The entry to the park has the metal structure that was part of the road bridge that was raised to let boats through on the Darling River, one of the four hydraulic rams that were used to lift it up is also on display. The bridge has since been replaced as the old one was beginning to wear out, but still has a similar system. In the centre of the park is a monument to the Ferguson tractor or Fergie as it was commonly known that built the levee bank for the town. There is another smaller monument, a miniature brass replica of the Fergie in the middle of the roundabout on the intersection of Adams and Adelaide Roads also in honor of the massive levee bank built before the 1956 floods.The cairn of stones the little Fergie sits on is the height of the water that would have inundated the town had the bank not been built. The plaque reads "By God and by Fergie we beat the Flood!" It was the first monument to a tractor in the world.
The weather had changed with the sun trying to poke through the clouds, so after lunch we went for a walk that she had suggested to Junction Island. A nice easy walk until almost to the end where we had to take our shoes off to get through the ankle deep water to higher ground. Wet feet was definitely worth it as it brings you to the junction where the Darling and the Murray River meet.
With shoes back on we went for a drive up to the Number 10 Lock, I know catchy name, and the weir The lock makes make it possible for boats on the river to pass the weir. It has two gates one at front and another at the rear. The Lock Controller opens the front gate so the boat can enter, water is then pumped out to lower the water level to the level on the other side of the weir, the rear gate is then opened and the boat can continue it's journey. The whole process works in reverse with water being pumped in if the boat is travelling up stream. Lock 10 is 117 metres long and is one of 13 locks and 15 weirs on the Murray River.
Sunday came along dragging the sun with it, so we jumped in the truck and headed 6 kms west out of town to the Perry Sand Hills. The sand hills cover 160 hectares, and are approximately 40,000 years old. During WWII they were used for bombing practice. One of the unique things about these constantly shifting sands is in the middle is a giant tree and it has been dated at about 500 years old, but as you climb the dunes you only see the top canopy of the tree as the rest of it is buried in the sand. When you see the photos it is mind blowing how extraordinary mother nature can be.
Next stop Wentworth Gaol . Before the gaol was built prisoners were chained to a tree, the tree had a bullock chain wrapped around it with ring bolts driven through the links of the chain into the tree. To shame the prisoners further this was on the main road.
Feeling the need for a prison, Wentworth Gaol was built in 1881. It originally had 10 male and 2 female cells but as the town grew, the prison expanded. More cells, a kitchen, a hospital, a store room and warden's residence were added.
As more gaols were built in the surrounding areas Wentworth Gaol closed in 1928.
In 1935 the hospital was remodeled for class rooms for Wentworth Central School with over 100 students using it until 1963 when more rooms were built at the school.The Gaol was temporarily re-opened in 1962 after riots broke out in Mildura. The gaol was restored in the mid 1970's and in 1981 was opened as a tourist attraction.
Our last stop was Fortherby Park. One of the attractions at the park is the Paddle Steamer Ruby, currently being restored to former glory. The entry to the park has the metal structure that was part of the road bridge that was raised to let boats through on the Darling River, one of the four hydraulic rams that were used to lift it up is also on display. The bridge has since been replaced as the old one was beginning to wear out, but still has a similar system. In the centre of the park is a monument to the Ferguson tractor or Fergie as it was commonly known that built the levee bank for the town. There is another smaller monument, a miniature brass replica of the Fergie in the middle of the roundabout on the intersection of Adams and Adelaide Roads also in honor of the massive levee bank built before the 1956 floods.The cairn of stones the little Fergie sits on is the height of the water that would have inundated the town had the bank not been built. The plaque reads "By God and by Fergie we beat the Flood!" It was the first monument to a tractor in the world.
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