Various Beatles tunes

I fired up Polly this morning to find that she was going to send us through Moulamein and across the Hay Plain which did not appeal to me.  It turned out the problem was flooding near Narrandera.  

However it seemed that a small diversion should be able to avoid this.  Hmmm.  note the words 'small' and 'should".

Before leaving we checked out a few things around Kerang.  This is the Community Centre, named after John Gorton (see below).

Opposite the Community Centre is a nice park with these artistic creations.

A noticeboard in the park had a timeline of events and personalities including this reference to John Grey Gorton.  Before becoming a politician (other than roles in the Shire) he ran a family property at Mystic Park, a tad North of Kerang.  His wikipedia entry is fascinating.

There are a range of War memorials out the front of the RSL.

From the Boer War.

In my studies of war memorials  - and they were reasonably extensive when doing the NSW towns project - I had never before come across one to the Occupation Forces in Japan.

This clock is also a memorial to a poor young teacher who drowned trying to save the lives of some pupils in a swimming class.

The story told in the Monument Australia entry is a little different to that on the plaque.  

Our final fling was try to find our way to Lake Foster a Nature Reserve on the edge of town.  We failed, but did get a look in the sewage ponds which were closed off.

When we fired up the satnav the Mazda offering looked as though it was going to send us to Moulamein and across the Hay Plains, so we fired up Google maps which we knew would send us via Deniliquin and Jerilderie.  Well that was the story at home.  On the road it took us to Deni and Conargo but instead of going to Jerilderie (see red arrows in image below) took a diagonal across Mabins Well Rd and generally on a Magical Mystery Tour of the middle of nowhere!

This is early on in the trip crossing the Murray at Barham and thus entering NSW.

As we headed towards Deniliquin the country, as expected, was MBF (Mind Blowingly Flat).

After Deniliquin we headed towards Conargo (at the stage expecting to go to Jerilderie).  We were following a truck full of cotton bales and not gaining on it.  At Conargo Polly sent us, and the truck, North, rather than East towards Jerilderie.  We seemed to gaining on the truck and after a while he flashed for me to overtake.  The road was pretty narrow but I got past without putting more than half a wheel in the dirt.  Frances took a photo of the truck as we passed.

We then turned off on Mabbins Well Rd (the truck continued North).  At some point here we saw Bird of the Day in the form of a pair of Bluebonnets which flew across in front of us.  The road became dirt but was in good nick so speed was not greatly reduced.  After a fair bit of dodging around we got back to the Sturt Highway and after a few km Polly told us to turn off towards Yanco.  

We assumed the road closed sign at the junction was just left around from some other event.  Ditto for the sign at the next junction.  Round a bend and no, the road was closed: in the Pajero I might have had a crack at it but not in the Mazda.  In either case I don't think the council guys in a truck on the far side would have been happy!

On the Sturt Highway the water of Poison Waterhole Creek was higher than I had ever seen it.

As we crossed the 'bidgee into Narrandera we could could it was flowing well and had flooded a few paddocks but didn't inconvenience us.

So we got to Leeton and as the weather was looking threatening took ourselves straight out to Fivebough.  Due to Polly being daft we first called in at Hooey Lookout.  Lots of water.

Stilts were around, and a bonus swallow

Getting to the main entrance a Black-shouldered Kite was photogenic.

So were the 87 Magpie Geese.

A Blue-billed Duck justified its name.

Shortly thereafter the rain ceased to threaten and bucketed down so we headed for the car.  After soaking most of us it stopped as got nearly to car and I couldn't resist this snap of a Pied Butcherbird.