Around Cobar in Easter:



As a desert should be, Cobar does not disappoint and is hot and very dry.
I visited the Open pit gold mine which is only about 4 km from town and there is a lookout on a hill that allows the visitor to appreciate the size of the open pit; it operates 7 days a week and there were loaders carrying the ore to be processed  at a plant nearby, they advertise the production of a 15 kg ingot of gold every week (around 450 oz, at the current price of 1200 dlls/oz would be around $540,000 dlls/US/week, I wonder what are the production costs)
After the mine I visited the Old water reservoir and bird sanctuary , but I found it almost dry, and the same condition affected the Newey, which is another water reservoir for the city, and as birds is concern, only a few ducks were enjoying the remaining water. I was born in an area of the world that has become very dry, and am very familiar with water rationing and droughts.
I have not commented about the Road trains, because in the areas where I have traveled this  time, the most they haul is a double trailer, the most impressive ones in the NorthWest that I saw in my previous trip were pulling 4 and ocasionally five trailers.
I will continue my trip tomorrow. Victor

                                          Town of Cobar entrance from the East.

                                          Open pit gold mine

                                          Loaders carrying the ore

                                          The empty one has to wait until the full one exits the tunnel

                                          Empty loader enetering the mine tunnel

                                          15 kg goold ingot extracted each week

                                          Almost dry old reservoir

                                          No birds around

                                          A few ducks at the Newey reservoir

                                          The Newey reservoir with very little water as well

                                          Main street of Cobar, The Barrier highway.

                                          Double road train

                                          I did not see any one longer

Newey reservoir. Cobar