Road trip Part 4 - Bordertown, family and the quickest way home!

Welcome to Bordertown, population 2660.  (I tried to add the pic of the sign, but for some reason it's just not working).   Bordertown SA is pretty important to my family.  My Pop and his brother were born there (in fact his mum may have even been too). Pop met my Nan there, they had all their kids there.  Aside from all that, it is also where Bob Hawke (an old Prime Minister) was born.
This is the clock in the centre of town.  I know it looks nothing like it, but it reminds me of the Back to the Future movie (perhaps it's the lightning bolt... I dunno?!)

This was my mum's first school that is still being used as a school.  I find that really cool.  Maybe 'cause my old primary school was closed down years ago.
 
This is the Bordertown Memorial Hospital.... I would have no family history without this place... the birth place of my Pop and Mum.  It was also where Nan and Pop met when Pop got back from the war and Nan was nursing there.  Awww it's just like Pearl Harbour!!! :)

The bust of ex Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

This is something Bordertown has become famous for in more recent times.... their population of White Kangaroos.  The locals will stress that they are 'white' kangaroos and not albino kangaroos.
After spending a night in Bordertown and visiting all mum's old houses, her grandparent's house, the cemetry and all the things she remembered from her childhood, we headed towards Adelaide.  We went through the Barossa Valley, stopping for a drink in Freeling.... home of one of my all time favourite shows McLeod's Daughters!!  It's not being made anymore, but it was at the time.  They had been filming there a couple of days before we arrived.  We were still able to have a drink at the pub aka Gungellan Hotel.

The Gungellan Hotel.... actually located in Freeling SA!!
Inside the pub.... they really filmed in here.  It's a lot smaller than it looks on TV.
While in Adelaide we stayed with one of mum's cousins in Gawler.  She was so lovely and took us around to see the beautiful towns and interesting places to see in the Barossa.  We also called in to see my nan's sister and some of mum's cousins on the other side of the family. 

From there, we headed towards Nan's old stomping ground, the little township of Moorook SA.  While there we called in on her younger brother who is still in the house that mum used to visit her grandparents at every school holidays.  We saw Nan's primary school and also dropped in at the cemetery where quite a few of the ancestors are buried.  We dropped past nan's high school.... Glossop High  (is there anything that is not on Wikipedia?)  I was quite surprised that it was quite a distance there from Moorook.
World famous Glossop High School.
On the way home from Moorook we called in at Mildura, Victoria.  By this stage though we were kind of getting over it a bit so we decided to pretty much take the most direct route home stopping for an overnight refresh in Balranald, NSW.

This is the Dog on the Tuckerbox that can be found just near Gundagai NSW.  I'd seen it several times as a child, but as an adult I wasn't so bothered to stop to have a look.  I thought it was a nice way to finish our road trip... by appreciating an Aussie Icon.
I have travelled all over the world and seen some awesome things, but really, there are so many great things to see right here in my own amazing country.  The fact that it included lots of memories for my mum made this trip even more special.  It also kick started my obsession with researching my family history... but that's a whole 'nother story!!!

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