The Ninnes family continued their journey south travelling, I presume, close by the banks of the Murray River. There are a number of entries from the Thomas Ninnes diaries that describe the Ninnes party’s journey along the Murray and down the coast and I’ve included some extracts in this story.

We jump on our mini bus, drive over the bridge and take the road south to Wellington, tracking the Ninnes’ likely path. I feel that the Ninnes group had significantly more adventures on their trek, whether good or not.

Reached the Wellington on a Hot, thirsty day and took a little too much Porter at the Publick House We crossed the Murray on the Punt two drays at a time There is a strong cable rope fastened at each side of the River at the Landing Places drawn tight across the River It Runs over Rowlers at the Bulwarks of the Punt The Men puls at this rope The stronger you pull it the faster the Punt goos A fine sheet of soft water You could see that it was Running towards the Sea by anything on the surface of the water About one fourth of a mile wide. The Porter caused sum rash words between the relatives I should have said that Thomas of Skilly, Bruce from the Burra, John Roach and others was in company

We reached the Policemens Wells, Graths Flat the Coorong A good many blacks They gote us plenty of nice fish for flour, sugar and tea

We drive past Policeman Point, tea bags in hand, but no sign of anybody to swap them for fish! (Not that I would eat it anyway.)

We went through the desert, a scruby, sandy pore country to Salt Creek where Malady Martin Murdered Maria Manaman an old servant for her money and buried her in a wombat hole We reached Maria Creek where the blacks murdered and ate the crew of a wrecked ship in the early days Reached Tilleys Flats Our cat we took from the Burra we lost here Possibly kild by the wild dogs of something At the hind part of the dray we had a coope of fowls Feed and watered them in a trough outside of the bars of the coope

We pass the Salt Creek settlement, which appears to consist of only a general store (which may or may not be operating) then turn for a lunch stop beside Pipe Clay Lake, a desolate looking salt flat, to my eye.

A little further on we stop by Chinamans Well, a feat of early engineering by the Chinese. (Though there are some who dispute the well was built by the Chinese at all.) This area was on the route the Chinese immigrants made from South Australia to the Victorian goldfields. Maybe everybody else in the world already knew this, but the Chinese used to land in South Australia and travel to Victorian to avoid a £10 poll tax imposed by Victoria on the Chinese immigrants only. In terms of high taxes, it seems like Victoria has always been a leader. (South Australia eventually followed Victoria’s lead on the poll tax, and that eventually shut down the Chinese migration route through South Australia, as they then travelled directly to Victoria.)

For us, onward to Kingston and then to Robe. We’ll meet up with the Ninnes journey in a couple of days when we’re back on our bikes.