🚗 Road Trip Guide: Mildura to Broken Hill

🌌 Morning in the Outback After a night of epic stargazing, we fueled up with a quick breakfast and headed back to Mildura—the last "civilized" pitstop before the true outback. 📍 Mildura Highlights 💎 Woodsies Gem Shop A rockhound’s paradise! Rare opals, thunder eggs, and fossils from across Australia. "I wanted to move in!" ☕ blk.mlk Specialty Coffee Must-try: Prana Chai (spiced tea-coffee hybrid) For masochists: "Magic" coffee (bitter enough to make you cry 😭) 🛣️ En Route to Broken Hill 🚙 3-hour drive with a stop at Popiltah Lake Rest Area (stretch + refill water!) 🏜️ Broken Hill: Where the Desert Whispers History ⛏️ Lane of Lode Mining memorial with panoramic views of the "Silver City" Cotton-candy clouds over rust-red earth ☁️ 🏛️ Mining Museum Giant drills + stories of Australia’s first mining boom 🎬 Mad Max 2 Museum (Closed when we arrived—sad face!) 🎨 John Dynon Gallery Sunset magic! Graffiti-covered cars + metal sculptures glow under pink skies 🌅 Galahs (pink cockatoos) providing the soundtrack 🦜 🍝 Broken Hill Pub Pasta = 👍 | Beef = 👎 (too salty!) Local beers washed it all down 🍺 🏡 Airbnb Gem Our host—a legendary local guide—spoiled us with: Homemade brekkie Insider tips for hidden outback spots "Tomorrow’s the last day... already nostalgic!" 😢 #Mildura #MadMaxVibes #AustraliaTravel