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Near
our camp |
Cooper
River Windorah |
A
clean car once again |
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Wednesday the 1st A very warm night and when we went outside at about 8am there was a heat haze or fog one or the other and it was still warm. I've decided to start walking again for the alcohol consumed at happy hour is starting to show around the body. It was pleasant walk and the Cooper River is still that common colour of Queensland rivers, brown! The banks are so steep that it is a waste of time going down to the river to fish or set the yabby traps, it was amazing how long it took this morning to get the camp in shape. We were to turn our attention to the Suzuki and found that the engine bay was absolutely full of dust and taking off the bra we found that it was full of dust collected of the roads. Ian and I stripped the car and put in washing materials and went back to Windorah to clean as best we could the Suzuki. As the water is filtered Cooper River water we did not have to worry about using a chamois, the amount of dust and dirt that was on the car was amazing though the finished product looked like new. We filled our empty drums with water and returned to our camp some 16 kilometers down the single lane bitumen highway. I used the touch up paint where rocks had scared the paint work around the wheel arches. Washing, showers were the order the day after lunch Liz and Ian each made a loaf of grain bread in the camp ovens and they turned out lovely so we look forward to fresh bread and not frozen from the shop. We relaxed and read our books for the rest of the day and at happy hour we went into the fly tent to get away from the multitude of fly's that the heat of the day produces. Just an easy meal and then out by the fire and looking up at the stars before retiring inside to watch a bit of television and then off to bed to read for awhile. What a relaxing day it has been are there such things as rates and tax's or other bills? |
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| Beautiful Bougainvilleas in the beer garden | Liz, Denise and Ian about to enjoy their meal |
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Thursday the 2nd It was cooler during the evening and the day was to only to reach 19 degrees which is change from the last few days, A walk along the Cooper River bank and watched the pelicans work for fish before coming back to the motorhome for breakfast. I helped Ian with his gas fridge for it appears to be not working properly, we transferred his food to our fridge and later refitted the fridge and it appeared to be working. This is the last day for Ian & Denise to be with us as a traveling group as they leave in the morning bound for Jundah. We intend to stay another couple of days to watch the football then move on probably on Monday if not before. Liz was to work at removing that terrible red dust from the inside of the car and cleaning the windows etc. We all decided that we go back into Windorah for a farewell meal and a couple of beers, first to top up with water and then a loaf of bread at $4.50 frozen from the Outback Store then onto the pub. Our meals were large and we left well satisfied with the meal and sitting outside enjoying the sun and the beautiful Bougainvilleas, there were several different colours. Back to camp and sat around talking and reading book for we were well satisfied food wise, to the point that we would not have much for our evening meal. There were plenty of campers coming in to set up and the kite hawks were floating on the wind currents along with the pelicans working the river. Before we knew it was happy hour and again we didn't drink much at all and were still relatively full of food, we decided to throw a couple of potatoes into the fire and when cooked load them with ham strips, grated cheese and sour cream. Very nice indeed and then washed them down with a cup of tea. The fire was stoked up and we sat around taking in the beautiful clear night with plenty of stars and the moon nearly size nearly full. We adjourned to the motorhome when the bities came around and watched the Marngrook Football Show and then off to bed to read our books. |
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| Wildflowers on the Cooper River flood plains | Ghost Gum growing in Cooper River |
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Friday the 3rd A cold night and a glorious morning, no cloud and little wind though the temperature hovered around 20 degrees all day until the sun went down. We had our breakfast and as Ian and Denise were moving on this morning we had a last long chat and wished them well in their future travels up to Jundah and into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Liz was to take a farewell photo and exchanged addresses etc. Liz and I then went walkabout and we were to marvel at the amount of yellow wild flowers appearing on the Cooper River flood plain, they stretched as far as the eye could see and were pretty against the blueness of the sky. We stopped to take a photo of the ghost gum in the river and on hearing the sounds of birds in the Coolabah Trees we investigated and found there were many budgerigars just enjoying themselves. No wonder the Kite Hawks were hovering around trying to flush them out, they were all lime green in their colouring they look great in the wild. We cleaned up around the camp had our lunch and read our books in the fly tent to get away with the fly's though I have to say there are not many fly's given the coolness of the day. There were a few campers come along the banks and we have made arrangements for a book exchange tomorrow which is great. On the with the camp oven and later in the day we placed a chicken in with the mandatory spuds, pumpkin and onion etc. Come happy hour, which we enjoyed on our own for the first time in weeks, we enjoyed the last rays of the sun before we went inside to enjoy our roast chicken with baked and steamed vegetables. No outside fire tonight for we are getting ready for the Collingwood V Essendon football match and of course we had an extended happy hour to watch the game before we go off to bed. We have decided to stay on Cooper Creek until Monday morning when we will move on, it will ensure we have good reception to watch the various televised footie games. |
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On
top of dune Windorah |
Wildflowers |
Flowering
tree on Nature Drive |
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Saturday the 4th Well, we slept in this morning and didn't arise until nearly 9am, did our usual chores and sat out in the sun and read our books. We had organised a book swap for this morning with several fellow campers in the vicinity and it was good to be able to discuss with other peoples their travels whilst exchanging books. We decided to cook the silverside that has been in the fridge for the past three weeks, come lunch time we had hot silverside in bread very nice indeed. After lunch we went into Windorah for water to save our main water tanks and then remembering the redness of the sand dunes just a few kilometers out from the town boundary we decided to visit them. We were to climb once again to the top of the dune though it was not as steep as the Simpson Desert dunes. There were many wildflowers in bloom and with the redness of the sand they looked really great. Back into Windorah and we took the heavy vehicle road which by passes the town centre and then turned down the 12 kilometer long Nature Drive. It was well sign posted and pointed out the many trees and flowering bushes, it took us sometime to look at the different trees and flowering plants before we arrived back at the main road which was opposite the road we turn into our camp. Just relaxed and had a few happy campers visit us whilst we were sitting by the main fire and reading our books, they thought it strange to have such a fire on a very warm afternoon until they discovered it kept the pesky fly's away from us; they were quick to stand by the fire. We listened to the football on the radio and had our customary happy hour before we retired into the motorhome to watch the last quarter of the Port Adelaide V Brisbane Bears. We had our evening meal and settled into watch the Bulldogs V Hawthorn game. to say we are football fanatics is an understatement. Then off to bed with nearly a full moon and cloudless sky with plenty of stars. Sunday the 5th Slept in again and decided to take it easy today after packing our camp up for our travels tomorrow, though we have clear blue sky's in our area it would appear that as we head towards Quilpie that will change. I have to say we were slow packing for we have really enjoyed this area, in the past we have really only passed through the area after fueling. On this occasion we have seen that Windorah is more than just a small outback town. There is much to do if you are patient and look around and talk to the locals or visit the visitor information centre. All was packed by lunch time so we read our books again and had a chat to a few campers that passed our area and before we knew it the time had arrived for the St Kilda V Geelong football match. It would be true to say that I had my heart in my hand during many periods of the game and to have St Kilda win by a goal meant that we broke out more cider and beer to celebrate before we had our tea. As previously stated we are football fanatics so having satellite television we were able to watch the Carlton V Fremantle before reading and then off to bed a very happy chappee! |
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| Wild Flowers beside highway | Carpets of Wild Flowers |
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Monday the 6th A cloudy morning awaited us as we hopped out of bed and had our breakfast, we finished our packing away of the satellite dish etc said our farewells to a few of the campers that we had befriended and then headed for the highway. The traffic was light as we pulled onto the single lane bitumen highway towards Quilpie, we decided not to go into Quilpie today we would only do around 150 kilometers and set up camp for the night and continue on in the morning. Along the way it was obvious that there had been plenty of rain in this area recently for the ground beside the highway was wet with many puddles of water and a few of the creeks had water in them. The road kill was high and the crows and wedge tailed eagle's were having a good feed, it is difficult to catch the eagle's on the camera for they fly away before you can pull up or get the camera out.  We
were to see kangaroos hopping across the highway and we felt that given
the amount of water it may have bought them out of the bush closer to
the road. The countryside was very green and with the different hues it
looked a treat. It was still very overcast and it appeared that we may
be driving into rain though other than a few heavy drops it held off.
Traffic had picked up and it didn't matter how we pulled off the road to give them the bitumen they still insisted to go over into the gravel the result being us being showered in gravel and rocks. We have not seen so many 4x4 towing camper trailers as we have this year and most of them look like recent purchases, so instead of pulling off the bitumen to let those past from our rear I kept them behind me until we came to a floodway which was usually double bitumen and then I would pull over and let them past, it was the only way we could avoid the rocks being thrown at us. I am sure that it must have annoyed a few who had to follow anything up to 10 kilometers before they could get past, we pulled off to allow a road train who was coming at us and he stayed on the bitumen and didn't shower with rocks. We were surprised to see sheep grazing and more so when nearby hanging on a road sign were the carcases of two dingo's, no doubt shot by the farmer. We were to see also plenty of Brahman cattle and we spotted four that had been hit on the road and as some wag was to state "they just look like hand bags" and it is true bloated with their four legs pointing towards the sky. We found a road metal dump about 95 kilometers from Quilpie where we decided to stay tonight and even if it rains it should not cause us any worry, on setting up there were two emu's that came close to our camp and by the time we picked up the camera's they had moved on. We had our lunch and sat around watching the traffic heading in both directions and there were certainly more 4x4s towing camper trailers than caravans or motorhome's. Set up the satellite dish again to watch the Michael Jackson special this evening and then we just went for a walk in the bush and then read our books for the rest of the afternoon. Kilometers travelled 149 |
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| Countryside greening | Welcome to Quilpie |
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Tuesday the 7th We were underway before our neighbors appeared outside their caravan this morning so we just gave them a toot on the horn and headed off towards Quilpie. The countryside was very green with plenty of water in the many creeks and lying in puddles along the way, there were plenty of sheep and the Brahman cattle we appearing. Unfortunately there was plenty of road kill with crows and wedge tailed eagles cleaning up. We were slowly climbing until we arrived on top of the Grey Ranges and the spectacular views they supplied. We were now in countryside that is more bush with gum trees of many varieties and the famous Gidgee tree. There was plenty of traffic appearing with the usual problems associated with the single bitumen highway. It seemed that in no time at all we arrived at Quilpie and we headed straight out to Lake Houdraman to set up camp for few days. When we arrived there were a few young blokes camping where we had in the past and as they indicated that they would be moving on in a hour or so we waited and had a chat with them. We finally set up and then decided to go back into Quilpie to see if we could get a replacement pipe for the fuel tanks, we went to the local mechanics shops first then the truck depots and finally to the council depot with no luck. The council had the right pipe though only about half a metre not enough. The council bloke rang outback spares in Charleville who had the right pipe and plenty of it, they could have put on the bus next morning though we decided that we would go and get it ourselves even though it meant a 440 return trip in the Suzuki. We then went to the butchers shop and bought a couple of T-bone steaks for our evening meal then around to the bakery where we had a couple of pies for lunch and bought fresh bread. |
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| Lake Houdraman | Birdlife on the Lake |
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Back at camp and we decided that we
would leave early in the morning for Charleville for there was a bank
and other facilities that we needed to use. We then relaxed for the rest
of the afternoon and cleaned up and set up the fire for tonight. Read our books and decided that for happy hour today we would have a cup of tea for change on the banks of the Lake and watch the many birds and wildlife on the lake and then we had our evening meal and then watched television until 9pm and then off to bed. Kilometers travelled 109 Wednesday the 8th We were out of bed at 6am, dressed had breakfast and on our way towards Charleville at 7am, it was a great morning with no clouds and the sun was just rising, unfortunately the sun was shining brightly and we were driving straight into it which made it hard to see the road at times. The countryside is much drier now and we seemed to be climbing onto many plateaus and thankfully we were now on double lane bitumen road so it made the going easy and at one section they are re-routing the road away from a section of flood plains, we were held up for short periods at both ends for there was only provision for one way traffic. We arrived in Charleville around 9:30am and went straight to Outback Spares and there was a sigh of relief on my part when I had the correct hose in my hands, enough to do the repair to think all this trouble and the mileage to finally find the correct pipe and to think it cost only $11.30 for the pipe and clips. Then to the bank to replenish our funds and across the road into Crazy Clarke's and bought heaps, checked out the cost of beer at the pubs and then found a cheaper outlet where we purchased two 30 can blocks and a cask of wine. Off to the supermarket and stocked up with groceries and meat etc and lets not forget the many packets of biscuits, we run out of sweet biscuits about a week ago. Then a trip into the op shop and then it was time for lunch. We had fish & chips and they were great and then we decided to have a quick drive around Charleville taking in the old railway station that is still working and other touristy things, then time to re-fuel. You can no longer say that Queensland has the cheapest fuel since the Government withdrew the 8 cents a litre subsidy to Queenslanders and tourists alike. We were to pay $1.40.9 per litre for unleaded fuel and that was the cheapest in town. Back on the road to Quilpie and the Suzuki was bulging with the goods and other things that we had purchased, the run in reverse looked a little different though the birds were still feeding on the road kill. and driving on this double lane road was a treat. We were to notice that there were three road trains coming at us so even given the width of the road I still pulled off the road to give them a go, I noted that there was a fair bit of movement in the trailers and just as one passed the the third trailer moved off the road and into the dust and rocks. Yep! one loud bang and right in front of Liz there was a large shatter star on the window screen the size of a 50 cent piece. When we arrived back at camp we unloaded and packed everything away in the motorhome and then it was time for happy hour. We moved to the edge of the lake again and relaxed watching the birdlife feeding, very relaxing indeed the people in the next camp 300 metre's away came and joined us and we had a good chat about our travels etc then retired for our evening meal. We didn't have much for our meal this evening for we did not feel like much after our mid day meal, we watched the Michael Jackson celebration and then off to bed somewhat a little tired. Thursday the 9th I had a sleep in this morning and only hopped out of bed when Liz said it 9:15am. During the early hours of this morning we had another visit from the nearby cattle and luckily they didn't drop any cow pats near the camp.The birdlife was prolific again this morning feeding on the lake and it makes the place so serene. After breakfast we went into Quilpie for Liz to use the laundromat at the Caravan Park whilst I went and uploaded this section of the diary at the internet cafe, I have to say this connection has been the fastest and without glitches and the cheapest to date. Off to fill the water drums at the information centre and found the water was very hot coming straight from the artesian bore, I checked and found that this was the case in all the houses so we will need to cool it before we use it; though it is nice and hot for showers. Off to the supermarket again for a bit of retail purchasing therapy, which included Tim Tams and then we were on way back to camp we had our lunch and then I went to work fitting the new pipe between the diesel tanks, I never encountered any problems so I was very happy to have the two tanks to work on once again. We were to have visitors who came to look at the camp oven and to view the birds, one couple had a Suzuki the same age as ours and so we were able to do some comparisons and all agreed that they are a very good vehicle for what we are both doing. They have a five door model and at times they sleep in it or erect a tent which they did when they were in Tassie last year. That sums up the amount of people that have stopped by they have either been to Tassie or are thinking of going. It leads to some interesting comments about our state. Now we are in phone range has given us the chance to check in with the kids and receive calls from others interested where 
we are.
I had a snooze until happy hour and then another couple of bird watchers
had a chat with us about our travels and seeking information on the road
to Bedourie which we couldn't supply them with. One thing that you notice
is that the day is warm and as soon as the sun drops near the horizon
the evening chill arrives and you either crank up the fire or come inside
like we elected to do for we need to make a few calls tonight and also
the Marngrook Football Show is on NITV on the satellite dish. In all it
has been another relaxing day on the lake and so soothing watching the
many birds feeding and there is one bird that sounds like a set of door
chimes sounding off and yet I cannot identify it maybe tomorrow if the
bird watchers come again I will ask.Fish for for our evening meal tonight, which we bought, and the way the evening is cooling so quick we may have to put another put blanket on the bed mother. I happened to look out of the window and captured the last of the sunset which was pretty good and unfortunately the photo does not do it justice. |
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| Breakfast by the fire and lake | New Welcome to Quilpie Signs |
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Friday the 10th Lit the fire and had breakfast watching the birdlife feeding on the lake, again today there is not a cloud in the sky though there is a cold breeze blowing that had us putting on our trakkies. After cleaning up etc we then drove into Quilpie to check mail delivery times for we have sought to have last months mail forwarded to us, this may delay us leaving for the mail does not arrive until 3pm each weekday. We noticed that they have installed new welcome signs much more up market than the old one's. We then drove out to the Baldy Top lookout which is some 6 kilometers out of town heading west. The tourist information has it that it it an ideal place to watch the sun go down in the late afternoon. When we arrived there was no easy track to the top and though only rough walking tracks I reckoned the Suzuki would climb it ok. Liz insisted on hopping out for she was worried the car would not make it. Well it did make it as far up as you can go the only problem was there was not enough room to turn it this meant that it would have to be reversed back down. |
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| Baldy Top Lookout | Up on Baldy Top Lookout |
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The view from the lookout was spectacular
you could see in most directions as far as the eye could see, even Quilpie
nestled in the trees. I could not find a dedicated track to climb to the
absolute top so then backed the car back down the slope in low four wheel
drive and it did not even look like loosing its footing on the loose gravel.
I have to say once again that I marvel at the capabilities of this vehicle
as yet I have not reached its limits though may I say I do not really
want to get in that situation. We drove out to the rubbish dump to look for more old fridges to no avail, most of the rubbish has been buried though there was a couple of people who were fossicking through the rubbish looking for goodies. They were oblivious to the fact that we were sitting in the car watching them pulling bags and cartons to bits looking for things, maybe they were looking for something for their evening meal! |
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Quilpie
Cemetery |
Boulder
Opal Alter and Font at St Fin Barr's Church Quilpie
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Whilst in the area we had a look at
their cemetery and we noted the amount of young people in their twenties
and younger that have died over the past ten years or so. It is well laid
out with some obviously costly graves in abundance. Back to town and down
to St Fin Barr's Church to look at the inlaid boulder opal in the alter
and font and other areas very nice indeed. Bought some sav's to have an easy meal tonight whilst watching the Collingwood V Western Bulldogs football match then purchased dog biscuits to put in the yabby traps. On the way back to camp we went into some water holes well off the road and set six yabby traps which I will pull in the morning with a bit of luck we may get a few. Back to camp and had a lazy afternoon reading and taking in the tranquility of the area before going down to our neighbors camp which is some 300 metre's away to enjoy their fire and companionship for our happy hour before returning to watch the football. Saturday the 11th Up early and drove out to check the yabby pots, what a waste of time the pots were empty and the bait had not been touched at all, 
I pulled them all and on return to camp laid them out to dry to pack away
later in the day. Liz had lit the firepot so we we boiled the kettle and
cooked our toast etc for breakfast and watched the birdlife feeding, the
problem is when you try to get close to them for a photo they appear to
be skittish and take off.Other than Liz taking the rubbish up to the bins we decided to have a lazy day, we cooked a chicken wing stew for our tea in the camp oven and just enjoyed the morning. Later in the afternoon I decided to go and tow some wood back to cut up for the firepot. Well, I mean to say I sharpened the chain last week and of course the best wood to burn for plenty of heat is the gidgee wood though doesn't it make a mess of you chain in no time at all. So it was we cut the wood which Liz stacked whilst I battled the toughness of the wood. Then we had a late happy hour and then at 6:30pm as the darkness arrived and the evening chill came down we adjourned to the motorhome for our evening meal and then we tuned into the Brisbane V Geelong footie match before we retired for the night, a very relaxing day. |
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| Sunday markets Quilpie | Geese join us for happy hour |
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Sunday the 12th Breakfast by the fire and again watching the birdlife from the musk ducks diving and the colourful parrots this are is definitely a bird watchers paradise. Come 10am we drove into Quilpie and went to the markets set up by the locals. There were the usual goods and jams and cakes on offer and Liz was to buy a couple of door chimes, now previously I indicated that there was a bird whose call sounded like door chimes. Well I found the source of the sound and it was not a bird it was the wind chimes that a woman had outside here caravan about 300 metre's away which I thought was a bird, richard cranium! We made a few phone calls and then went to the local cafe and had a cappuccino then onto the industrial estate to have a look about. Whilst there we went into the local fuel distributor to check fuel prices and found that the fuel prices were six cents a litre cheaper than the fuel stations. We checked our credit card which we were to use to fill the Suzuki, so we will fill up with diesel from the bowser's before we leave Quilpie after picking up our mail. We had a walk around the town and did a bit of window shopping given that the shops were all closed except the newsagents and cafe's and hotel, the bloke at the Opal shop indicated that business was not good this year from tourists as in other years which he put down to the current financial environment. Back to camp and had our shower before we had a late lunch and then read our books, there were a lot of campers coming in and wouldn't you know it we had a tent city spring up near our clothes line. Given the amount of unused area I didn't even ask why they set up so close to us after all it is free camping. Rick and Barbara came along for happy hour and we were to watch the Geese chase the spoonbill's away from their feeding spot on the bank they also kept the waders and ducks away as well. We then went down to their camp when darkness came and enjoyed their company and fire before coming home to watch the last quarter of the St Kilda V West Coast Eagles which St Kilda won. Had our evening meal and settled in to watch the movie before going off to bed. |
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| Geese at our camp | Geese join us for breakfast |
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Monday the 13th A beautiful sunrise with no wind and again the birdlife at the front door of our camp. The geese have ventured across the lake to join us for breakfast, we offered them no bread etc not wanting them to to frequent our camp looking for food or them leaving droppings behind. They certainly weren't shy and had no qualms coming close to us though they were to issue us with several warnings when I was photographing them. With the fire going Liz prepared pea and ham soup using the ham hock from our completed leg of ham, I spent the next few hours overseeing the fire and as per instructions making sure that the soup did not boil just simmer. Lunch time and bickies and cheese today and then went and had a talk to our neighbors and then Rick and Barbara dropped by said their farewells and then headed off to Toompine some 75 kilometers away, they indicated that they would save a spot for us. Around 3pm Liz went into the post office to see if our mail had arrived and it had not so we will stay another day and hopefully it will arrive tomorrow and then we will be on way the next day. Liz bought 30 litre's of water back from town so we are right for a couple of days for water. The wind picked up and I wound in the drivers side awning and then battened down for around 4pm it became very cloudy and it is the closest we have seen to rain and if that happens the ground around us will become a quagmire. At 5pm we battened down the hatches so to speak and came inside and turned on the television at least the motorhome is warm whilst outside the wind is very chilly and even the fire does not do much to keep us warm. Tonight television and read our books and then off to bed both happy with the results over the weekend with our respective football teams. Tuesday the 14th We had a few heavy drops of rain in the early hours of this morning though when we hopped out of bed it was to clear blue sky's again. The only problem the wind was as cold as an ice cube and it didn't matter where you moved you couldn't avoid it, needless to say we were well rugged up and shorts were of the menu. Even though we lit the fire it was not very comfortable though we persevered still had breakfast by the firepot, after breakfast we were looking for an area to get out of the wind and I chose the car to sit beside in the sun whilst I read. What is that in the tyre? a screw and even though I knew that if I removed it there was a good chance the tyre would deflate and that is what it did. The screw was in fact a tec screw and the head was nearly worn through so it has been in the tyre for many thousands of kilometers. Now to change a tyre is a relatively easy task isn't it? Oh yeah from dismantling the cover over the spare wheel and using the jack was an exercise on it own, though it was carried out ok in the finish. Then we had a visit from other C.M.C.A. members that are also bird watchers and of course this lake is a bird watchers paradise. We chewed the fat for over an hour and then time for lunch. We then headed of to the tyre repair business and in no time at all they had slapped a patch over the hole on the inside the tyre, cost $22. Then I borrowed their jack and refitted the repaired tyre back on the car, off to check the mail arrival and it made our day it had finally arrived which means we can leave tomorrow for Toompine our next camp. Back to camp and the rest of the afternoon was spent re-packing the Suzuki so we do not have a great deal to do in the morning. We feel that this has been an exceptional camp area and we have really enjoyed it and cannot speak highly enough of the tranquility of the area and the sheer pleasure watching the birdlife, cattle and sheep coming down for water not to mention the wonderful blue sky's and warm days, that is up until today. Watch television tonight and read our books and this means we will need to swap or buy more for we are running out, then off to bed. |
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| Driving into rain | Toompine Hotel camp |
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Wednesday the 15th We were slow arising this morning and outside it was another cold windy day with plenty of cloud, we had our breakfast and did our final packing said farewell to our near neighbors and we were heading into Quilpie. Liz drove the car in to go to the post office and I stopped at the bakery for fresh bread and rolls for lunch. Around to Loewe's fuel distributors and topped up the main tank at $1.36.9 per litre, some 6 cents a litre cheaper than the other service stations, and then turned on all the fuel tank taps to use the auxiliary tank fuel first, there doesn't appear to any leaks. Finished fueling and then attached the Suzuki and we were on our way to the Toompine Hotel, along the way we both agreed that Lake Houdraman had been an excellent camping spot even given that the last two days were cold and windy. The road was single bitumen at the beginning and later it would get wider allowing cars to pass without throwing rocks or having to go off the road. The countryside was changing plenty of gums which were bronze gums and the rest was Gidgee wood and other types and there were plenty of sheep and cattle both sides of the road, we saw little road kill other than two pigs and a few roo's; before we knew it we had arrived at the Toompine Hotel and found that Rick and Barbara were still there. We parked up and plugged into the free power, of course nothing is free for we intend to go into the hotel for our meal this evening as a bit of a treat and given that the State of Origin in on the television tonight we will probably stop there to watch the match. |
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| Duck Creek Opal Mine | Boulder Opal |
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As Rick and Barbara were going out to Sheep
Head's Creek and Duck Creek Opal fields they invited us to come along,
we were quick to take up the offer and we were to drive out through some
pretty rugged countryside with the usual sheep and cattle before arriving
at Duck Creek Opal Mine. We were to introduce ourselves to Don the miner
and he invited us to have a look at the Opal that he had recovered from
the mine and also to pick up the slithers of opal that was laying about
on the ground after he had removed it from the boulder. We spent a pleasant
two hours there listening to the history of the area and looking at the
mining operation which is not unlike the mining we witnessed at Lightening
Ridge. On the way back we pulled up and the girls went fossicking amongst
the boulders for Opal, they were to find a few and then we headed for
home stopping to look at a dam some 12 kilometers out from camp to see
if it would be suitable for yabbying. Back to the Motorhome and we had
a shower in their facility and the water being so hot I stood under it
for quite awhile. 5pm and we went into the pub for a few beers before
our evening meal. |
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| Inside the Hotel | Reasonable meal prices |
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What a meal it was, there was plenty to the point I
staggered through mine (pigged out) and Liz didn't finish hers, the
prices were more than reasonable which is more than we can say for the
cask wine. $6 a glass take it or leave it xxxx gold $4 needless to say
we had copious amounts of both. It was a good night for the pub had
filled with locals and travelers to watch the State of Origin rugby
game and the yahooing that went on made for a funny night there was
chiaking from both sides of supporters. The fire was right beside our
table and it was very warm more than we can say for the outside temperature
with that cold wind. It was after 11pm before we left the pub and went
off to bed, there certainly was no reading of books, what a wonderful
evening though a little costly. I suppose you could say that all we
spent was what it would have cost for two nights in a caravan park given
we have free power and showers. |
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Thursday the 16th Arose at 9am after a good nights entertainment in the Toompine Hotel, this morning we were to discover that the free showers and power is indeed pain for by the Shire Council not the hotel, so it could be said the pressure to have a meal or beer is not correct. In fact I was to hear the publican say this to a patron last night and how much it meant to their business and given the price of alcohol we shouldn't frequent the place, however we will go in for a meal tonight though we will not be staying on drinking. This morning I set up the satellite dish to watch the Marngrook football show this evening, Liz was to do a bit of washing and pulled out the bread maker and made a loaf of bread, very nice indeed. Played around putting POI's on Rick's computer and that took some doing for his GPS is a later model than ours and is complete with reversing camera. Time for lunch and then we went walkabout looking at the many animals they have at and around the hotel. |
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Friendly
Donkeys |
Our
Camel visitor |
Pet
lambs |
|
There were lambs, donkeys, camel, pig, goats,
alpaca's and countless types of birds, then we went over to their old
bottle dump which has been well and truly picked over. The bottles that
remain are mainly the old stubby and beer bottle from the 50's and 60's.
On the golf course is a treat in amongst the bush's and spinifex and not
much grass just fence droppers that indicate the putting green (?) Then
back to get to the Suzuki for we have been caught before with these country
kilometers and sure enough it wasn't 1 kilometer it was 3 to the Cemery
(this is their spelling for the Cemetery not ours and it was at the Cemery
as well) there are few headstones of those young children that died in
the late 1800's and early 1900's though it is well maintained in a sense.
Back to the motorhome for happy hour though that cold southerly that we
have had for the last four days is still with us plus clouds blocking
out the warm rays of the Sun. Onto the hotel for tea and on the way we were to witness the publican rounding up all the animals to lock them up for the night in the yards overlooked by the red healer dogs. Our meal again was great again and we certainly moderated our drinking pattern as to last night. Whilst in the hotel a young girl bought in a new born lamb for them to raise. Then home to watch the Marngrook Footie show and then off to bed to read our books for awhile. |
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Friday the 17th  Under
the shower at 7am, I noted the publican hadn't let the animals out of
their night enclosure so I spent time there checking them out and then
packed our gear away and were on the road at 8:30am it was a clear blue
sky with no wind and at the time there was no traffic. We had double lane
bitumen for the first 20 kilometers and then back to the single lane blacktop,
true to form it didn't matter how far we pulled off the road the 4x4's
still had go in the gravel and shower us with rocks and gravel not nice
at all. We noted the change in countryside once more and we appeared to
be climbing up onto plateaus where you could see many kilometers ahead.We were to see plenty of live roo, emu's and of course all sorts of cattle grazing by the road, we weren't sure if they would charge out in front of us to cross the road luckily they did not. At one stage the CD player was stopping and starting and we thought the machine was faulty until I looked at the voltage meter which when we hit a bump would go into deep discharge as if there was an earth fault. There was no way I was going to climb under the motorhome to try to locate the problem as it was an intermittent fault the battery would re charge what power was lost, I will look at it tomorrow |
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| Yowah Opal Festival | Merv singing Country and Western music |
|
We have come to Yowah to look for opals by
fossicking the added bonus is that the Opal Festival in on for the next
three days. We set up in the free camping area and then drove around the
township and was amazed by the amount of Opal dealers both buying and
selling, we drove out to the fossicking area and there were plenty of
people trying their luck. Back to camp for lunch and then had a snooze and then we walked up to the area where the festival was being held, we settled into listening to the bloke singing country and western music and bought a few cans and wine over the next couple of hours and enjoyed the music. They had plenty of barbecues set up to feed the visitors and plenty of grog. |
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Wood
stacked |
Fire
lit with diesel |
Fire
in full flight |
|
Whilst there we noted the large load of wood
that had been stacked inside an enclosure and then they poured on diesel
and and in no time at all it was blazing away and the heat could be felt
for some distance. Then we came back to camp for our evening meal and
went over to another campers fire and had a late happy hour before going
back inside for our meal and to watch the Essendon V Bulldogs and then
off to bed. Kilometers travelled 123 Saturday the 18th Brrrrr! 4 degrees inside the motorhome this morning and when we went outside there was frost! luckily the sky was cloudless and the sun was just coming up over the horizon, the temperature outside at midday was a warm 21 degrees with just a gentle breeze. We finished setting up the camp and firepot and then read our books for a couple of hours. We strolled up to the Opal Festival site and noted that today there were plenty of stalls set up, the opal stalls were in the majority with a smattering of bric a brac and tools stalls, the latter is where you could find the blokes. It took some time to look at all the stalls and there were opals of all shapes and sizes in rings, pendants, bottles and raw the best stall was the one where the rock had been carved to show of the opal better. The prices were up to $33,000 unbelievable. At one stall two blokes were having an argument with one accusing the other of being a ratter, the accused threatened legal action and that slowed things up a bit. At Lightening Ridge they deal with ratters by tossing them down a shaft without a ladder to get out. I best explain that a ratter is a person who raids another's mine lease stealing Opal from his mine, this is a very serious accusation to make. We continued our way around and Liz was to buy a few small pieces of Opal and me just a few tools. There were plenty of people there and we run into the publican's daughter and Jones'y who runs the pub at Toompine and they both stopped and chewed the fat with us for awhile. We decided to get a bit of take away for lunch and I had a steak & onion in a roll washed down with a can of xxxx gold Liz settled for a cup of chips and a soft drink, then we wandered back to camp. |
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Opal
stalls galore |
Opals
raw and processed |
Opal
Carvings |
Liz went
walkabout and I read a book by John Gresham before I dropped off for a
poppy nap. We had our usual happy hour and we went back to the festival
for the evenings entertainment and to have a meal. This eating out is
becoming an expensive habit its just not the meal its the liquid refreshment
that jacks the cost up. What a sunset with a cloudy sky the brilliant
colours as the sun was going down was magnificent. Guess what! Who left
the camera home! The gigantic fire was lit again and it was so hot that
we had to move away, the entertainment tonight was wonderful and it was
very late when we arrived back in camp. Just in time to hear that Hawthorn
had cleaned up Collingwood. |
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Yowah
nestled in amongst trees |
mulloch
heaps near Opal mine |
Opal
shaft borer |
|
Sunday the 19th We were well insulated against the cold last night by placing a sleeping bag on top of the doona and blanket, as a matter of fact it wasn't as cold as yesterday just 5 degrees and there was no frost; a bonus. The sky was nice and blue and the clouds of last night had left us. This morning I elected to track down the electrical fault that plagued us from Toompine, I spent an hour under the Motorhome with my multi meter trying to find the fault to no avail and this only left the wiring loom from the rear of the Motorhome to the Suzuki. It looked OK to me so I had Liz watch the amperage dials to see if they showed a fault and I then waggled the wiring around and I heard the distinct buzz of a wire shorting out and Liz indicated that the amperage meter had dropped and on closer inspection I detected burnt wiring where the extra line I had run to the car to operate the Waeco had in fact been lodging itself in the towing coupling thus the problem with bumps. It would appear that bump and the wire would drop into the coupling and short out and then another bump and it dislodged thus the intermittent nature of the problem. Or should I say I think this is the problem when we move on it will test the theory. We had our showers and went back to the Opal Festival which is in its last day, I went up to the tools section for I was very interested in the chainsaw electrical sharpener which the bloke wanted $90 dollars for plus another $10 for an extra sharpening blade. I asked him for his best deal and said $90 and he would throw in a sharpening blade. These prices were the same as Launceston so with a set of multi grips thrown in we had a deal. Liz bought a couple of Opals and the pendants to fit and then we had lunch and listened to the country & western music being belted out by a couple of entertainers from Loxton in South Australia. Back to camp hopped into the Suzuki and off to Mitre 11 and I have to say this must be a poor community for there was nothing of value on their tip, we then climbed up onto the plateau and viewed the countryside all around us. It was magnificent and it looked like that the Gidgee tree was in predominance. We then drove out to some of the mining sites and there were both shaft and open cut taking place with plenty of mulloch heaps nearby. Back to camp and lit our fire pot for we are eating in tonight and having our own happy hour at the camp. Then we hoped to watch the twilight match between Adelaide V St Kilda on satellite tellie, unfortunately this did not occur for it was on Foxtel we couldn't even get the programme on the Western Australian channels. It was the ABC news that told us that St Kilda had won by 60 points. Another fine day in paradise. |
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| Kangaroos near our camp site Yowah | Camp site Yowah |
|
Monday the 20th A nice morning with plenty of sunshine so much so that after breakfast we sat out in the sun and read our books, just relaxing, later in the morning we packed our gear and went out to the public fossicking area. Well, it is different to other opal fields in that you do not get the chance to fossick through mulloch from the existing mines you have to dig your own ground. The rules are that you are only allowed to dig down a metre and frankly speaking good on you if you can get that deep we were not able to. Its hard to find Opal given that this public fossicking field has been well and truly dug over during past years, however Liz persisted and was able get a few specks of colour though nothing to write home about. We spent about four hours on the field and there were very few others fossicking, in fact now that the Opal Festival has concluded there are people in a steady stream leaving Yowah. We arrived home for a late lunch and sat out in the sun just relaxing, later in the day we lit the firepot to cook our evening meal and then it was happy hour. There a small group of Kangaroo's that visit the local park where apparently a local woman feeds them each day, today they came close to our camp on their way for a feed. Inside for our meal and watch tellie for awhile and finish reading our books. As we are heading off to Thargominda tomorrow in the Suzuki for the day we will have our shower this evening and then an early night. |
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Old
hospital/information centre |
Artesian
bore water generator |
Artesian
bore Thargomindah |
|
Tuesday the 21st Out of bed early, if you could call 7am early that is, had breakfast and then packed for our day out at Thargomindah or as the locals say as we found out later in the day "Thargo" On the road and as we had been informed off a short cut that the Yowah folks use to cut of 120 kilometre off the round trip that's the route we took. We wound our way around quite a few Opal mining ventures and onto a gravel road that was a little rough at the beginning and bulldust in the middle and the last 8  kilometre
just fine. We were to see many wild goats along this road and we came
across the Leopard Wood Opal Mine that invited caravanners in to stay
and fossick for Opal at their leisure. The mine is only 6 kilometre off
the Thargomindah highway and the road in that section is in good condition.Once we hit the bitumen we were able to sit the Suzuki on 100kph no problems at all, there was a lot of road kill about mainly kangaroo and we were a little taken back to see four small wild pigs feeding on kangaroo road kill in the middle of the road I suppose I could have hit one though the thought of pig up under the car did not bear consideration. The countryside was excellent and you could see swathes of green in sections where the rain had come through in recent times. We stopped off at the Lake Bindegolly National Park and we were looking forward to see all the birdlife they had listed on their interpretation board, we drove in about a kilometer and a half to see a sign indicating there was no water in the lake, the interpretation board indicated the the lakes were only empty one year in ten; so we thought, oh well we must be in that one year stage. The local people at Thargo were to inform us that lakes had not had water in them for ten years or more, you cant trust the word of Parks & Wildlife even in Queensland. As we approached the outskirts of Thargominda we came across the river and all the no camping signs and we were to find these at every part of the town, we first went to the Information Centre which until 1976 was the hospital. Whilst there we were given the cooks tour of the establishment and its history, very interesting indeed. Then onto the Hydro power plant though not in use now boasts that Thargomindah was the first town in Australia, third in the world, to produce hydro-electric power for street lighting by using the water pressure from the Artesian Basin. They also boast that they were the first town in Australia to have reticulated water in Australia. The whole display and history boards are excellent though the generator looks a little small. Nearby the town bore is spilling out water at 75degrees celsius and it is ducted through open channels into the holding ponds to cool down, the water then delivered to the houses is a cool 22 degrees! Looked for and found the local Mitre 11 and had a good look about and found some gas jets for our main stove in the motorhome which we put away until we need them and then we drove out to the cemetery and the golf course before returning to the town. There are a lot of newish buildings and the Caravan Park looks of recent vintage we purchased bread and a few other items and a carton of xxxx gold for Rick back at camp for $48 refueled the Suzuki for $1.43 cents per litre and noted that diesel was $1.51 a litre. We stopped after fueling and had some junk tucker for a late lunch consisting of two chicko rolls and a spring roll with a big bowl of chips between us then washed down with a cappuccino each. We had another drive around the town and as the wind had picked up there was dust in the air everywhere not pleasant at all.  We
then headed out to the river and sure enough there were no campers or
signs of them being there so there is no doubt that this town does not
like freedom camping and this was after driving down every track we could
find and a few more.We were back on the road and the temperature at 2:30pm was a warm 27 degrees with a warm northerly breeze and before we knew it we were driving through the section of bull dust on the short cut home with the breeze sending it everywhere and it even made its way into the car with the windows shut. Back at camp it was a warm 25 degrees with a slight breeze that was cooling things down a little. After happy hour we headed out to the lookout on top of the plateau to continue happy hour of course and to catch the sunset. Though interesting it was not as good as the sunset on Saturday night when I did not have the camera, however it was ok and as darkness fell we returned to camp and the campfire and we had our evening meal at 8:30pm and then off to bed after watching tellie. It has been a very good day that we have both enjoyed. Wednesday the 22nd A very warm night which had us discarding blankets etc, the morning was warm though overcast and by afternoon the clouds would clear and the temperature climbed to 28 degrees with a howling wind that dispersed plenty of red dust. Liz went off to the laundromat to do the sheets etc and I went and washed the Suzuki which was in a dirty sorry state, then chamois off the water for it was bore water then we went home hung out the washing and had lunch. After lunch we starting our packing to leave in the morning. Even though it was windy the awning was on the opposite side to the wind direction and on closer inspection it was covered in red dust, lowered it and broomed it down though the whole awning and motorhome needs a good wash inside and out. Due to the heat and lack of solar power the batteries have not charged up for the past two days so out with the C-Tec charger and the generator is really growling as the batteries receive a decent charge and the fridge is working on the 240 volt power from the generator. The wind blew the satellite dish over so after a few minutes regained the signal and have now weighed down the stand with drums of water. We had a couple of Tassie's come over, Eric and Audrey, and had afternoon tea with us and we chewed the fat over our travels to date and they have to be back at the boat on the 15th of August. Eric is into Lapidary and was able to give understanding of the opal she has to date and he spoke of the areas that they fossick on the north-east coast for sapphires and other stones. As Rick and Barbara are staying on we will have a happy hour with them this evening and then home for our evening meal and on the road in the morning. |
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| Paroo River Eulo | |
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Thursday the 23rd Out of bed early had breakfast and said our farewells to Rick and Barbara and the Tassie mob before moving on up to the shower block. It took awhile to get to the showers for the people we have met whilst here who were interested to see where we were travelling to. Again only used the cold water tap which is really warm and then filled our water drums and moved off saying farewell to Yowah. It was a nice morning with a just a little breeze and a cloudless night as drove on the single lane bitumen development road, as the call them. Yes we copped showers of rocks from cowboys who insist on going off the road into the rocks even though you give them the entire bitumen, not prepared to play chicken with those coming at you we have just put up with it. For those who come up behind us I stay on the road and slow them down to at least 10 kph and then I move off the road and let them go, we get a few fingers up though we do not get showered in rocks. We were to see considerable amounts of Emu's beside the road along with Kangaroo's and cattle, we noted that the countryside had changed again to ghost gums and we did not see any Gidgee trees. We appeared to be climbing up onto plateaus and the trees were getting larger and thicker and the countryside was green and we came across many large water holes and water channels by the side of the road. It wasn't long before we came across the Paroo River and we pulled up and found that it was full of caravans, we recognised a few from Yowah so we had a chat and found that they all belonged to a Lapidary club and were travelling together. We moved on into the town centre and given that all facilities are in the main street out of town it wasn't difficult to see everything in 30 minutes or so. We unhooked the car and drove back towards the river and found another road on the eastern side of the bridge that would be suitable for us and green grass, what a bonus. Back to pick up the motorhome and we set up our camp with the nearest camper some 400 metre's away from us, nothing like the western side of the river. We then walked down to the bridge and took few photo's of the upside down river; we still wonder how fish or red claw can see in these brown waters. The river is at its current height due to a weir which has the water backed up down stream there is very little water. Set up the satellite dish and whilst doing it a camper along from us was walking his dog and he wanted to know all about it for he is a football addict like us. He indicated the many hundreds of dollars he has spent on television antenna's etc. Now he has seen how simple it is to set up he indicated that he will be purchasing one. Happy hour and we cooked our meal on the camp fire and later we came inside to watch the Marngrook Football show before going off to bed. Kilometers travelled 98 |
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Firepot
scones for lunch |
Mud
spring information |
Mud
spring mound |
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Friday the 24th A cool night and a sunny morning as I lit the firepot to cook our toast and boil our kettle for breakfast, there wasn't a breath of wind nor a cloud in the sky as we ate and enjoyed the morning sunshine. We just relaxed for the next few hours reading our books enjoying the tranquility of the camp area by the Paroo River, the caravans that were camped well down from us left reasonably early and at the end of the day other than a camper trailer well in the bush we have the area to ourselves. Liz was to cook some very nice savoury scones for lunch of course cooked in the camp oven. It would be true to say we over indulged for in all there were eleven cooked and they were all amply disposed of. We then went and checked out the Mud Spring area which is about 9 kilometers out from Eulo heading west towards Thargominda. To see the mud mounds is unusual even more so when you read the interpretive board to discover they are actually the original release valves for the Great Artesian Bore, we didn't walk on the mud mounds to check to see if they were soft and jelly like. Knowing our luck they would probably explode whilst we were on top of the mound. Around the area there are wet lands with plenty of birdlife though the same muddy looking water. We then drove out to Mitre 11 to drop our rubbish and no we did not bring anything back to camp. Then onto the Granites Nature Drive, we were to see plenty of Emu's though there were no interpretive boards to identify the various shrubs and trees; though there was one at the Granites Billabong that pointed out mulga bush. It was strange to see all the iron stone flat land and then come across a billabong that was surrounded with granite in all directions. We spent some time soaking up the beauty of the area with the exception of the colour of the water, we then headed back to camp for happy hour. Prior to happy hour commencing I decided to drop three yabby pots in the Paroo River to try our luck. I went around them just on dark and they were empty except that one had a small fish in it which I released back into the river. My goodness when the sun finally drops over the horizon it gets chilly so much so you can sit out by the fire and keep turning yourself like a rotisserie or go inside to the warmth of the motorhome and tonight that's what we elected to do. Tonight the football game on satellite television is Collingwood V Carlton so Liz is going to be on edge for there is chance if Carlton win Collingwood may drop out of fourth position on the home and away ladder. Watching the football this evening we extended the happy hour after our evening meal. |
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| Emu's Granites Nature Drive | Granites Billabong |
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Saturday the 25th Cold? 4 degrees inside the Motorhome and frost on the Suzuki awaited us this morning, though Liz didn't seem to mind given that Collingwood defeated Carlton by 54 points last night. I went and pulled the yabby pots and there was absolutely nothing this morning, they were reset and then back to light the fire to cook our breakfast this morning. Eggs on toast was the order of the day washed down with plenty of tea, we did our usual chores with Liz doing a little more washing and as the day was fine with clear blue sky's and breeze it shouldn't take all that long to dry. Before we knew it lunch time had arrived and there after we checked out the rest of the camping areas around the river and there are few people in caravans and just one campervan plus us. We drove up to the town centre and went into the Eulo Queen Hotel and had a few hours talking to the locals and having a few beers of course, some that had come out from Cunnamulla on their motor bikes for the day. We were to get plenty of information of Cunnamulla from them which should be of great assistance to us. Eulo's claim to fame is that they conduct the World Title Lizard Races once a year and lay claim to having the biggest statue of a cockroach in Queensland. Back to camp later in the day and we were greeted by the cattle and horses that had come down to feed from the town centre and then we watched the Geelong V Hawthorn game which Geelong won by one point. We then turned over to Western Australia and were to watch the Fremantle and West Coast Eagles derby and then on to watch the St Kilda V Bulldogs game at 7pm. St Kilda won by 45 points. To say that we enjoy our football is an understatement. |
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Cattle
and horses near out camp |
Eulo
Queen Hotel |
FJ
Holden tourist tour car |
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| Lizard race track Eulo | Lunch at the Eulo Queen Hotel |
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Sunday the 26th A few spots of rain and heavy cloud this morning as I went around the Yabby traps. There were five pan sized Sooty Grunter fish in one trap and for the life of me given there size I do not have any idea how being larger than the entrance to the trap how they entered. They were cooked for breakfast and they were very nice thank you. Around 10am the clouds disappeared and we were left with a windy sunny day with just a few clouds and before long off came the pull over's. Midday and we have decided given that this is our last day at this camp we would go to the Hotel for lunch, on arrival because the publican had gone fishing the cook had to tend the bar so we could have pies, sausage roll and chips. Take it or leave it. We had set our heart on having a good midday meal and then something light for our evening meal. So it was pies, sausage roll and chips washed down with plenty of xxxx gold. Being an outback hotel there were a few of the locals and those passing through. It would appear other than the Opal shop we have seen and done everything the district has to offer. It was good to have a chat with those starting their travels asking us where we have been and there were a few that were going down the Strzelecki track as well. It was nearly 3pm before we arrived back at camp, we then packed everything away including the firepot and hooked the Suzuki on the back of the Motorhome which then gives us little to do in the morning. We decided no happy hour today due to our time at the hotel so we watched the Essendon V Richmond on satellite television which was a good game with Richmond winning by 5 points. After our evening meal we settled in to read and watch a bit of television. |
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Monday the 27th Finally packed and we started rolling after breakfast through the township of Eulo with its 50 residents and 1500 Lizards or so the tourist blurb states. There was no wind and the trip along the highway was great, it was good to get off the single lane bitumen and away from the cowboys in their 4x4's showering us with rocks and stones. The countryside was green and we were to see Sheep, Cattle and Emu's grazing and there was plenty of Kangaroo road kill, again the outback cattle and sheep stations were large and they would need to be for the amount of feed available to animals. Just as well we now had a double lane bitumen highway for we had to share the road with a road train coming towards us that certainly moving along. |
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| Sharing road with Road Train | Cunnamulla Fella |
|
Before we knew it we were crossing the Warego
River into Cunnamulla. We went in search of the agricultural show grounds
and our next camp, it took some time to find and it was only when we come
across one of the blokes we were having a drink with in the Eulo hotel
yesterday that we were to get accurate directions. Once there we set up and found that we had power and hot showers all for $5 per night the first time on our trip that we have paid for camping out, we had beautiful showers and after hanging out our towels and undies we headed into the supermarket in the middle of town. Our first impression of the town was that there were a lot of boarded up windows which had been broken and the amount of empty shops was unbelieveable. We spoke to a couple of locals who were only happy to tell us that town was dieing and more so the locals say when the rail link is removed in the near future. When we questioned them about the amount of boarded up windows they were quick to defend by indicating that Bourke and Wallget were worse and they were to say that it was the work of the indigenous kids. Found the I.G.A. supermarket and our milk was on special for 99cents a litre and when we went to buy they had sold out and the store generally had a lot of empty shelves and being the main supermarket in the town we were surprised at the lack of goods. |
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Works
Burger |
Main
Street Cunnamulla |
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We then and had lunch at the local cafe
and Liz had a chicken focacia roll and I had a works burger with the lot.
The burger was really large with both a hamburger, steak, egg, bacon and
plenty of salad, I had to ask for a knife and fork for it was to big to
pick up and eat then we had cups of cappuccino. A walk around the block
and into the bargain store where purchased a few items and then checked
out the foodland supermarket which was better stocked than the other though
there were few people in shopping. We noted this supermarket is for sale
on a walk out walk in basis. Then onto the newsagency to buy the paper,
a luxury that wasn't available to us over the past fortnight or so. Something
we take for granted is the newspaper and to think that so many towns in
the outback do not receive newspapers due to the transportation problems
they face, we gave up asking due to the strange looks we were getting
from some of the outback towns folk. Needless to say they generally have
good libraries. Whilst at the newsagency we were able to purchase the
card game Phase 10 that 
we had been looking to purchase since May and no doubt it will get a good
working out.Over to the butcher shop to buy some pork chops for our evening meal and then walked around via the information centre and the library where we found that we could at last use the facility to upload this diary tomorrow. Then it was back to camp to take out the loaf of bread cooking in the breadmaker, isn't it wonderful being on power you can do so much more and give the batteries a spell also. Oh well! it is time for happy hour and tomorrow we will explore in, around and out of cunnamulla to take in the ambiance of the town and hopefully get a better understanding of the area and its people. We were to light a fire where we sat around as well cook Potatoes, Pumpkin and Onion in Alfoil and then placed a plate on the fire to cook our pork chops and with steamed cabbage it was a good meal. As the night chilled off and the fire went down we went inside to read books and watch a bit of the local television for we do not have the satellite dish set up. |
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| Allan Tannock Weir | Cunnamulla Camper unfriendly |
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Tuesday the 28th Nothing like an electric heater to warm the cockles of your heart on a cold morning, though sunny and no clouds in the sky the wind chill factor was terrible. After breakfast Liz washed and hung out the cloths to dry and then we re-stocked the waeco with the grog and settled in to enjoy the sunshine out of the wind. We had a horse float come in which was very large, the back section for the horses and the front section a motorhome they are heading to the Mt Isa Rodeo and they needed to feed and water the horses so they were here for a couple of hours. It was interesting to hear how they follow the Rodeo circuit and the many incidents they have been involved in over the years. Very nice people to talk to. Lunch time was upon us and after we went off to do the tourist bit, on the way into town we came across the two Tasmanians that we had met at Yowah so that took another hour of our day chatting to them. Then we went the 5 kilometre's out of town to the Allan Tannock Weir and what a wonderful serene place it has plenty of picnic facilities and toilets and a nice place to camp. One problem the signs made it clear that camping here was not tolerated and indeed stated "Stay here and get a fine" then listed the caravan parks both local and further up the road in the Paroo Shire. We spent some time there taking in the beauty of the area and just relaxing out of the wind, then back to town and out to Mitre 11 looking for electrical cords which we found and know I can make up a tail to use in the various power points in the Motorhome. Then onto the Library to upload the diary which took just over an hour the service was that slow that I felt like reading a book whilst waiting and given the cost if the diary had been able to be loaded earlier in our travels then I would not have bothered here. It no good grumbling for I am sure they do their best and besides the people are always very friendly. Back to the show grounds and it was time for happy hour so the fire was lit, given they supply the wood, and we enjoyed the last of the sunshine before the cold of the evening came down. In all another good day on the road. |
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Great
Artesian Bore board |
Opal
Miner narrator |
Yowah
Opal Nut |
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Wednesday the 29th |
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Road
Train passing |
Interior
of Bollon Hotel |
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Thursday the
30th Under the showers and then breakfast and we were ready to fuel up and bid Cunnamulla farewell, the fuel was the cheapest in Queensland to date at $1.29.9 a litre.The morning was fine with no wind and sunny and we headed up the Ballone Highway, the countryside was lush in the first instance and as we went along the whole countryside changed on the way to St George. There was plenty of road kill with the usual kangaroo, emu and on this occasion sheep and cattle, there were plenty of crows feasting on the remains. Along the way we were to have three road trains pass us at a rate of knots, so to speak, they appeared to be carrying cattle. We were only going as far as Bollon today which is some 190 kilometers along the way from Cunnamulla, in no time at all we arrived at Bollon and went down and set up on the camp area by the river, they have placed plenty of taps along the camp area which is great. We had our lunch and then walked into town and found that it is no different to other outback towns that are suffering the economic downturn. The Butcher shop closed, two service stations closed, Grocery store closed and so it went. The only two business's operating were a take away who had a few grocery items and the hotel. We checked both out and finally ended up in the hotel sipping a few cold ones, those at the bar told us that there are no teenagers in the town at all. There is a primary school and then for the children to go to high school the parents have to drive the 180 kilometers each way to St George or board their children out . Needless to say they sell up or just move out of the town which affects the economy of the area. There is no doubt that the locals welcome you though they are quick to tell you that campers by the river very rarely spend any money in the town. We felt a bit embarrassed by this comment so we stopped and had a few more beers that we would normally have, he!he!. Back to camp and we had another happy hour and we had a good look in the trees to find Koala's which are supposed to frequent the area, we were to hear them with their distinct sound though we could not see them in the canopy. Set up the satellite dish to watch the Marngrook footie show tonight and had our neighbor came over asking about the hours they could run their generator unfortunately we said please yourself. He then replied if it was get a little cold around 3am in the morning they would want to turn on their electric blanket and heater, first of all I thought he was joking and then I looked at their caravan and 4x4 and thought this is there first purchase and first trip which turned out to be right. I hope he doesn't wake us during the night with his generator or could it be poetic justice! It was getting a little chilly so we went inside had our evening meal and watched the television and read our books until it was time to head off to bed. Kilometers travelled 192 |
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E.J.
Beardmore Dam |
Waters
held by dam |
Channel
to Ballone River |
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Friday the 31st It never happened at 3am, the neighbors generator started up at 6:30am and the why it was revving and then calming down could have meant that they were running their heater and then the toaster etc. Good luck to them they will go alright once they get the gist of freedom camping and the etiquette that goes with it. This morning we thought that we would pack and then go up to the main street of Bollon and use their showers etc. They were very nice with just the right temperature being able to be dialed up, needless to say we stood under them for some time. We then drove to the edge of town and had our breakfast. On the road along a narrow twin lane highway which was very rough if it weren't for the bitumen you would have thought we travelling on rough gravel roads. Plenty of road kill again and quite a bit of traffic on the road and to think no rocks or stones being thrown at us, what a bonus! We were surprised to come across many hectares of wheat fields and the red soil once again. Before we knew it we had arrived at St George, straight to the post office to transact business then the Commonwealth Bank to check our cash balances( there may not be a commonwealth bank in all towns just a post office and you can not get account balances) and then filled the tank with diesel at a cost of $1.25.9 per litre. We parked up and then went into Vinnies and all we did was browse the store and buy a Tassie Devil to place in the front of the motorhome, onto I.G.A. and then it was time to set up our next camp. Liz has indicated that the amount of food in the Freezer will mean that we will be taking a sizable amount home. We will or is it I will have to stay away from the supermarkets and the specials! We looked at the camp book and it had a campsite some 15 kilometers on the road to Sarat and turning off going towards the E.J. Beardmore Dam. When we arrived we were not at all wanting to camp there due to the amount of shade and the crash bang of traffic going over the cattle grid. We unhooked the Suzuki and drove the 8 kilometers out to the dam which has some beautiful camp areas though only one problem there are many signs stating "Camping Prohibited" we took a few photo's of a very pleasant spot and drove back towards our camp. On the way we turned off the road given that the river was nearby came across some beaut camping spots and there were a few tucked away out of sight. We went back to the Motorhome and pulled up stumps and came back and set up right next to the river well away from anyone. The downside is that we lose the sun at 4pm through the shade of the trees. We sat near the river having our happy hour and enjoying the birdlife, we were to also hear the sounds of Kookaburra's for the first time for quite awhile. The sounds of the birdlife made the area very relaxing not to mention the river. Set up the satellite dish to watch the football tonight and of course the happy hour will go on a bit longer tonight. Come to think of it am I slurring my words? Kilometers travelled 142 |
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