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July |
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| Blue moon over
Dam
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Railway&Road bridge Katherine |
Katherine Hot Springs
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July
1st |
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| On the
road again towards W.A.
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Our metal
dump camp
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Bush looking out from camp
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July 2nd It was a cool night and when arising this morning there was a heavy dew on poor old Digger, the weather is changeable between the days and cool nights, this morning it was only 9 degrees. We packed up and left our free stay about 7:30am and headed out to the hot springs for a shower and breakfast, when we arrived there were a few hardy souls that were in the hot springs; it was just a bit cool for us so we declined. After breakfast we had our showers in the council owned toilets which we discovered yesterday and it was really good to stand under the hot water for such a length of time, we then went back to the tourist parking area in town. Off to Woollies for a few last minute items and then to Bakers Dozen for some rolls for lunch later in the day, we went to the auto store and bought a new electric fan for the old one had called it a day. Then off to the bank to get some cash for our future travells and then we said our farewells to John and Jenny once again and as they headed for Queensland we turned onto the Victoria Highway bound for Western Australia. It was a nice day and it would reach in excess of 30 degrees by days end, there was little breeze to cool things down though it made for easy going along the highway. We drove past two rest areas that appeared to have many who had camped there for days, we reached the third rest area and we dropped in and it was obvious that many had been there for days given that the signs say 24 hour rest area only. We noted they were parked as close a caravan park and so we had lunch and decided to continue on, we were to check our a few places and enjoy the scenery along the road especially when the first of the large plateaus appeared. They were colourful with their ochre colours and many shades of green trees, the termite mounds were only about one and half metres tall though a very rich chocolate colour; no doubt depicting the colour of the surrounding earth. We came across an old metal dump and decided that this will do us for the day. So Liz then did the washing and hung it out to dry and then we both settled in to read our books in the shade of the Motorhome. With not much traffic about the bush was very quiet and it was relaxing looking out over the landscape. We cooked on our gas stove outside so as not to increase the heat in the Motorhome and ate inside, after tea we started the generator and decided to watch a DVD played through the computer and then through the television set after we washed up etc. The sunset was beautiful though unfortunately we were unable to capture it on our camera's. The DVD we decided on was Dancing with Wolves starring Kevin Costner, then we went off to bed around 10pm Kilometres travelled 137 |
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| Escarpments
Gregory Nat. Park
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Victoria
River
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Sunset at our camp
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July
3rd Even though we were out of bed at 7am it was after 9am before we even thought about getting back on the road, we enjoyed the solitude of being on our own last night and not crammed into a rest area less than a metre from your neighbour. There wasn't much traffic on the road and it wouldn't increase until later in the morning as a cavalcade of caravans and camper trailers passed us in all fired hurry to get somewhere. It was ironic that some were to pass us twice as they had to go into roadhouses to refuel, we noted a few were throwing out black smoke and that usually means unburnt diesel. The countryside was to change completely when we reached the start of the Gregory National Park boundary, the plateaus and escarpments were very beautiful with all their differing colours blending in to make an excellent landscape, which included the mandatory gum tree and pandanis palms. The road, though bitumen was becoming very rough in places and we were to come across a lot of broken pavement no doubt caused by the recent rain and floods in this area; the bonus was the scenery made up for this uncomfortable part of the trip. We arrived in Timber Creek which is basically an aborigine community or should I say two for we were to see two different villages some kilometres apart. We stopped at the rest area near the Roadhouse's for lunch and then walked to the bowsers and noted that diesel was $1.64 cents a litre at one and $1.62.9 at the other. After lunch we pushed on and pulled up at the bridge that cross's the Victoria River into the Armed Forces Establishment, and even though you cannot see the establishment the views up and down the river from the walkway on the bridge are superb especially with the plateaus etc as a back drop. We spent some time here admiring the scenery it was so good and with the tide in the muddy banks of the river were hidden, we did not see any crocodiles laying out in the sun given that the temperature at 1pm was thirty two degrees and getting hotter. Back on the road and we did not go into the Gregory memorial tree or go to the lookout over the town for we did these things some years ago. As the day was getting hotter all windows were down and I was driving in a singlet and shorts and Liz shorts and t-shirt in an endeavour to remain cool, we bypassed several rest areas and we were looking for a suitable spot to camp for the night before arriving at the Western Australian border and then into Kunanurra tomorrow. Along the way we were to spot our first Boab Tree and then we were to see many clusters of Boab's as we drove along. It was some time before we found an abandoned gravel pit and we were able to get right off the road and park up behind bushes without being seen from the road. There were many waterhole's partially full of water and no doubt we may see birds and other animals later come in for a drink, who knows what we will see for it wasn't far back that we were to see a dead buffalo on the side of the road no doubt hit by a truck of some description. There was an abandoned falcon station sedan that had been involved in an accident and  just
left there it had been heavily vandalised though the motor and automatic
gearbox were still intact.In our walk around the area we were to spot a box which had a sign indicating that it was Cane Toad trap and it was fitted with a solar panel and many trapdoors, the blurb stated that the Cane Toads were attracted to the many bugs etc that gathered around the light inside the trap at night. It was a most unusual type of trap and it must have cost a far bit to put it together. The group responsible for the traps requested that the trap be left intact to achieve the goal of stopping the Cane Toads reaching Western Australia. We wondered how long before someone removed the 80 watt solar panel from the trap, one thing is for sure it won't be us, it is more important to stop the frog from decimating any more wildlife as it moves west. The sunset through the trees was a beauty and we noticed it for we were still outside finishing off our happy hour before our evening meal, later we are going to watch another DVD. Kilometres travelled 235 |
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| Our gravel
pit campsite
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Across
the W.A. border
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Water
across the road near Kununurra
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July 4th |
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| Sleeping
Buddha Kununurra
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Kununurra
in amongst Trees
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Looking out across sugar plantations
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July
5th Another cool night with plenty of heavy dew about when awaking at 6am Northern Territory time, which is 4:30am Western Australian time. It is bit hard as yet adjusting to the time difference between the two areas though no doubt this should change within a few days. We did a few more repairs to the Motorhome, unloaded Digger and then had our showers an talked generally to our hosts and then went into town looking for slow burn fuses, as usual for this item it is a ten day waiting period from time of order before its arrival. By the time we had returned to the Motorhome it was lunch time so we just had a few biscuits and cheese for lunch, the temperature had risen to 32 degrees and it was really hot when standing in the open under the sun. After lunch drove out to Kelly's Knob. On the way we were to see a dead snake on the road that had been run over before our arrival, it looked for all money to be still alive so we left it alone. The climb up the hill is pretty steep though the rewards were well worth it, it is noticeable that Kununurra is nestled in amongst many trees; no doubt to create shade and coolness for the town. To see the outlying land so flat being serviced by the Ord River Dam waters and the various crops including sugar cane was well worth the visit, we spent some time up there admiring the wonderful panorama with its beauty; well worth the trip. We went down into the town proper and firstly went into Coles for a few groceries and whilst there we noted that 4xxxx 30 can blocks were only $28.99 so we bought three cartons for this is the lowest price yet in all our travells, Liz bought 2 wine casks left them with me to pay for and went off to deal with the groceries. Then a strange thing happened, I am able to buy as many cartons of beer as I like; wine casks only one 4 litre per person. So I paid for the grog including the two casks of wine and then had to go and get Liz for I wasn't allowed to carry the second cask of wine off the premises, so Liz duly arrives to pick up the second cask. Then around to the el cheapo shop and had a good look around and made a few purchases, then it was back to the house and by this time it after 3:30 pm so we started happy hour a little early for the day was so hot and even in the shade it was still very warm. We chatted away to our guests and then had a barbecue tea and then settled in for a further gab fest before going off to bed around 11pm, of course not before we watched the footie show. In all it has been another good day and most interesting. |
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Sculptured Zebra Rock
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Catfish (Silver Cobbler) fighting for bread
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July
6th Due to the heat of the day workmen start around 6am in Kununurra of course we are still in bed, across the road from where we are staying they are building new houses and of course the framework is all steel due to the termite problem in the area. So this morning it was hard to stay in bed for the workers were using power drills and grinders not to mention the radio flat out. Needless to say we jumped out of bed around this time and had our breakfast in the cool of the morning. Later in the morning along with Kerry & Julie we went out to the Zebra Rock Gallery to do the touristy thing , when we arrived we had a look in the bird cages first and noted the different types of Galahs, the majority could talk. One of the signs stated that one bird could speak french and Italian as well as english. When we entered the gallery it was surprising to see what they had on offer for they boast "The only known deposits of Zebra Rock in the world have been found near Kununurra in the East Kimberley of Western Australia" to see all this polished rock with all the different colours, hues and waves was absolutely delightful. When we were to see the rock in its raw state you would never pick that the designs, colours and differing strata would come from such a rock. You are encouraged to watch the people at work cutting and shaping the rock and the intricate work done by a few of them is marvellous and must be very gratifying to them to produce such items of beauty. They had a bench out the back where you could buy the stone in its semi finished state, all you needed to do was to finish off the item by polishing with water sandpaper or they would do it for you for an extra cost, they had tables ranging from $20 for a small bag of rock right up to the semi finished product for $100. Their displays inside the Gallery were all of the finished product and looked absolutely wonderful; the highest priced product was for a highly polished wine rack for $995 down to a very small object for $40, it all appeared to be selling ok to the visitors. The entrance fee is $1 per head and they also give you bread to feed the cat fish (Silver Cobbler) in the river, it is amazing to see these very fat fish climbing over each other to get the bread and they were also competing with very fast black Bream for the bread. By packing tightly together stopped the black bream from getting all of the bread, the fish is very ugly and apparently the fish are all in the Ord River and out at the Argyle Dam. We went then to the coffee shop and we elected to sit outside in the shade of the trees, in no time at all we attracted Peacocks and Pea Hens who wanted us to feed them, in the finish Liz had a Peacock eating out of her hand they are that tame.We drove back to the main road past the sugar cane fields and Mango farms, also they are now farming Sandal Wood trees for incense etc and these went as far as the eye could see; this would not be achievable without the Ord River irrigation scheme. We then headed out to the Kununurra Diversion Dam and down to the Lions Park where you get  a
good view of the water they are releasing from the Ord River, the banks
are lined with Pandanis and Paper Bark trees and it being another cloudless
day ensured the prettiness of the area was on display. As I wandered closer
to the dam I noticed that Pelicans were just under the water outlet no
doubt to catch the fish that come through the outlets, I also came across
an aboriginal woman with two small kids who were fishing. I noted that
the woman caught a small bream which she hooked into for bait and let
go to swim in an endeavour to catch a large Baramundi , I left soon after
so I am not sure whether she caught the big Barra she chasing or not.We headed off home and had a late lunch and then later in the afternoon back into town to get a few items and have a look around the town centre and the auto spares place to get some rubber straps to Diggers A-frame. Before we knew it happy hour had arrived and we only had sausages in bread for our tea and just relaxed and enjoyed the cooling breeze before heading off to Motorhome to watch the football, then into bed its been a very full on day and most enjoyable. |
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| Kununurra
Markets
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Planting
of Sandal Wood trees
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Sugar plantations as far as you can see
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July
7th Out of bed pretty early this morning and under the shower for we are going to the morning Kununurra Markets, we arrived at 7:50am and already there were plenty of people about purchasing products. We went to the vegetable tables first and we were surprised to find the veggies were very cheap, we bought heaps to last us for the next couple of weeks or more; bearing in mind that whatever we bought would need to go into the fridge or they would not last due to the heat. We put those into the car and then went to look at the rest of the stalls, there were goods of every description and it was easy to see that the highest percentage were tourists stocking up with honey, vegetables etc plus all items that you cannot bring across the border into Western Australia. We purchased more books and other little knickknacks and spent over an hour just looking at what was on offer. As we were travelling in Kerry & Julie's car they took us out amongst the many farms that make up the vegetable and sugar bowl of Western Australia, the soil looks to be a rich volcanic soil and it is well irrigated from the Ord River Scheme. Without this water then the crop and every thing else would be non existent not to mention that the township of Kunanurra would be greatly reduced in size and population no doubt. Along the way we were to see watermelons, rock melons, honey dew, paw paw plantations, pumpkin of all variety's plus capsicum, bananas, apples cabbages, asian vegetables, corn and lets not forget the hundreds of acres of sugar and the new plantations of Sandal Wood trees. No doubt there are a few other fruits and vegetables that I have forgotten, the Farmers Markets are heaps cheaper than the supermarkets of the town. All this surrounded by ochre coloured hills and mountains and the photo's attest clear blue sunny sky's is very picturesque indeed. |
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| The Hoochery
Rum Distillery
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Different
types of Rum
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Ivanhoe
Crossing
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Our
next stop was at the famous "Hoochery" who boast of being the
oldest licensed Rum distillery in Australia, as soon as you walk though
the doors the odour is distinctly molasses, of course the Rum is distilled
from molasses. The whole decor of the interior lends itself to rum distillation
and the use of old polished timbers for tables and chairs is quite unique.
They make a whole variety of Rum and go to great pains to inform you that
over 50% of the cost of the contents of a bottle goes to Government excise.
Though they make initially rum at over 70% proof by law they have to reduce
the bulk of the rum sold to 40% alcohol level. They do have a few that
are higher than this though they attract a heavier tax. All rum is aged
in oak barrels for at least two years with some being charcoal filtered. Kerry was to sample, at $1 per shot glass a couple of different type of rum and stated that it was very smooth, he indicated that he would come back to purchase a bottle or two before going back to Queensland, he is frightened that if bought now he would probably drink it before leaving. The Hoochery looked like being unable to operate for much longer for there was talk of the sugar mill closing, thus the planting of Sandal Wood trees, for this was the place of purchase of their molasses. The sugar mill was owned by oversees interests and they have now been bought out by the local sugar farmers who have started a co-operative with the assistance of four million dollars of taxpayers money from the W.A. Government; so this should ensure continuity of supply. From here we worked our way down though many farms and finally arrived at the Ivanhoe crossing which is a very pretty area and the home to salt and freshwater crocodiles. There are signs warning you of this fact so the water looking so enticing for a swim is a definite no, no. You are limited to catching one Barramundi only and the legal minimum length is 550 mills. this would equate to around a five to seven pounder fish, whilst there we were to see a few four wheel drive vehicles cross the water crossing. You could tell the ones that had done it before for they entered the water slowly and did not push up much of a bow wave and did not go off track. One character thought the best way was speed and half way across he started to go side ways towards the edge for he had built up a large bow wave that was lifting the front of the four wheel drive up off the concrete, we thought his wife or girlfriend would not be impressed though he did slow which corrected the problem. I asked the driver of a four wheel drive coach why he didn't take his four wheel drive bus and tourists over and he stated that he had done so in the past and he had to replace all the wheel bearing every two thousand kilometres, so obviously this is why he doesn't do it now, also I am to believe that these people have trouble with gear boxes and diff's for the breather pipes are not high enough to preclude water entering these areas. Apparently they think just because they have an external breather pipe for air to the engine they are ok, apparently not. The area is pretty with the pandanis and paperbark trees lining the edge of the river, we then drove around a few more farms and witnessed the picking up of rock melons, what a labour intensive and back breaking job that would have to be, we then returned home and packed out gear away. The rest of the day was spent helping Kim and Kerry hang gates and then the mandatory happy hour was on us again, after a barbecue tea we settled in for a good old chin wag and then retired to watch the footy on television then off to bed. Another satisfying day. |
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| Ord River
Dam& Power Station
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Down river
from dam
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Lake Argyle Waters
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July 8th |
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| Entering Victoria River Region | Silverside cooking on fire at Bush Camp |
July 9th We were out of bed at 6am and did our final packing for we were leaving Kununurra this morning, we had our breakfast and shower and then said our final farewells to Kim & Lisa and Kerry & Julie and we were underway. We left Digger at the turn off at the Victoria Highway for we had to go back into Kununurra to fuel up. Given that the fuel is some 30cents a litre dearer than Katherine we took just enough on to get us there. It amazing that fuel a further 530 kilometres up the highway can be so much more dearer or is it just that they are cashing in on the tourist season. The price of fuel at Kununurra is $1.55.9 per litre at Coles Shell which you take off another four cents a litre for a cash docket at B.P.is $1.57.9 per litre. Unfortunately we were pushing a pretty heavy sou/easter which was slowing our progress especially uphill, it is amazing that the scenery when returning looks somewhat different though very enjoyable. It wasn't long before we passed the Quarantine station which is the border for Western Australia. There were heaps of Brahma cattle grazing by the many water holes that dot the highway, given that that this time of the year they are dry along with the creeks and rivers it good to see the amount of birdlife and the Boab tree has still it leaves intact which is unusual. We entered the Victoria River Region and there was an immediate change in the landscape and it put us some 50 kilometres out from Timber Creek, there was certainly plenty of traffic heading into Western Australia which would keep the Quarantine people at the border busy, We were heading for the same campsite at the gravel pit some 185 kilometres from Kununurra and again we were to pass many official rest areas that are chock a block with caravans with just a few campervan's and motorhomes. On our arrival we tucked our selves away so we couldn't be seen from the road. Selfish? you bet! We collected wood and put out our awning and then had our lunch for we had gained one and half hours for we are again back in Northern Territory. We decided to give poor old Digger a wash so we took the car over to the water holes and cleaned it up, there is no doubt it suffers picking up dust etc being towed behind the Motorhome, then it was time to light the fire to cook our silverside and veggies for our evening meal tonight. It is amazing that the time is currently 5:40pm and plenty of sun and daylight whereas in Kununurra it now be getting dark. We of course had our happy hour in the pleasant cool breeze and then later we were to bring out the DVD'S and watch another that we had purchased in Darwin and then off to bed, a most relaxing day and again not a cloud in the sky. Kilometres travelled 191 |
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| Sunrise at our bush camp
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Looking East and West at Victoria River bridge near roadhouse
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July 10th Changing time zones doesn't mean that your body clock changes in a similar manner, this morning at 6:45am it was pitch black whereas yesterday in Western Australia at this time it was daylight. It didn't really matter for we were to witness one of those gorgeous sunrise's which made the early morning worth while. There was plenty of birdlife coming into the waterhole and the only noisy ones were the Corella's and Crows who seemed to be trying to outdo each other. We were on the road by 8am heading for our next stop, which means that we only have about a hundred plus kilometres to arrive at Katherine, we could complete the journey today ok; it is just that we do not want to arrive until tomorrow. The morning traffic was sparse and it would be some hours before we would again witness the exodus of caravans to Western Australia, the amount of Victorian registered vehicles is amazing in itself. We were pushing the breeze again this morning so there were times when I had to change gears to go up some of the inclines which really couldn't be called hills, the scenery in reverse is still breath taking. It is obvious that you get a different perspective on the countryside. We were to pass through Timber Creek without stopping for there was nothing there for us to see for we have stopped so many times in the past.  We were to come across a group of Corella's who didn't even bother to get off the roadside as we went past, we were to see many kangaroos crossing the highway though we did not have to worry about hitting any for they crossed well in front of us.We stopped for a cuppa at the Victoria River Roadhouse where the price of diesel was $1.62.9 cents a litre and unleaded fuel $1.74.9 cents a litre, being only less than two hundred kilometres out of Katherine the fuel is 40 cents a litre dearer we do not know how they can justify that for they are not generating their own power. I have to say that the owner has a sense of humour for on the board over the roadhouse states "Management under new Wife". I wandered down to the bridge and took a few photo's of the hills and river and did not spot any crocodiles though the signs are there warning of the danger. There were heaps of caravans in having a cuppa before heading west, we were underway and it wasn't long before we were travelling through the Gregory National Park and even though they have the many monuments and boab trees depicting the feats of the Gregory expedition we did not stop for we have seen them all before. Before we knew it we had arrived at our camp for the night in an old metal dump back off the road and it was time for lunch, after lunch I set up the satellite dish so as we can catch up with what the outside world is doing tonight. This afternoon we will have a snooze and read our books out in the sun under a cloudless sky, though the temperature has dropped to around 22 degrees with a cool sou/easter. Of course we had our usual happy hour. Kilometres travelled 235 |
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| Wide load Victoria Highway | Free showers at Katherine Hot Springs |
July 11th A lovely night with the canopy of stars shining brightly when I turned the generator off last night, the television shows were really horrible we would have been much better off having a fire and sitting outside. On awaking this morning it was another fine day with a little wind not enough to cause us any problems and again we had this rest area to ourselves, we were on the road at about 9am heading into Katherine and there were a lot of cattle road trains loaded no doubt on their way to Darwin. They were all carrying Brahman cattle probably for the Indonesian market, it was easy going and we were to see many caravans still heading west and about 40 kilometres out of Katherine we had to pull off the road for the wide load nearly occupied both lanes. They had the flat beds and axles of huge dump trucks and they were travelling at about 100 kph so there was no room for error and we were happy to wait a few minutes to let them pass. We have already described the countryside previously though we must say again that the white gum trees with their orange blossom, the wattle with their yellow flowers and the bottle brush with their orange bottle were very nice to see along with the hundreds of Brahman cattle along the way. It wasn't long before we hit the outskirts of Katherine and we headed for the free showers at the Mineral Hot Springs, on arrival we were face eight young people lining up; who were on one of the outback tours. Some obviously showered some used the toilet facilities only, which made it easier for us. It was wonderful to stand under a good hot shower again, for we only use ours when there are no other showers available, and we didn't bother to go to the hot springs we will leave that to Mataranka tomorrow. Then into town to see if we could buy a another waeco rectifier for I have blown the living daylights out of ours for reasons unknown, it took three retailers before we found one which was a relief though it emptied the wallet quite a bit. At least we are fixing and replacing what has broken on this trip, it would be true to say that we have not suffered as we have to date in previous years though it is good to say that nothing major mechanically has gone wrong. We had so much trouble finding a replacement that I said to Liz if we find one we will go to the Red Rooster for lunch, needless to say we were going there anyway which Liz knew and just laughed when I said that. It was good to eat a bit of junk tucker again for we do not eat a lot of take-away on the road. I fitted the new rectifier which I cant test until we park up later this afternoon. Then it was time to refuel at Woollies for diesel at $1.24.5 cents a litre some thirty cents cheaper than Kununurra and what a line up it was over an hour before we even attempted to get on the driveway, they must do a roaring trade during the dry months of the year when so many tourists are about. We finally departed Katherine for the last time and headed for the King River rest area, we arrived at 4pm and then I took off the panel and hooked the rectifier in line and it worked a treat; and thankfully so for I didn't want to go back to Katherine. Liz did a bit of washing and I hung up a clothes line and then we relaxed and had a happy hour in the beautiful sun light at the end of the day. We will be having a late evening meal due to the lunch we had today and then we will watch the end of the DVD we were watching two nights ago before we head off for bed. Kilometres travelled 179 |
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| Sunrise through the bush
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Entrance to Mataranka Thermal |
Section of Mataranka Thermal Pool |
July 12th We both had a terrible night, with fits of coughing keeping each other awake, we finally hopped out of bed at 2am and had a cuppa to try to stop the coughing. We strongly suspect that the mosquito coil we lit to keep the mozzies away was the culprit, after the cuppa we did manage a little sleep. We were on the road at 8am bound for Mataranka for a final dip in the Thermal Pool, we arrived at 9am and quickly changed into swimmers, Liz decided that she did not feel well enough to go. When I went into the pool there were 39 others which included children and I swear that the water was warmer than when we last had a dip here some weeks ago. Back on the road and we discussed what we would do over the next few days for it took us four overnight stops to get from Tennant Creek to Katherine. We came to the conclusion that we would need to put kilometres under our belt, so to speak, if we were to make the Boulia Camel Races which are scheduled for the 20th of this month. We have missed the last two races and we are determined to not let that happen on this occasion, we also wish to spend a few days in Mt Isa as well. I have to say that the next couple of hundred kilometres was boring for we have seen it all before and other than the changing in the landscape with the gum trees going from bronze to white gum with white flowers everything appeared mundane. it is not like us not to enjoy the countryside so we think that we are both feeling a bit off colour may be the cause. Liz was to doze on and off most of the day. We even did not bother to go into one of our favoured spots the Daly Waters pub and it was opposite the turn off to the pub where we had our lunch before pushing on again. The day was sunny with just a breeze that was not affecting out speed or hill climbing ability, there was still plenty of caravans and motorhomes heading north and looking at the number plates they were from Queensland and other southern states. We were to run over a black snake of about 2.5 metres and I looked in the rear vision mirror to make sure it was still on the road, this will be another type of food for the kite/hawks as well as the wedge tailed eagles we were to see. We noticed the road kill, especially kangaroo, has increased to what we experienced on the trip up. We were to stop at Dunmarrah to phone home to make arrangements for us to pick up our mail at Mt Isa. We pushed on heading for Newcastle Waters for our overnight stay, on arriving it was nearly full so we pushed on to a gravel pit we knew of further up the highway. This was not to be as there was a large bus and trailer that had taken up most of the space, we pushed on and drove through Elliot without stopping and found another gravel pit which will do us for the night and at the moment no one else has pulled in, though not to worry we don't mind being on our own. Out came the satellite dish and tonight we will watch the footy show before we go off to bed. Tomorrow we expect to drive to Tennant Creek to re-fuel and then head back to the three ways and onto the Barclay Highway into Queensland. Kilometres travelled 422 |
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| Mesa before Renner Springs
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Over width loads on the Stuart Highway |
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July13th A very peaceful night with just the occasional road train and that didn't bother us at all, we were out of bed at 6:30 am and having breakfast and by the time we put everything away it was a little after 8am when we pushed on towards Tennant Creek. It was another fine day however there was a blustery sou/easter that we had to drive into and it made it just that much harder climbing the hills that abound in this area, there was still an exodus of caravans etc on the highway heading north from the cold climes down south. We were to receive a text message from Bob & Evelyn informing us that they would be in Rockhampton tomorrow and then heading back inland soon thereafter, they indicated that it was very cold at the moment. It wasn't long before we came across the roadhouse at Renner Springs and that is all that is there. Across the road from the roadhouse there is a large dam, watering cattle etc and on our way up the highway there were quite a few pelicans who had now passed on, no doubt after cleaning out all the fish, yabbies etc from the dam. The next place we passed was Banka Banka Station and they only had one customer so I suppose the greater numbers heading north have already passed through and maybe they are only attracting a few of the latecomers. It is still a nice area to have a break and for the price of six dollars per head and the services they supply it is great. We were now climbing steadily and would do so for the next 70 plus kilometres and we were really fighting the wind, you could notice the fuel gauge dropping, though I can't really complain for we have had the breeze at our back for most of the trip. You never know what is going to greet you on the road and when we saw the escort vehicles signaling a wide load we knew it would be big so we picked an area where we could pull off the highway altogether and waited, sure enough most of the load was at least a metre in our lane so had we continued we would not have squeezed through. There is no doubt you need to be patient when confronted by these large road trains for they must have trouble stopping given the speed they travel at. We finally arrived at Three Ways where the diesel was $1.64.9 a litre so we decided to travel the extra 25 kilometres into Tennant Springs and fill there and get a couple of things at the supermarket that we had forgotten, the diesel was $1.39.9 a litre. After refueling we decided to have fish & chips for lunch; so we purchased them and pulled up just outside of town for lunch, it was very nice; so we will have a light meal this evening. We noted that their Agricultural Show was on today and then Speedway tomorrow night, old Tennant Creek is really livening up. Back on the road and it was great with the breeze up our rear we were travelling nicely, we came across the old disused abattoirs which looks like it hasn't been used for awhile, this is the second abattoirs we have seen closed the other is just outside Katherine on the Victoria Highway. We arrived back at the Three ways and we took a right turn and started along the Barclay Highway toward Queensland which is some 390 kilometres to the border. The breeze was still strong as we travelled along and it was on the front quarter for most of the way which was slowing us again, the countryside was as flat as and the vegetation consisted of low bush's and stunted gum trees, we finally arrived at out camp for the night at 41 mile bore. When we pulled in there was only one caravan and we were able to go back to the camp area we used in the bush some years ago, which gave us some sort of privacy. Liz did some washing and I put up the cloths line, then set up the satellite dish to watch football tonight St Kilda V Adelaide and the way our team is playing of late I would think that they will possibly lose, who knows? There are many caravans now coming in so our selection of a site was right for we are shielded from all other campers. Kilometres travelled 356 |
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| Camp at Wonarah Bore
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Termite mound near camp |
Budgies on the wire |
July 14th It was a cool night and feeling cold in bed I hopped out and placed a blanket over the summer dooner, I reckon it won't be long before we change to the winter dooner. We have this cold Sou/Easter that has lowered the temperature all over the top end of the country and now we are dropping down and travelling into Queensland we are starting to feel it. As a matter of fact we slept in this morning not getting out of bed until after 8am, not to worry for we will not be covering the kilometres we have in the last couple of days. Underway and again we are pushing into the wind, though on this occasion we have flat going for as far as you can see; the road climbs very slowly, in fact in the distance you have a heat haze that on the road looks like water in the distance. The scenery is all the same just stunted gums, though some of the white ghost gums look great and the other is flowering gums in full white bloom. The rest is stunted wattle and scrub and it goes on kilometre after kilometre, along the way we had a lot of caravans pass us and as I suspected we passed them whilst they were in Barkley Homestead Roadhouse refuelling, so much for their speed. The day is sunny, cold with blue skies so we have determined that we will pull into the Wonarah Bore Rest Area for the night. We pulled in just before lunch and set up, out came the Satellite dish and in no time at all we had all television stations. We have stopped in this area before, though on this occasion it looks run down due to the windmill not pumping water into the dam and the lack of maintenance of the area. The Budgerigars still come in waves to drink with people now leaving water for them by the water tank, the hawks still swoop trying to get them to fly from the wire surrounding the windmill, when they leave to allow the next wave in they fly very close to the ground no doubt to avoid the talons of the hawks. 1:30pm and the Collingwood V Geelong footy match and then the other games later in the night, we do not feel like lighting a fire outside at the moment even though the night is bright with stars; it is just to cold something we will have to become accustomed to. Kilometres travelled 167 |
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| Flat grassy plains
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Welcome to Queensland at Northern Territory Border |
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July 15th A cool evening and the this morning was the coldest that we have experienced for some time, 8 degrees, though again another day with blue sky's and this morning the sou/easter was no more than a breeze. We were on the road at 8am and the going was easy even though there was that slight breeze on the nose, again during the night and again this morning the amount of road trains travelling the highway was very surprising. At this stage we will need to make a correction, early on through South Australia and the beginning of Northern Territory we stated that the number of road trains had dropped dramatically due to the new railway line to Darwin from South Australia and this is true. However, once past the Three Ways (Barclay Highway) these monsters run almost non stop from Queensland. We were to tune into two road trains travelling in convoy this morning and every second word was the F word if not then the C word though due to their conversation being so funny we just put up with the swearing and listened to to their thoughts on everything from politics and who would make the best prime minister to the condition of the roads. We were still in stunted tree country with very little grass and then we came across large cattle stations where for as far as you could see were grassy plains with very few trees at all. The cattle appeared to be St Gertrudis or a Brahman cross with the same. We stopped at Avon Downs rest area which is across the road from the police station and we could imagine it would be crowded out due to this, the rubbish bin would bear this out for they were all full compared to others down the road. We stopped and had a cuppa and then headed for the final kilometres to the border. John & Jenny had rang us about a week ago warning us of the broken road pavement just before the border and being forewarned was good for it did not take us by surprise and luckily they were working on it and had repaired and sealed quite a bit. Though there was still a lot of deep pot holes caused by the downpour of three weeks ago, I has to place the motorhome is such a position with regard the holes to ensure that Digger did not sustain any damage.The irony is that whilst the road train drivers were lambasting the authorities for little work carried out on the road in past years, not once did they accept that their huge loads were responsible. Oh Well! We pulled up at the border and took photo's and that now means that to date we have been in four States and one Territory in the past two and half months with still one more state to travel through and that is N.S.W. We had only twenty kilometres to travel to reach Camooweal and our rest area, we were to find that the rest area along the banks of the  river is still open and we drove in some three kilometres to have privacy for we had noted that there were many caravans and motorhomes grouped together near the stockyards. We set up and for the first time in a couple of weeks out came the awning, outside table and our campfire for we intend to stay here for at least two nights before heading into Mt Isa. Of course the satellite dish was also set up and we watched the Sydney V Carlton game as we had our lunch. I gathered water from the river for Liz wanted to wash a few clothes to keep on top of it. I took a few photo's of Pelicans on the river and noticed cormorants and small ducks in abundance with egrets lining the opposite shores. This area is part of the catchments basin for Lake Eyre in South Australia. The rest of the day we will relax and cook our evening meal outside tonight and come in later to watch the movie on Television. Kilometres travelled 237 |
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| Corella's galore
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Just having a scratch |
Our resident Whistling Kite (Hawk) |
July 16th I hopped out of bed at about 7am and went outside for it felt cold, the reason why was obvious, the sun was hidden by clouds and the wind appeared to be coming from the south. The temperature inside the motorhome this morning was a cold 9 degrees. The upside was that the sunrise was brilliant with the sun reflecting on the clouds on the horizon, with this I went back to bed. It was after 9am before we hopped out of bed and nothing had changed both temperature and cloud wise, after breakfast we went for a walk to the end of the track and found that the rains of a fortnight ago had not improved river flow; indeed we now had a series of Billabong's. I found a yabby trap along the way and when back in camp I boiled up a spud and baited it and threw it out into the Billabong, if it produces anything then I will bring out my other seven traps which have not see the light of day as yet. |
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| Sunrise reflecting on clouds
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Brahman Cattle near Camp |
End of Billabong |
We then sat out under the awning to read, though the activity on the water was to much and we had to watch the cormorants, Pelicans working the waters chasing what appeared like small silver fish. The cormorants would come up with the fish and the Pelicans would then snatch the fish out of theirs mouths time after time. The other strange thing was the the whistling Kites (Hawks) were swooping down and with their talons snatching small fish from the surface, we have never seen these birds in the past swoop on anything other than rodents etc; most strange. It was time for lunch and after completion we were still watching the antics of the wildlife on the Billabong which we found intriguing, and then we had a flock of Major Mitchell Galahs come over the top of us and the next thing those noisy Corella's, about a hundred plus took to the air, from their roosting place, chasing the Galahs away even the Kites flew out of the way. What a wonderful place to see birdlife and the antics they get up to. We then had a visit from a group of Brahman Bulls who were very docile as they grazed close to our camp, later in the afternoon we pulled out our camp oven and started the fire. We had decided to have our "Christmas in July" at Camooweal and Liz drove into the town to get some stuffing for the Chicken though to no avail so we went without for we did not want to use our bread to make the stuffing. We had our normal happy hour and as it was getting colder we both swapped our shorts for long pants something we haven't worn in the past month or so. Then in went the spuds etc into the camp oven and in no time at all it was time for tea and wasn't it a treat five baked vegetables and chicken with lashes of beautiful gravy. What a wonderful meal only leaving the washing up. We then settled in to watch satellite television and catch up on the events of the world and hopefully there will be no clouds tomorrow and the temperature will rise. |
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| Spot the Brolga's
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Our mates came to visit |
Corella's perched at the racecourse |
July 17th Cold again, on speaking to Bob & Evelyn last night they sort of suggested that they would be just as well off at home sitting by their own fire rather than being cold in Queensland and couple of others I rang where of the same opinion. This about sums up how cold it is in various parts of Queensland at the moment. We actually had a few heavy spots of rain this morning and more late in the afternoon, there are very heavy clouds about though given this the house batteries are still getting enough power from the solar panels to charge up. I went out with the chainsaw to cut a bit of wood for our campfire over the next few days, this gidgee wood of Queensland is very tough and the chainsaw had to work hard to cut it. Liz went out and captured two Brolga's on the camera who were close to the camp and unfortunately they were walking away so Liz found it difficult to photograph them. Liz then did the washing in the little machine and hung it out, given the strength of the wind it will not take long to dry; even though the temperature at 11am is only 17 degrees and wouldn't rise above that all day. Kerry & Julie on the way home from Kununurra in W.A.to Clontarf Qld. dropped in and chewed the fat and had a cuppa with us, even better they bought in a couple of packets of Tim Tams; bloody good stuff mate! They left then for Mt Isa indicating that they would be home on Friday. We only had a light lunch and then read our books until about 2pm when we then hopped into Digger and went for a drive into the township of Camooweal whose population is listed as 300, the bulk of the people are Indigenous. We drove around the many streets and really there nothing worthwhile photographing, we then drove out to the race track where the signage indicates that the course has been operation non stop since 1889. We took a photo of the Corella's who were using the stables as a roosting area and there were certainly plenty of them as well as another mob on the ground in the training paddock. Back to the Motorhome and our mates the Brahman bulls had come to visit us during our absence, happy hour arrived and then as soon as the evening chill arrived we went inside and turned on the Television, Oh to get back outside to enjoy the star lit nights though judging on weather reports it will be awhile before the weather picks up. |
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Threatening rain at Camooweal Camp beside Billabong |
Cloud free afternoon |
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July 18th What can I say it is just so cold with that terrible southerly wind and the clouds, which if we were home would mean that it would rain, the temperature is a low 14 degrees for the sun cannot break through the heavy cloud. Last night we spoke to Patrick who is in Mt Isa and he stated that the weather there is no better, so it appears to be all over Queensland. We both have our track pants on this morning and if we have to keep this up we will lose suntan off our legs etc in the coming weeks. here it is and we are inside the motorhome watching television, hopefully the weather will pick up during the day the weather forecast doesn't auger well for change. We shouldn't complain when we see the southern states covered in snow in some areas and rain in others. I went out this morning to try and get a decent photo of the Brolga's though to no avail they kept walking away from me and the long distance photo does not really do them any justice. We will have our shower today in the motorhome for obvious reasons and just read our books this afternoon inside I suppose. Lunch time arrived and the clouds and wind were still there though no rain had fallen, we had our lunch and then after days of being on our own by the Billabong with only birdlife for neighbours they started arriving, Motorhomes and Caravans. They are some 500 metres from us and the thing is even though they did not arrive together the units are parked as if it was a caravan park.  I must be getting cranky in my old age for I seem to like being on our own with no neighbours, we were reading our books and then dropped off for a snooze and on awakening the clouds had disappeared and it was sunny though still very windy. The temperature had risen to 21 degrees, we started packing up the camp into Digger for we are leaving in the morning for Mt Isa, whilst we were doing this the Corella's flew overhead and before I could get my camera they were heading back to their tree to roostThe Yabby trap I found did not yield any results and it was packed away with the rest of the traps for later use, to date other than on the Murray on the way up the rods have not been out their holder nor the Yabby traps out of Digger. Tonight it will be to cold to be outside so we will watch Television again and before going off to bed I will pack the satellite gear away to make it easier for our departure in the morning. |
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| Mt Isa from the lookout looking out over the town and mines
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July 19th We were out of bed at 6:30 to prepare for our trip into Mt Isa this morning, on going outside the Brolga's were close to our camp and I didn't even try to grab the camera for a shot knowing that they would either fly or walk away before I could capture them. We were packed and on our way at 8am and on the way out it became obvious why the Motorhomes and Caravans moved up to where we were yesterday afternoon, there were 6 Caravans very close together and we noticed that they all looked to see where we came from; so I would think they would sus it out very soon and move up to the Billabong. On the highway and we were still pushing this dreadful sou/easter that picked up in strength as we went along and it was obvious that watching the fuel gauge that we would possibly have the worst economy run we have had during our trip. The bonus was that the clouds had disappeared and we now had a clear blue sky and beautiful sunshine. Since we were on this highway last they have completely rebuilt the highway into a dual lane very smooth indeed a lot better than the single lane bitumen highway. We were to see plenty of Brahman cattle and the going was reasonably easy going with the exception of the head wind, the countryside was just stunted scrub with the occasional beautiful ghost gums, we could see mountains in the distance and it wasn't long before we were climbing in amongst them. There were a lot of, what I believe to be exploratory mining tracks leading up many of the mountains and before we knew it we were nearing Mt Isa, the first mine we came across was some twenty kilometres out from the town centre, the mine winder was working and there were a lot of haulage trucks operating. Before we knew it we were passing the Rodeo ground and the area where we have free stayed in earlier years, the main chimney of the mine which is situated right in the town we spotted well out. The first place we went to was the Information centre and museum, they were that busy we just grabbed street maps and were on our way. We decided to stop in a caravan park this evening and fill with water, wash the vehicles and cloths washing and of course showers. We have hooked the water into the Motorhome and turned on the hot water system and of course bought out the electric kettle and heater. We then went off to Woollies and stocked up with groceries for the next fortnight and then went onto Crazy Clarks and Dollars and Cents that has just opened today, Liz has been trying to get her hair cut though thought 38 dollars was a bit much and will let her hair grow a little longer. We then went up to the viewing platform which is high up on one of the hills, it is strange to see the Mine and all it chimneys within walking distance of the town and within sight of the Woollies, K-Mart and Coles complexes and the many other business's of the town.The views are terrific an oasis surrounded by Mountains of various colouring's for as far as we could see. We came back rather thirsty so we had a longer happy hour today. Given that we haven't been here for some years generally speaking there haven't been a lot of changes though the town looks a lot cleaner and tidier, the bonus is that diesel is only $1.15.5 cents a litre and then you get to take another four cents off that at Woollies. We will have our showers and watch tellie for awhile before we go to bed and then off early in the morning bound for Boulia and the Camel races. Kilometre travelled 208 |
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| Single bitumen highway
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Beautiful scenery along way |
Hundreds of Caravans & Motorhome at Boulia |
July 20th It was after 9am before we were underway this morning heading to re-fuel at Woollies, the cost per litre after the discount was $1.11.5 the cheapest yet we have paid for fuel on this journey. We were right in believing that the fuel consumption was high due to a head wind, for instance our best to date with a tail wind returned us 9.21 kilometres per litre or 26.07 miles per gallon. On working this refill out it returned 7.32 kilometres per litre or 20.71 miles per gallon a poor performance we thought, though I have to say the saving grace was the low price of the diesel. We were on our to Boulia for the Camel Races we wound out way past Mt Isa Mines and their high stacks and onto the highway, whoops should I say single lane highway. We haven't been on one of these for years and they do not bring back good memories due to cowboys in their four wheel drives flat out and spraying us with gravel. On this occasion I adopted a different approach in that I would not let them past until I had dropped my speed to 40 kph and then I would move over, thus no spray of gravel. Those coming the other way, generally speaking, pulled off and gave me the full bitumen lane which was great. The scenery along the way was great and it is easy to see that plenty of rain had fallen in recent times for the creeks had water in them, though not running, the countryside looked so lush. Liz was to comment on the changing countryside from hilly country to undulating and finally flats which all had their own type of beauty about them. We were to see many Brahman cattle grazing along the way and a few had been killed close to the road with the crows feasting on their carcases. We arrived at Dajarra just on lunch time which is the half way mark so we pulled in and had lunch, we noted that they had power poles in the rest area with the message $10 powered sites $5 non powered; they had toilets and hot showers and though not flash it would be alright for a stop over. Dajarra used to be a large outback centre for the receiving of stock from near and far and then it would be loaded onto trains and then railed onto Rockhampton for slaughter. Of course road trains killed this along with the closure of abattoirs and the shipping of whole cattle overseas, many of the touristy things are centred around this area with a restored rail station among the many things. Today it is a major town for indigenous people, back on the road and the wind was still strong and of course we were pushing into it once again. We came down out of the hills and then for as far as you could see were flat pastures and cattle everywhere, we were to see a Dingo cross the road and disappear and then we came across our first Emu's on this trip. Further along we had to drive through the Dingo Fence, the last time we did this was back in Coober Pedy at the break outs where it transverses the country, this meant that the cattle were on the northern side of the fence with the Dingo's and on the southern side cattle and sheep. It wasn't long before we came across flocks of sheep and the first we have seen for months so we can only presume that the Dingo fence is doing its job. We still felt the countryside was picturesque with its colourful hills and grassy plains and then we before we knew it we were on the outskirts of Boulia heading for the Camel track. As we came through the gates we were amazed by the amount of Caravans and Motorhomes that were there not to mention tents, swags etc. There must be over three hundred vehicles in already and it only starts today, we paid $60 for the three days that includes our camp fees and entertainment. We found a spot away from the crowd who are around the amenities buildings and set up, out with the dish and and then happy hour. |
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| Stalls in action
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Welcome to the Camel Races |
Bucking Bulls in action |
After our evening meal we went along to see what they had arranged for entertainment this evening, the bar and food section were doing a roaring trade. They had a country and western show on and we stopped and watched the entertainment before drifting off to have a look at the trade tables, they surely had plenty on sale. Then they had a small rodeo with some pretty mean bulls which took some riding, in all a very entertaining evening though cold.We drifted back to the Motorhome before going off to bed around 10pm. Kilometres travelled 329 |
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| Parading the Camels
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Bookmakers at work |
Camel race-won by a head |
July 21st What a cold night, its no wonder there were fires going everywhere last night, in fact the partying ceased about 2:30am as all the younger ones headed for their swags no doubt well primed and cold. This morning the temperature in the Motorhome was 5 degrees the coldest morning yet on this trip, though it wasn't to bad it was the wind it had a hell of chill factor, we went across to the amenities building and had our showers and we both rugged up. Flannelette shirts and long trousers not to mention pullovers etc. We took a drive into the town and noticed the pub indicating there would be no meals until Monday night, this is due to everyone being out at the Races where they have plenty of food. The town was pretty deserted and had the usual cleanliness on display with very wide streets, we made a couple of phone calls, checked the local store out and the celery for instance was $5.40 a bunch do not ask about the rest of the veggies we do not want you to have a heart attack. Back to the races and the Camel races were underway, firstly they paraded the camels with their jockeys for the they had bookmakers on the course. Cantankerous Camels! how they get them to race is beyond me some just sat down and never stopped baying if that is what you call it, however they finally made the start line and then it took about five minutes to line them up and then it was hard on. Over four hundred yards and they covered this in 34 seconds, the first race and the winner won by 20 lengths and the commentator indicated that out of twenty races this camel had won 18 and come second twice, not a bad effort. The other races before lunch were much closer in the finishes, due to people hanging over the fences it was hard to get a photo of the race though it was enjoyable to watch. After lunch they will be racing over a kilometre so that will be interesting, we then walked around the many stalls and entertainment areas, it was good to watch the bloke with all his chain saws sculpting camels and other artifacts from mac rapine logs. We then had lunch which consisted of a burger chicken schnitzel each with a bucket of chips shared then back to the Motorhome, had a cuppa and relaxed before returning for the other afternoon races. It doesn't matter where you go there is non stop entertainment including two radio stations broadcasting from the track plus channel 7 television. |
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| Overwhelming winner
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Sculpture with chain saw |
Chainsaw sculptured Camel |
The afternoon entertainment was very good from the kilometre Camel racing where it the Camels showed how cantankerous they can get. It wasn't strange to see the leader either charge towards the crowds or just go round in circles especially when they had the race won. The Winner of the Kilometre Final was the Camel called Black Fred who was running third coming into the straight until the other two front runners went cranky, fancy trying to bet on these strange beasts. The woman who won this race had won the previous six races on the various mounts that she had ridden in the various races so she proudly carried the blue ribbon. Then we went into the arena to watch the "tag the camel" event, to say a camel can kick in all directions is an understatement, we were to witness the antics as contestants attempted to place a tag on the camel and then take it off, the latter was the hard part we were to see headlocks and all sorts of methods employed to remove the tag. Very entertaining indeed and only one person was unable to dodge the kicks, the fastest timed person was to win $500 after an 8 second time others took up to 48 seconds and they were the ones who provided all the laughter; there were three girls who entered and they did a better job than the blokes on some occasions. Then it was back to the Motorhome for happy hour before the fireworks and bands performing this evening. |
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| Black Fred winner today
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Young Camels for tag eve |
Tagging the Camel |
 We only had light meal this evening given what we had for lunch today, around 7pm the fireworks started and what a brilliant display. The differing colours and the constant firing was a sight to behold all this with the dozens of camp fires that we can see around our camp site. It is difficult to take photo's of the fireworks for the good one's normally happen to quickly for the camera to adjust to the right exposure. When the fireworks were over the bands started banging out their music and it is expected that they will continue on until late, then we expect the parties will start and a bit like last night it will be dependant on how cold it becomes as to how long they go before people hit their swags. We elected to come inside around 8pm and watch the many fires out our windows whilst watching the West Coast V Sydney footy match, then off to bed at 11pm to read our books for awhile, its been a biggggg! day. |
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| Chainsaw sculpture of Camel
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Completed Camel Sculpture |
Trophies and Saddle prize for the Cup |
July 22nd The last day of the Desert Sands Camel Races held at Boulia, the annual race for the Desert Sands Cup is in its eleventh year and being a small outback township it must boost its economics tremendously. There were quite a few sore heads around this morning due to the partying that went on last night, we did not have any troubles getting to sleep and later when I went outside you could see dozens of large camp fires blazing and hear plenty of music blaring away. The events started again at 10am with the woman's and men's broom throwing competitions, it is amazing to see how far people can hurl these brooms especially the ladies, then it was the tug of war and they really were dirty by the time they finished all for a $20 first prize. We had another look around the trade centre and bought a few things and then headed over to the area where the bloke was sculpting camels from the pine. Yesterday he had fashioned the rough outline of a huge camel and this morning finished the final sculpting of it, it looked real life like and he uses photo's as his models. The Camel was auctioned off and the President of the Boulia Race Club bought it possibly for future promotions of the event for $500, there was a lot of other memorabilia auctioned off and I was surprised what they were paying for it; no doubt the crowd were caught up in the spirit of things. |
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| Winner of the Cup "Loose Lips"
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President & Winning Jockey |
Second Place "Ol' Reggie" |
They had two 400 metre camel races prior to lunch, and boy aren't they unpredictable they either sit down at the start line or they may be leading the race by 10 metres and they will then run off towards the crowd, fancy betting on these animals to win. There are many that do for the bookmaker and his clerks were pretty busy. The two races were run and won and so we had lunch again at the main building Liz had a hot potato Hawaiian and I had a steak burger and we shared a bucket of chips. Then the big race was on and the Camels were paraded before the crowd, The Desert Sands Cup is run over 1500 metres and the favourite was Ol' Reggie, who had won all his races this weekend and was a crowd favourite having won the last two Desert Sand Cups. Here he was going for his third win in the cup to set a record, could he do it? His jockey had won 8 previous races over the weekend so he was odds on favourite with the Bookies and had been bought in the Calcutta for $2300. The race was finally underway and Ol' Reggie was ten lengths in front when they turned the corner for the final 400 metres and what did he do? He abandoned the rails run and ran across to the crowd. The Camel running second, Loose Lips did not leave the rails and he hit the front with a hundred metres to go and poor old Ol' Reggie could not make up the ground. The roar of the crowd was enormous and then the presentations took place along with the cheque's and the final farewells and thanks from the committee and the weekend was over at 2pm. The three days were just great and worth every cent we paid for admission not to mention the free camping and we will be staying on for a few more days before we move onto Winton to collect mail etc. There was a camera crew filming the Camel Race and other events from Channel 7; apparently it will be part of the "The Great Outdoors" in the near future. The rest of the afternoon was spent just watching the exodus of people especially the young one's who had set up camps surrounded by their Swags. (standard issue in the outback) Given they will be travelling on the single bitumen highway to either Mt Isa or Winton or cattle stations in between there will be some griping as people wish to travel at differing speeds along the way. |
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| River bed devoid of water | Camels pulling wagon around grounds |
July 23rd A brilliant star filled sky last night and still a few campfires burning, first thing this morning there was no wind and Caravans & Motorhomes were starting to leave the grounds, the talk in the showers was that most are heading for Winton who have a Rodeo next weekend. We estimate that there are still over a hundred units left camping though you do not see many people about. We didn't do a lot this morning after breakfast, we used their nice hot showers and then went for a walk down to the river to see how many were camping there. There were a few still camping and we were surprised that the river was so low with just a few water holes. Given this I didn't worry about setting any yabby traps given that we would be so far away from them and the low level of the river. The wind had picked up and was really blowing and it looked like a sand storm down by the river so we came back to camp and took down the awning. We were determined to do as little as possible today so we had lunch and then had a snooze for the rest of the day and then happy hour. The temperature has climbed and at the moment is 24 degrees so we may see some of the warmer weather return and let us go back to wearing shorts again. Later in the afternoon we were to see two Camels pulling a rather large cart with people on board, it was good to see the Camels trotting in unison and they were getting along at a fair pace, we only saw it do one trip so we are not aware if they were paying customers or just guests of the owner. After our evening meal we stayed out for awhile until the cool night air came down and went inside and read and watched television, we have certainly read some books on this trip. |
July 24th The weather is getting warmer and due to this I donned the shorts again this morning, how quickly the tan disappears when you wear jeans etc hopefully we can get out tans back in the next few days; weather permitting. After breakfast we went into town and I went to the library to upload this diary and download e-mail and Liz continued on to the laundromat to do the sheets etc. Though you use their server at the library it will not let you send e-mail from our lap top when I approached the girl about this she informed me that I wasn't the only one that had this problem and could not give an adequate answer as to why. So the position is that I have e-mail banked up that needs to go out to people who have sought further information on the web site etc and who knows when it will go. Back to our camp and the dreaded wind has changed direction and is coming out of the nor/west and is very strong,though warm so it didn't take long to dry the cloths and once again I had to pull in the awning, cloud is now starting to appear so we do not know yet whether this means rain is on the way or otherwise. There are only 12 Caravans and Motorhomes left and they will like us likely to pull out in the morning, there is another Camel Race meeting scheduled for Winton this coming weekend and as it is only 300 kilometres away they are probably waiting for this. The girl at the library informed us that the Council had decided to allow camping at the Race Track the week before and the week after the event, which is great considering hot showers and toilets are included in the $30 per head entry fee. During the afternoon we continued to pack up to get away early in the morning to get a start before the wind arrives in force, again tonight we will read our books or watch television. This morning we were able to get a dozen books from the library for free so that will last until we get home we hope. |
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| Flat Plains as far you can see
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One of the many Mesa's |
On the road to Winton |
July 25th We were out of bed at 6:30am this morning and we moved up to the amenities block for showers and then back for breakfast. By the time we tidied up and squared away it was 8am so we headed out through Boulia bound for Winton. We would have to say that we enjoyed Boulia once again especially the Camel Races and all the other entertainment.The highway again was only single bitumen and the wind had not as yet risen, the highway is pretty rough and again with the bouncing and jolting of the Motorhome it broke another door catch. As far as we could see were flat plains with very little growth at all we wondered what the cattle along the way were eating or what they were doing for water. We had four Caravans pass they seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, the countryside is beautiful and we were to see plenty of kangaroos both live and dead on or beside the road or in the distance plus Emu's. In the distance we could see clouds gathering on the horizon though at the moment we have clear sky's and brilliant sunshine. We were to come across an area that was shooting fresh grass and the green gave the countryside a beautiful tinge, we came across plateaus and Mesa's and they had that rich ochre colour about them and then we arrived at the lookout and as it looked a little steep we opted to take photo's from the road. It was then we noticed the wind had picked up considerably and we were pushing directly into it. In no time at all we arrived at out rest area for the night and set up the satellite dish and replaced the broken cupboard latch and then it was time for  lunch. The sky now has clouded over and there is very little going into the batteries from the solar panels though it is not a problem yet, we are just relaxing at the moment reading our books and a couple in a Motorhome dropped over to have a chat before they headed on into Boulia. They were to alert us to the price of fuel in Winton and Longreach which will be more than we have been used to paying up until now. We had our normal happy hour and were lucky enough to capture the sunset and the colours that appeared in the cloud formations, very colourful indeed and the camera really does not do the colours justice. Another night of watching television and reading out books, we must get back to our fires under the stars, that is if the clouds dissipate. Kilometres travelled 162 |
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| Our camp at "Mackunda Creek"
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Scenery on way to Winton |
Our camp at "Long Hole" |
July 26th |
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| Galahs watching our camp
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Egrets feeding in the Hole |
Our camp at "Long Hole" |
July 27th A nice quiet evening last night with no traffic to contend with though the temperature was 24 degrees at 10pm in the Motorhome, It is hard to break habits and when we should be sleeping in we are still getting out of bed no later than 7:30am. We had our breakfast and I went looking for wood for our fire, we had two caravans head out this morning which leaves plenty of room for others should they desire to come in. In the mail yesterday Kerry had sent a module for our heater box for starting the engine in cold weather so I fitted that and I have to say what I thought would be a long and difficult job was completed in ten minutes, the problem is that we can not check to see if that fixes the problem until we have a cold morning (perish the thought). We were going into Winton and at the road turn off a caravan was just coming in to the Long Hole rest area, we first went and checked out the price of fuel given that we need to refuel to get to Longreach, the three service stations were all the same with diesel at $1.39.9 per litre. We then went into the Gregory Hotel for showers and lo and behold the free camp area behind the hotel was absolutely chockers with caravans, we had our showers and then filled our containers with water; couldn't you smell the bore water; it was terrible. Then off to the bakery for bread and then into the supermarket to check grocery prices, where we bought zilch and then headed home. As we approached our camp area the caravan that had come into the Long Hole was now heading out obviously there couldn't be enough grass for them, it was time for lunch and we had ham sandwiches. Liz then headed for the Hairdressers for she had made an appointment yesterday, whilst Liz was gone I carried out maintenance on the batteries and then out came the ladder and I hopped up the ladder and cleaned off the solar panels and did a bit more tidying up around the camp.On Liz's return the haircut looked great and we then settled in and read our books until happy hour. The Camel races are on in Winton this weekend and tonight they have a free night and part of the entertainment is "Tag the Camel" which we saw at Boulia, our problem is to go and see that we have to forgo our happy hour which we have decided not to do. Our happy hour which became an extended one, late afternoon brings the birds into the long hole for water and it is great watching the finch's, galahs, egrets and the very colourful parrots going through their antics in obtaining water and at the same time cleansing themselves. We then had our evening meal which was a salad for the temperature had climbed to 28 degrees and we didn't want to light the fire for cooking or the gas in the Motorhome for the same purpose. We then watched television and the footy of course the West Coast V the Bulldogs and then off to bed. |
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| Monument main street Winton
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Dinosaur feet rubbish bins |
Musical fence Winton |
July 28th Not a cloud in the sky and windless morning, excellent for just relaxing. After the normal chores we washed Digger who had been covered in dust both whilst being towed also by the roads driven on. We went into Winton to buy the newspaper, sorry, none today though we can get sunday's paper tomorrow. We went for a walk up the main street and had a look at the many displays in windows of shops, such as the boulder opal and the monument to pelicans etc not to mention the dinosaur feet containing rubbish bins. We then drove around the back streets and noted the cleanliness of the town we even took a trip to Mitre 11 though elected not to walk down into the pit, we do not want to bring anymore rubbish home poor old Digger is full of equipment already. We noted the amount of kangaroo chillers that abound; so we believe this must be a big industry in this area, though I am not getting up that early in the morning to test the theory, the amount of old trucks rusting away and there were several Holden shells of FJ and FX and heaps of other old cars that could be possibly restored. We went off to the supermarket and all we can say they must get paid very well in this area to pay the prices displayed, we noted that bananas were $12.60 a kilo. We even went to the fruit and veggie man and noted that all veggies were in a chiller with no prices displayed. Home for lunch and had a snooze and watched the footy with St Kilda V Carlton and didn't they give me a few moments of grief before they won, tonight we will watch Brisbane V Collingwood. We lit the fire to cook our evening meal and had our usual happy hour so not a lot to speak about today other than to say that it is 28 degrees again and the shorts are the order of day. |
July 29th The sunrise in the early morning is something different and very hard to capture unless you are out of bed waiting for the sun to appear and unfortunately I am a bit lazy to hop out of bed to photograph the beautiful colours and the horizon so early. This morning again was a kaleidoscope of colours, After breakfast and cleaning up we just sat around enjoying the day by reading and before we knew it lunch time was upon us. It was 1:30pm before we went up to the Gregory Hotel for our hot showers and then down to the shopping centre to purchase bread and the Sunday paper. Then out to the racecourse to have one last look at the Camels and fill our containers with water, back to the camp and we just read the paper and our books right up to happy hour. We started packing up our camp for an early start tomorrow towards Longreach after that I stoked up the fire for we were only having jaffles for our evening meal. Then as we had run out of wood we adjourned inside to watch television when it became dark and then into bed at 9pm. A lazy day with not much touristy things occurring. |
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| Last Morning at Winton
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Countryside on way Longreach |
Birds alongside camp Thompson River |
July 30th We hopped out of bed reasonably early this morning just in time to capture the sun rising over the "Long Hole" we finished packing up the camp and had breakfast and then we were on our way to re-fuel. I purchased only $56 worth at $1.33.9 a litre to get us to Longreach, where we were informed that the price was much cheaper. On the road and there was no wind so the going was easy, the countryside had changed again to undulating country along with grassy plains as far as you could see, there were plenty of sheep and cattle; we saw heaps of dead kangaroos along the way needless to say the hawks were having a real picnic. Traffic was reasonably heavy with plenty of caravans going in both directions, at one stage we had to get off the road altogether for there was a huge mining dump truck, minus wheels, being transported by road train. The Police were escorting the road train and making sure that everyone vacated the highway altogether, if one had have been stupid enough and stayed partially on the road then you would have had the side taken out of your Motorhome, Caravan or whatever; no problems at all. We only had under 200 kilometres to drive today to our next rest area on the Thompson River just 4 kilometres short of Longreach, on arrival we set up and noted for once that there were a few Motorhomes though Caravans were in the majority once again. After setting up we had our lunch and relaxed in the shade for the temperature again was approaching 28 degrees, whilst we were relaxing we had the ex secretary of the Van Demons Jacqui and husband Sam pull in beside us and we had a good old chat. Then Sally and David from the Island Wanderers, who are working in Longreach, came out so we had a good old chin wag and it lasted well after happy hour, we have made arrangements to go visit them tomorrow. It was because of this wonderful meeting with friends that kept us from going into Longreach today so we will do this in the morning. Even though it has been a warm day as soon as the sun drops the chill of the evening drops down so we came inside and watched television before going off to bed. Kilometres travelled 192 |
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| Flower display outside Motel
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Picnic tables main street |
One of the many old Pubs |
July
31st What a noisy night everyone in the area must be running generators, given there must be more than 60 vehicles using the rest area its a wonder there were not arguments about the noise, it didn't worry us for we just turned up the television though Liz indicated that she could smell fumes. This morning was cool and sunny and given that the heat of yesterday which had our fridge working overtime plus the gas was extruding a yellow flame indicating a heated bottle; we decided to turn the Motorhome around and have the fridge and gas bottle on the opposite side of the sun. This ensured the fridge did not cycle half as much as yesterday and the gas behaved normally. We had a chat to our neighbours on both sides and then went into Longreach to have a look around and do a bit of shopping. Longreach is renowned for many things including the home of Qantas and Stockman's Hall of Fame just a couple of the tourist atractions, the town buildings are very old and it is surprising to see so many hotels trading which must rely on catering for passing tourists. We walked the main street and the buildings were marvelous and it didn't take long to come across Crazy Clarke's and of course we went in made a few purchases and walking down further we came across Dollar & Cents and of course we went a bought a few more items. Then into the supermarket and we were really shocked with the prices of vegetables and groceries, we were going to buy a lettuce though we thought that $4.99 was a bit dear so we refrained; the vegetables were off the planet we found it more economical to buy frozen vegetables,which we did for we will not be near a supermarket for the next couple weeks. We stocked up with only the necessary groceries and then headed home for lunch. There were still people coming into park, mainly caravans, we do not think that we have not seen so many caravans in previous years. After lunch we just relaxed and then went back into Longreach and for a gold coin donation we had a shower in the C.W.A. building near the Tourist information centre, we checked out the information centre and then headed off to see David and Sally who had invited us around to their fifth wheeler. We were to note the streets all bore the names of various birds, for instance we had to go the corner of Pelican and Wren street to see them both. We had a good old yak for a couple of hours and they invited us for an evening meal which we had to decline unfortunately, today the temperature has risen to 29 degrees and it is quite warm we are enjoying being in shorts and t-shirt. The locals tell us that in summer the temperature rises to 45 degrees Celsius in Longreach. We returned to our Motorhome and had a late happy hour and sat around talking with our neighbours before going inside to watch television before going off to bed. |
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a few more photo's and admire the scenery of this mineral water lagoon, it was enticing though the warning signs of possible crocodiles being present sought of held us back from having a swim.