Tuesday the 1st of September
We were to see the Spirit of the Outback train late yesterday afternoon and one of the engine drivers was female and they stopped at the station so as she may visit the toilet and then they were on their way again to Brisbane which they will reach tonight. There were plenty of sleeper cars and the passengers gave us a wave as they went by.
Out of bed early this morning and packed away the satellite gear before breakfast, then had a talk to the fellow Tasmanian's who came in late last night and like us they are going to Sapphire, to their son's place.
Had breakfast and said our farewells to the other six happy campers and we were on our way towards Sapphire.
There was no breeze and even though there were a lot of hills to climb we only had to change back a gear once. Once we reached the tops of the rise's there were nice views over the mountains and the ground was green once again showing that we had left the drought areas behind us.
Before long we had arrived at the turn off to Sapphire and were surprised at the amount of vehicles coming towards us. When we arrived we were surprised to see there was only one vehicle in the rest area.
We recognised the motorhome for we have seen and had a chat to him in the last three places we have stayed, he was about to pack up for he is going into Emerald this morning. We set up close to a concrete block and out came the awning and chairs, set up the firepot and then we sat in the sun enjoying a cappuccino.
Hopped into Digger and then went for a drive down to the showgrounds and found that the showers were locked so we will need to use ours while we are here. Across the road from us is the water station and the amount of large water containers being filled by miners was non stop. We now have to pay 10 cents for 20 litre's of water which is ok.
Down to the shop looking for cards for fathers day and again they had none on display and when Liz asked the woman she went outside a came back with a heap from last year so we purchased one and then filled it in. Whilst there we bought fish and chips for lunch and then hopped back into Digger and went looking for the post office which we drove past not noticing it for it was well back off the road. Posted the card off to Dad and then came back and had our lunch which consisted of two pieces of whiting each and enough chips to choke a bull, so to speak.
We then drove down behind the caravan park to see if people were digging in the dry river bed. Sure enough they were there though the area was shaded so we suppose that they will start their search for Sapphire's when the sun reach's into the digging site. all told there were three diggings pegged out and in progress.
We do not intend to do much today other than rest up, such is a lazy life we are leading at the moment so back to camp and had a snooze again and then happy hour arrived and there were other happy campers arrive. There is still plenty of room left so it will be interesting to see how it fills over the coming days for it is a 48 hour rest area only. Though our friend indicated that he had been here for three days with no one questioning his length of stay. We see the council workers often for we are parked near the swimming pool that is not open a yet and they are always cleaning around the area.
We were able to get local television so we may watch it tonight or elect to sit out by the fire we will see. at the moment it is only 24 degrees celsius at 3 pm.
Kilometres travelled 66s

Wednesday the 2nd of September
Slept in this morning and when going outside discovered that the sky was all fog and no sun and it would remain that way until 10.30am. Lit the firepot and boiled the kettle and cooked the toast and sat outside for it was not cold at all. We are parked up near the Sapphire Swimming Pool and this morning the bloke arrived and found that he did not have a key to the gate so rang and another council bloke turned up with the key. Water was flooding out onto the camping area and they obviously did not know how to turn it off. So they rang another council worker who duly arrived and informed them that they were looking in the wrong place for the tap to be turned off us up by the toilets some 40 metres away.
When they had the water under control they came over for a talk and we all had a good laugh, when asking when the pool would be open they stated when they get a volunteer to oversee the complex. The last volunteer headed off with the money so they are in the throws off trying to obtain a suitable person. Today is a good day to head for the pool which is solar heated for the temperature at noon was 30 degrees and it is humid.
We went for a drive out along the road to the fossicking area's and first we came across Big Bessie fossicking area, which seems to be pegged out and there a lot of houses and sheds with many items of equipment laying about. The houses etc are actually located on a mining lease. We could see houses across the dry river bed so we went down a track through soft sand and up the other side until we reached a gravel road which then took us into the Graves Hill fossicking area. Again the area look to be poor for the accommodation is nothing to write home about.
Further up the hill we came across caravans set up camping and no doubt looking for Sapphires. The road run out and then it was just a track leading who knows where though the scenery with mountains in the background was great.

We drove out on the gravel road and it met the highway about 6 kilometres from Sapphire and as we climbed the hill to go to Ruby Vale we noted the Salvation Army op shop. We first dropped birthday cards into the post office which was across the road and then went and had a look.
As usual I was finished quickly for there was nothing there that interested me, though of course Liz spent some time in there and came out with a glass case for me and a pair of shorts. Whilst I was waiting I noted that the building was built out of rock placed in concrete and the posts etc had been poured as one especially the verandah posts. There is a plaque over the front door indicating that Angelo who died in 1988 had built the whole building on his own and his will bequeathed the building to the Central Council to be used for community services thus it is being occupied by the Salvation Army op shop.
We headed towards Ruby Vale and at one stage we had to stop for there were four wild camels crossing the road in a leisurely way and would not hurry even when I blew the horn, there were four females and one male in the group.
Next we turned into the road leading to Mitre 11 and found it closed with a sign indicating it would be open this evening between 6 and 8pm also stating that there was no scavenging allowed and those doing so would be heavily fined. So it would appear that we will be giving this Mitre 11 a miss.
We drove into Ruby vale and the cafe and hotel appeared to doing a roaring trade and as we drove through the town we noted that the standard of housing etc was a lot better than Sapphire it just looked more prosperous. We drove out to where they sell the buckets of wash allowing you to seek your own Sapphires. The prices were in different area's $10,$15 and twenty dollars a bucket.
I will bring Liz back here tomorrow when the sun is hopefully shining better than it is today and she can work her way through a bucket.
We then went to the supermarket and bought the newspaper, a Ruby Vale magnet and a packet of ginger biscuits. We drove back to our camp and on the way we were to see two Brolga's mixing with the Major Mitchell Parrots and they did not seem to be deterred by us.
We had a late lunch and watched one happy camper backing their caravan and boy it sure did provide some entertainment. Then we sat outside under the cool awning in the cool breeze. Tonight we will have our meal cooked outside and then enjoy the dusk before coming inside to watch a bit of television.

September the 3rd of September
It was a warm humid night where we only slept under a sheet. Then we were awoken at 6.15am by strange bird calls near our campsite. Hopped out of bed to investigate and found 13 Guinea Fowls pecking around in the gravel and grass verges. It was a good clear morning with no clouds just a blue sky with just a light breeze to cool things down a bit. Lit the firepot and boiled the kettle and cooked our toast etc and then enjoyed the early morning sun coming in under the awning.
The council blokes arrived to work at the pool and we had a good chat about this and that and he informed me that he had tip duty today commencing at 4pm until 6pm so I will go up and check out the Mitre 11
Liz was to do a little washing which hung under the awning to dry and then we hopped into Digger and went looking for another free camping area along the road below our campsite.
First we came across a lot of gear set up on a lease for the search of Sapphires and looking again we were to see a shaft that had been covered over in case a tourist may fall down the shaft.
Then we drove out to Ruby Vale to go to the Miner's cottage to buy a bucket of wash to try our luck in finding Sapphires. The cost of the bucket was $15 which included all the equipment to wash and sort the rubbish from the Sapphires and a cup of tea each along with two scones with jam and fresh cream.

It was nice and sunny which meant the Sapphires would show out amongst the clay etc. First drop some of the wash into the sieves and then move it up and down to get rid of the loose soil and then into the washing drum. Then you had to push it up and down to separate the rubbish from the Sapphire, onto the bench and a potato bag with the fines and we found by doing it this way meant that the sapphires worked their way to the centre of the fines. Liz sorted the small fines and I did the large pieces. I found a few large pieces that turned out to be crystal and a few pieces of Sapphire.
It takes awhile to do a bucket of wash and then completion the fines are then looked at by the owner and sure enough she found what Liz and I had missed. We then went under the roof in the shade and had a cup of tea and the beautiful scones, jam and cream, they were beautiful. The lady then graded the sapphire for us and placed into a bag the Sapphire's that were worth getting cut and polished for the use in rings or necklaces etc and others went into another bag for either to be polished or just for show. In all we spent two and half hours doing this and it was great talking to others and seeing what they found in their buckets of wash.
We then decided as it was so hot we would go to the pub at 1.30pm for a couple of schooners of beer and when we came to the roundabout in Ruby Vale I took the wrong turn so we decided to give it a miss and headed back to Sapphire and our camp for a late lunch.
What a good decision that was for in between Ruby Vale and Sapphire the police had set up a road block and were checking licence's and testing on the breathalyser of course my reading were nil. I am thankful that we took the wrong turn and didn't go to the pub.
On the way back we stopped at Pats Gems and had a look at all the beautiful rings and bracelets plus necklaces all containing Sapphires and most were costly though some of the silver rings were only $30 though others were in the hundreds.
They also sold liquor though we refrained and settled for a double rum and raisin ice cream for me and for Liz a single Boysenberry swirl. We sat in the cafe section which was outdoors and enjoyed the ice cream immensely. It was 3.15pm before we arrived back at camp and there have been a lot of happy campers arrive and there is not much room left not like previous days.
The day is warm again with the temperature sitting on 31 degrees celsius and a slightly humid day. We will definitely be cooking outside for evening meal before coming in to watch the Marngrook Football Show and then off to bed.

Friday the 4th of September
It was cooler last night in bed which was great. This morning those pesky guinea fowls were very noisy at around 6.15am so I hopped out bed as they were close to the motorhome again. I did not have to take any action for a Jack Russell came along marking his territory and he raced at them and they all flew up into the branches of a tree nearby. The Jack Russell just went about his business and the guinea fowls came down and headed for home.
The usual ritual lit the firepot and cooked the toast and boiled the kettle and then sat outside having our breakfast again in shorts and singlet. We cleaned up and then decided to go into Emerald for the day and to make an appointment on Monday at the doctors to have Liz's blood reading's checked etc. The mobile phone rang when we returned back to camp later in the day with the surgery canceling Monday's appointment and indicating that it would now be 3pm on Tuesday.
We headed off around 9am and it was only forty four kilometres away and the day was warm with no clouds and the sun streaming through the front windowscreen. Whilst going along we had the mobile phone on the dashboard charging up as we went along.
We were to see many hectares of crops and those under irrigation of course were doing well those crops appeared to be wheat. We came across one large paddock of Sorghum that appeared to have failed due no doubt to lack of water.
Before we knew it we had arrived in Emerald and there was a fair bit of traffic about including interstate freight trucks. We drove to the Coles complex first for that is where the Doctors surgery is located and Liz went in to make the appointment. Luckily they still had Liz's records on computer from when we were here two years ago, so the appointment is made for Monday morning.
We went to use the phone and it would not turn on so we asked one of the local people to ring our phone for us. The lady did so and the phone rang though we could not answer it for the phone would not turn on. She explained where the Telstra shop was so we drove across the bridge and out to the Woolworths complex and found the Telstra shop. All they did was undo the battery and sim card and reloaded them and bang we were back in business. It would appear it was to hot for the mobile phone on the dashboard thus it would not work. An important lesson well learnt.
While we were there we had a look in the Big W store and we had decided we would only look and not buy anything until next week, I couldn't believe we walked past the Reject Shop and then onto BCF and there purchased some trays for our baby Q.
We then drove back to the Coles Complex looking for a place to have lunch. We did not like what was on offer so we drove to the old section of the business centre and found a Subway and then purchased a foot long and we sat inside in the air conditioning and only ate six inches as we are saving the last six inches for our meal tonight. We rarely have a big meal on a Friday for we have a extended happy hour.
We then drove around looking for the bottle shops for we will need to restock next week.
Back on the highway and now driving into the sun and with no clouds it was hot streaming through the window and of course Digger does not have air conditioning. When we arrived at the turn off we decided to drive down into Anakie to have a look for we have not been there for many years.
It is very small town though it does have a police station and it would appear that the hotel and caravan park are the main building's in the area. We drove on and had a look at the Anakie rail station which was very old and we suppose the Spirit of the Outback passenger train passes through here on its way to Longreach and back to Brisbane. It is a fine old station from many many years ago and in quite good order.
We then drove back to Sapphire and bought a paper and two ice creams and then sat out under the awning in the shade and we had to eat them pretty fast for the temperature was 32 degrees celsius. We will sit out in the cool of the evening in our shorts and singlet for me and a blouse for Liz and then come in later to watch the football tonight Richmond V North Melbourne. In all it has been a good day and poor old Digger has carried us over 105 kilometres there and back.

Saturday the 5th of September
Those noisy Guinea Fowls started at 5.45am this morning and I have to agree they make a more concentrated noise than the 12 roosters back in Longreach. I hopped out of bed to shoo them away for Liz needs to catch up on her sleep for her legs are playing up at the moment causing her to lose sleep during the night.
I had a friend again this morning the Jack Russell appeared and they took off back home. Thanks Jack, that is if that is your name. I lit the fire and boiled the kettle and had toast this morning for Liz reminded me that it is Fathers day tomorrow and I should leave the bacon and eggs etc until then.
The happy campers from Tasmania were packing their camp up for they are off to Longreach today. They came over and said their farewells and we wished them safe travels and then they hit the road.
One other happy camper came over and indicated that they had been to market day at Ruby Vale and had noted they had the gem trees that Liz is trying to locate. We cleaned up and we were on our way. There were only nine stalls and I picked up the camera to take photo's of their wares and it said Memory Full! I had forgotten to replace the SD card in the camera, so needless to say there are no photo's today. They had some nice gem trees with the sapphires already attached for which they wanted $28 and the gem trees with no attachments which were two for $25. So we bought these to use with the small sapphires that Liz has found when we get home, we have been informed as to how to clean and mount them on the tree's.
They had tropical plants, books, rings, bracelets and necklaces for sale at a reasonable cost though once again beware the buyer you need to have an expert with you before you make a purchase.
We then drove into Ruby Vale proper and went to the local cafe and had a cappuccino and watched the traffic go by, there were plenty of caravans heading for caravan parks of which there are seven in Ruby Vale alone.
We went into the gem shop next door and what a shock the stock though looking very good the prices for rings were around $850 and up and one necklace was displayed and the price was $12,000 that's right I haven't mistakenly added an extra digit. I shunted Liz out very quickly for I did not want her getting idea's. We then went for a drive up one of the roads that we haven't been on before and saw heaps of mining claims some with good housing and others with caravans and sheds for accommodation and plenty of mining equipment lying about.
I was not pleased with my self about the memory card for there were some good photo opportunity's and I did not care to drive back to camp and then drive back again so we headed back and stayed.
One of the door hinges decided it did not want to work so out came the tools and fitted a temporary catch until we can buy a replacement. I then had another look at the big vent fan and it was not possible to get that to work even after reading all the material on it.
So for the rest of the day we sat out under the awning watching the traffic go by and the new happy campers arriving. Tonight we will watch the West Coast V St Kilda game and I team will be soundly defeated and then off to bed to read for awhile.

Sunday the 6th of September
We were enjoying our happy hour last night when the cattle appeared eating the greenery beside the road. They seem to be traffic savvy for one looked both ways before crossing the road something that we haven't seen before. There was a truck and trailer filling up with water for their mining purposes no doubt to wash the fines away to show up the Sapphires.
Fathers day today and Liz on behalf of my children cooked me eggs, bacon and toast for my breakfast outside in the brilliant sunshine on the firepot of course.
Already I have started to dismantle the camp and a couple came over and saw what we were doing and chatted for awhile before they departed towards Emerald. There have been two lots of happy campers that we have met before come into the camping area so again we were to catch up with what each of us have been doing in the past week or so.

We then drove down to the Sunday Markets at the show grounds. There were about twenty stalls of course the main items for sale were Sapphires in all sorts of settings. Generally speaking for rings etc they were charging $70 per carat of sapphire and it does not take much of a sapphire to make one carat. They had the usual books and other memorabilia for sale and just one stall had vegetables. We only bought a couple of books and then we decided to go up to the shop and have a cappuccino. We sat down under the shade cloth in the nice cool breeze and watched the traffic and the new happy campers arriving. There is so much space they take a long time to make up their mind where to park.
When we came back I started to load Digger and put the firepot on the back of the motorhome and whilst doing that there was a bloke just standing looking at me and the space beside us. I said hello and I asked what he found intriguing and he stated that he was looking to see if he could park beside us with his caravan, why not I said and he smiled and within five minutes he was parked beside us about two metres away. We are not concerned for when we arrive at Emerald they will probably be closer.
We decided to have fish and chips for lunch again today and just a light meal tonight. Again the fish and the chips were excellent so much so that I had a snooze and then woke up with the phone ringing and one by one our children rang to wish me a happy fathers day, which was good.
Just the awning to put in and then we are ready to travel in the morning and no doubt we will have a happy hour today and Liz will be watching her beloved Collingwood play this afternoon. So we will be saying farewell to the happy campers at Sapphire and then on our way in the morning to Emerald. The temperature today peeked at only 28 degrees with a cool breeze.

Monday the 7th of September
A cool night and awakened by the guinea fowl's again and when I counted them there were 21 today, along come the jack Russell and they were gone. The trouble is they come in the early dawn and make such a racket.
We had breakfast and completed our final packing and then we went and said our farewell's to the happy campers near us and then the council bloke came along and we had a chat and I thanked him for all the assistance he gave us whilst we were here at Sapphire.
Drove down to the flat area and hooked up Digger and then checked the lights etc then on our way towards Emerald. There was no wind or much traffic on the highway once we joined it near Anakie. The highway was undulating and there was no need to come out of sixth gear in the motorhome for it just flew over the hills on offer.
We noted that the countryside was greening up and the cattle in the paddocks looked to be fattening with no problems. Then we came across the irrigated wheat paddocks that we had noted in Digger last Friday. The difference on this occasion was that we were sitting up higher and could see more. We had not seen the irrigation channels from Digger and there they were winding there way around various sections of the cropping area. The channels were lined with black plastic to stop the water draining away into the earth. There were other heavy machinery there today building more channels across the farm land.
We then came across the failed Sorghum crop that no doubt had not been irrigated and then before we knew it we were approaching the outskirts of Emerald.

We stopped at the tourist information centre and took Digger off the back of the motorhome and then Liz was to drive it down to our campsite whilst in Emerald. When we arrived we could not believe that the area was empty of happy campers though by the end of the day there were no spots left. We set up on the bank where we could not be blocked by other campers.
I unloaded items from Digger and placed then into the front of the motorhome so as to have room to place our purchases today. Liz made a list of our requirements and then we were on our way to do a bit of retail therapy.
First we went to the Coles Complex which is just across the road from our camp. First to the chemist and then Liz had a look in Targets and then a few other boutique stores and then into Coles and bought a few groceries, especially fruit and vegetables.
Then over to the Woolworths complex on the other side of the river on the way out of Emerald. This is where we did the bulk of our buying for restocking of the motorhome for future travels. Then onto Big W and purchase a carton of Pepsi Max and some gas cartridges for the small gas stove. We couldn't resist going into the Reject Shop where we purchased batteries and a few other items before returning to poor old Digger where we loaded him up.
It was 1.15 pm when we arrived back so we just put everything inside and then had our lunch of nice fresh bread rolls. Then we packed the meat into meal size and then filled the freezer for our future travels.
We then drove out and had a look at the Agfest site some four kilometres from town and noted the hot showers so will utilise them tomorrow before Liz goes to the doctor this will help save our water. If we have to move from where we are then this is where we will come whilst Liz is having her blood tests and awaiting the results.
We then drove back into town and went to the old Woolworths complex in the old business section and into Celebrations to purchase wine and beer. then into the complex proper and Liz purchased a new pair of leather sandals and we then went into Woolies and bought a few items that we had forgotten earlier.
It would be true to say the wallet has taken a fair hammering today so much so we had to go to the bank and get more cash. We stopped at the Donut King and bought two mango ice drinks and they were beautiful in cooling us down for awhile, Back to the camp and packed everything away and then it was after 4 pm and today we have decided not to have any alcohol at all and just be happy for the rest of the day and night.
Kilometres travelled 56

Tuesday the 8th of September
It was kookaburra's and heavy traffic that woke us this morning. We can expect the bird calls for we are alongside the Emerald Botanical Gardens though the heavy traffic noise is a bit of a bugger. The problem is that the heavy trucks are coming onto a round a bout applying there engine or exhaust brakes. Though it would be true to say that if we are freedom camping then we should not expect the best of camping.
We had our breakfast and then decided to go for a walk in the Botanical Gardens. It is a credit to Emerald how they have set out the area for you feel at times you are in an actual rain forest and at times you are expecting all sorts rain forest creatures to jump out at you.
They have very good children's play equipment and I couldn't resist the urge to jump on the little trains on the mono rail and have a go though I was a bit large for the equipment. The way the trees are set out along with appropriate plaques stating what they were was excellent and at times the colours especially the bougainvillea were bright.

The canopy was full of birds from the dreaded Corella, Sulphur crested cockatoo's, magpies, myna birds and various types of colourful parrots just to mention a few. We were to walk along the various paths that led us into areas set aside for various types of herbs and amongst them were strawberry's which Liz was to eat a ripe one. The Cactus display was nice with cacti that we have not seen before from all over the world. We continued our way through more rain forest and large stands of Bamboo all alongside the river that runs through the area. This is the water they use daily to ensure the forest and grass remain green at all times.
Throughout the gardens they have barbecues set up for the use of the public. Near the main gate there is a pagoda with gas barbecues and more into the forest they have wood fired barbecues under the rain tree canopy, these look they have come out of the stone ages. We were to find all types of apparatus to use to keep in trim and Liz was to have a go on one of the items. In all we spent over two hours in the Botanical Gardens and it was great especially when about to leave we were to see the colourful parrots, though they tended to blend in with the trees etc.
We finally arrived back at camp after talking to a happy camper for awhile who is from Western Australia and they were a wealth of information for they have been on the road full time for many years. Liz was to make a cappacino which was very enjoyable then we then went for a drive in Digger to explore the housing estates that we had seen from the back of the Botanical gardens.
It was obvious the hundreds of homes in the very large subdivision have been built in recent times and in keeping with the latest trends they are big houses on small blocks with very little back yards, if any. The noticeable thing was that all the fences were of colour bond and all were of a tan shade. Most of the roofs were white with the exception of a couple that elected for light green roofs. There were very large air conditioners sitting on the roof's and most had Solar panels as well. We noted on one of the round a bouts that they had placed sandstone and created art work on them that looked very nice indeed.
We drove back to the motorhome to get our shower gear for we have found hot showers at the Agfest site and we intend to go there to wash the sweat of today off. Though first we went down into the old section of town and stopped at Eagle Boys Pizza shop and bought two of the Tuesday specials at $5.95 each and a large cold bottle of Fanta to wash them down with. The pizza's were large size and we settled for pepperoni and a margherita.
We sat outside in the shade to eat them and watched the many cattle trains carting cattle to who knows where and the other mine trucks and other carrying equipment for the mine. We couldn't eat both pizza's so it looks like we will have the rest to the pizza's for our meal tonight washed down with beer etc.
Out and had our showers and it was lovely and later in the day we will have to go to the show ground to fill our water drums and motorhome up with drinking water for where we are going next does not have drinking water only water for showers and washing.
Liz was to get ready for her doctors appointment and dependant on the results being available will determine how long we stay in Emerald so hopefully the test will be ok and happen quickly.
Just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and then out to get water and to top Digger up with fuel. Tonight we will watch either television or read our books we will decide at the time what we will do. another beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 30 degrees celsius with just slight humidity.

Tuesday the 9th of September
With a doctor down at the surgery the earliest Liz can go and get the results of her blood test is 8.30am tomorrow morning. This is a bit of a bummer for we were hoping to get back on the road today having stocked up with provisions etc for the trip ahead. Not to worry for Liz's health is of paramount importance to us so we will stay as long as it takes to get the results of the tests and remedial action if required.
We were to get a little rain last night though it was short and sweet and not enough to take away the humidity. I do not know why we seem to hop out of bed at 6am to 7am every morning it is not as though we go to bed early. Last night it was 11.30pm when we turned the lights out. The usual caper this morning we had breakfast inside and just relaxed and then went out and spoke to a few happy campers who were leaving this morning.
Hopped into Digger and went over to the Coles complex to buy something for our meal this evening saving our frozen food until later when it may not be available. The lamb chops that we bought this morning on special were some $3 a kilo dearer yesterday.
We then went looking down the hospital road for the Mitre 10 store for we want to look at door latch replacements and a toaster coil. Even though given the directions to find the store we were unable to locate the store.
We went to the showgrounds and filled the empty water containers and then back to the motorhome to fill the main water tank which took 30 litre's to top up, so it would appear we are only using around 10 litre's a shower each. We then drove into the business area where Liz spotted an op shop so we just had to have a look. Liz bought a summer weight t-shirt and I bought a brand new pair of shorts for a reasonable price.
Back to the showgrounds for another thirty litre's of water to carry with us for our next destination does not have drinking water only water for showers and laundry.
Down by the tourist information centre we were to see several trees in flower and they look quite good in the sunny conditions and of course they are being watered by sprinkler. Back to camp to drop off the water and then we went out then to the Woolworths complex. First we put $15 of unleaded fuel in Digger for we have done heaps of kilometers since arriving here in Emerald.
We looked at the new specials at Woolworths though we did not buy anything and then onto Big W and purchased a new toaster for the gas and a bundle of rope to renew the clothes line before the old one breaks. The old line has done a good job for I set it up in 1999 and it is just starting to fray and I would not like to hear Liz going off if the line broke with her clean sheets on the line.
Back home for lunch and when we arrived a couple of Tasmanians came and we chewed the fat, so to speak, for an hour or more. They were thinking of going up to Cape York via Cooktown next year. Liz was able to tell them where we stopped by using her past information book, they were very happy to take down many of the particulars. They will be heading towards Miles today after they have had their lunch.
After lunch we started to pack Digger and then cryovaced the rest of the lamb chops before placing them into the fridge for later use, then just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon under the shade of the nearby tree for the temperature was 28 degrees Celsius. Every now and again we would just watch more happy campers coming in for the night or longer or watch the amount of cattle being shipped east in cattle trains, no doubt to Rockhampton.
Just a small happy hour is envisaged and then inside for our meal and watch a bit of television tonight and no doubt we will see the hundreds of bats flying out of the botanical gardens this evening at dusk heading for their feeding grounds. We did not see or hear them at all in the botanical gardens where they appear to be roosting.

Thursday the 10th of September
We were out of bed reasonably early this morning for Liz has to be at the Doctor's surgery at 8.30am. We had our breakfast then packed the motorhome on the basis that given Liz has good readings we will be on the road reasonably early.
While Liz was in the Doctors surgery I went into Coles to buy a few items which included rolls for lunch. I have to stop going into the biscuit section for I cannot help myself when certain brands are on special. Though I did resist Tim Tams. When I loaded the gear into Digger I then went into the doctors surgery and Liz had not even been called in at 9.25 am. Finally we received Liz's results and they were a little high though the doctor was not concerned though he suggested Liz have another test next week in Blackwater, which we will do.
That was good news so back to the motorhome and then on the road with our first stop at Woolworths for diesel which was $1.34.9 cents a litre and then we hooked Digger up on the highway and we were on our way.
Though we do not mind Emerald we were glad to be on our way though we were pushing a strong head wind. The further we went along the highway the greener the land had become. The cattle, due to this looked in prime condition and before long we came across land that was being prepared for cropping which had water channels all round the huge paddocks. By the look of the water levees it could be cotton crops who knows.
We finally reached the outskirts of Blackwater and you could see the large man made mountains of mullock from the coal mines. We came across a sign on the side of the highway declaring a welcome to Blackwater and stating it was the coal capital of Queensland. I took a left turn before the town centre which will take us into the Bedford Weir.

The weir is 25 kilometres from Blackwater and it is all good bitumen road. We were to drive past the Curragh Coal Mine and again you could see high mountains of mullock and some were being re vegetated.
We finally arrived at the Bedford Weir and looked to go into the same space as we did several years ago. We noted that the people we had met at Jericho in the huge bus towing a four wheel drive were there. When they saw us they came over for a chat and they informed us that they had been here for seven days. We indicated that we probably will do the same and then we started setting up our camp.
We had our lunch and then hopped into Digger to go and cut some wood for our campfire. We found a track well away from the weir and we went down that and found a nice log to cut. Out with the chainsaw and then went to cut the wood and it kept cutting out checked the fuel and it was empty. What a richard cranium! Back to camp and refueled and then back and boy did I have trouble it would not rev out at all so it was impossible to cut wood.
I checked the spark plug and the fuel filter and they were both alright and after about ten minutes the saw started to rev out which allowed me to cut wood in amongst the spear grass and drag it to the road for final cutting. The wood was cut to small lengths and then split and piled on the roof rack on top of poor old Digger and then back to camp.
It was hot and the sweat was running off both of us and we were drinking plenty of water. Back in camp and we unloaded the wood and grabbed a cut down 44 gallon drum to use for our fire to cook our meals etc.
We were terribly sweaty so we both went off to the showers that are provided and it was great washing the sweat and sawdust off our body's.
Needless to say we had our happy hour early and the first can of beer went down very quickly. When I have uploaded this I will get the satellite dish out to allow us to once again watch the Marngrook Football show and then probably have an early night for getting the wood was a real slog.

Friday the 11th of September
Last night we went over and had a happy hour until late with happy campers whose name's eludes us even though this is the third time we have met up with them on the road.
Awoken at 5.15 am with the noise from the quarry which is some four kilometres up the road. The early morning quietness carried the sound of blue metal being loaded into a truck for cartage. No doubt we will get used to this and not notice it over coming days. Set up the firepot and cooked the toast and boiled the kettle and sat in the shade and enjoyed the Peacock and the peahens who were looking for something to eat. In all we counted one peacock and fourteen peahens. We wished the peacock would raise its tail feathers into a fan it would be very colourful. The first happy camper left at 6.45am this morning and talking to him last night he was having trouble among other things with his fridge thus he had to run his generator late into the night. He hopefully can get to a repair shop where they can fix it for him. We wished him all the best and he was away.
After breakfast out came the washing machine and the generator was started to power the machine as well as charge all our phones and computer etc. When the power comes on the fridge switch's automatically to 240 volt and turns the gas off.
We kept putting wood in the firepot and the wood burns well leaving hot coals. Tonight is our easy night before going into watch the first final of footy.

Before lunch we went down to the Mackenzie River and sat at the tables and watched a couple of boats head up the river to fish no doubt. From where we were sitting we could see the weir which is releasing a measured amount of water downstream. Whilst we were sitting there we reminisced the first time we visited this area in about 1999 when only the power boat and ski club existed. We had met a couple at Makay who both worked at the coal mine and they alerted us to the camp spot here and invited us to drop in and they would give us a key to the toilets. We did so and whilst we were here no other happy camper's dropped in for it was not common knowledge that the area existed. It was the private play ground for the people of Blackwater. We recall that many years later we came into the area again and was surprised to see that the council had built a large camping ground away from the river and weir complete with toilet and shower and all for free. This continues to exist today and you only need to check in with the caretaker, register and you can stay for seven days if you wish. There is a donation box where they ask you deposit a donation with the funds going to maintain the facility. It is a wonderful place with plenty of birdlife from the dreaded Corella's, Major Mitchell Galahs in there hundreds a few hawks who send the Galahs rushing to the trees and some other birds who we will identify from the bird book that Anne gave to Liz some years ago.
There were rain clouds starting to appear which heralded the end of the blue sky's and a breeze which had lowered the temperature to 25 degrees celsius at 3pm. We headed back to camp after admiring the sporting and picnic facilities and had our lunch.
We had two guests who we did not feed, one was the Peacock in all its splendor and another yet as identified bird that was so cheeky that it was sitting on clothes on the outside table picking up the crumbs from our savoury biscuits we had for lunch.
With the hawk now not in the area the Galahs came down to ground and where picking away at who knows what. We have kept the firepot going for we are having our own brand of Hamburgers in a roll for our evening meal, that is after we go visiting again at happy hour. No wonder neither of us is losing any weight. The area today has dropped in numbers of happy campers and it could be they are now all heading south and home. We have noted that there are many who have returned from the races at Birdsville and they have many fine story's to tell of their adventure and some have indicated that they enjoyed it so much they are making plans to return next year.
Tonight is the first of the finals Between West Coast and Hawthorn and it should be a good match. It is not an elimination final so whoever loses has another chance of making the grand final. We will watch this game and then off to bed to read for awhile and get some sleep in before the quarry starts work in the morning. The funny thing about it we have not heard it working since this morning.

Saturday the 12th of September
No noises from the quarry this morning so we slept in until 7.30am. On going outside to light the firepot there were the peahens and we were not to see the peacock all day which is unusual. Though the Galahs were in their hundreds again.
This morning it was poached eggs on toast with Liz have her cereal all eaten of course in the warm sunshine and just a slight breeze. Two lots of happy campers are leaving this morning one in a 16 tonne Denning coach converted to a motorhome and the other a 10 tonne Hino bus converted to a motorhome. The latter was 38 feet long and the other 40 feet and both towing vehicles behind.
We said our farewells and noted that the engines were going to allow the inbuilt compressor to inflate the air bags to bring both of them up to driving levels. It was strange to watch for they both inflated the rear air bags first. As we are staying another few days we will possibly will not see Graeme and Sandy again on our travels for they are now heading for the coast.
When they left there were huge spaces left which they occupied. We then decided to go walkabout and took a stroll down the road in front of the Bedford Weir, this is the road that heavy transport have been using carting equipment etc to the mines along this road. Needless to say the road down to the bottom of causeway on both sides was steep and by the look of the small trees growing they probably not had much water coming over the spillway for some time.
There was plenty of birdlife below the weir for they are allowing a small amount of water to flow and the wader birds, ducks and pelicans were getting food from this source. Some of the wader birds blended in with the rocks etc.

We climbed up the hill and took some photo's of the back of the weir and the water level. Isn't it great to have a river like the Mackenzie being so blue and not coloured like clay as other rivers in Queensland are. You can see why the area is used as a recreation area.
The ski club was out in force towing ski riders in and out of the buoys along the river whilst at the same time we could see small boats going upstream to go fishing.
We walked back to camp and grabbed a cappuccino in thermal cups and then went down to the river and watched for over two hours skiers going up and down the river. We were to witness one skier come ashore injured and it wasn't long before Paramedics and the ambulance arrived, we are not sure of the extent of the problem.
It did not deter the skiing or the fishing as family's enjoyed the day and the excellent sunshine though there was a lot "slip slop slap" taking place. There was one kelpie who would run up and down the beach trying to keep pace with the boats and skiers. At least he was getting lots of exercise even if we are not.
We came back to the motorhome around 1.30pm and had toasted sandwiches for lunch and then just relaxed in the sunshine for both of us are now browning up and again it was only shorts and singlet weather. The temperature would rise to 28 degrees with a cooling breeze and no humidity.
We read our books during the afternoon and will cook our evening meal on the firepot and eat outside until the football commences at 7.30 tonight. It is Adelaide V Western Bulldogs and it is an elimination final. Last nights game was good and it kept us on the edge of our seat until West Coast ran away with the game and despite a Hawthorn comeback they won it easily.

Sunday the 13th of September
The quarry awakened us again this morning at 5.30am though we stuck to the bed, nodded off and climbed out at 7.15am. We were met by the peahens and a few other birds looking for bread etc. We do not believe in feeding them for when the happy campers leave the area they need to fend for themselves.
Lit the firepot for it was another glorious morning with the sun shining and blue sky's.
After breakfast checked the house batteries and one battery is boiling its water away in one cell so it could be that battery is on the way out given that they are only four years old. Then off to the showers to wash away any acid I may have spilt on myself. The Peacock which we did not see yesterday came by our camp looking for food and later in the day it was to show us his plumage which was very colourful it would have been even more so if the sun had been shining at the time.
There were more happy campers depart this morning which has left the area with large sections of camping grounds vacant. Though the local people are still down near the ski club with their tents and gazebo's and it would appear they slept in swags last night along with their children.

When we went down to check out what was happening this morning at the weir we came across boys toys with both the boat and Land Cruiser not leaving much change out of $150,000. The locals seem to have the big Land Cruiser four door with a short tray on the back. No doubt they work at the local coal mines on rather large wages.
We came back to camp and out came the camp oven to cook our chicken on the firepot and then we steamed the veggies minus potatoes that were baked in the camp oven. There are plenty of flies around at the moment so we had our midday dinner inside away from the worrying flies. The meal was great especially the gravy which made the meal.
After lunch Liz washed the dishes and then we sat outside for awhile and then went walkabout again down to the Mackenzie River. The speed boats were still towing skier's up and down and the small children were playing in the water and on the portable pontoon.
We noted the cattle across the river near the weir feeding on the lush growth that had sprung up on the bank in all there were around 15 spread along the bank all doing the same thing, they appeared to be all Brahman cattle.
We sat at the table just enjoying the peace and tranquility and listening to the birds whistling and warbling away. We saw around 15 plovers flying across the water before they alighted on the top of the weir. Of course those noisy galahs were flying in circles around the trees before alighting in their branches.
We then walked back up the road and came into the camp area further up which gave us the chance to count all the happy campers and there were only 12 camps all told and it makes the area which is large look very empty.
We came back to camp and we then had an apple each and a cappuccino before relaxing for the rest of the afternoon for we are going in Digger to Blackwater tomorrow. For our evening meal we are having toasted chicken and cheese sandwiches.
Around 4 pm we will turn the television on and watch the last half of the Richmond V North Melbourne game and then maybe later in the night watch a suitable movie. Another lazy day enjoying the atmosphere and bird life.

Monday the 14th of September
A very restful night though we arose at 6am and went and had our showers early and then breakfast inside the motorhome for we were going into Blackwater this morning and I didn't want to leave the firepot burning in our absence.
I was wrong when I said there is only one peacock here on the grounds what I should have said there is only one adult peacock. We were to note this morning that some of the birds with the shiny blue necks were raising there tail feathers, however they were small and did not reach the level of the one adult peacock. I left a piece of bread on the table last night and we could hear birds attacking it. When I checked it was family birds and I should have known for their screeching denotes them.
We loaded the drinking water drum, cassette from the toilet and one 4kg gas bottle and we headed out towards Blackwater around 9am. It was a nice day again with beautiful blue sky's and the breeze had picked up. The going was easy and I sat Digger on 70 kph for we have all day to do want we wanted to do. First stop the dump point and then onto another part of town to get drinking water and then sort directions to the hardware store which turned out to be a Mitre 10 store. We bought a new plug for the sink and a couple of other items and then went and paid for them. I indicated that the litre of de mineralised water was dearer than a beer or a litre of petrol. Well didn't that start the owner of the store off. Then I had a lecture how the miner's earnt $180,000 for four months work and last year he worked the full year and made a $150,000 loss. I suggested he should close shop and go and work in the mines. As could be expected that went down like a lead balloon so I paid for our goods and left as quickly as possible. Over to the plumbers and they were not able to fill the gas bottle for none of the male employee's were there to do so, so we indicated we would come back in two hours and left the bottle there.
On to the chainsaw service and bought a new spark plug for the chainsaw and hopefully this will fix the problem and if not I will worry about it when we get home.
We decided to go to the Australian Coal Mining Musuem so back onto the highway. On the way I said to Liz that police car going in the opposite direction was giving us a good look and sure enough I saw the car do a u-turn and as we pulled onto the highway the lights were flashing so I pulled over and hopped out of Digger and they just sat in the car looking at me and then Digger. This went of for around four to five minutes and I was wondering why they pulled us up and they were talking with each other and then the bloke hopped out with his breathalyser machine. I enquired why they had pulled me up and he said they thought that I had trailer number plates fitted to Digger. I just looked at him dumb founded and he then said we might as well do a breathe test and check my licence. Well I was starting to lose my cool and I heard Liz say "Jim!" and then I realised I was about to explode.
When all was checked he bid me a good day and as I put my licence back into the wallet some loose change dropped out onto the ground and he was good enough to pick it up for me. I have never been in a position before today when police are not sure why they pulled me up and used the excuse after at least 7 to 8 minutes total of the breath test and licence check. Totally unreal!!

Well, I calmed down and drove into the car park at the Australian Coal Mining Museum and a couple in there asked me why the police pulled me over and I said I do not really know. They gave me a strange look. I took a photo of Liz standing inside a coal dragline bucket and she looked so small and later I was to see another bucket which was twice as big. We went inside and it was only $2 per head to go into the Interpretive Centre and we were to spend over two hours in there. The static displays were excellent and gave us an understanding of the coal discovery by Ludwig Leichhardt who stumbled across surface coal while exploring on his way to Darwin in the northern territory. The coal mining did not commence in the Darling Downs for another hundred years. Today there are three very large open cut mines in operation sending their coal overseas by means of the electric locomotives consisting of 110 carriages and they go out three times a day. We sat down on several occasions to watch video's of the mine working from the digging and then transportation and the finished product to the shipping. We were not aware that there were so many by-products of coal in use every day. There were demonstrations of the huge drag lines down to the very large excavators all digging the coal seam out once the over burden had been moved. Now it is understandable why there are such man made mountains of the mullock that has been dug away to expose the coal seams.
In the early days they used underground mining with horses etc to win the coal and there are static displays of the various types of coal that are won in the area. I even had a go on the train training simulator and unfortunately I ran off the rails with my loaded train on three occasions so needless to say I failed to get my certificate to drive the modern day trains.
We then went out into the Japanese gardens that the reflects the co-operation between Blackwater and there sister Japanese City. It is well set out and on a day like today it was great to see the various stages of the garden which is kept well trimmed and the interpretation board makes it easy to understand the garden and its various displays.
We then went back inside and had a cappuccino each and had a chat to the girls manning the display area and they gave us a good run down on the area and pointed us to where the supermarkets and the cheap as chips shop was. Whilst there Liz took a photo of me under the large dump truck.
Liz wanted to go to McDonalds for a meal and to hopefully to win a prize in their latest promotion. I have never liked McDonalds for I believe you get better value at a Hungry Jacks franchise. Well Liz did not win though I won a free Frappe which I wasn't all that keen on for it was made with mostly shaved ice. We then went to the Woolworths Supermarket and bought a few items for the weeks ahead and then into the el cheapo shop and bought a couple of items. Then back to pick up the gas bottle which was only filled when I asked for they had forgotten all about it. $17 for a 4 kilo bottle.
Back to camp with poor old Digger having travelled 55 kilometre return. Unloaded and then had find space for our purchases and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before happy hour was upon us. It has been a good day and I am looking forward for the next police check hopefully on this occasion they may know why they pulled me up.

Tuesday the 15th of September
Another fine day with no clouds and just a little breeze. We had our friends visit us this morning and I relented and gave them a piece of bread. Even the colourful parrot was looking for a feed. There is no doubt that the Peacock is so colourful with such fine plumage. Lit the fire and had breakfast then out came the washing machine to do the last of the washing prior to us leaving this wonderful camp grounds on Thursday morning.
We had a cappuccino for morning tea with a slice of cake and then said farewell to the two happy campers that were close to us over the past few days. One is going to the coast and the other is heading south and home.
Transferring files from the hard disc to the seagate back up hard drive and this took awhile. I did not realise that I has so many files on the lap top though it is best to be safe than sorry not like some years ago when the hard disk went down on the computer and I lost all files including the diary's pre 2005.

Packed away the generator and the washing machine and Liz then made some wraps filled with garlic meat and salad and we went down to the river and had our lunch. The first spot we chose left our feet covered in ants so we moved to another table which did not have that problem. Whilst we were having our lunch a couple of dinghy's went up river fishing we suppose though we have not heard of anyone catching fish let alone red claws.
There was the usual birdlife which included galahs galore and a lone kookaburra watching us eat. We then went for another walk along the bottom of the weir and were lucky enough to catch pelicans and one cormorant sunning themselves in the brilliant sunshine. There were a few white clouds overhead which did nothing to cool things down for it was humid and we were sweating walking along.
We reached the other side and then took a photo of two cormorants and one pelican standing on large plastic pipe no doubt looking for fish to come along for their meal.
On the way back to camp we gathered a few sticks to light the fire in the morning and as it was hot we sat in the shade of the motorhome and read our books for the rest of the afternoon.
We have had a steady flow of happy campers come into the camp grounds and set up though as yet none have come close to where we are set up. In with the washing and it was happy hour once again though we are going to have an alcohol free day.
We are having a stir fry for our evening meal which will be cooked on the firepot which will be packed away tomorrow afternoon. Watch a bit of television and tune into the Tasmanian news at 7.30 pm tonight on the satellite dish. Then off to bed to read our books for awhile.

Wednesday the 16th of September
It was a humid night last night so we threw off the doona and just slept under the sheet. This morning was still humid when I lit the fire at 7am. We had our breakfast and then cleaned up and decided to go back into Blackwater in Digger and have lunch at Subway.
There were a lot of happy campers departing this morning and they were replaced later in the day. In our area we are the only one here given the rest are looking for the shade of trees, we do not to get maximum solar power.
The drive into Blackwater was easy going with just a few cement trucks with their agitators in action. The sky was that nice blue once again and it was not until the late afternoon that a few clouds arrived though they did not cool things down at all.
We first went to the water tap near the showgrounds and filled the empty drums and then we drove into the show grounds themselves and noted there were two caravans there. It is a honour box system for $10 per night with toilets and hot showers you could not want any better than this. There does not seem to be a caravan park in Blackwater.
We drove back towards town and had to stop at the rail crossing for there was a coal train and its coal wagons going through. It seemed an eternity for there were exactly 102 coal wagons. It had three electrified engines one at the front another in the middle and another at the rear. All running on electricity.
We went around to Woolworths and bought just a few items such as lettuce that we forgot the other day and then into the cheapo shop and browsed and bought just a few items of junk.
Then down to Subway where Liz had a 6 inch chicken with all the trimmings and I had a 12 inch chicken teriyaki with all the trimmings including jalapeno's and topped with a hot chilli sauce and a large fanta and coke.
We sat outside to eat in the shade watching the traffic go by and then another coal train went through the same configuration as the previous one. It seemed to take forever to pass.
Whilst we were eating the two police people who pulled us up the other day came into Subway and we wondered if they knew what they wanted for they certainly did not the other day. We finished our meal and we headed back to camp.
It was hot and the day would end up 30 degrees celsius and a little humid. We started to pack up with the left over wood being put into bags and thrown up onto Diggers roof basket and tied down.
We will not pull the awning in until late this afternoon for it is shading the side of the motorhome. Tables and chairs were all put away for even though we will cook outside tonight we will come inside to eat. Our friends the Peacocks/hens visited again and the old peacock put on another display and on this occasion I was able to photo the rear colours as well. There was a young peacock doing the same though he did not have any colour to speak of. We had a kangaroo visit, the first in this area and it did not take long before he bounded off into the bush. Another good day though we are looking forward to moving on tomorrow and you could say this will be the first time we have headed south and down to Dululu. We may go over to the shelter for happy hour we will see what occurs.

Thursday the 17th of September
We were out of bed at 6am and over to the showers. Had our breakfast inside and then packed away the left over wood from our camp fire into Digger and dismantled the satellite dish for later in the day. We went and left our donation to the Bedford Weir and said farewell to a few of those happy campers we have met over the past few days. It has been an enjoyable stay with nice sunny days and the Peacocks and hens visiting us everyday and they did again this morning before we drove out of the camp.
Digger was loaded down again with two bags of wood plus more inside the rear. The going was easy going into Blackwater with little traffic and a day that early had no wind at all.
When we arrived at Blackwater our first stop was at Woollies to top up the diesel tank with the discount being $1.28.9 cents a litre. We did not take a lot on and then we were on the road towards Dululu.
We were to note the amount of trains and their coal carriages parked up in sidling's and later we were to see why with four more empty trains coming through from the coast to fill with coal.
Further down the road we were to see a coal loading facility that actually crossed overhead of the Capricorn Highway. There was a train with its 100 plus wagons all filling with coal for the journey to the coast.
As we went along the highway we were always driving alongside twin rail tracks all electrified and as we went around a corner so would the rail line. There was still no wind to speak of and we were steadily climbing until we came across a sign indicating that we were near the Blackdown Tableland national park.
The highway then went steadily down through Bluff and then Dingo two small towns along the way that serviced the farming and rail industries. We were to experience four road trains of cattle on their way to Rockhampton which is only a couple of hundred kilometres from where we are. Finally we arrived at Duaringa and went into the rest area.

As we pulled into the rest area Liz recognised it from many years ago and when consulting her information book found that was the case. As we moved further into the rest area we could see many happy campers set up. We selected a spot on grass that will let the solar panels have sun until late in the day. On checking we found we had full television services so there was not need for the satellite dish which we packed away.
Once we stopped a couple came over and introduced themselves and they had only kind words to say about the Tasmanian happy campers they have met and they appeared happy to meet us. They have been in this rest area for seven weeks. Given this and the area we have decided to stay here until Monday before moving onto Dululu. This area has clean toilets and showers and all they ask for is a donation, which won't be a problem.
We only pulled the chairs and the small table out and then had a cappuccino along with some nice fruit cake. Our neighbors came over for another chat and as it was nearly lunch time we went walkabout wearing our hats for the temperature has climbed dramatically and at 3.30pm is 33 degrees and with slight humidity. We walked over to the information board which gave us an outlook on the early days of Duaringa and its surrounds. We then walked over to the water feature which has a small man made waterfall set in amongst a planted rainforest. There is a sign that threatens up to $100,000 fines for interfering with the flying foxes. We could see none in the tree's maybe they will make their entrance after dark.
We went looking for the post office for the signs indicated that is where we would be able to buy a paper. As we walked over three blocks which were large we still did not find the post office though we were to see something that I have never seen before and that is over thirty Ibis roosting in an old dead tree, very high up and very strange indeed.
We gave up on the post office and took a side street and walked up to the BP Roadhouse and Truck Stop. Would you believe there was the paper and whilst there we went into the truck stop section and had late lunch of fish and chips with gravy on the chips.
We sat there for nearly an hour watching the trucks of all sizes carrying different sorts of cargo both towards the coast and inland. Back to the motorhome and we sat outside reading the newspaper in the shade with just a slight cooling breeze. There is no doubt we will have a happy hour shortly and then cook our evening meal outside and then go in later to watch the Marngrook Football Show. We do not what we will do when the football finishes in about three weeks. Another excellent day with the good company of happy campers.
Kilometers travelled 116

Friday the 18th of September
We sat outside last night and cooked our meal and whilst eating we were to see literally hundreds and hundreds of Fly Fox's (Fruit Bats) flying over our heads, no doubt heading for their feeding grounds. It would have taken over an hour for them to pass by and the sky was black with them.The motorhome was rocking last night for the wind had really increased dramatically and at one stage looking out of the windows all you could see was a dust storm.
We had our breakfast inside this morning and the wind had dropped considerably so we thought while Liz cleaned windows inside I would wash the motorhome and clean the outside windows. Water is precious in these places so I only used one bucket of water to wash the motorhome and Digger. I used a broom to apply the truck wash and then used the chamois to wipe it down. Both vehicles were very dirty with road grime etc and I was glad when I had finished for the sweat was running.
A happy camper just over from us was washing his awning with of all things a toothbrush and toothpaste. I did not say a thing though I did point it out to Liz and we thought he may be a bit strange.
He must have noted me looking at him for when I went outside and sat down he came over to explain. He indicated that he was parked under a date tree two nights ago and did not notice the flying fox's and they poo 'ed over his caravan and awning. He had tried conventional ways to wash it off and the stain remained. Then he remembered his brother in-law suggesting to bring the gloss back to faded power points use toothpaste so he figured that may work on the stains. He informed me that it had worked though he admitted it did look a bit strange cleaning the awning with a tooth brush. When we were finished we thought we would walk down to the post office which is four large blocks down from the Highway.
The first thing we noticed was how wide the streets were you could put in four lanes of traffic and still have room for another. We came across a beautiful old Queenslander home which had been re-roofed. It was in very good condition and as they should be it was well up of the ground on wooden poles. We noted that it had no glass windows only shutters which were open to allow the breeze through the house thus cooling it down. Very nice indeed.

We were to see many tropical trees both large and small that had very colourful flowers. There were many different varieties of palm trees along the way and they were swaying in the breeze. We finally arrived at the Post Office which also acts as newsagent and grocery store, this is what you call a mixed business. We posted off a birthday card to our friend and bought the newspaper plus an ice cream and sat outside in the shade and devoured it.
We then continued our walkabout down towards the train lines and noted three headstones of people who had died in the early 1800's and then across the train lines and had a look at the old pub from the outside, though we did not enter its doors.
As we were now seven blocks from the main road we started back and on the way we had a cattle road train go past and it was on the nose well and truly.
We walked back in a different direction and noted the school and the signs indicating where Mitre 11 is located which we check out probably tomorrow. We finally ended back at our camp at around 1pm and had our lunch.
We sat outside for the rest of the afternoon watching happy campers arriving and as usual they are all caravans and a lot of them are well maintained or new. We continued to have those beautiful blue sky's and breeze out of the south east persisted.
We read our books and we were to hear a lot of coal trains go by both empty and full for the railway line is only around a kilometre from where we are camped. We went over and had another look at the information board on the area and discovered that the population of Duaringa is only around 250. The old picture theatre is still standing though now is a private residence. Duaringa was established in the 19th century as a railway town, though the doctors clinic only operates on a Thursday each week.
Tomorrow we will check out Mitre 11 and the cemetery which apparently has historical significance.
Well happy hour is not far away and tonight we will come inside to watch the preliminary final between Hawthorn and Adelaide before going off to bed. No doubt we will see the flying foxes on dusk going east to their feeding grounds.

Saturday the 19th of September
I sat outside last night waiting for the flying foxes to fly over and despite my best efforts it was to dark to catch them in flight. All the camera caught was a blur not worth showing, again they were in their hundreds and I am fascinated by the way they seem to come in different bunch's as if they were from a different tribe,so to speak. No doubt I will watch them go over tonight so long as the rain stays away.
We had showers before we had our breakfast this morning and we noted that the happy campers started leaving at 6.30am and by the end of the day we were full up again though on this occasion there were many parked as if there were in a caravan park. So the late comers to night will just do in filling of the available spaces.
We unhooked Digger and decided to leave the a-frame on and as we were about to go along come the Police car and we watched as he went up a side street and then came back and then into another and I said to Liz it is going to happen again something about Digger stirs their interest.
We drove over to the Cemetery to look at all the old head stones for the information board indicates they are of historical value. Well, we did not see the police again as went into the cemetery and we first noted the excellent rest area shelter inside the gate, which is surrounded by young palms. We spent the best part of an hour looking at the old and the new and it was sad to see the headstone for a child who had died at 9 months of age. There were many more of whole families with very old grave stones from the late 1800's and the hole in the wall section had no internment's. This is probably due to them having no local cremortorium.We were to see our first frangipani flower for all the frangipani trees we have seen are just getting there leaves and yet to flower.
We then went for a drive out to Mitre 11 though there was nothing of any value there only household rubbish so we did not linger long at all.

Down to the Post Office to buy the paper and this is the first time we noticed the tree which gave us shade yesterday in fact is growing through the roof of the post office. As the tree has grown no doubt they have had to trim the roofing iron to suit. We have not seen this occurring for some time . We then drove over the railway lines and drove past the hotel without stopping and the police station and drove a couple of kilometres out the road though it was all bush so we returned.
We had to stop at the railway crossing for the coal train empty was heading west. We noted that the train engines were in pairs and they were diesel locomotives. There were two at the front and two in the middle of the coal wagons. There appeared to be more coal wagons for it took some 7 minutes from the time we stopped to when the barriers were opened again to allow us through.
Back to our camp and hooked Digger up to the motorhome again and then had a late lunch around 1.30pm and then sat out and read our books for the rest of the afternoon. We have lost our lovely blue sky and it has been replaced by rain clouds and at 3.30 pm the rain has not arrived. We checked on the bom site and it shows rain at Rockhampton which is only 115 kilometres by road from where we are located.
So it wouldn't be surprised if it rained tonight which might have a bearing as to whether we leave in the morning for Dululu.

Sunday the 20th of September
It happened again last night there were thousands of the flying foxes going overhead, they just kept coming in waves. I pity the mango farmers for these flying foxes would be ruining their crop of Mango's. As the sign states $100,000 fine and/or five years jail if you shoot or disturb their habitat.
Happy campers were leaving early this morning heading east and west. We were to have a chat to the people next to us who are heading towards Darwin and I am glad it is them and not us for the humidity this time of the year is stifling.
Had our breakfast and secured for the trip ahead and then off to the showers and then the dump point and we were on our way to Dululu. We were in hilly country though the motorhome was handling it very well.
We were surprised when out of nowhere along a flat piece of country two huge lakes appeared full to the brim, for some of the creeks that we had crossed before this were as dry as. We were to see plenty of ducks on the water though no other birdlife. Next we were going down a steep hill and along the flat then we came across the intersection where we turned right. This means that we now on the start of our travels south. The land was undulating and in the distance you could see mountains that we must have to cross. The going was easy though on one section I noticed a bush was swaying in all directions and when the motorhome came alongside we were pushed first hard right into the other lane and then back again all in a space of tem metres. It did not feel nice at all for I had no control over the motorhome at all, we must have driven out of what ever it was for it did not happen again. We were able to get back to admiring the countryside again.

I

We arrived at Dululu and drove into the camping grounds. There were not a lot of people there and straight away we noted that the chances of getting solar power all day would be impossible due to the amount of high trees in the park area. We spoke to a couple of campers and they indicated the showers and toilets were broken and you were not allowed to use generators, this was enough to have us decide to move onto Moura and the Dawson River camp area which we intended to go to in a couple of days. We turned left onto the Leichhardt Highway and it wasn't long before we arrived at a small town of Wowan.
We drove off the highway and then around the back streets looking at the fine old houses and the many halls that are now empty. Back on the highway and we were starting to climb again and the countryside was looking great with plenty of cattle. We came across many hectares of small trees that were planted to help feed cattle in drought conditions and most had their leaves etc eaten by cattle. For this area we noted was very dry.
We arrived at Banana and took a photo of Banana the old bullock that history states was the main leader in the teams that carted goods and other items into and out of this shire. In his honour the township of Banana shares his name. We did not stop only to take a photo and we were on our way again to the Dawson River. First we came across an accident and the ambulance and fire brigade were directing traffic around the accident scene. We think it may have been a motorbike rider for the ambo was carrying a hard helmet. Then major road works were taking place near the mines and that slowed us down for awhile.
We came across the coal mine and huge stacks of coal awaiting to shipped out by train. As we came through Moura we noted the amount of shops that were empty and the town did not look as vibrant as we remembered it a couple of years ago.
We were lucky to get the same camp spot as last time which will ensure plenty of sunshine for the solar panels. We then set up our camp for we will be here for a few days again exploring the area and killing a bit of time before we head for the coastal area's of Queensland.
We had another late lunch and then had a chat to a nearby happy campers and they were to tell us that the town is suffering economically for the mines now use fly in/fly out workers and this of course is not good for the economy of the Moura thus the empty shops in the main street. Over the coming days we will tour the area and get a good insight into the local economy and its people.
We were not going to have a happy hour today though it is hot and humid and at 3.30pm it is 33 degrees celsius and we are looking forward to the early evening where we hope it will cool down a little.
Kilometres travelled 195

Monday the 21st of September
We had a couple of happy campers join us last night for happy hour and we chewed the fat, so to speak, until nearly 7pm. We then cooked our meal on the campfire.
I do not what it is for when the first lighnavthis for we are becoming a creature of habit.
Liz was to do a little hand washing and then the happy campers came over and indicated they are staying another night so happy hour will occur again tonight we suppose.
We drove back into Moura in poor old Digger and first went looking for a service station that popped up on wiki camps fuel map. Even using the wiki camps fuel map and the google navigation maps it directed us to a spot where a service station does not exist and probably never has. There is only one service station in the town and that is a BP so we checked that out for when we leave we have to refuel.
Then around to the information centre and enquired about fresh drinking water and a doctors surgery. As we were driving around we remembered that we obtained our drinking water on the last occasion at the cemetery. We found the medical centre and Liz has made an appointment for the morning to have more blood tests.
We then drove out to the road to Theodore and visited the cemetery and had a look at the head stones some of which are quite ornate and then drove past the industrial area past the wheat silo's and pulled up very quickly for we were to spot over a hundred Magpie Geese just standing in the paddock around the wheat silo's and they were not locked in. We have not seen so many since we were in the Northern Territory, we were gob smacked.
Then around to the main shopping area and went into the IGA and noted the prices of groceries had risen. We did not need anything and we just had a look and 26 dollars later we left the supermarket and was disappointed that we could not buy the two litre's of ice cream that was on special. Then to the local cafe for a cappuccino with our next door happy campers.
We came back to camp and we cryovaced chicken breasts that we could not fit into the freezer. Tomorrow we need to do a stock take on the food we have available for there are three large plastic containers full of groceries not to mention our cupboards. Well we could not resist buying four cans of different types of soup for 50 cents a can that we can use as a base for stews etc when we finally get down into the cold weather. We have now dropped below the Tropic of Capricorn and as we move further south then it will start to get colder.
After lunch we just sat outside read our books and watched the newcomers arrive in no time at all the rest area was to fill up again. Then I had a snooze while Liz went down near the river and enjoyed the cool breeze.
Happy hour arrived and we received a phone call from our mate Ian whose truck broke down in Yowah two months ago. When he called we expected him to say that his truck to tow his fifth wheeler was now repaired and ready to be picked up. No, on ringing the Isuzu dealers in Roma for an update they informed that their diagnostic computer had broken down and therefore they were not able to check why the truck onboard computer will not recognise the new gear box. He informed us that the truck dealers computer in Cunnamulla was simply saying reboot the computer and that did not work. Thus another expense to ship the truck into the Isuzu dealers in Roma. It has been there for a week already and he is not sure whether they are being honest about their diagnostic computer. The problem for Ian is that he has been in Yowah now for 10 weeks and 8 of those weeks have been waiting for his truck to be repaired. He has incurred great expense to date and it just appears to be ongoing. On the bright side he tells us that the community of Yowah as small as it is has embraced him and he is enjoying the hospitality of the local people who assist to take him into Cunnamulla for groceries etc and the has become part of the local progress association. When we asked would he be coming back to the Yowah Opal Festival next year. He stated that you couldn't keep him away due to the friendships that he has made and the generosity of the local people to his plight. He informed us that the local community has declared a men's happy hour every thursday at the community centre for the woman have a craft day every Tuesday. Our thoughts are with him and hopefully his problems will shortly be solved allowing him to live the life of a grey nomad once again.
Well off to happy hour and will not be lighting the fire tonight for it is humid and we are having a ham salad later in the night. Another good day in paradise, for us that is.

Tuesday the 22nd of September
Every morning when lighting the firepot for breakfast we are to see a lone Silver Crested Cockatoo eating something beside the highway in front of us. It is strange to see the car's and trucks coming past for the cockatoo moves very little from the bitumen. In the same way he appears every morning after around an hour the cockatoo departs.
While we eat our breakfast we have a wonderful view of the golf course across the road and this morning we noted in the distance several kangaroo's eating the grass on the greens. They quickly disappear into the bush when the golfer's arrive. This and the clear blue sky's make for an excellent restaurant for our breakfast, we do not get sick of seeing this or the traffic going past.
We cleaned up and it was time to take Liz to the doctor's for a blood test. We arrived early and whilst Liz went inside the medical centre I listened to the radio. Liz's results were good and so as Liz said we will probably not need to check them again until we arrive home. The doctor wanted Liz to have a tetanus shot so around to the chemist to purchase the serum. What a shock $86 for the serum for it is no longer on the PBS.
We then decided to go and have another look at the old eccentric bloke that has built fences and barricades to protect his property from what we do not know. The first thing we noticed coming down the street was that he had around twenty solar panels on his roof. Then we noted the fences had been added to since we saw this place last time. There were now lights that would do a sports ground proud and light on each corner of the property. He has now installed 4 large rain tanks that we could see. Talking to the locals again they all say he is strange and paranoid about an invasion of people thus the over the hill protection he has installed. It looks more like a concentration camp.

We then went for drive around to the wheat silo's again to check out the magpie geese and we reckon there were more there today than yesterday and they were roosting up in the trees as well. I took a few photo's and headed back to the chemist to get Liz's medicines etc. I was standing on the corner and was gob smacked to see so many magpie geese on the wing in formation. There were literally hundreds of them coming in waves though they did not put down near the wheat silo's instead flew further on. We raised this with the woman in the chemist's and she informed us that the magpie geese were settling on a farmers water hole's at his peanut farm and he was actually shooting them for he feared they would contaminate his water holes and dams.
We met up again with our next door happy campers who were moving on today and they filled their water tanks at the information centre and then we went into the IGA together and we bought bread and couple of other items and they placed their purchases in their caravan and we all went into the cafe to have a final cappuccino together and say our final farewell.
Then back into Digger and back to camp and during the afternoon we were to see many happy campers come into the area. I was hoping to get more photo's of the Macaws unfortuneately the owners of the birds had packed up and moved on while we were away.
I walked over the bridge and took a photo of a couple of young blokes in their canoe who were enjoying the Dawson River breeze and of course the school holidays are currently in force in Queensland so we expect to see many more come in to enjoy the water facilities.
Liz was to go down to the river side again and read and enjoy the cooling breeze for the temperature was again in the low 30's and just a little humidity. So we relaxed and read our books and had to change a gas bottle for it had run out and it was great to see it run out in the daytime rather in the middle of the night. It would appear we are only averaging 11 days from the 4 kilo gas bottles that are only being used to run the fridge.
We will watch the local Tassie news tonight and catch up with what is happening in our home state and then off to bed.

Wednesday the 23rd of September
Another beautiful day though the breeze this morning coming off the river cooled things down a bit. The first happy camper to leave this morning departed at 6.15am just as I hopped out of bed to light the firepot.
Again we had our breakfast watching the early morning golfers plying there game around the golf course, our Sulphur Crested Cockatoo did not arrive this morning so we are hoping it did not get run over. There was an exodus of caravans and motorhome's from 8am on and the first new camper arrived at 8.30am and it did not take long to fill in the gaps in the camping area.
Liz did a bit of hand washing after breakfast and I collected a bit of wood left behind by campers. Out came the chainsaw and I cut it to fit into our firepot and that should last us a couple of days for we have burnt the first bag of wood we bought with us.
I had a another chap come over and ask could I help him with his satellite dish for he was having trouble picking up the C1 Satellite, from where our television programmes come from. We were having a cup of cappuccino and fruit cake for morning tea and when finished I went over and had no trouble getting the signal at all. I then checked his satellite detector and found that it was set for the wrong satellite. It took longer to set this than to find the signal on my satellite finder. Now he should be ok for he wrote down how to change to the correct satellite. I had helped a bloke set his satellite dish last night and his problem was the trees in his line of sight of the satellite. All we had to do was move the dish so the trees could not cause a problem and that solved his problem. I am wondering if we get anymore requests from other happy campers that come into the area for terrestrial television is not available in the camp area.
We read our books until lunch time and then after lunch I went to the shower wherein you place a dollar in the machine for hot water for 2 minutes. Boy did I wash quick and just made it before the hot water stopped. Liz had trouble with hers yesterday for someone tried to circumvent the need to put in a dollar coin and it jammed up the hot water dispenser.
Liz was there when they arrived this morning to fix the problem and they found that someone in the woman's shower had attached silver paper to a 10 cent coin to try and weight it to the same as a dollar coin. The bloke fixing the problem indicated that everything from washers to blue tacking coins to recover them was used.
We were somewhat alarmed given that the toilets are free and cleaned daily and the camping is all free with no time limitation and that people would go to these lengths to avoid paying a dollar for a shower.

We then hopped into Digger and went for a drive down by the golf course and onto the Dawson River Weir. It is certainly holding back a fair bit of water and they are not releasing much into the bottom reaches of the river. We used Digger like a four wheel drive and we are completely gob smacked as to where you can go in Digger, though he does not like soft sand. We stayed down by the bottom of the weir for the scenery was great and there was a nice cooling breeze coming over the weir. Then back to the highway though before arriving we noted the Brahman Cattle close to the road and they appeared to be eating very high grass and they all looked a bit on the skinny side with their ribs showing out clearly. We then drove into the Moura golf course and noted the putting greens were exactly that, very green indeed though the fairways were all dry grass and while we were there the two mowers were cutting the dead grass on the freeways.
We decided to have a look at the Mitre 11 and noted the welcome sign from the council the first we have come across and the changes made since we were here last is amazing it is so clean and the chance of scavenging has been removed. We couldn't even get a hub cap to place under our firepot every thing is so neatly stacked and they do not have a tip shop. There are signs there indicating that large fines are incurred for those who try to scavenge. We have to say this is the tidiest and best looked after of all the Mitre 11's we have visited.
Back to camp and sat out in the shade and in the cooling breeze for the temperature today at 3pm is only 28 degrees and no humidity.
We are just keeping the fire ticking over for we are going to do chicken legs in the camp oven along with roast potatoes and other vegetables for our meal this evening and no doubt once again we will eat outside and not come to watch television until at least 7.30pm and we may watch the Tasmanian News again. Who knows.

Thursday the 24th of September
We were awakened this morning to the caw,cawing of those terrible crows it sounded like there was a hundred of them by the noise that was being made, it only lasted an hour thankfully. Lit the firepot to boil our kettle and cook our toast and whilst doing this a two metre Kangaroo had come across the highway and was less than a metre from us. Wouldn't you know it I had left the camera inside this morning and by the time I picked it up the kangaroo had gone across the road and into the bush. It just sat there for about ten minutes before heading across the golf course.
It was a nice sunny morning though a little chilly and did not improve until the sun came over the trees and then it warmed us whilst we had our breakfast. Liz was to do a little smalls washing and then we read our books until lunch time.
We were to say farewell to a couple of happy campers we had helped with their satellite dish and then into Digger and into Moura. First we went around to the cemetery to fill the water drum. Then onto Mitre 10 and bought some rubber leg tips for the ladder for the old ones were worn. The town is a little unsettled at the moment for even though they have fly in fly out workers they are going to shed another 90 full time local employees and replace them with 75 contract workers who will fly in and fly out, which is not good for the towns economy or townspeople. Unfortunately the economy of the town is pretty depressed now and it shows in the body language of the locals.
We checked out the dump point and then drove around to the wheat silo's again to check if the Magpie Geese were still there and they are again standing in the shadow of the trees and there were none in the trees today for it was to hot. At 1pm it was 29 degrees and would rise to 32 at 3pm.
Around to the supermarket for we were short of carrots and potatoes and that is all we bought with the exception of a newspaper.
We then drove around to the Moura Tavern which is a relatively new building for we decided to have a counter meal today. Liz was to have 2 glasses of wine and I had 3 schooners of XXXX gold. For our meals Liz settled for wedges and two dipping sauces and I had a fisherman's basket with salad and chips . Both meals were good and there was plenty of food actually too much for lunch really.
In all we spent a pleasant two hours in the air conditioned lounge/bar room eating and talking with the locals. We decided that Liz would drive Digger home for we had seen a police unit set up on the way into town.
Back to camp and took it easy for the rest of the afternoon sitting in the shade and watching the new happy campers come into the rest area. Our meal tonight will only be a ham salad which we will eat outside and watch the sun go down and by then it will be cooler, hopefully. Tonight of course is Marngrook Football Show and we will no doubt watch that and then off to bed.

Friday the 25th of September
Every morning the view in front of our camp at the Dawson River changes and this morning there was road kill that attracted firstly the Whistling Kites and then the Crows in numbers that finally overwhelmed the Kites. The traffic at this hour of the morning was light so they were able to enjoy their meal of what looked like a small kangaroo. I then lit the firepot and put the kettle on to boil. I usually have time for a cup of tea before Liz hops out of bed to have breakfast. That is when I cook the toast and make another cup of tea.
This morning Liz was not impressed with the road kill outside our door, so to speak. I donned gloves and discovered it was not a small kangaroo rather a very large Cat which I took to be a Feral Cat. The hawks and the crows had made a meal of it so I just tossed it into the bushes away from our camp and that made Liz happy.
We had our breakfast and as a few happy campers had left we went and collected the wood they left behind. Out came the chainsaw and it was cut to length so we may be able to take at least one bag of wood away with us when we leave this camp.
Time to check the water level in the batteries and again it is only one cell that requires topping up and given the amount of amps going in to the batteries I am starting to wonder if indeed it is the solar regulator that may be the problem. I am not sure how you test a regulator to see if it is working correctly.
This morning we were to see the golf course with the sprinklers on and it created a very nice scene as we sat down to have a cappuccino and fruit cake for morning tea. What a life!

Even though there are toilets and showers available, late at night we use our own toilet which meant that we would need to empty the cassette this morning.
The cassette went into Digger along with an empty water drum and we were off into Moura. Along the way we were to see to groups of Brolga's and they were dancing up down and side to side. Unfortuneately I had two caravans behind Digger so I thought that we would get a photo on the way back.
The day was fine and I did not bother to put a t-shirt on and elected only shorts and singlet. The sky was that wonderful blue again with a few white clouds on the horizon which did not dampen the heat of the day at all.
I am really intrigued with the amount of Magpie Geese which have settled around the wheat silo's and I doubt if there is any way they can get to the silo's for wheat so I do not know what they are feeding on let alone getting water they must need during the heat of the day. There were none up the trees they were just standing in the shade of the trees again. A wonderful sight especially when I thought they mainly travelled from the Northern Hemisphere into the Northern Territory of Australia only.
We went and had another look at the property that looks like a detention centre and it makes us wonder why he has used four strands of barbed wire at the top of the at least 3.5 metres wire fencing and not razor wire. He must be demented and if you want to have a look for yourself it is in Mcray Street, Moura no need for an address for you will see it. We wondered what the neighbors think.
Around to get the newspaper and a loaf of bread and then off to the dump point. Then to the pub where Liz bought two cartons of wine and I bought two cartons of 30 pack xxxx gold There was no room inside Digger so I had to tie them to the roof of Digger and we sure received some strange looks as we headed back to camp.
We stopped in Federation Park and had a look at the monument which is to the memory of those Miners that have died in the coal mines. We looked out for the dancing Brolga's on the way back, though they were not to be seen probably because the farmer had his tractor out plowing the same paddock.
Back at camp and found room for the wine and beer and then had lunch at 1.45pm. Because it is Friday we will have sav's in rolls and wash it down with wine and beer before coming inside later to watch the Hawthorn V Fremantle preliminary final. We hope it is not a one sided game.

Saturday the 26th of September
Right on dusk last night with the moon nearly in its full cycle we were to recognise the screech of the flying foxes and looking up we noted around fifty settling into the gum trees nearby and of course this morning they were gone. We had noted the sounds on previous nights though not paying much attention for we did not expect the fly foxes in this area.
It was a little chilly again this morning and the chatter and noise from all the young one's on the camp area had me out of bed at 5.45am. Though a little boisterous the kids appear to be enjoying their camping on their school holidays. They have all sorts of bikes and there is a play park with plenty of equipment for them to enjoy. At least they do not appear to have any yapping dogs.
We had our showers and then lit the firepot to cook our breakfast for we are having eggs and bacon plus fried tomato along with toast of course and the mandatory cup of tea. I only cook one breakfast at a time in the fry pan cooking anymore only overloads the pan. We were to watch early morning golfers out on the course while eating our breakfast and through out the day we were to see many others enjoying their game.
We had decided that today Digger could have a rest and we would hang around the camp and just enjoy the sunshine while reading our books, that we are quickly running out of. Had a good look in Digger to see what he is carrying and then decided to get rid of some of the equipment like old tins to cook our yabby's for we doubt that we will putting the nets in again before we arrive in Melbourne. Liz has been onto me to get rid of some of the gear for it superfluous to our requirements.
Then lunch time arrived and then after that we had a talk with some of the happy campers and decided then to have a snooze in the cool of the motorhome.
Later in the afternoon we went for a walk down by the bridge over the Dawson River and noted all the Swallow nests built out of river mud hanging under the carriageway of the bridge. There were literally hundreds of Swallows flying around and the camera was not able to get a clear picture due to not being able to focus quick enough for these very quick birds. On the way back we took a photo of our camp and then rested again in the sunny conditions, which the day was getting warmer, and listened to the music on the radio.
Tonight we will have another ham salad which we will eat outside in the coolness of the evening for we have not been set on times to eat, sometimes early other times later dependant on the heat of the day and how we feel.
Tonight again we will come inside to watch the other AFL preliminary final between the West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne and we hope it will be another good game as last nights was. Then off to bed and start to read our new books before going off to sleep. What a lazy day it has been and doing little has made us just a little laid back and sleepy.

Sunday the 27th of September
Another fine morning with clear blue sky's though that would not last. Lit the fire and then cooked breakfast and watched the happy campers leaving for other areas. Talking to some of them they indicate that they travel up to 900 kilometres per day. The Victorians close to us will be leaving in the morning heading for he Sunshine Coast so they will be tucking some heavy kilometres under their belt. Us tomorrow, around 150 kilometres will do us.
After breakfast we cleaned around the camp and then on went the silverside on the firepot for our dinner today at around 10am and it was my job to make sure that it just slow simmered. While this was happening I started a new book and relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine and watched kids tearing around on their bikes enjoying themselves and they were not worrying anyone. I had two woman come along and pitched sale talk enticing me to buy their led products etc. We had a good old chat though no purchases were made.
Hot dinner was served around 12.30pm and we enjoyed the silverside smothered in white sauce along with vegetables very nice indeed. The silverside was very tender so 2.5 hours was enough on a slow simmer. We will just have a salad roll for our meal tonight.
I emptied the firepot and put it aside to cool to pack away. Then we drove into Moura to top up the water drums and put petrol into Digger who we forget now and again until the red light blinks reminding us to fill with petrol. On the way in we noted the brolga's were in the paddock again though they were not dancing as they were yesterday. As usual all shops are closed from midday saturday and reopen on the monday. The service station was open and after fueling up Digger we bought and ice cream each to eat ont he way back to camp. We were to note the sky's were getting darker and the sun had disappeared and when we pulled up in camp we could hear thunder and lightning in the distance. So we put the towing frame on Digger and then hooked up to the motorhome. Up went two bags of wood on to the roof rack and then tied them down. More lightning and thunder and there were a few spots of rain appearing. So next we pulled in the awning and then put the chairs away and then packed the clothes line and table into the motorhome. Then it started to rain with lightning and we did most of the packing away just leaving the ground cover and satellite dish to be done. Then the rain really bucketed down so much so that we headed inside. There was a lull around an hour later and we used this to go and have our showers and on the way back the rain started again. We were sitting inside and we noted the old car and caravan come into the rest area. We went and had a look and it was a very good looking highly polished 1933 Ford V8 towing a 1950's caravan of course they had similar colours. We did not talk to the owners for they were setting up. Though the two vehicles are a credit to them the way they are maintained. Talking to the owner later he indicated that the two vehicles were not for sale irrespective of the offer over $100,000 that he had received.
As quickly as the storm hard come it disappeared though there was enough cloud to block out the sun and today the temperature high before the rain was 29 degrees celsius.
Tonight we will watch television for awhile and then off to bed. For the we have packed away the makings of a fire and the stars will not be present tonight due to cloud etc.

Monday the 28th of September
We awoke this morning to beautiful blue sky's with no wind at all. We had packed yesterday so all we had to do this morning was to dismantle the satellite dish and pack it away. We had our breakfast inside and then went and said our farewells to the happy campers near us that were leaving this morning. We had a long chat to the couple who are touring in their 1933 Ford sedan along with their 1950's caravan. He was to show me the V8 engine that is only 221 cubic inch and is the original motor, though I did notice that he had a holden fuel pump fitted which he admitted to otherwise the engine was original. Of course the engine has been reconditioned and the parts are sent out from America. They were to give us a good camp spot to stay at Cracow with toilets and hot showers all for a donation so we will check them out tomorrow.
On the road and the first stop was for fuel at the BP the only fuel station in Moura. The diesel cost was $1.39.9 cents litre. We then took the turnoff to Theodore and as we drove past the wheat silo's there were the Magpie Geese who are still sitting in the shade of the trees.
Next we were to pass the Moura Cotton Gin and from that point on we were to see plenty of spilt cotton on the side of the road. As we were driving along I noted the bitumen runway for the local airport though the buildings were a little on the run down side.
Then we decided to turn off and go and have a look at the Dawson Coal Mine which is only around 9 kilometres from Moura. We first stopped at the viewing platform and read the history of the mine and up to 1996 all coal mining was underground. The board indicated that from the commencement of the underground mine and the last tragic collapse there have been 36 death's.
This prompted the owners to start open cut mining and there are huge cuts going down hundreds of feet. They remove 70,000 tonnes of coal a year that goes through the mill to make the coal up to the buyers specifications. Again we were just not aware of the many bi products of coal there are.
We were to see many types of heavy machinery from dump trucks, heavy lift excavators to the mammoth drag lines that our motorhome would fit into their bucket no problems at all.

As we drove further down the highway we came across another huge open cut mine and this time the highway went under the mine haulage road and again in the distance you could see the the large frame works of the drag lines.
We then drove into coal seam gas extraction country and were surprised by the lack of buildings associated with the gas extraction. Then onto excellent farm land that had near black soil and there were plenty of water channels for the various crops and in some paddocks which were large you could see the old cotton from the last crop. There were huge paddocks of wheat some still in the growing stage and some due for harvesting. We were to note the amount of paddocks of what looked like corn and again the crops were irrigated with large divots or water channels.
We finally arrived at Theodore and the area of course services the cropping and coal industry's. It is located on the Dawson River and Castle Creek and the buildings are old with the supermarket doing the most trade. We were to note that diesel was 5 cents a litre cheaper here than at Moura.

We drove down to Junction Park which is located on the junction of the Creek and River. There were not a lot of happy campers here which was not the same as when we were here a few years ago. We decided to stay the night and found a spot where you park long ways beside the road and there are showers which are coin operated and toilets. We set up the satellite dish and then decided to go into the town and find a hardware store for I need a new plug for my inverter. The town centre is about 1.5 kilometres from our camp so we had a pleasant stroll and it was hot so we were starting to sweat a little, thankfully we wore our hats.
The hardware store was at the other end of the town to where we were camped so on the way we checked the supermarket and bought a couple of items which included fruit cake.
I found what I wanted at the hardware though the price was a bit high and as they say take or leave it and as I needed it pay up mate.
We then dropped into the post office and then the information centre and checked them are out and that's where we found out about the area which is rich in irrigated land and cotton is the main stay with many breeds of cattle and a large sawmill which has a capacity of 20,000 m3 annually. Theodore sits on a major Thermal Coal Seam with identified reserves of about a billion tonnes. New mines and railways systems are being planned for the area.
The day was really getting warm so we just had to drop into the Theodore Hotel where I had a couple of schooners of XXXX gold and Liz settled for 2 bottle's of Apple Ale which for all intents and purposes looks like a beer in the glass though it has a apple taste and it is not cider. We noted the meals for lunch were $10 so I had fish and chips and Liz had flathead and chips plus salad and for the price it was great.
We then wandered back to our camp and their were a lot of vehicles come in and set up during the late afternoon and we have a troop of kids just pull in and the parents are putting up tents. We hope it does not rain for the wind is getting up and the clouds now look very stormy only time will tell. We will only have a salad roll for our meal this evening and then settle in to watch the Brownlow medal for the AFL tonight before going off to bed. The police have just pulled up near us and are talking to the happy camper behind us.
Kilometres travelled 74

Tuesday the 29th of September
Wow! slept into 6.45am this morning, wonders never cease. We only woke for we have a heap of kids near us and the were chatting and laughing and good on them for next week they will be back in school.
After breakfast I went walkabout through the heritage park and noted the people fishing this morning and saw only one lone Pelican the first we have seen for a while. Back to camp and the wind was building with a few clouds in the otherwise blue sky. Last night it sprinkled rain for around ten minutes and then ceased just enough to coat the motorhome with airborne dust.
Again we spoke to the people who had visited Cracow and they told us once again of the terrain and the area in general. We were to wish them safe travels and then back to the motorhome and then started the engine just as another happy camper knocked on my window and after winding it down he indicated he had a similar motorhome with the same truck underneath. He spent the next five minutes telling me about the problems with his automatic gear box and other small problems he has had.
It gave me something to think about though I have to say once again he only changes the oil every two years or 40,000 kilometres. I informed him that I changed oil and filter every 10,000 kilometres or twelve months.
We extracted ourselves and we were on our way towards Cracow. As we wove our way through the streets of Theodore we came across a large sawmill and there were heaps of logs and it looked if it had a big throughput of timber.

We came across a large paddock that had irrigation channels around it there was a lot of cotton laying on the surface and it appears that it is being prepared for this years crop. Given that they produce 40,000 bales of cotton in this area for the overseas markets once it has been though the Moura Cotton Gin.
We were following the huge water channels which run alongside the road and they went for 15 kilometers with many branches leading off into various paddocks of grain and other crops. The land looks very fertile with dark black soil. The road was good for there was little traffic and it is a road we have never travelled on before so we were seeing new scenery.
We came across very large farm dams and with the mountains in the background along with the green crops they look very nice indeed. As we came down the highway the road was starting to climb and it had many sharp corners which on a couple of occasions having to gear down. All through this the countryside looked a treat and then we passed the large farms that advertised their bulls as being the best available and of course they were for sale. The interesting thing is when we were in the hotel in Theodore yesterday this farm had beer coasters on the bar and tables advertising their stud bulls for sale.
We were to come across on two occasions single lane bridges and given there was no traffic about, it meant we went over noo problem. I noted that if you misjudged the bridge then there was certain disaster for the there were no safety rails on the bridge itself.
The wind had picked up and luckily it was on our rear so the going was easy and we should get a good fuel return. Just before arriving in Cracow we came across the Evolution Mining site where they are using open cut methods to seek out the elusive gold. It looked to be a big operation for though you could not see the open cut mine itself the mine roads for the shifting of materials were big and used often by the look of it.
We came down the hill into Cracow and the first thing you see is a few houses and the old pub on the corner and then we followed the direction we were given and arrived at the heritage park.
There was one other happy camper who was set up on power and had his satellite dish operating, he informed us that he has been here a week and intends to stay until next weekend. We set up and noted there were very clean showers and toilets and the bonus is power and all they asked you keep the area clean and leave a donation when you move on. Of course we will do this for intend to stop again tomorrow night.
Hooked into the power and charged everything then set up the satellite dish and used the 240 volt satellite box though it took around 15 minutes for it to fire up for it has not been used for at least two months or more.
We had finished everything by lunch time so during the afternoon we may take a stroll down to the pub for a couple beers. We did just that and it was good to meet the locals and find out a little of their town. We were to spend a little over two hours there knocking down a stubbie or two and looking at all the memorabilia hanging down which included the old saddles etc which were covered in spider webs. We decided to come back to the motorhome when the sky's went black even though the locals said it would not rain. Weren't they wrong when we arrived back at the motorhome the sky was very black and the wind had picked up so much that it blew the satellite dish over. We are unable to drive a peg into the bitumen so I had to get out the satellite finder and then place big lumps of stone on the legs of the stand.
Signal restored and then it started to thunder and then lightning so we came inside turned of the television and then after awhile the cloud was that heavy the rain that strong that it blocked the signal to the satellite dish. Goodness me! we just had clap of thunder that rattled the whole motorhome and the lightning with it is very fierce. We certainly will not be cooking outside tonight and if we can get the signal back for the satellite dish we will be watching television before going off to bed to read our books. We are lucky we are on a good sloping surface that is draining the rain away from us.
Kilometres travelled 53

Wednesday the 30th of September
Here we are the last day of the month and hasn't it gone quickly. This morning we had our showers before breakfast and what clean and modern shower and toilets they are, they even supply a mop and bucket to clean up after use.
This heritage site is listed as a caravan park and that is where the difference lays. There are only three sites complete with concrete block. All are powered and all they ask is for a donation at the end of your stay. The area is a 48hour stopover, however there is one old bloke in his motorhome that has been here for over a week and intends to stay at least another. No one has worried him to date and every morning he goes down to the hotel and has two stubby's of beer and then back to his motorhome. The hotel does not have beer on tap it is all cans or stubby's.
The heritage area takes up lots of ground beside the highway and a back street and it is complete with old houses that have been restored and they all look a treat. There are tennis courts and a Cracow Gold Heritage Centre which was opened in april 2011. We spent at least two hours in there looking at the static displays and video's. One video recreates the first gold found in the area by Johnny Nipps in 1913 and the birth of Cracow. Like so many areas in Australia there was a gold rush with a tent city first before the more established buildings and houses occurred. With the exception of the hotel memorabilia photo's appearing here were taken from the static displays. This town of Cracow has a great history since gold was found in the area in all there have been three large companies that have mined the area and at various times have been closed due to cost of mining or low prices for gold. The latest company Evolution Mining have been responsible for the building and on going maintenance of the heritage buildings area. The three 48 hour camping sites with power are free they ask that you leave a donation to help maintain the area. For sure this is not to much to ask and we will leave a donation before we leave tomorrow.

The mining for gold is both open cut and underground with the underground mining the predominant means of chasing the gold seam. It would appear that the workers are fly in fly out with very few living in the town. The township of Cracow was the largest in the Banana Shire and boasted at its height of having a population of over 3000. With the various closures of mining the population has not returned to the previous population, today there would be no more than 60 people in the town. If you look at the size of the hotel it gives you an idea how big the town was. There are many houses and shops that are run down or vacant and in previous years there were butchers and a bakers plus general stores that no longer exist today.
During the afternoon I went with Terry, the happy camper next to us, down to the hotel for a couple of stubby's and whilst there I noted how dirty it was with cob webs and all sorts of writing on the walls not to mention the memorabilia. It was noted that the hotel is owned by Fred Brophy of the boxing tent fame he is not here at the moment for he is elsewhere with his boxing tent and troupe. We were to spend a couple of hours there enjoying the company of the local people and soaking up the atmosphere. Where was Liz? Well she was back at camp with the washing machine out and at least I put up the clothes line for her before I went to the pub.
We had a another couple come in later in the afternoon and they had Tassie plates on and they are heading slowly south to hop onto the ferry at the end of October.
The locals indicated they are expecting another storm to come through later in the afternoon and if it is anything like last night it wont worry us. We had another walk through the heritage centre and it is the best display we have seen to date.
We will cook our meal tonight on the barbecue thus keeping the heat out of the motorhome and then watch the news from home before going off to bed.