Western Queensland Diary
OUR FIRST BIG AUSTRALIA TRIP WITH THE MOTORHOME AND BOAT 2013
16-4-2013 Tuesday
We finally got away this morning, with the boat in tow (about 17 metres all
up),
after a little setback. We were supposed to leave yesterday but Dave had to take
the mhome back over to Sandgate to exchange the awning gearbox mechanism, again,
after having it replaced only recently. He put the awning out last Saturday to
keep us dry while we were busily stocking up for our trip, and became aware
there was a problem when winding it back in. Luckily they had another part and
fixed it straight away. Then on Sunday, my mobile decided to pack it in, after
only 6 years of faithful service! They don't make them like they used to! Good
job we had a spare in the drawer so all good. Sounds funny to say we had 'a
spare' when Dave collects phones and has a lot of old mobile phones, even the
first one made ('the brick'), but of course, none of those were suitable for
modern day use.
We dropped in at Dave's Mum's place for a cuppa and last goodbye before
continuing on to Somerset Dam for 3 nights at Lake Somerset Holiday
Park at Kilcoy (QLD). We were here in March for a few nights to test
putting the boat in and out of the water with the mhome, and really enjoyed
ourselves so thought we'd make it our first stop and catch some red claw. We put
the boat in the water first and then set up camp with the first drops of a
thunder storm starting. We thought it'd be nice and quiet up here but although
our Qld schools are back from holidays, the NSW ones are only just starting. We
could only get 2 nights on an electric site but will have to move to a
non-powered one for the 3rd. This will be ok because we will be closer to where
the boat is in the water, and will be able to keep an eye on it and have a nice
view of the water as well, which we don't get on the powered site.
17-4-2013 Wednesday
There were so many Opera House pots (for red claw) in the water that we thought
we might not get many. Even though 4 pots per person is the rule, it seems that
some of the guests here put in huge numbers of pots, with assembly line
operations and crates of vegetables for bait. We're using par-boiled pots and
pierced small tins of cat food for bait. You can use many things for bait
including fruit and vegetables. Anyway, after the pots had soaked overnight,
Dave went out early and got a nice haul of about 20 red claw so guess what we're
having for dinner. Other than that we're just enjoying vegging today after our
last few very busy days. It's quite warm and sunny today.
18-4-2013 Thursday
Dave brought back another 25 red claw this morning which has been our best time
to get them after the traps have soaked overnight. This afternoon we got only 1.
We moved off our electric site this morning and we have a lovely view of the lake
and our boat, as well as being under the shade of the trees but we seem to have
inherited some nasty midgees!
19-4-2013 Friday
Another 20 red claw this morning - a couple were
giants. We'll have to think up
some new recipes if we keep catching them as we move north through Qld and N.T.
We had a nice walk around this very large park today. It's owned by SEQ Water
but leased privately.
20-4-2013 Saturday
After stowing the 24 red claw we got this morning, we packed up, got the boat
out of the water and drove 330ks northward to the town of Gin Gin (Q) and
a lovely, free, highway-side rest area for the night. There are many of these
rest areas set aside for travellers; some are for day use only while you can
stay at others overnight, and have varying facilities like toilets, water,
dumping points for mhomes, BBQ areas, etc.
The Gin Gin rest area is beside the creek which had obviously had major flooding
during the recent heavy rains.
We stopped for a rest at one point and a car pulled up beside us, with the
driver seeming to indicate he wanted to talk to us. When he got out he said we
owed him a carton (of beer) and out of the back seat he pulled our bait board,
which had flown out of our boat and landed on the road between us and them.
Luckily it didn't hit them! The board has a short post on it which sits in a
hole at the back of the boat - the road had been a fair bit bumpy but we didn't
think it would bounce out - will have to tie it down.
21-4-2013 Sunday
We drove 300ks north to the town of Yaamba (Q) to a rest area for 1 night
- about 35ks north of Rockhampton.
The area around Rockhampton was noticably lush; this is unlike any time that
we've been here before. It is often one of the hottest and driest parts of the
Queensland east coast and if you fly in to town it often looks dry and burnt
brown. The Yaamba rest area wasn't as nice as the last one, all bitumed and a
lot closer to the road, and seemed to be a lot busier til late at night,
possibly because there was a pub right across the road. We'd stopped at a town
called Mt Larcom on the way, for a good old Aussie pie.
22-4-2014 Monday 22-4-2014
Monday
Our next stop was only 16ks back down the road we came yesterday, to a town
called The Caves(Q) and the Capricorn Caves, a bit like the
Jenolan Caves in NSW. The caves were discovered in the 1882 and were then re
This tourist attraction business also hosts cabins, caravan/ tent sites where
we'll stay for 1 night. We were the only ones on our tour of these limestone
caves today, originally formed from a 390 million year old coral reef. Over time
the water, seeping through cracks and dissolving the limestone, has created
different shapes, stalactites, and interesting wall art. The Cathedral Cave,
with its near perfect acoustics, is a popular venue for weddings and Underground
Opera.
Small bats, called Little Bent-Winged Bats usually inhabit the caves and for a
time, the bat guano was mined commercially. Fig tree roots grow over the cave
rocks outside and travel down through holes in the limestone and hang like bell
ropes into the rooms below. At the end of the tour, the guide told us to
continue on down the Zig Zag passage which had narrow, zig zag, twist and turns,
(which would've been a problem if you were bigger people than us) finally
leading out to a couple of swinging bridges and our tour guide.
The place is lovely and peaceful although lots of mosquitoes plagued us. In the
grounds small grey kangaroos lazed about while scrub turkeys chased each other
around.
23-4-2013 Tuesday
We drove 320ks west to the town of Emerald (Q) and Lake Maraboon
Holiday Park at Fairbairn Dam for 3 nights, to catch some more red
claw (although we still have some in the freezer). We arrived later in the
afternoon and we got a bit of a short-lived storm on the last 20ks. Apparently
this dam is 3 times the size of Sydney Harbour! On the drive here we saw quite a
few places with plenty of water still laying where it should be fields - left
over from all the recent rain. We stopped for shopping and fuel on the way, and
for a tourist stop at a quaint little town called Comet (Q).
Here stands a memorial of the 150th anniversary of Ludwig Leichhardt's
expedition on the Comet River in 1847, along with a big chunk of the coolabah
tree on which he carved "DIG" with a downward arrow to indicate the
place he'd buried a powder canister containing dispatches indicating his future
plans. Closeby is the lovely Community Whistle Stop Park which is home to a
disused, over 30 year old railway station building, with the town's history and
photos displayed on the inside walls. Of course, Dave found an unusual (steel)
phone booth lying on the ground behind the station building - he can't have it!
The playground climbing equipment has been fashioned in the shape of a train,
and 2 other pieces of play equipment are scaled down earthmoving equipment which
actually work.
We've been seeing a few small 'road trains', so far with only 3 compartments in
tow. As we get further out we should see much longer ones. We passed many long
lines of stationary, loaded up coal trains - one would've been over 2ks long;
and some 'oversized' trucks carrying what would appear to be large individual
body parts for large mining vehicles.
24-4-2013 Wednesday
It was quite overcast this morning and we thought we might get wet on our 25ks
ride on the scooter into Emerald but luckily it didn't. We stopped in at the
Tourist Bureau to pick up some brochures for the trip ahead, and rode to view a
small weir on the Nogoa River where Dave had done some fishing over 35 years
ago. Then we lunched at the local Bowls Club before scootering back home. By the
time we got home mid afternoon, the weather had cleared up nicely so Dave backed
the mhome and boat down a public ramp that was a little steep and narrow for my
liking, but Dave felt quite confident about it. We drove the boat out and
dropped our pots in the water this afternoon because the best red claw haul is
after the night.
We were able to sit outside our mhome door, here at this dam, without being
bitten by mozzies or midgees and being bothered by flies - it was very pleasant.
Dave slept in the boat overnight for security because it's a public area, and we
didn't want to take the boat back out today and put it back in the water
tomorrow.
Fortunately he did, because it came up pretty windy overnight and it would
probably have pulled the anchor on the rocky bottom - he just drives it out to
deeper water for a better anchorage.
25-4-2013 Thursday Anzac Day
This morning Dave brought back about 50 red claw - Wow! I'll have to think up a
few more recipes. We didn't go anywhere today, just recharged our batteries and
did some washing.
26-4-2013 Friday
Dave went to check the pots (8) this morning and they're all gone!! stolen!
We've lost one here and there before but these must've been stolen as they were
all together - good lesson not to do that again. The public boat ramp/picnic
areas were very busy yesterday due to the holiday so it may've happened then. Oh
well - sad! We got the boat out of the water and drove to Ultra Tune in Emerald
as there's been a fuel smell in the cabin when we've been driving for a few days
now. Luckily it seemed to be just a loosened fuel filter so not expensive.
We then drove 240ks west to the town of Jericho(Q) and Redbank Park
rest area parked for 1 night "camped by a billabong, under the shade
of a Coolibah tree". On the way there we saw some typically Australian
open countryside with Bottle Trees and many ant (termite) mounds and also
crossed the Great Dividing range. The Great Divide isn't as visually impressive
as European mountain ranges, but the most impressive thing about it is that it
stretches from Cairns in the North for about 4000+ kilometres down the East of
Australia.
The town of Jerico is alongside the river Jordon - we seem to be in a biblical
place! There's a few people here for the night and the guy next to us caught a
3-4 kilo fish, a yellow belly, just on a lure, no bait - a bit of excitement for
the afternoon. There was a big number of galahs not far from us, playing in the
trees at one time and then down on the ground, foraging, the next moment.
27-4-2013 Saturday
We continued on our way today, 194ks to the town of Longreach(Q) and the Longreach
Tourist Park for 4 nights. We've noticed on our journey over the last few
days, on mostly straight roads that seem to go on forever, that the roads are
littered with 'road kill' of mostly kangaroos, although today we saw an emu.
There are always crows and kites feasting until the next vehicle comes along and
scares them off. We saw a group of 'live' emus which we hadn't seen on our trip
at all previously - quite exciting.
We stopped on the way at Barcaldine,
a lovely town with a few things to see. In the main street is the Tree
of Knowledge Memorial, where a ghost gum stood, estimated to be 200
years old, when it was poisoned in 2006 by persons unknown. The tree was
intricately linked with the Shearers' Strike of 1891, giving rise to the start
of unionism in Australia and the birth of the Australian Labor Party. The
current memorial consists of the chemically preserved tree trunk, branches and
the root ball, with the latter being displayed through a glass floor, all
surrounded by a wooden facade. From a distance it doesn't look very impressive
at all, more like a big black box or an unfinished rainwater tank stand, but
when you get up close and underneath this structure, it is quite impressive.
Looking a bit like a giant set of wind-chimes, there are 3449 individually
hanging timber members used for the suspended canopy alone (another 1464 for the
external facade), and they are hung in such a way in this 18 metre structure,
that the impression is of branches and leaves, suspended over the remaining tree
trunk - quite good.
Interestingly, the majority of the timber came from redundant telephone poles in
South Australia. Once known as the "Alleluia Tree" because the
Salvation Army met there, this ghost gum became the centre of struggle and
became referred to as the Tree of Knowledge. Over the years, the Tree has become
a symbol of struggle, of striving for a "fair go" and of freedom.
On our walk through the town we discovered some of the other interesting
historical buildings, such as the old Radio
Theatre, the ANZAC
War Memorial Clock, the old Post
office and Telephone Exchange, and of course, the pubs that all bar one,
were burnt down at least once over the years.
Our next stop was to the Australian
Workers Heritage Centre where we spent 2 hours wandering around the
great exhibits, paying tribute to the lives of extraordinary people who built
our nation and fought fearlessly to defend the freedom that all Australians
enjoy. There were 15 exhibits some of which included the Artesia
Railway Station, Police
Watch House, Labor
House, Australia
Post, One
Teacher School, The Power House, Emergency
Services Display, the Seat
of Knowledge, an intricately crafted seat for 35 people , Women in
Australia's Working History, and the Tree
of Knowledge Offspring ('The Young-Un') planted in 2005 and the only
direct descendant of the Tree of Knowledge.
The "Centre's" pamphlet depicts it as non-political and that may be so
about the organisation, but the centre itself is very much about workers and
their rights and is a tribute to the labor movement and the origins and story of
the Australian Labor Party. That said though, it is also about many of the
historic places and events that shaped Australia's future. A great museum to
visit for all Australians.
28-4-2013 Sunday
We rode the bicycles for the first time this trip, down the road for a couple
blocks to The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage
Centre.
I love how the country towns in OZ have such lovely, big, wide streets, the
opposite of so many places overseas. We spent over 3 hours wandering through
this centre which has much to see in its impressive galleries, with
comprehensive information and exhibits containing tools of the various trades,
some dating back 100-200 years.
. Discovery Gallery - is all about the discovery, exploration and
settlement of Australia by the various races and cultures, individuals and
groups who call this continent their home.
. Pioneers Gallery - examines the pastoral life of Australia prior to the
introduction of power in the forms of electricity and the internal combustion
engine that revolutionised transport and machinery operation.
. Outback Properties Gallery - is based on the era of the formation of
the pastoral empires and pastoral companies and the spread of settlements across
the continent.
. Royal Flying Doctor Service Gallery - covers the work on the Flying
Doctors, their history, and their importance to Australia's outback. It looks at
how communications has helped the Flying Doctors and it also covers the vision
of their founder, Reverend John Flynn.
. Stock Workers Gallery - all aspects of the Australian stock worker are
examined in this gallery - their development, lifestyle, significance, tools of
the trade and of course the work itself.
29-4-2013 Monday 29-4-2013 Monday
We rode the bikes past the main township of Longreach and then along a very
long, straight bikeway (just like the roads out here) to the murky Thomson
River. There were a few caravans and mhomes wild camping in a designated
area down here but it didn't appear to me to be a pleasant place to stop
overnight at all. After riding back along the long bikeway and nearly into the
business centre, I discovered I had a flat tyre, which was a relief because I
thought I'd just grown really tired, finding riding difficult all of a sudden.
In town we dropped into the library to check the internet as surprisingly, the
park where we're staying, doesn't have it. The librarian told us about the shop
next door, Kinnon & Co which was very interesting with lots of 'not for
sale' outback memorabilia, plus a whole range of merchandise ranging from
home-made jams to handbags. The business also runs Cobb & Co coach tours,
paddlewheeler and riverboat cruises, and other shows and guided tours. We
rode/walked about 10ks today and we were glad the place is fairly flat.
30-4-2013 Tuesday
We visited the QANTAS
Founders Museum (Longreach) just down the road from the park. We spent
over 3 hours learning how this airline started from humble beginnings in the
1920s, brainchild of Sir Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness. I always wondered how
the name was developed - 'Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services' -
and it was because the initial flights were the mail runs from Longreach in Qld
to Darwin in the Northern Territory. Part of the museum is the first old,
corrugated iron, heritage listed hangar built in 1922. The hangar also housed
the repair shop, office and the area where passengers passed through for
departures/arrivals. All the museum items that were more sensitive to the
extremes of the summer heat and winter cold, have been installed in the newer
air-conditioned building.
There were many old photos and stories of life in the outback where roads became
impassable in the wet season due to sticky glue-like mud that bogged the wheels
and brought everything to a standstill. It was even more critical if someone was
seriously hurt during this time as there was no way of getting medical
assistance. Fysh and McGinness had been pilots during WWI and after working in
and witnessing the unforgiving outback terrain, recognised the need for an
aerial transport service.
1-5-2013
Wednesday
After doing some grocery shopping in Longreach we drove 180ks towards Winton but
about 13ks before we hit the town we took the 12k diverson road to see the Australian
Age of Dinosaurs Museum. This road is unsealed and quite corrugated and
bone shaking. The museum is located on top of a huge mesa plateau called
"The Jump Up" and there are huge rocky outcrops, cliffs, canyons and
spectacular views. After a fair drive down the dirt road a sign warned to
unhitch (in a designated area) any caravan or anything being towed by a 2W drive
vehicle, as there was a steep ascent coming up and not suitable. So we unhitched
the boat and drove up - the mhome took the ascent ok but we wouldn't have made
it with the boat as well. This place is home to the world's largest collection
of Australian dinosaur fossils and the biggest fossil preparation laboratory in
the Southern Hemisphere.
The museum was started by Dave Elliot, a sheep station owner, who discovered
some bones on his property and after finding out it was a dinosaur bone, a
passion was ignited in him to take it further. Bones of the famous 'Banjo',
the largest predatory animal ever discovered in Australia, and 'Matilda',
a large vegetarian, were found close together in what was a billabong some time
ago. About 70% of Banjo's bones have been found which is very exciting as this
is rare. After being given a talk about these bones and seeing a film, we walked
500 metres down to the laboratory where we were able to touch some of these
fossils and see the people at work, painstakingly chipping away at the rock
surrounding the bones. When bones are discovered out in the field, a big margin
of rock is cut around them which is then wrapped in aluminium foil, wet
newspaper, hessian material and plaster before it is transported back to the
lab, and eventually processed. There were many of these on shelves waiting to be
done. Ordinary people, with no skills, are allowed to go along (for a fee) and
be part of the digging and fossil finding process.
It was so exciting to be so close to these millions of years old dinosaur bones,
and to be able to touch some of them! - something you'd never hear of in the big
smoke, and it'd be unlikely to get to have a tour of the lab behind the scenes
where people are chipping away at these fossils. Dave Elliot believes these
finds belong to the people who should be given reasonable access.
We found our way back down the hill, hooked up the boat and continued our bone
shaking journey back to the highway. We continued on to a free camp area for 1
night, called Long
Waterhole at Winton(Q)
which is alongside water and quite nice, and busy with other caravans by the
time we got there. When we arrived Dave discovered the tie down strap on the
back of the boat had snapped and most of it was gone, thanks to the rough road.
The ground underneath us has big cracks in it from the wet season and we could
see this earth would be the sticky, gluey type mud that would build up on your
tyres and bring you to a standstill very quickly in the wet.
2-5-2013 Thursday
We stopped at the lovely town of Winton where Qantas was born and opened its
first registered office in 1920, before shortly moving the business to
Longreach. A Qantas Memorial Cairn, recognising the significant role
Winton played in the formation of this world famous business, stands in the main
street. A.B. Paterson (Banjo) wrote "Waltzing Matilda"
in 1895 at nearby Dagworth Station, and legend has it that the North Gregory
Hotel is the site of the first public performance of it by Banjo. Of course
we had to have a drink in this hotel of historical importance! There was a Jolly
Swagman Statue sculptured in 1959 by Daphne Mayo, commissioned to
commemorate Waltzing Matilda and dedicated to Banjo Paterson and the swagmen who
lie in unmarked graves throughout the country. There were also more modern
looking sculptures to commemorate the song's first public performance and mark
its centenary - opened by the then Prime Minister Paul Keating in 1985. Of
course, a Banjo Paterson statue stands outside the Waltzing Matilda Centre
which we did not grace with our presence. We visited an interesting Opal shop
where Dave bought a couple 'rocks' to polish when he gets home - as if he'll
need to look for something to do when we get home.
Going into a shop that at first seemed to be just a crafts shop, we soon
realised there was more to it - they had a micro museum with displays of
fossils, opals, wool classing, sheep shearing photos/equipment, historical town
photos, local dinosaur bones and a life-size Dinosaur Diorama interpreting the
prehistoric footprints at Lark Quarry. The Dinosaur Stampede and Lark
Quarry Conservation Park is quite a few ks away and we'd decided we weren't
going to it, so it was interesting to see this representation of the world's
only recorded evidence of a Dinosaur stampede (footprints set in mud of several
different sized dinosaurs) that is thought to have occurred 95 million years
ago. Theory is this stampede was the result of a large predatory dinosaur
cornering its prey at the edge of a waterhole - the footprints being of those
that 'got away'! These footprints were apparently the inspiration behind the
stampede scene in the movie 'Jurassic Park'.
Over in the next block is Arno's
Wall - an eccentric and well-photographed landmark reaching 2 metres in
height. It is made up of rock from the town of Opalton (home of Qld's Boulder
Opal) and studded (using concrete mix) with a whole mixture of objects that Arno
obtained from the dump over the years, including a kitchen sink, hub caps,
sewing machines, military helmets, an old enamel oven door, engine parts,
motorbikes, etc, etc... you name it... The wall is the boundary fence to his
house and the front yard also has some abstract 'sculptures', the likes of which
we now see in front of museums and cultural centres these days. Arno is 83 now
and has been at this for a long time! (don't know if he's still at it)
Onward, 170ks west to the small town of Kynuna(Q)
and the Blue Heelers Pub/Motel/Caravan Park (with 8 powered sites)
located on the Landsborough/Matilda Highway, for 1 night. Two beautiful brolgas,
light grey with beautiful orange patches on their heads, hang around the
caravans, obviously waiting for some treats. We went into the pub for dinner and
in the main bar, there is writing all over the walls, ceiling and even the
ceiling fan. In exchange for a donation to the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor
Service) you can write what you want - usually names and dates. The room next
door has hundreds of peak hats hung up on the wall from all over - look like
they've been donated.
3-5-2013 Friday
We drove 196ks north-west to the town of Cloncurry(Q)
and the Oasis Caravan Park for 2 nights - a much nicer stop than last
night. But folks, guess what we bought on the way, not too far from our last
stop at Kynuna! - an old disused, galvanised, Oppenheimer
Telegraph Pole! 'How did we come to do that?' I hear you ask. Dave saw a
string of them on a property so we turned around, he walked a short way on to
the property to inspect one to make sure it was genuine, and then drove up the
driveway for about 2 ks to find the owner, who was happy to sell one. We were
lucky to catch him as he was arranging for cattle to be loaded onto a road train
on this one property but he lived on a different one. So we unhooked the boat,
borrowed a metal cutter and drove back down the driveway to the pole. Dave tried
to first dig around it and then lever it out, pulling with the mhome but no
success, so he cut it off. We then drove back to hook up the boat, return the
cutter with a 'coldie' to the owner's employee, and then back down the driveway
again to load the pole into the boat. This all took about 2 hours - just a
change of pace to the normal touristy thing. It was quite windy so we got very
dusty and so did the mhome, inside and out, so we looked forward to our showers
once we'd cleaned up the 'casa'. Dave reckons he isn't harbouring any other
secret yearnings to gain other stuff (like the pole) but I'm not sure I believe
him.
4-5-2013 Saturday
We got the scooter out today and rode to the supermarket to top up our groceries
before we head up north to Karumba on the Gulf, where we're told things are
expensive. After that we went back to the Tourist Information Centre to check
out the interesting and varied machinery dotted around the front yard - Mary
Kathleen Memorial Park and Museum. The parched grass was being watered
by sprinklers using artesian bore water. Water restrictions apply here at the
moment and they badly need rain. Displays in the Outdoor Museum include a Furphy
dated 1948 (not as old as ours which is circa 1927); farm and mining machinery;
steam engines; a traction engine; wool bailing machine; even a plug and cord
switchboard which was at least under cover. In another building was a unique
display, a Rail
Ambulance created to be used when the roads were impassable. It was a
car fitted with train metal wheels so it could drive on the rail tracks. It was
first commissioned in 1956 and last used in 1971.
The indoor museum houses memorabilia from the Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine
and township as well as local history and photographs. The showpiece is Robert
O'Hara Burke's (Burke and Wills Fame 1861) water bottle, along with the
history and photographs. The large Rock and Mineral display is ranked by
experts to be one of the most comprehensive in Australia. In 1867 Ernest Henry
"honoured as founder of Cloncurry" discovered copper at the Great
Australia. It was the discovery of gold in the Selwyn Ranges that drew the
Chinese to the area, along with the Afghans and their camels, used to transport
ore and goods where wheeled wagons could not go. Cabinets displayed many
Aboriginal artefacts including didgeridoos, and drawers full of purpose shaped
rocks for cutting, shaping, grinding, etc.
We headed to the Central Hotel for lunch and to avail of the internet there to
upload our first travelogue but were unable to finish it, so our readers will
have to wait a little longer. There is more to see at Cloncurry but it will have
to be another time as we move on tomorrow.
5-5-2013 Sunday
On our way this morning we stopped about 3ks out of Cloncurry at Chinaman
Creek Dam which provides the town's water supply. It is a picturesque place.
We then drove north 274ks to Bang Bang Rest Area(Q) (don't know how it
got its name?) for 1 night. It is 110ks south of Normanton. We stopped on the
way at the Burke & Wills Roadhouse (the only place to get fuel and
food between Cloncurry and Normanton, more than 450ks), and had a nice lunch -
it was a pleasant place to stop. There's a sign on the outer toilet doors that
says "Please keep the door closed at all times as Brown Snakes like
to visit often!!" Well you don't have to tell me twice! Another rest stop
we were at in the last week had a sign inside the toilet stall, saying to close
the toilet lid to keep the frogs out - "No frogs, no snakes!" Another
sign said "Close the lid. Frogs like water, snakes like frogs". Well,
again, you don't have to tell me twice!
We've been seeing many anthills (termite
mounds) in the fields on our long drives in the last
couple weeks. On the drive here today we saw more than ever, concentrated in a
smaller area than we'd seen before - it looked like a cemetery, with lots of
gravestones! There are small ones like cottages, ranging up to larger ones like
apartment blocks, and then there's the Taj Mahals, but most of them seem to be
giving us the "finger" with one of the spires being much longer than
the rest (mustn't like strangers). Sometimes we see someone has put a hat or a
shirt on one of them, or painted a face - funny.
At the roadhouse we bought a sticker for the mhome - we're thinking of renaming
it from "Casa" to this new name. It has a picture of a caravan on it
with the couple enjoying sitting outside and having a drink and a BBQ. It's
headed up S.K.I.D.R.O. - Spending Kids Inheritance Driving
Round Oz! LOVE IT!!
6-5-2013 Monday
We drove 180ks north to the town of Karumba(Q) in the Gulf country and Sunset
Caravan Park for 4 nights - the park is located on the point, right opposite
the boat ramp on the Norman River. We stopped in Normanton on the way (about
70ks away from Karumba) at the tourist info place/library. It's the first place
we've been able to get good internet so Dave decided to upload the travelogue
onto the web, so should be sending one out very soon. The tourism office
has a good display of the wildlife, history of the town and other things.
There's a statue of a ginormous crocodile in the main street which is about as
long as Casa (mhome), 8.6 metres, and apparently weighed a couple of tons.
It was shot back in 1957 by a woman called Krystina so the croc is named Krys.
The tourism lady says there's a croc at the moment down in the river which would
be about the size of Krys and getting bigger because there's a Govt ban on croc
culling at the moment. So we're hoping to see a few when we put the boat
in the water.
We're hoping to experience the seafood up here, especially the prawns. We
were a bit concerned that the road to get up here wouldn't be good for the
mhome, but it's bitumen all the way, with a few 5-10 kilometre stretches that
are one lane but usually the sides are ok to get half off if needed. The
big road trains (over 50 metres long) come up here to deliver their goods.
The tourism lady says at Normanton here in the wet season, they get cut off from
all directions but then the goods can at least get here by boat. We were
debating whether to make the trip up here but then we thought it would be a sin
not to do it - we're probably not likely to do this trip again so we would've
missed out.
On the drive here I saw 4 black cockatoos in a tree but didn't have time to take
a photo. We kept a look out for more but didn't see them again - hopefully we'll
get another chance.
7-5-2013 Tuesday
After doing some washing we rode the scooter into the main town centre, about
4ks away, but not a lot of things to see. We went to a large industrial repair
business to get some different bolts for the tow bar, which has been showing
signs of loosening up, due to some of the really rugged roads we've been on.
Nearby was the Barramundi Discovery Centre but unfortunately it was
closed. It has a hatchery which is run by the volunteer group, The Gulf
Barramundi Restocking Association, who run breeding programs for the
eventual release of barramundi into the Gulf river systems and dams. There is a
second boat ramp (bit steeper) in the main town (as well as the one near our
park), which was constructed by the RAAF during World War II. Karumba was a base
for the RAAF and the ramp was used to service and load the flying boats called Catalinas.
The metal rings used to secure the aircraft and the emergency crash pads can be
seen at low tide.
On the drive here yesterday, the road took us through the Wetlands,
internationally recognised as being an important habitat for some of the most
unique birdlife in the world. The Wetlands are also home to the rare dugong and
loggerhead turtle. We noticed the colour of the water here is a beautiful light
blue, very inviting if not for the crocodiles. There are several boat cruises on
offer in Karumba for recreational fishing, crocodile spotting and birdwatching.
Dave was talking to one of the campers in the park who said the fishing hasn't
been good as they didn't get the normal flooding this year, which really washes
out the rivers and estuaries and apparently, makes for great fishing. We stopped
in at a local shop for takeaway barra and chips for lunch, and some prawns for
dinner later! (very nice)
8-5-2013 Wednesday
We took the boat out today - the boat ramp is a fairly good one, with room for 2
vehicles to back down simultaneously. Our neighbour John, saw us getting the
mhome ready to hook up the boat and offerred to use their 4WD to take the boat
to the ramp. Dave declined as he wants to experience this with the mhome and the
new trailer at the various ramps, to be totally comfortable with it. Dave then
asked him and his wife Pauline, if they'd like to come out with us and they
jumped at the chance. They used to have a boat similar to ours so enjoyed the
nostalgic outing very much. We found they live at Redland Bay so we're really
almost neighbours at home too.
It's amazing to see how busy the carpark near the boat ramp is, packed with cars
and boat trailers, and yet there didn't seem to be that many boats out there. We
went out for about 4 hours, motoring up the Norman River and down two of the
side creeks, doing some croc spotting, but there was only one that Dave saw
slithering from the bank into the water. By the time we all looked, it was
already in the water and we only saw its head near the top of the water, for a
short time. Dave reckoned it was about 3 metres long - very exciting as Dave and
I hadn't seen one in the wild before. John and Pauline had seen plenty as they
lived in Darwin for many years. It was also exciting to see 2 Jabiru (big birds)
along the shoreline - they look almost evil-like with the long dark green head
and neck (like a mask), in stark contrast to their black and white bodies and
long delicate pink legs. We had a nice day even though we didn't catch anything.
It's 10 degrees hotter up here than in Brisbane so the day temperature here is
around 34 degrees, which is more like the middle of summer at home. In a few
weeks it'll be the start of winter and it doesn't feel like it.
9-5-2013 Thursday
Just vegged at the park today and caught up on some internet jobs, tried to keep
cool and had fish and chips from a nearby shop called Ash's - a sign outside
says the 'best fish and chips in the world' so it must be true.
10-5-2013 Friday
We drove 70ks south back down to the town of Normanton(Q). We checked out
the free camping area beside the Norman River to see if we wanted to stay there,
for which we need a permit from the Tourist Info Centre. No tents are allowed,
there's no toilets or showers and they tell you not to be outside at night or
let your dog sleep outside, as this is a crocodile area!! We bought some meat at
Gallagher's Butchers which we were told had lovely meat, booked in for the
Gulflander train ride on Sunday, and then drove to the public ramp and put the
boat in the river for some 'croc spotting' but didn't see any. After fueling up
we booked into the Normanton Tourist Park for 2 nights as we decided we
didn't want to stay at the free camping spot - we didn't think it was as nice as
we'd like and thought we might be the only ones there, besides the crocs!
It was fairly warm so we went for a dip in the park's Artesian hot spa and then
a swim in the cool pool - very nice. Their hot water showers use the artesian
water too, the smell of which I didn't really like - it had a 'rust' and a
slight 'sulphur' or 'rotten egg smell' about it, so finishing off with the cold
tap was a good idea.
11-5-2013 Saturday
We had a quick look at the Saturday Markets that were on next door this morning,
but wasn't of much interest to us. We saw a pamphlett about it yesterday
inviting people along, so we rode the scooter down to the Rodeo Grounds
where there was training going on today of camp drafting - a rider on a horse
directing a young steer around 3 barrels in a trianglular shape. Some were quite
good, others were obviously a little less skilled and there were even a few
kids, as young as 6 to 8 participating. We watched for a couple hours, with a
break half way through and a free cuppa put on, while the big dusty arena was
blessed with spraying by a big water truck. the training was to continue for the
rest of the day but we toddled off to have lunch at the Purple Pub, and then a
swim back at the park.
The Artesian Bore was first established in 1896 and is located just
inside the caravan park entrance. It used to supply the town with up to 300,000
gallons of water per day and as I mentioned yesterday, the park uses it for
their hot water showers and the hot spa. The water has a scalding temperature of
66 degrees centigrade and experts believe it takes 100 years for the artesian
water to reach the surface. The Town Well on the main street,
Landsborough St, was the original well from which the locals drew their water
before reticulated water was installed in 1965. The Burns Philp Building
dates back to the late 1800s and represents the story of one of the most
successful companies in Australia. Today, it serves as the Visitor Information
Centre and Library, and is the perfect example of colonial architecture with the
original facade in place.
Normanton began as a small port town that serviced the nearby Croydon Goldfields
during the gold rush. This colourful period of history brought people from all
walks of life to settle in the region, from gold miners to merchants and farmers
of all nationalities. The Carpentaria Shire Council was constituted in
1883 and its chambers built seven years later in the style of hotels of the
time. There are historic photographs on display in the foyer that show what life
was like in the early days. The Westpac Bank is a listed National Trust
Building, featuring beautiful timber and cast iron lace work on the verandahs.
12-5-2013 Sunday Mothers'Day
Before we left Normanton today we packed up and drove to the Railway Station and
took a 2 hour ride on the original train with 1 carriage, the Gulflander
Train
run by Qld Railways. It runs a trip once a week to the town of Croyden
(which takes 5 hours), even if there's no passengers as it's also the mail run
train. The trip we did today went to Critters Camp and back, at a
break-neck speed of 25 miles per hour (about 40ks per hour). We were glad we
didn't book on the Croyden trip! Critters Camp is nothing but 4 posts, a tin
roof and a sign - when the track was built many moons ago, the workers used to
camp where they worked and the bugs and insects used to get on them and in their
beds, hence the name was born.
On the way there we saw an old telegraph pole that had been set up with markings
of some of the most severe floods, with 1974 at the very top. On the return trip a man in front of us
brushed a small grasshopper off his bag and we saw it land on the wall - of
course I couldn't miss that opportunity and I said to him "that's one of
them there 'critters'...." The Railway Station, complete with museum
and the original rolling stock, is both an architectural and historical
attraction in its own right.
We then drove 384ks south to the town of Cloncurry(Q) and the Oasis
Caravan Park for 1 night (the same park we stayed at just one week ago). I
drove most of the way today which was on long, mostly straight, open road and it
was good.
13-5-2013
Monday
We drove 122ks west to Mt
Isa(Q) and the Sunset Top Tourist Park for 5 nights. We fuelled
up and stopped at the Tourist Information Centre when we arrived in the town.
The terrain on the way here was quite mountainous, different to the flat land
we've been travelling through recently, although both types are beautiful in
their own way. We stopped at a Burke
and Wills Memorial and the spot where Mary
Kathleen, the uranium mining town, used to be (closed 1985). It's a lot
cooler today which is lovely, and the sky is quite overcast and threatening to
rain. The lady at the park when we booked in, said they haven't had rain for
over 2 years!
Something funny and hard to believe, but true! On the way to Mt Isa, on the last
20 ks or so, we saw on the side of the road, a grey hose about 1 and a half
metres long, like that off a washing machine. I said to Dave someone will get to
their caravan park and find they've lost their washing machine hose. When we got
to the park and hooked up to our pitch, we got talking to the guy next door
about different things that go wrong with our vans during our travels. He told
us when he got here today, and started to set up his van he found he'd lost one
his hoses, not a washing machine one but one that's used for his waste water. We
told him we saw one on the side of the road. He hopped in his car and went
looking for it, and found it, 14ks back! - pretty long odds on that one!
14-5-2013 Tuesday
After doing some washing and other odd jobs, we rode the scooter to the very
interesting Underground
Hospital and Museum which was built into a hill beside the existing
hospital. The Japanese had bombed Darwin in February of 1942, resulting in heavy
casualties, and it was feared that Mount Isa could be the next target. With this
in mind, it was decided to build the underground hospital. Mount Isa Mines
supplied the necessary materials and workers from the Mines volunteered to do
the work. Fortunately it never had to be used other than in "drills"
and was eventually forgotten until 1977, when it was rediscovered as a result of
subsidence in the area. A volunteer group has restored the tunnels with iron
frame beds and nursery cribs, medical equipment and all sorts of items stored on
shelving made out of recycled wooden boxes, used to transport the explosive
gelignite. Attached to the underground hospital is the Beth Anderson Museum
which features a wonderful collection of antique medical equipment, colourful
stories and rare historical items.
We then drove up to the City
Lookout which revealed a wonderful view all around the city, the mine
and its 3 stacks looming large behind, and the mountains in the background.
15-5-2013 Wednesday
We had an underground mine tour at the Hard
Times Mine, which is located on site at the Outback at Isa
complex, along with the Visitor Information Centre. This mine has actually been
set up for tourism and training purposes. We got to experience a taste of what
life is truly like for the men and women who toil far below the surface on a
daily basis - I think they deserve the good money they get. Tours used to be
conducted in the real mines until some years ago, a person on the tour fell,
broke some bones and sued the company. After signing a liability waivure we had
to don orange disposable overalls, steel-toe capped rubber boots, hard hats and
cap lamps, powered by lead acid batteries clipped to our safety belts. Once
dressed we went down 30 metres in an Alimak
Cage (noisy, jerky mine elevator).
The Hard Times Mine comprises 1.2 km of tunnels, with each tunnel being
approximately 4 metres high by 4 metres wide, big enough to drive a 50 tonne
mucking unit through! Its big brother mine, operated by Xstrata Mount Isa Mines
just up the road a little, is over 1,000 km of tunnels. The tour took about 2.5
hours and our guide was quite good and knowledgable, being an experienced miner.
In the mine he got us to turn our lamps off and we were in total darkness -
scary. He explained how the tunnels are constructed using explosives and
demonstrated some of the vast array of mining equipment, from 3-boom jumbo
drills to hand operated air leg drills, all with the emphasis on safety of the
worker.
After the tour we wandered through the exhibits of Mt Isa's town and mine
history, before we left the centre. The Leichhardt River was dammed back
in 1958, funded by Mount Isa Mines Ltd, to provide a better town water supply -
the town was growing so quickly because of the mining. At the time it was the
largest water scheme in Australia to be financed by private enterprise. This
damming formed Lake Moondarra which was then used for recreation
purposes, as it still is today. A Surf Life Saving Club was even started up, the
first time one had been set up for inland purposes. It's the 90th anniversary
this year of the starting of the mines and the town (in 1923) and a giant white
'90' has been erected high up on the main mine's tall gantry which faces the
town.
16-5-2013 Thursday
It was overcast and cool again today, threatening to rain but only a few spots
yet again. I even put a coat and track pants on, so different from a few days
ago - don't mind though as enjoying the relief from the heat. We spent the
morning doing internet stuff and then rode about 19ks to Lake
Moondarra to see if the ramp is suitable to put the boat in, which will
determine our next stop. One of the ramps was certainly suitable for the mhome
to back the boat down, but for various reasons we decided we'd bypass the lake
and move on to our next destination on Saturday.
There were lovely views over the large dam with the backdrop of mountainous
terrain. We were able to walk across the top of the dam wall, noticing that the
river bed on the opposite side of the wall was bone dry. We noticed there didn't
seem to be any sort of gateway in the dam wall or anywhere else, to open up for
water release in times of excess. There's several areas for people to picnic or
BBQ. One area had about 30
peacocks wandering around, obviously not too scared of people, and ready to
gobble up any food thrown to them.
17-5-2013 Friday
Went to the library to see if they had wifi to do an upload for our travelogue,
but they're in temporary premises at present due to water damage to their roof,
and not set up for wifi there. Off to McDonalds but not really satisfactory for
the upload so another day. We visited the City
Clock Monument on Rodeo Drive. Prospector John Campbell Miles
discovered lead ore here back in 1923 and so is the founder of Mount Isa Mines,
and therefore the City of Mount Isa (declared a city in 1968). He named Mount
Isa after Mount Ida, a West Australian gold field. This monument is his final
resting place, with his ashes buried beneath the large stone marker. The name of
his horse, 'Hard Times', is immortalised in the Hard Times Mine at Outback at
Isa.
Rodeo
Drive runs through the heart of the city, and along the footpaths, are
numerous plaques that commemorate the riders and the bulls that have achieved
'legendary' status in the famous Isa Rodeo. The Mount Isa Rodeo (held in August)
is apparently the biggest rodeo in the southern hemisphere, with people
travelling to it from all over Australia.
18-5-2013 Saturday
We did a big grocery and alcohol shop before leaving Mts Isa and driving 190 kms
west to the town of Camooweal(Q) and the Post Office Hotel and Caravan
Park for 1 night. Being that this is a hotel/pub and it's Saturday night,
we're hoping it won't be party-time loud. This is the last Qld town we'll stay
in before crossing the border tomorrow into the Northern Territory. We were
surprised today on the drive, by the lack of road kills (usually of kangaroos).
We did however see at various times, 2 dead adult cattle on the roadside, maybe
knocked by road trains - all car drivers would be hoping that they were hit by
road trains, otherwise the cars would be total write offs. On the occasional
road kills, we saw some fairly big eagles, with those tell-tale feathered legs
as if they're wearing harem pants.