16th May 2018–Gilgandra

Distance: 308 Km
Fuel: 35 L

Every night/morning is a little warmer than the previous (since the big chill).last night I had to throw off the summer doona and ditch the hot water bottle.

This morning was a very relaxed leaving, not that far to travel today so packing up was done in small bites, ie picked up and packed away mat, had some toast, put away TY aerial, had cup of tea etc – didn’t leave until 9am. Looked like being another perfect day.

Coonamble was the only hold up – there must have been a very important person being buried because the town was at a standstill as the funeral procession went through, even the police were involved. I say a hold up but it was probably less than 15 minutes delay I have been held up longer for road works.

Gilgandra was reached just before 1pm after only one 20 minute stop to stretch my legs. The caravan park I had decided on was on the entry to town and only $25, small place but seems OK.

After setting up drove into town for a look around and buy fuel. About the only thing that Gilgandra is well known for is the Coo-ee March of 1915 (that is probably a disservice to the town but that is all I know about the town).

At the beginning of the First World War about 20 local lads decided to walk to Sydney to enlist in the army. On the way they picked up recruits from the towns they passed on the way. By the time they reached Sydney they were 300 strong – this is also known as the Gilgandra Snowball. Gilgandra has a statue in the main street commemorating this event.

This trip is winding down, tomorrow is likely to be the last stop when I will be staying at Cowra.

15th May 2018–Lightning Ridge

Distance: 448 Km
Fuel: 49 L

Even as I left Roma I had not decided where I would stop for the night. I have previously stopped at Hebel (one pub, one store and about twenty houses) as well as Lightning Ridge (opal mining centre of NSW) so decide to just drive and see how felt when I arrived.

It was very dry country that I drove through, the grass was almost yellow but the weather was perfect, no need for air conditioning today. Didn’t stop at St George or Dirranbandi just kept going until I reached Hebel.

When I was last in Hebel (click here) the General Store was up for sale with the threat of closure at Christmas if not sold but it was open when I arrived. I stopped in for a coffee and one of their home made pies (they are really good) and walked to their History Circle just to stretch my legs.

It was only just after midday and the journey had been very easy so far; I decided to push on to Lightning Ridge which was only about 70km further on.

Goodbye Queensland:

Arrived in Lightning Ridge at about 1pm and checked into the first caravan park I came to.

Visited the Tourist Information Centre and paid $1 for a Car Door Tour guide. I don’t know if it is just an Aussie thing but a number of towns have these guides. An old car door is painted an appropriate colour and numbered indicating a point of interest, personally I quite enjoy them and so easy to find rather than the usual council signs which often peter out in the middle of nowhere.

The evening meal? Went to the pub, they had a bistro but all the meals were $28 then I noticed the bar sign for food served all day. Pizza – $15 – that’ll do me. It was quite good too, went down well with a couple of beers.

14th May 2018–Roamin’ Roma

Distance: 11 Km
Fuel: 30 L

At about 8am wandered into town to find Woollies. I had left my toothbrush at the last stop, was completely out of plastic and paper plates, needed milk and some fruit. It is a big supermarket in Roma – Though I suppose Woolies wouldn’t bother if there wasn’t that sort of demand.

The Big Rig

That done I once again walked to The Big Rig to see their static display called Oil Patch. It is about the discovery of oil and gas in the area. Originally discovered by accident when drilling for water over 100 years ago the oil was never discovered in commercial quantities and the industry died but there was plenty of gas. Initially LPG now CSG which is largely exported through the port of Gladstone though any new licences are only granted to supply the domestic market.

Without the night show I can’t say it was an exciting exhibition but it was interesting enough, the films shown in the theatrette were all made by Santos (the gas giant) and really were just publicity films showing them as a good corporate citizen.

After the Rig Rig I returned to the caravan park for lunch then went to explore Roma. I had the Historic Walk guide but sadly, like so many of these small towns, most of the building described have long gone but there were a few interesting ones left.

Avenue of Heroes

The town has The Avenue of Heroes where a Bottle Tree represents a local person killed in action during WWI each with its own plaque.

The 3D Mural

The one thing I had great difficulty finding was the 3D Mural which even has its own brochure. It turns out to be in the Council Offices though described as a Community Centre in all the literature but unless you actually looked inside you would never find it I didn’t see any signs. There was an audio visual presentation to go with it which explained the features on the mural. It was actually quite good and worth seeing.

By now it was mid/late afternoon and I decided I had exhausted the delights of Roma so I bought a Subway to have for dinner (too early for a restaurant) and walked back to the caravan park.

This might be the last day in Queensland it all depends on which side of the border I decide to stop tomorrow.

13th May 2018–Roma

Distance: 283 Km

Not far to go today on an easy road with few towns. Still left at about 8.30am but didn’t stop at Morven or Mitchell largely because all the available parking seemed to be taken up with caravans however I did stop at Muckadilla (well you would, wouldn’t you?). Smashing little rest area with toilets, chairs and tables by the community hall, it even had free camping on offer.

I made some coffee and a sandwich before continuing on to Roma.

Booked in to a caravan park right next to the Big Rig, it was early; probably only midday so I had a cup of tea and washed yesterday’s clothes before walking over to the Big Rig to see what’s on.

Blow me I am on the right day for the night show (Sunday, Tuesday, Friday) but due to electrical problems neither it nor the little train are happening today.

Got myself a map and a brochure, had a look at the slab hut, read about Roma’s disastrous floods – three floods between 2010 and 2012 – then decided to walk along the Adungadoo Pathway to the largest bottle tree in Roma (girth = 9.3 metres) and the Shady’s Lagoon before returning to the caravan park.

Watched some of the new arrivals set up their rigs, including a young couple with a toddler who have a roof top tent, before I recovered my washing from the line, by then it was time for dinner. I heated up the second half of my “special fried rice with prawns” from the Happy Elephant Thai Restaurant in Charleville before the sun finally set and the temperature plummeted.

12th May 2018–Around Charleville

Distance: 77 km
Fuel: 10 L

Was up early for a shower – what a difference in temperature overnight – it was 5’C at 6am compared to the lowest temperature yesterday of 14’C. I slept under my winter doona last night so was quite warm but am thinking ‘hot water bottle’ for tonight. Anyway, being up early I took the opportunity to hand wash my dirty clothes (just a couple of T shirts and socks)

First visit today was to the airport and the Bureau of Meteorology Weather Station. At 9.15am there is an automatic release of a weather balloon.

The Vortex Gun

I set off a little early so I was able to view the Vortex Gun in a park on the way. This was an experiment to break the drought after a farmer had seen these guns used to convert hailstorms into rain in Italy; it didn’t work.

BOM Automatic Weather Balloon Launch

When I arrived at 9am the lights on the weather station were flashing indicating that things were happening and almost exactly on 9.15 the roof opened and a weather balloon emerged – it was so quick you could miss it. I was the only person there which surprised me as the daily event is mentioned in the tourist guide.

The Angellala Creek Explosion

After the weather balloon launch I drove 26km out of Charleville to Angellala Creek to see the site of a massive explosion which destroyed the railway bridge and the road bridge. When I read about this I assumed it occurred last century and was surprised to find it happened in 2014 – I don’t remember it.

A truck carrying 53 tonnes of fertiliser caught fire and exploded (ammonium nitrate was a favourite of the IRA). It was miracle no one was killed even though police and fire vehicles were destroyed as was a rail bridge that had stood since 1897.

>>>A news report of the incident is here<<<

Historic House

Back to Charleville and a visit to the imaginatively named ‘Historic House” Museum. This building started off as a bank, became a residence, then guest house and now a museum. It is basically an old building full of random old stuff.

Called in at the Railway Station to find out about the ‘Bilby Experience’ the next one was at 3pm so I booked myself in then went into town for a walk, lunch and a coffee.

After eating I still had an hour to kill so returned to the caravan park which gave me a chance to get my washing in while I waited for 3pm.

The Bilby Experience

The ‘experience’ was a good talk by a wildlife officer then we went into a darkened room to see the Bilbies – they are a nocturnal animal. They dart about constantly hence photos are blurred or empty frames.

Interesting facts about Bilbies

They used to inhabit 70% of the mainland but now only exist in tiny pockets in extreme conditions where their predators can’t survive.
They don’t need free water.
Their main predators are foxes, feral cats and rabbits (the latter don’t kill them but take their burrows).
A Bilby can have 8 offspring a year compared to a rabbit’s 72.

Dinner

By now the sun had almost gone and I was getting hungry. Earlier, when I left the Historic House Museum, I noticed a Thai Restaurant a few doors away so I drove there to see what food was available. I bought a Special Fried Rice and Prawns – it wasn’t bad – not very spicy but plenty of it, I have saved half for tomorrow.

A Quick Video

On the road to the airport this morning a couple of animals in a hurry crossed the road:

11th May 2018–Charleville

Distance: 419 Km
Fuel: 49 L

Not in any great rush this morning and also not entirely sure where I will stop for the night. Three possibilities: Augathella, Charleville or Morven but it really depends on time or mood.

What a difference a day makes – yesterday it was 31’C today it is 23’C and feels quite chilly. It is not helped by a wind which, while not strong, is definitely moving the trees and grass, can’t say it was very cold but felt cool after the extended Indian Summer we have been having. The sky was as cloudless as ever with no chance of rain.

Didn’t stop in Blackall on the way through, made a short stop in a rest area just to walk about and stretch the legs, the scenery is very dry but beautiful in an Aussie yellow/brown and grey/green way – I just love the vastness of it all.

Augathella

Turned off the highway into Augathella. This is the town where the author of the Smiley stories drew his inspiration. Descendants of the boy that Smiley was based on still live in the area. I have never read any of the books myself but I remember seeing the films as a child.

The town also has a footie team called The Meat Ants.

I spent a little while looking around after having coffee in the Smiley Cafe (part of the pub really).

Made the decision to drive on to Charleville and stay a couple of nights there. So I continued on the extra 70km or so to a caravan park near the edge of town and made some plans for tomorrow.

A road train video for your amusement:

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10th May 2018–A Day Trip to Muttaburra

Distance: 318 Km
Fuel: 41 L

A trip to the geographic centre of Queensland (give or take), a little town called Muttaburra where a fossil of a new specie of dinosaur was discovered – the Muttaburrasaurus.

It is one of those places that you have to visit once, unfortunately they had not made the most of their namesake though they are trying to catch up.

The town is about 151km from Barcaldine so it is a fair way to go but this is the only sealed route.

Muttaburra

When I entered the town it was the archetypal Australian town with kangaroos hopping down the main street (yes, really).

A fibreglass model of the Muttaburrasaurus is housed in a new ‘Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre’. The interpretation will come in stage 2, at the moment it is just a rather odd building with a fibreglass statue.

The rest of the town was typical; wide empty streets with everybody at work.

Aramac Tram Museum

After looking around the centre of Queensland started on the return journey. Passing once again through the town of Aramac I just happened to see a small sign pointing to Aramac Tram Museum. I did a quick U turn to investigate.

The Tree of Knowledge

Back in Barcaldine no visit to the town would be complete without seeing the Tree of Knowledge. Unfortunately the tree was poisoned in 2006 and now only the dead trunk remains covered my a massive wooden structure that represents its original canopy.

It is not that long since I visited Barcaldine so I didn’t bother with its other attractions other than a walk round town however the railway station remains a working station.

For dinner I decided to have a steak at the place opposite the caravan park. So glad I did it was the best steak I have had for a long time.

The local water supply must be from the artesian bore because it is warm. I haven’t used the hot tap for a shower since I have been here, the temperature from the cold is perfect.

9th May 2018–On the Road to Barcaldine

Distance: 518 Km
Fuel: 46 L

Left ridiculously early because of a chain smoker in the next site, his smoke blowing constantly toward me.

It was a long day today, my original intention was to stop at Longreach or Ilfracombe but after I had visited the Longreach I decided to press on the extra 100km to Barcaldine because it makes my plans for tomorrow easier.

Driving south from Hughenden the country was quite different to the northern parts, it was open grassland with only occasional trees. The road paralleled a disused rail line.

Winton

First stop was Winton the home of Waltzing Matilda, or at least near where it was put to music. When I was here last the Waltzing Matilda Centre had just burnt down and was just a space in the streetscape but now a brand new building had been erected. Entry was an astounding $27.

To be honest it was a bit of a stretch to associate some of the contents with Banjo Paterson but they did – certainly a place you only need to visit once.

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Longreach

Next it was on to Longreach and the Qantas Founders Museum. There has always been a bit of a debate between Winton and Longreach as to where Qantas was actually founded but the latter has this museum.

There was a small exhibition about past adoption practices in Australia. Quite sad.

I didn’t visit the Stockman’s Hall of Fame because I have been before and unless you have a fetish for leather and old saddlery then you don’t need to visit twice.

It was 3pm when I left the Qantas place and I was in two minds whether to stay here or move on further however, as I said earlier, decided to press on to Barcaldine were I found a caravan park for a couple of nights.

After setting up drove the 1km into town for milk and beer. Opposite the caravan park is a steakhouse which I think I might visit tomorrow night.

8th May 2018–More Hughenden

Distance: 213 km
Fuel: 47 L

Today was a visit to Porcupine Gorge so I set off about 8.30am. After driving 20km I realised I had not brought my camera! Then after retracing 10km of that 20km I remembered the Olympus camera I carry in the glove box just for such eventualities. In the event I decided to return to the caravan park because I had also forgotten to clean the windscreen which was a mass of bug smears.

Jobs done I set off for a second time. The Tourist Information place had given me a sheet with information about interesting stops on the way so the journey of about 67km was broken up by many stops.

The first stop was Mt Beckford Sandalwood Hill where sandalwood was harvested for the Asian market. Unfortunately I couldn’t tell a Sandalwood tree from a metal post so that was that.

The Dingo Fence

My next stop was far more interesting – The Dingo Fence – or rather the remains of it. Sheep are no longer run in this area so the fence has fallen into disuse but the old wooden posts and wire have been incorporated into the newer property line.

Eaglehawk Gorge

This is actually the start of the Porcupine Gorge.

Unmarked Grave

Near the Eaglehawk Gorge was an unmarked grave the occupant is either a Chinaman making his way to or from the goldfields and who was run over by a dray OR is is an aboriginal girl called Minnie Waite who was either murdered or died of exposure trying to walk into Hughenden.

Mailman’s Grave and Bottle Ridge Lookout

I climbed this ridge. What a bugger! the track was hardly visible and rock strewn; and ideal place to break or twist an ankle. The ridge itself was no better a plateau of rocky ground but the view was pretty good.

The Mailman’s grave was a cross and a pile of rocks, he was murdered by the local Aboriginals and buried where he died.

The Whistling Bore

It didn’t whistle while I was there merely hummed at me. You can imagine the people who drilled it must have been annoyed when it didn’t produce water and merely whistled at them.

Porcupine Gorge

There were a couple of lookouts, the first overlooked the steepest walls.

The second overlooked the Pyramid and there was a rim walk plus a 1.1km walk down into the gorge itself. As it was nearly midday and the path looked rough I decided against going down, I think I might have done if it had gone down into the first part of the gorge but I decided against it.

Back in Hughenden

It was about 2pm by the time I returned to the town I bought fuel ($1.59/L) and I had thought of driving to Richmond but the price of fuel decided me against it.

I had a burger at FJ Holden’s Café, it was a very good burger (once I removed the inevitable beetroot)

Surveyors Stake and Coolabah Tree

Frederick Walker and Sir William Landsborough blazed this tree when they were searching for Burke and Wills. The surveyors peg marks the original point from which the area was surveyed.

7th May 2018–Hughenden

Distance: 284 km

Only about 250km to travel today so no rush to set off. Nowhere to stop on the way because today is a Queensland Labour Day public holiday so everything is shut. It was a pleasant drive under a cloudless sky

Stopped at White Mountain NP Lookout for the view and to stretch my legs.

Arrived in Hughenden at about midday, found the caravan park and checked in for a couple of nights. Because it was so early thought I might as well take the opportunity to wash my dirty clothes – didn’t need to but good opportunity.

Afterwards I went for a drive to look round the town.

Doing the Time Warp…

Big surprise – the Tourist Info and Dinosaur Museum is open. Hughenden was the site of the second discovery of a fossilised Muttaburrasaurus. The Museum was only $5 entry and the girl was most helpful – giving me brochures about the Gorge I want to visit tomorrow.

After the museum there is still plenty of daylight left so I took a drive to Mount Walker which is supposed to have 360’ views over the area. Once at the top you could believe that once the area was beneath the Eromanga Sea which stretched from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Lake Eyre in SA. The surrounding land is very flat. The sea existed during the Cretaceous Period when Australia was about to separate from Antarctica; a few years before Cook arrived.

On the return from the lookout came across a razorback that must have been run over by the local drunks.

Now it was nearly sunset so took a drive to a local Chinese Restaurant which seemed to be the only other place open in town. Bought a Chilli Squid and fried rice meal back to the caravan park to have with a beer. A nice end to an interesting day.