On our trip to Longreach we ran over a dead kangaroo and were unable to pull over safely for another 5 or so kms to inspect the damage. Trailing on the road for those kms were the Anderson plug and & 7 point pin for the electrical connection to the van. Gary, being the resourceful man he is and very annoyed with himself for not going around the carcass, (difficult at 95kms towing a van), sourced the parts in Longreach and was able to do the repairs.
We thoroughly enjoyed our three days at Longreach which has a rich history of cattle and sheep farming, pioneering, aviation and embracing the beauty and challenges of the central Queensland landscape.
At “The Station” the 90 year old Town Crier gathered our tour group for our Cobb & Co stage coach ride, which was the start of our full morning of activities. These included galloping on the old stock route out of town, old time entertainment with poetry recitation, many yarns filled with puns and animals.
The next day was a visit to Nogo Station, where we learned more about the history of sheep farming. Jeremy was our instructor and one of 5 sons working on this family station.
The last day in Longreach was full. We started at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Outback Heritage Centre, where the inspiring stories and history of men and women are told and displayed.
Next we visited the Qantas Founders Museum and we were guided through the extraordinary history of flight in Australia. Fantastic!
Lastly, we had drinks on a sunset cruise on the Thomson River on a paddle boat. There was a dinner of beef stew, apple pie, billy tea, damper and Golden Syrup around the campfire. Great entertainment of poetry performances of original work, Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson. The highlight of the night for us was the film, in the open air, re-enacting Captain Starlight’s daring theft of cattle and herding them to South Australia on the route where Burke and Wills had perished a few years earlier.
