does not get better than this

At last a swim in the ocean…….

On the Sunshine Coast we spent four days visiting Mum, catching up with Brian and Jenny and swimming. It was such a contrast to the weeks of red dust and heat.

Roma’s industries today are wool, wheat, cattle and mining. We were fascinated to learn about the early history of drilling for water which lead to oil exploration and the discovery of gas. This gas is still piped to Brisbane and regional centers in between.

The morning we departed Roma, we visited the sale yards. These are the biggest in Australia. Our guide, Lloyd, was an elderly sheep and cattle farmer, who explained the history and operation of marketing cattle. The auctions were a spectacle to see!

The search for an Akubra hat comes to an end in Roma at Golders men’s store. The rightsize, the right color and the right price.

WE couldn’t leave Roma without viewing the towns’s largest bottle tree.

On our way to Roma we stopped for a break at Mitchell and were surprised to find a cafe open in this quiet town, as it was Sunday. It was in a community hot spa and it was filled with customers. Very pleasant, so we had an early lunch.

Our overnight stop was on the bank of the Warrego River in the small and friendly town of Augathella. The council asked for a $10 donation and provided toilets and showers, as well as generous bundles of fire wood for $12. We met a couple who make their living by travelling the circuit of country shows around Queensland, NT and as far as Darwin. Selling ice creams from their van ! They supplement their income by performing in country pubs and caravan parks.

From A2 there was a 13km dirt road into the campsite around a hot spring fed wetland. Very popular for campers and birds. We walked, soaked in the hot pool, cooked a meal on the open fire and watched the stunning sunsets in the evening. In the middle of the day, the only place to be was in the van with the aircon on.

On our way to Lara Wetlands, we followed the train line and stopped at Barcaldine, which is reputed to be the birthplace of the Labour union movement. The Tree of Knowledge Monument was the meeting place in 1891 for the labour movement, which spearheaded reforms that vastly improved the way of life for Australians.

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.

Winton is an outback town with a rich history in sheep and cattle country. A major claim to fame is it is where Banjo Paterson wrote the lyrics to Waltzing Matilda. Also it is the dinosaur capital of Australia.

Quirky entrance to our van park accommodation (above) and the evening ritual of protecting the car and van from bush rats during the night (below). Leave lights on and spray surfaces with citronella.

Gorgeous sunsets every night.

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum was fascinating. We learned how the fossils were discovered, the process involved in recovery, assembly and preservation.

More quirky creations were the Musical Fence and Aron’s wall:

The Royal Theatre in the main street is an open air cinema of yesterday, still showing films to the public:

Winton’s main street with original facades:

The Waltzing Matilda Centre and museum:

The swagman and a statue of Banjo Paterson outside the entrance to the Waltzing Matilda Centre.

Last evening in Winton at the North Gregory Hotel. A talented ‘Gregory North’ recounted Winton’s history with amusing anecdotes of pioneer ingenuity. He included performances of various poems by Banjo Paterson. Very entertaining!

The long drive to Porcupine Gorge was interesting, despite the flat terrain, which gave a wonderful vista of the vast sky and clouds. We appreciated the red earth dotted with shades of green trees and bushes. Occasionally we needed to slow down for wandering cattle, water crossings and passing road trains.

Our site in the national park was drive – through and spacious, with plenty of sunshine to charge our batteries.

Early morning rim walk with a view of the gorge and the multi-colored sandstone monolith called the Pyramid. Breathtaking!

The walk down to the gorge and back up took just over two hours and well worth it. The swim was refreshing but the walk back up in the midday sun was challenging.

After only a 25 km drive there is the tiny township of Einasleigh, which used to be a thriving mining community (with 5 pubs, a hospital, school, police station, shops, etc)The train to Einasleigh from Forsayth has recently stopped because the track was damaged by flooding with no plans yet for repairs. The last pub is for sale and the little van park seems to be the centre of activity.

However, a short walk from the pub is the stunning Copperfield Gorge.