Goodbye Queensland

As I write this, I’m sitting in the banks of the Wilson River at a free camp opposite the Noccundra  Hotel. It will be our last night in Queensland as tomorrow we’ll cross into NSW at the Warri Gate and end up maybe at Tibooburra or Milparinka. 

We’ve no service here so this won’t be published until we strike civilisation. It’s funny, but as soon as we head south, we start thinking of home and then become  anxious to get there without sightseeing along the way. The weather also is less  enjoyable for camping- so maybe we’ll  be home in a couple of days! 

We’ve had a few very interesting days in this channel country. We left Blackall and headed to Quilpie through Adavale along a very quiet road! In the 300 odd kms, not one vehicle passed us and we only met 2 cattle trucks going the other way. The road started off as an excellent dirt road - with lots of floodways and cattle grids, but deteriorated to a track once we entered the Quilpie shire. 

The little town of Adavale was very sad as it’s still recovering from the severe floods. We had thought of camping there but it didn’t look at all appealing. So we travelled a bit further - this time on bitumen, to Quilpie, where we set up by the Lake. We really loved our stay there - we witnessed an amazing sunset, took a lovely long walk around the lake and enjoyed the serenity and birdlife. What we didn’t enjoy quite as much were the flies - the flynets came out and flies have been pesky ever since!

On our way to a Thargomindah, we stopped at the Toompine Pub and enjoyed a fly free coffee break and a chat to the young English chap who was our barista.  What a change for him being in this pub without a town - and without a car, he and his partner really are isolated.  The pub has recently been renovated and looks great!

The whole area still has lots of signs of the recent floods -lots of homes were flooded and there’s many caravans being used as makeshift homes.  The water marks on trees and buildings show how high the floods were.. We are amazed at the resilience of these outback people. Wherever we went, we met cheerful optimistic citizens despite some property owners losing livestock, fencing and infrastructure. If you look closely at the debis on the fence, it indicates  just how much water there was. This bridge into Quilpie was under water and the locals were going over it on their jet skis! 

The upside of the floods is there is plentiful feed for stock, prolific bird life and beautiful wild flowers.

We’re now having lunch in Tibooburra and I’m finishing this blog ready for publishing. The Queensland side of the Silver City Highway was certainly no highway and the bulldust patches were a bit scary! Once again, we struck very little traffic and here it’s rather quiet too. Our morning tea spot was very isolated! 

If we look back in our trip, Queensland has been very kind to us with great weather, beautiful spots and memorable experiences. Luckily we had no car or caravan troubles (except they are very very dirty!) and most importantly we enjoyed good health. We were very fortunate to share the first weeks with Dennis & Tops and Mark & Kerri. This will be the final blog so until our next trip, we say goodbye & best wishes to all. ❌❌❌❌

Dinosaurs and wetlands.

Our stay in Richmond was to primarily learn more about the dinosaur period and we did that at the Kronosatus Korner. 

All of the fossils are real - not casts - and some have been found by ordinary curious people and very observant graziers.. The whole display was well done but it’s hard to believe that 100 million years ago, the area was under sea where dinosaurs roamed the land and prehistoric marine animals ruled the waters. Most interesting was an almost complete fossil of one of these marine animals 

We strolled down the streets of Richmond on the historical walk, and once again it’s hard to imagine how tough life was in pioneering days. We were surprised to read how many buildings were destroyed by fire - one such building burnt down 3 times! We followed the dinosaur way to Winton and found a lovely camp spot just out of  Longreach on the banks of the Darr river. As we watched the river, we imagined those waters flowing into the Thompson River which together with the Barcoo river  combine to form Cooper Creek which eventually in these wet years, runs into Lake Eyre.

At Longreach we filled the fuel tanks, the water tanks and emptied the toilet at this very convenient travellers rest spot before we passed through Barcaldine to Lara Wetlands. 

This is another privately owned operation and offers a lovely tranquil getaway set around a lake.We’ve been watching a mother pink- eared duck care for her very tiny ducklings and other ducks have been prominent.

We did undertake a 5km bush walk that was a far cry from the beautiful rainforest walks - we saw very little wildlife but got our exercise done !

The thermal springs were lovely and warm but there’s a warning not to stay in longer than 15mins. Unfortunately we emerged from the pool just as we entered it - no miraculous reviving or anti aging happened! 

The lake is very shallow and has no hidden dangers lurking so we were confident to try the kayaks out. It was very relaxing to not have to tackle currents or waves. There was however, one very cleverly carved logodile sunning on the banks. 

Tomorrow we leave here and after Blackall will head to Quilpie via Adavale which was severely flooded earlier this year. We love this area and as they are pleading for visitors to return, we will do our bit to boost their economy. All of a sudden, it seems our trip is nearing the end so we are enjoying the warm sunny days and relaxing venues while we can. Until the next episode, we send our love & best wishes. ❌❌❌❌❌❌ from Marg & Darryl.

Cobbold Gorge

We have found another favourite spot - we’ve been hearing and reading about Cobbold Gorge for some years and it certainly lived up to our expectations. It’s a privately owned resort style complex with everything about it presented at an exceptional standard. We were camped in a lovely quiet picturesque site and we took advantage of the infinity pool after a 5km hike to a lookout.

The route from Georgetown to the gorge was so pretty with lots of inquisitive cattle along the way and some pretty river crossings. 

We were very surprised to see these beautiful picnic facilities at Lake Charleston, just out of Forsayth. Unfortunately no camping is allowed here. The shire of Etheridge, is very remote, very large in area but very small in population - only 400 odd ratepayers so we reckon they’d be pretty happy with the tourism created by the Cobbold Gorge and the Undera Lava tubes. 

The only way you can access the gorge is on a tour which we took and loved every bit of it. The tour involved some walking to the top of the gorge then across a glass bridge, allowing for spectacular views. You will notice we all had to wear hospital booties  over our shoes - very classy! 

Our tour was completed with a boat trip up the gorge, which narrows in one place to a boat width. The rock formations were beautiful and we even saw a fresh water crocodile sunning on the bank. 

The money spent on walkways alone - including the glass bridge which cost $1.2million, have made the gorge accessible to most visitors. All in all, we loved our stay and the tour and cannot be impressed enough with the whole place. 

From there we travelled through the tiny towns of Forsayth & Einasleigh and read about the pioneering mining days - how tough those people had it in those days. We saw the Copperfield Gorge and the could see where the waters rose over the rail bridge in the floods earlier this year. Unbelievable really. 

We were unsure if the road to Hughenden was open as it’s been closed for ages due to water damage - it has only just opened to 4WD and we could see why as they are busy laying huge rocks for drainage. This bit was rough but doable. 

To finish off our gorge route, we called at the Porcupine Lookout - we stayed here 5 years ago and had forgotten how spectacular it is. We’ve now entered Dinosaur country - we did a stock up at Hughenden and are now at Richmond. 

We keep in touch with our fellow travellers - Dennis & Tops have been wending their way south and will be at Ipswich tomorrow. Mark & Kerri are still in Cairns - they were there to support Chloe who completed the iron man (or woman) competition yesterday. That’s a huge feather in her cap. We’re noticing the weather is cooling down and last night used our diesel heater and the rug has been more than decorative! But  we guess the 24 degree days are better than down south! We trust all are well and till the next episode, love from Darryl & Marg. ❌❌

 

 

Yungaburra and surrounds

The bonus of coming to this area to stay was that we were able to meet up with Mark & Kerri again and spend a very happy day together. We met at Lake Barrine, which is a crater lake, and walked the 5km circuit around the lake then enjoyed the famous scones & coffee at the tea house. 

On the circuit through dense rain forest, we passed these twin Kauri Pines which are about 1000 years old and huge! 

We then visited Lake Eacham, another crater lake which is set up beautifully for day trippers and was really a lovely spot. We undertook another short walk - well it was supposed to be a short children’s walk but we ended up a little lost and walked a few more kilometres so we ended up with lots of steps for the day! We spied many fish, an eel and these turtles who breathe under water through their bottoms! 

These rainforest walks are just so beautiful and a far cry from our daily walk around the Murray. 
After our walk, we had worn off the scones so headed to Yungaburra for a late lunch - which was too late for the pub and cafes so we ended up buying chips and eating them down by Lake Tinaroo.  The Afghanistan memorial at this southern arm of the lake is very well done and quite moving to read.

We certainly feel very blessed to have spent another day with family - there won’t be any more chances to get together for a while as we’re heading south and they are in Cairns for a little longer. 

We are camped in the private camp ground amongst sugar cane and other crops - and right by the Barron River before it enters Lake Tinaroo. On our morning walk we even saw a couple of elusive platypuses. At night, little marsupials come out to play - and get into rubbish bags if you aren’t careful!

We toured the area and love the pretty Yungaburra township - especially with the beautiful  colourful hanging baskets and pot plants.  We found a swing bridge and looked for more platypus at the viewing area but only saw this one!

The Curtain Fig  tree always amazes us as it’s huge - and to think it’s a parasite which eventually takes over and kills the host tree.

Tomorrow we pack up and head towards the Cobbold Gorge, where we are booked in for a tour on Saturday. We are really looking forward to that as we’ve heard and read so much about this place. We’re gradually bringing out jackets and jumpers and guess soon the shorts will be replaced by jeans! Lucky we have a very efficient diesel heater in our van. We trust everyone is well - till the next chapter of our travels, we send our love ❌❌❌❌