Chapter 7 - Longreach to the Coast

Chapter 7 - Longreach to the Coast

Day 30 – Wednesday 12 July 2017

We departed Longreach about 8:30, after buying a fresh loaf of bread, and headed east.  The 105 km to Barcaldine (pronounced bar-cal-din) had very few spoken words as we listened to my two new CDs – Troy Cassar-Daley (“Things I Carry Around”) and Lee Kernaghan (“25^th Anniversary”) – two guys we saw at the Big Red Bash.  Great music.

Farm and road machinery at Ilfracombe 

On the way we passed through Ilfracombe, noted for its one kilometre of old farm and road machinery (lovingly repainted in bright colours) and the Wellshot hotel. The latter is a typical outback pub.  It was too early for a visit so we kept going.

Wellshot Hotel

We stopped for a lengthy visit at Barcaldine and spent most of the time at the Australian Workers Heritage Centre.  Barcaldine is noted for its role in the 19^th century shearers strike when unions demanded better pay and conditions.  It was an extended and painful time for many reasons.  Out of all that turmoil came an organisation, later to be known as the Australian Labour Party – which was first established in Barcaldine in 1891.  They later dropped the “u” out of Labour, and it is now as the Australian Labor Party.  The Australian Workers Heritage Centre tells the above story and has about a dozen period buildings to add to the experience, such as railway station, police station, school, post office, power generating plant, and Labor Party history.

Railway Station and Carriage from the Early 20th Century

We took a photo of the “Tree of Knowledge”, under which the Labor Party was formed.

Tree of Knowledge

After a coffee we drove 50 km to a place called Lara Wetlands.  It is a shallow lake about one kilometre in circumference and allows lakeside camping and campfires.   

Lara Wetlands from our Caravan

It also has a very hot artesian pool.  We relaxed and later went for a walk around the lake. I took a photo of our caravan across the lake. 

Our Caravan Centre of Photo

We chatted to neighbours who have been here for a week waiting for a part for their caravan to be shipped from Brisbane.  They live a few hundred metres from our former home in Eltham.

Later we lit a fire for the roast pork.  We actually had two fires – one for coal production and heating and one for cooking.

Coal Producing Fire and Food Oven

The roast pork and the sunset were equally magnificent. Note the large bird nest in the first photo.  We went to bed when the fire died down, and our neighbours had retired inside to watch the “state of origin” football – courtesy of their satellite dish and 12 volt TV set.

 

Day 31 – Thursday 13 July 2017

The kookaburras, galahs and numerous small birds signified that it was time to rise.  I must have been first in the shower as it took ages to get warm. Once it did all was good.  Hot water comes from a boiler that is heated by an endless supply of gidgee wood.

As is often the case in the Outback, this camp has something quirky.  In this case, it is a two-seat “dunny”. I am not sure how often it is used.  Enough said – make up your own mind.  There was never a queue outside the door.

Two-seat “dunny”.

The early birds must have caught the worms as the bird noises died down, while the sun rose higher.  However, I did find a Red-winged Parrot to pose for me. 

Red-winged Parrot

There was not a cloud to be seen in the sky.  Ten days ago this area was so wet campers were not allowed in or out of the 14 kilometre dirt road.

The following photos were taken from beside the caravan….

Front: Black Tailed Native Hen        Rear: Hooded plover

Yellow billed spoonbill

Boys Toys.  We scored a new neighbour who has, among other things, a two-wheel trolley, a generator, and an electric chain saw. He puts the generator on the trolley with the chain saw, then finds a log to cut.  The electric chain saw is connected to the generator which is powered up.  Hey presto, chain saw works out in the bush.  He now has wood that will keep him warm while he watches Foxtel TV via his satellite dish.  Boys Toys.

We decided on a soak in the artesian pool, which allegedly comes out of the ground at 68 degrees C.  However, we sat in an area that was cooler than that.  It was excellent.

Artesian Pool

After more relaxation I lit the fire for the evening.  It was probably the best camp fire I have ever made.  BBQ sausages, rissoles and chips were pretty good, with some of Shirley’s Outback ratatouille recipe.

The guys with the Boys Toys cooked dinner in their gas Weber!  However, they were nice people and we had a few laughs together.

I took another two sunset photos.

Sunset

 

After Sunset

 

Day 32 – Friday 14 July 2017

We departed Lara Wetlands and drove into Barcaldine and topped up with diesel – the same price I paid in Melbourne over four weeks ago.

We headed east and soon a change in landscape and vegetation – for the better.  Bottlebrush plants were common and were very pretty. 

Before long the landscape and vegetation changed again and one could easily have been driving west from Bendigo in central Victoria – except for the sudden appearance of termite mounds. Some of the mounds were painted and clothed to look like little people.

Our first stop was Jericho which (would you believe) is on the river Jordan and south of Lake Galilee.  As the Bible tells us the Israelites marched on Jericho and blew their trumpets so that the walls of Jericho would fall.  So the people in this town have a biblical theme, with sculptures and a statue depicting that theme – and they have done it well.

Jericho Trumpet Sculptures

Joshua - The Trumpet Player

Alpha was our next town, and (again would you believe) has a neighbouring town called Beta.  Neither have Greek origins.  The people in Alpha promote their many town murals and some locally discovered petrified wood. Again, they have done it well.

Alpha - Petrified Wood

Alpha - Mural (above & below)

 

We crossed the Drummond mountain range at 540 metres above sea level and paused to take a photo.  As we turned into the viewing place to take a photo we met up with friends from home, Peter & Joyce.  They have been within a day or so of us for the last week, but this is the first time that we have caught up.  So we stood and chatted for an hour or so.

View from Drummond Range

They pressed on to Emerald and we camped for the night at Sapphire.  Just up the road from us is a town called Rubyvale.  Some cove called Archibald Richardson discovered sapphires here in 1878, and (as they say) the rest is history.  I took Shirley into a gem shop but she did not want anything.  So I bought her an ice-cream.

We relaxed back at camp and talked to a couple from Newcastle, NSW.

Day 33 – Saturday 15 July 2017

Chick-peas

It was a very foggy morning as we drove the 55 km into Emerald.  Emerald would be the largest town that we have visited since leaving Melbourne 33 days ago. 

It is promoted as the Heart of the Central Highlands.  It seems to be an agriculturally rich area with the dominant crops being cotton, chick-peas, mung-beans and sorghum. 

We were amazed how long the watering mechanisms can be - like some sort of huge alien insect in the crop. It had to be 250 metres or more long.

Crop Watering Apparatus

Today we saw our first Coles and Woolworths supermarkets since leaving Melbourne.  We left some money behind at Coles and the coffee shop.  We also saw a golf course with grass greens and fairways.

We drove on to Comet, which was effectively named by the early explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, who left his mark on a tree.  I think Australia must have more “Dig” trees than any other country in the world. 

Ludwig Leichhardt's Dig Tree

Another 45 km along the Capricorn Highway and we were in Blackwater, which is the coal centre of the region.  We have visited the coal museum before so we relaxed over lunch beside the Japanese Gardens.

Japanese Gardens - Blackwater

Bedford Weir was our choice for the next two nights, 26 km north of Blackwater.  It is a lovely spot and we had set up camp by 2:30.  It is amazing how we always used to look for shady campsites, and now that we have solar panels on the caravan, we look for sunny locations.  The drinks must be kept cold.

 

We went for a walk and took a photo of the above galah and the weir in what will be the sunset direction.

Bedford Weir 3pm Saturday

 Once we sat down the following local came along to show off his feathers in a dance.

In due course the fire was started in some wheel rims that were provided by the park.  Two other couples joined us around our fire for a great chat.  Some time later dinner was cooked on a plate on the fire.

 

While we were talking a local rooster decided to bed down for the night on top of our Engel fridge.  No amount of alternate persuasion could convince him to go elsewhere.  So we left him there and went to bed.

Rooster Getting Comfortable

 

Day 34 – Sunday 16 July 2017

It was 4:45 am when the rooster announced to the world where he slept - about 2.5 metres from my head.  This went on at irregular intervals until I gave up at 6:50 and went for a shower.


I then headed to the weir, with trusty Canon SX280HS, and took a repeat photo of yesterday afternoon – this time with the sun coming over my right shoulder.

 

Bedford Weir 7 am Sunday

 An Australasian Darter was drying itself on a branch as I walked back to the caravan.  The photo can be found under Monday below.

It was a magnificent morning and we fully deserved bacon and eggs for breakfast.

My first job was to clean up the mess left behind by the rooster.

We then went for a walk along the side of the weir, as far as the path allowed.

Bedford Weir Backwater

The rest of the day was very quiet.  We lit a fire and cooked spaghetti bolognaise and damper for dinner.  Again we sat around the fire with neighbours.

Damper For The Spaghetti

Day 35 – Monday 17 July 2017

We left camp at the usual time of 8:20 after I had been to the weir edge and scored another photo of the Australasian Darter in the tree.

Australasian Darter - Left 7:07 am Sunday - Right: 7:15 am Monday

Our entire day of 252 km was all about heading east. 

We stopped at Dingo to take a photo of the "pooch" that provided their name - because there was so many of them.  The Dingo is a direct descendent of the Asian Pariah Dog.  However the Dingo has been in Australia for 10,000 years.

The Much Maligned Dingo

It is sort of ironic that the World Dingo TRAP throwing championships are held in Dingo.

I took the photo of the following rig to show how some people travel Australia.

A Fifth Wheel Rig

It was about noon as we came over a hill and saw the ocean - for the first time since leaving home.  We arrived in Yeppoon soon after and promptly set up camp.

Again we found great neighbours to chat to - Fred and Denise.

We had reached grass and sand and less dust.  Time to rest.  We have travelled around 5860 km in 5 weeks.  In the next 5 weeks we plan to move around 600 km south - a much slower pace.  More wear on the sneakers - less on the car tyres.

The following is a map of our route from Birdsville to Yeppoon - a distance of around 1700 km.

The Easiest/Shortest Sealed Road from Birdsville to Yeppoon

 

This post is now complete.
Last update on Wednesday 19th at 8 am.

 


Go to Chapter 6

Go to Chapter 8

Go to Home Page