Augathella QLD to Mount Surprise QLD and all in between.

Thursday 26^th May til 22^nd  June 2014

This part of our journey took us through outback Queensland, into Channel Country and then the Gulf Country and onto the Carpentaria Shire to Karumba on the Gulf. The drive from Charleville to Longreach, our next destination, was extremely interesting. There were a few interesting little towns along the Landsborough Highway and we stopped at all of them to have a look around.

First we stopped at Augathella 86 kilometres from Charleville that used to be a campsite for bullocks. It has murals which are interesting to look at including one of the very old and Australian movie ‘Smiley’. Those of you around my age will recognise this one. There is a sculpture of a huge meat ant in a park that is dedicated to the local football team, The Mighty Meat Ants. It was a pleasant stop in a small but very clean town. Further along the highway we came across Tambo, there was a lot of road works on the journey into Tambo and we were held a few times. Tambo is known as being the oldest town in the Central West. We stopped here for fuel and something to eat and had a look around at some of the old historic buildings. After Tambo we found a free campsite on the Barcoo River; it was a pleasant stop for an overnighter and we lit a campfire to add to the ambience.

The Meat Ant Sculpture

Having fun in the playground

The streetscape Augathella

 

In the park

The Tambo Post Office

Around Tambo

Roadworks on the journey

Mighty Roadwork equipment

The famous Smiley mural

 

Our first stop the following day on the way to Longreach, was at Blackall on the banks of the Barcoo River. Once you’ve been to Blackall you can say you have been ‘beyond the black stump’. A petrified tree stump marks the site that surveyors used as a solid base for transit when they were surveying back in 1887. That’s where the sayings ‘this side of the black stump’ and ‘beyond the black stump’ come from.   We took some photos of the Bottle Tree sculpture made from steel and is around the corner from the black stump. Ram Park where the Visitor Information Centre is located is a setting for historic buildings which exhibit Blackalls history. We had a small session with Stuart Benson, who was very entertaining and typically Australian, when telling stories of Blackalls history and some of the displays. There is a strong link to the wool industry in Blackall and when he was showing us a shearing comb he called out to James who is the son of our travelling companions, Sue and Mick. He said “Boy come here, get a grip on that boy, a firm grip, I said a firm grip boy, what are you a rugby player or something”.  We could have listened to Stuart talking all day.  Blackall was a very worthwhile stop.

The bottle tree sculpture

This side of the Black Stump

And Beyond

Ram Park

The very entertaining Stuart Benson

 

Barcaldine was our next stop to have a look around and grab a bite to eat.  There is a big windmill in the centre of town which is a landmark for finding everything you need to know. The Tree of Knowledge memorial is an interesting memorial to a tree which is a giant cube made from recycled timber to recreate the original size of the canopy of the tree. This tree has undergone a preservation process and is famous as the meeting place for the 1891 Great Shearers’ Strike, an event that led to the birth of the Australian Labor Party. Barcaldine has a lovely park with some interactive musical instruments that you can have a bit of fun with. It is also a great place for a pub crawl as it has six historical hotels along the street all within a 500 metre walking distance.

The musical equipment

The big windmill

You can se three of the pubs in this streetscape

The Tree of Knowledge

Around Barcaldine

 

After we fuelled up and filled up our bellies we headed to Longreach where we were spending three nights. But first we stopped at the tiny town of Ilfracombe with not much more than a general store a post office and a pub, Greg and Michael wanted to have look at the huge display along the main street of old engines, tractors, graders and other equipment that boys will salivate about. The Wellshot Hotel was interesting to look at. They have an array of hats attached to the walls which have been donated by locals over the years, with many stories to tell. They also have money which has been pinned to the ceiling by visitors and locals alike. This money goes back into the community to recondition and display the aforementioned engines. There appeared to be a lot of money there, but only a few days earlier they had cleared the money and counted $1600, a great effort.

Behind the pub

Front of the pub

Some old equipment

The ceiling of the pub

Inside the pub

Mick and Greg perusing the displays

 

At Longreach we set up camp at the tourist park which is a bit dusty, but not unusual for the outback. Our first day we went to the tourist information centre to check what to see, had a walk around town, a drive out to the river and the lagoon and then went to the Qantas Founders Museum. We didn’t pay to have a look in there, because it was ridiculously over priced for what it is, but we were able to see a few things from the outside and had some photo opportunities. What we really came to see was the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and it didn’t disappoint. The Hall of Fame Centre was created by Hugh Sawrey as a memorial to the pioneers of The Australian Outback and was opened by the Queen in 1988. There are six major galleries, all very well set out and all very interesting. It is one of the best of its kind that we have seen. From the Discovery of Australia, the Pioneers, the Outback properties, the RFDS and the Stock Workers, it is a beautiful history and one very worthwhile to visit.

The Thompson River

Lily Lagoon

Railway Station

Old aircraft

Old Qantas building

Front of the Stockman's Hall of Fame

The Ringer out the front

Part of the display

More displays

Another display

Kinnon and Co building

Inside the Hall of Fame

Town Centre sign 

Around Longreach

 

Next visit for a couple of nights was to Winton. We really loved Winton and for a small town there is plenty to see. We started with the Musical Fence which is made up of junkyard band instruments and we all got percussive and had some fun. The boys enjoyed looking around at the Winton Heritage Trunk and Machinery Museum and then we looked at the very eccentric Arno’s Wall, which is a wall built by a local where he has included a lot of junk including the kitchen sink. The township has some historical buildings including the Corfield and Fitzmaurice building which was a general store but is now a museum and craft shop. The North Gregory hotel which has been rebuilt a number of times, was where the first public performance of Waltzing Matilda was held. The Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton is where you can discover the romance and legend behind our national song and is the only museum in the world dedicated to a song.  This is a wonderful centre and we enjoyed all the displays here including the Billabong Theatre where the ghost tells his side of the story of Waltzing Matilda and the story of the song is brought to life; it was really fantastic. They also have a legends room which is dedicated to the pioneering and aviation history of Winton, including its involvement in the wars. The art gallery in the centre houses some beautiful artwork which celebrates the outback. We really enjoyed our stay in Winton and it is definitely worth a few days to have a look around.

This one I took through the car window on the journey

Me playing percussion at the musical fence

Greg playing percussion

Part of the Heritage truck museum

More of the museum



Arno's Wall

Arno's Wall

Arno's Wall

North Gregory Hotel

The old General Merchants building

Waltzing Matilda Theatre display

Front of the Matilda Centre

Front of the Matilda Centre

An old hotel

Inside the hotel

Inside the hotel

 

Our next destination was Cloncurry, but only for an overnight stop to stock up for our journey to Lawn Hill NP and Adels Grove. On the way to Cloncurry we stopped at the McKinlay Pub. McKinlay is a small town with a population of only 23 but is famous for the Walkabout Creek Hotel which was featured in the Crocodile Dundee movies. This small town is also famous for its one race day a year, which is known as the Flemington of the Outback because one of the property owners brings truckloads of potted roses in to place along the fence line. More than 90% of the property owners in the district attend this event. Unfortunately the race meeting is not held until June 21^st, so we will miss it.

Through the car window on the journey!

InsideWalkabout Creek Hotel

Inside Walkabout Creek Hotel

At the front

 

 At Cloncurry we stopped for some shopping and stayed the night at Wals Camp, a cheaper option than the Caravan Park but still a nice clean site. We left the following morning to head to Gregory Downs, with one stop only at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse for fuel and some lunch we arrived at Gregory Downs around 4pm and set up camp at a free site on the Gregory River. This camp site is very popular and there weren’t many sites left, but after a walk around and a chat we found out that two vans camped on the river bank were leaving the next day. We didn’t fully set up and early the next morning we were able to move set up camp right beside the river. We were only to stay three night and then move to Adels Grove for six nights, but it was so lovely here, we cancelled our booking at Adels Grove and stayed here for 11 relaxing nights. It was so pretty by the river, where we could easy pop in for a swim in the swiftly flowing water, have a fire beside river and just totally chill out. That we didn’t have phone or internet access for the 11 days was a bonus. Ah the peace!

We drove out to Lawn Hill National Park and Adels Grove a few days later, which is 95 kilometres west of Gregory Downs. The road is bitumen only for about 10 kilometres and then it is a very dusty and at sometimes corrugated road for the rest of the journey. We were rather glad then that we didn’t tow the vans out there. Sue, Mick and James hired a canoe and Greg and I took the Hobie for a paddle through the beautiful Lawn Hill Gorge. At the end of the first section where there are some lovely small waterfalls, we stopped to have lunch and then we had to carry the canoes to the next section to continue paddling to the end of the gorge. There was a nice little pebbly beach at the end where we pulled up and had a swim in the beautifully refreshing water. The freshwater crocodiles didn’t bother us at all. We paddled back, again having to carry the canoes across to the first section; we spent almost four hours paddling the gorge; then went to Adels Grove to have a look. They welcome day visitors and we had a look around and a swim in the waterhole before heading back to camp. After seeing Adels Grove we were glad we made the decision not to stay there. Although it is very nice, our campsite on the Gregory River was just too special.

Gregory Downs is a very small community with really only the pub, which was used as coach house in the last century. It was only a short walk from the campsite to the pub and we enjoyed a nice lunch there one day. For the campers without showers and toilets they have free hot showers and toilet facilities across the road from the pub. The Gregory River itself hosts a canoe race each year and is considered to be one of the best courses in Australia.

We drove out to Burketown, about 116 kilometres north of Gregory Downs on another day. Burketown, on the Nicholson River, is known as the Barramundi Capital of Australia and the world Barramundi Fishing Championships here every Easter. They have a unique phenomenon here during the spring months called the morning glory. It is a unique cloud formation that rolls across the sky in a tubular shape.  It can be 1000 kilometres in length and hang gliders ‘surf’ the Morning Glory. Burketown is one of only two places in the world where it can be seen. A pity we weren’t here in the spring, because the photo opportunity would have been magnificent.  

Burketown has a fairly new business which is a combination Butchery and Bakery and they sell some very nice goods, they also have a general store and a post office. The pub has been rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in 2012 and although it is much more modern and doesn’t have the same feel as its original Customs Bond Store, it serves great food, as we can attest to, and the locals are happy to have their only watering hole replaced. We had a look at the old town bore with amazing colours created from mineral deposits which have built up for over a century from the artesian water. Water still flows from the bore and it is very hot. We drove out to the Colonial Flat which is the site for the old boiling down works where they used to boiled down beef for tallow and other by-products. The old machinery is still there and makes for a great photo opportunity. Mick tried his hand at fishing near the boat ramp on the Nicholson River, but we didn’t venture too close to the water’s edge as the area is known for Saltwater Crocodiles. We spent a nice day at Burketown and again it is yet another small town worth visiting.

Paddling at Lawn Hill Gorge

Still paddling

On the Gorge

The journey to Lawn Hill

More of the journey

On the gorge

At the waterfall

Again the waterfall

On the gorge

At the end of the gorge

Paddling through the gorge

Adels Grove

Adels Grove

Adels Grove



At our campsite on Gregory River

Crossing the bridge taken from our campsite

Gregory Downs Hotel

Our campsite

Another of the campsite

Around Gregory Downs

At the Airport Terminal Ha ha

Our campsite from the bridge

Crossing the old bridge

The pub

Artesian Bore at Burketown

Boiling down works

View from the pub

Enjoying a meal at the pub

The boat ramp on the Albert River

Sign at the boat ramp. Look closely ha ha

Boiling down works

 

After 11 beautiful warm, sunny and relaxing days at Gregory downs, it was time to leave to reach our next destination of Karumba. Karumba is on the Norman River at the base of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and is a haven for fisherman. If you don’t fish, there is not much else to do.  The park where we stayed, Karumba Point Caravan Park, is full of fisherman and their fishing widows, who do craft together, play bingo together and walk together. They are up early in the morning and into bed early each night. It is hard to get much more than a hello out of any of them; you feel like an intruder, particularly if you don’t share their interest in fishing.

The only saving grace for this park is the free fish barbecue and entertainment they put on each Saturday night. They do have other activities, like fishing competitions and booboo competitions amongst the fisherman. The free barbecue was good with us taking our own nibbles, salad, and cutlery etcetera. They provided a singer with sing-a- longs, some poetry reading and a little bit of dancing. It was a nice night and we were glad we participated but perhaps I’ll come back here when I’m in my late 60’s and enjoy it more.

The sunsets are very beautiful and I was glad I got the opportunity to take at least one.  The Sunset Tavern is nice with an outlook over the river and a great spot to eat and see the sunset from. The weather wasn’t great while we were here, with cooler days and really strong winds spoiling any attempt at doing anything. The boys, Mick, James and Greg went on a fishing charter for five hours and caught some bream, so at least they saw some fishing activity.

Free fish night

A bit of dancing fun

Entertainment

Susie and I enjoying the night

From the Tavern

The Tavern

Sunset

Sunset

 

After we left Karumba we stopped for a few hours in Normanton to have a look at some of the historic buildings and terminus of the historic Normanton to Croydon Railway. The buildings are naturally photogenic, including the famous purple pub. The Burns Philp building which now houses the information centre and library was constructed in 1879 as a general merchant store and has been used for many other purposes since and still has the original strongroom and safe. The life-sized replica of a 8.63m crocodile is an unusual sight. It is named Krys after the female crocodile hunter who shot her.  The historic Normanton railway station, home of the Gulflander, was worth a visit too, it has a museum and plenty of photo opportunities. We had a chat to an aboriginal elder in the street, who was horrified at some of the graffiti. His name is Lance although he said most people call him Bonner, because of his political persuasions. His stories of how he continues to improve this little town were very interesting.

The Purple Pub

An old water tank at the railway station

The Gulflander

At the Railway station

Me and Krys ouch!

The Central Hotel

The old Burns Philp Building

 

We then drove on to stay at an overnight stop called Blackbull Siding. This was a great spot to camp for a night and being an old railway station again presented itself to some great photo opportunities. We had a bit of fun with the setting sun and our shadows on the old rusted buildings. We also met a few travellers here, in particular a young Australian couple who had just got back from the Cape, so we were able to get a bit of information from them in preparation for our journey up there. The following day we stopped at Croydon, the old Cumberland Historic Mine site and then Georgetown for a late lunch, before arriving at our next overnight stop at Routh Creek.

Black Bull Siding station

The old outhouse

Fun with shadows

Fun with shadows

 

Croydon is a nice little town which was a bustling centre built around the gold mining industry, and has some unusual sculptures and heritage displays. It had a large population of Chinese settlers and we visited the Chinese Temple site on the road to Lake Belmore.  Lake Belmore is the town’s water supply and is popular for fishing, swimming and boating activities. Our next stop was the historic Cumberland Mine, where remnants of the site exist, including the chimney. It is situated next to a lily pond and is very photogenic. It is also an overnight stop for weary travellers. We continued our journey and stopped at Georgetown for fuel and lunch, where they serve the biggest hamburgers you could imagine. Georgetown itself doesn’t have much to offer but its surrounding area is what attracts visitors, including Cobbold Gorge which is 90 minutes from Georgetown but not on our list of things to do this time.

Cumberland Mine Site

Cumberland Mine Site

Cumberland Mine Site

Cumberland Mine Site

 

 

The old butcher shop at Croydon

Remnants of the Chinese Temple

Lake Belmore

Around Croydon

Around Croydon

Around Croydon

 

We then moved on to camp at a pretty little spot called Routh Creek for the night before heading to our next destination Mount Surprise. At Mount Surprise we stayed at a very nice park called Planet Earth Adventures, which is run by the snake man, Russell. Within minutes of arriving he introduced to one of his snakes and although harmless, I kept out of the way. Greg, Mick and James all handled the snake and they were welcome to it as far as I was concerned. Anyway the park is a little gem at only $17 per night on beautiful grassy sites and with hot showers and toilets. Russell provides snake shows and puts on a pizza night and entertainment. About 55 kilometres away is the Undara Lava Tubes, which is one of the main attractions of the area. Sue, Mick and James went on one of the many tours they offer and really enjoyed it. Greg and I elected not to go because of the expense, sometimes you have to cut back and sometimes we find these things just over priced. The town itself is very small but they have an old railway station display which we enjoyed having a look at. It was an enjoyable stay at Mount Surprise and one I would recommend.

Routh Creek

Routh Creek

 

 

Around Mount Surprise

The Railway Station

Mount Surprise Hotel for Thirst Aid

Front of the Caravan Park

Welcome to Mount Surprise

 

 

Our campsite

Pizza night entertainment

James with the Water Python

Greg with the Water Python

 

Tomorrow we are on our way to Mareeba and Cairns. At Mareeba we will be preparing for our journey to Cape York. We plan to spend 4 weeks on the Cape and are really looking forward to it.

I will not be posting another blog until after we return from the Cape, a journey which I’m sure will be very exciting. We plan to be adventurous and travel the Old Telegraph Track. We are of course leaving the vans behind with Greg and me taking a Roof Top Tent and Sue, Mick and James experiencing this part of their trip in a tent and swag respectively . We are really looking forward to this 4WD journey with river crossings and adventures galore.

Cheers til next time