Hello again and welcome back.  Hopefully life is treating everyone reading this well and you are enjoying it as much as we are at present.  After a relaxing few days in Mt Isa it was good to get back on the road again.  Mt Isa is nice but it is just a mining town and didn’t really capture us in any way at all.

From Mt Isa we drove 60k’s down the road to a place called Clem Walton Park.  We were told about this in Mt Isa and what a wonderful place to stay.  The billabong had crystal clear water and it wasn’t crowded with bloody caravaners which was nice.  We found ourselves a perfect spot by the water and had a great three days just chilling out.  Each day we were paid a visit by the local livestock who were very casual around people and fed on the grass around the caravans.  While here we also drove and had a look at the old Mary Kathleen Uranium mine and town ship and also did a day trip on the Ballara Mining Heritage Trail.

Clem Walton Park – The Billabong

Clem Walton Park – the daily visitors

 

Mary Kathleen mine was an interesting afternoon out and the drive around the old mine workings and town site really gave you a good insight into how it must have been living in the town.  There is not much of the mine operations left, just a few old concrete footings and the open cut pit that you can walk around.  That was really good to see and gave you an idea how hard the rock must have been to mine.

Mary Kathleen mine

 

The day trip out to the Ballara Mining Heritage Trail was a good day out and finished up at Fountain Springs were we had a nice picnic lunch – very romantic it was to.  This track takes you past the old mining ghost towns of Bulonga, Ballara and Hightville.  There is not a lot to see of these old towns either, just a few old concrete slabs and a few signs.  We followed the old rail line to where it went through a tunnel, that was a good test of the Toyota with our first serious bit of 4 wheel driving over quite a rough track.  With my extensive 4WD knowledge it was easy and we didn’t have any real problems.  After seeing all these it was an easy drive to Fountain Springs and a nice lunch beside the waterhole that had permanent water running into it.

The railway tunnel through the Argylia Ranges – the only one of its kind in NW Qld

 

The railway tunnel through the Argylia Ranges – the only one of its kind in NW Qld

 

Hightville – part of the old remains

 

Fountain Springs

 

We would have liked to stay at the Clem Walton Park for longer but a certain daughter has put pressure on us to meet her in Brisbane at the end of the month so we were back on the road and heading in the general direct of Longreach.  A stop along the way was at Mckinlay.  This is where the pub is that Crocodile Dundee was filmed in.  We thought we would have lunch here but when we got there we were told that the cook was having the day off.  This was a bit disappointing so we had a drink then left which was more that most others did when they asked for lunch as well.

After Mick Dundee’s Pub disappointment we stopped at the Combo Waterhole for a look.  This is apparently were the jolly swagman drowned when the troopers caught him and then Banjo Patterson wrote “Once A Jolly Swagman”.  With the drought they are going through over here there wasn’t much water in it but it was good to see anyway.

After what was probably our longest drive of the trip so far we rolled into Winton about half past five in the evening.  We decided that this deserved a two night rest.  You also get a deal on some cheaper drinks at the local pub so we went there for a meal that night which was a nice change.  The next day we drove to the Australian Age Of Dinosaurs display about 20k’s from Winton.  This was really worth the drive and the facility is very well done.  After a few hours there it was back to town and a walk around Winton.  You have to feel a bit sorry for Winton as they have/had the Waltzing Matilda Centre there that got burnt down in June this year.  This was probably the reason most people came to Winton.  You get the feeling that they are doing it a bit tougher there now as their main tourist attraction has been lost.  Staying a couple of days you did feel that you helped support them a little bit at least.

Winton – main street display

 

Winton – historic building

 

Winton – about all that’s left of the Waltzing Matilda Museum

 

Winton – Age Of Dinosaurs Museum

 

Winton – Age Of Dinosaurs Museum

 

Winton – Age Of Dinosaurs Museum

 

After Winton it was onto Longreach for a three day stay.  At Longreach we did the Qantas Founders Museum , The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Kinnon & Co tour.  We bought a combined ticket for them all and packed it all into three days which keeps you busy and we did get a bit museumed out.  We thought the best part was the ride on the stage coach with Kinnon & Co.  This was through the streets and then onto some dirt tracks on the edge of town, a dusty bouncy ride with a gallop on the way back.  Yours truly sat on the top with two others and we got covered in dust but it was a lot of fun.  One thing you do notice is how dry it is out here, they are really doing it tough with the drought.  You even see emus and kangaroos in town during the day coming in to feed on the only green grass around as there isn’t much in the bush.

Longreach – QANTAS Founders Museum

 

Longreach – QANTAS Founders Museum

 

Longreach – QANTAS Founders Museum 747 cockpit

 

Longreach – QANTAS Founders Museum 727 cockpit

 

Longreach – QANTAS Founders Museum

 

Longreach – QANTAS Founders Museum

 

Kinnon & Co – Ready for the coach ride

 

Kinnon & Co river cruise

 

Kinnon & Co river cruise

 

Australian Stockman’s Hall Of Fame show

 

Australian Stockman’s Hall Of Fame show

 

Australian Stockman’s Hall Of Fame show

 

After a busy three days in Longreach it is back on the road again and heading slowly towards Brisbane.  We have realised that the school holidays start at the end of this week so it will be interesting to see how busy it gets as we get closer to the coast.  Until the next update all keep well and all you workers keep paying taxes…….please.

 

 

We made it finally into Queensland and have now been in Mt Isa for four days to have a taste of some civilisation.  We must be getting used to camping out in the smaller places to much as when we first drove into Mt Isa we felt like it was bit of a rat race and cars just seemed to be speeding around everywhere.  This is the first major town we have been to probably since Karratha.

After leaving Katherine we drove to Mataranka for a few days at the hot springs.  We stayed at the Bitter Springs Caravan Park which is only a short walk from Bitter Springs.  These were really good and the water was so clear to swim in with the springs following a natural creek which you could float slowly down while sitting on a noodle relaxing and taking it all in.  There were also the Mataranka Springs which were at the Mataranka Homestead.  These were nice also but we preferred the Bitter Springs as these were all natural and more interesting to swim in.  With a morning and afternoon swim it was hard life for a few days.  The Mataranka pies are also very good and thoroughly recommended if you are driving through town.   Make sure you have one each as they are to nice to share.

Mataranka – Bitter Springs

 

Mataranka Homestead – We Of The Never Never replica house used to make the film of the same name

 

Mataranka – Mataranka Homestead Springs

 

After a few days unwinding in Mataranka we drove to Daly Waters for a night.  Daly Waters claim to fame apart from being in the middle of nowhere is that is was used in the film Last Taxi To Darwin.  I think this was way before I was born.  The caravan park is next to the pub and was really like a dust bowl but the meal in the pub was good so that made up for it a bit.  Don’t think we will rushing back to visit again though so was good to tick it off the list this time round.

Daly Waters

 

Daly Waters

 

Daly Waters

 

Daly Waters – Main Street

 

After Daly Waters it was off to a small place called Elliot and a waterhole there called Longreach Waterhole.  This was about 12 kilometres from the town.  Its amazing some of the places there are in places that you think you would just drive through and never think of again.  The waterhole at Elliot was an absolutely perfect place to stay.  There weren’t many caravaners staying there at this time of year and there was grass all around the waterhole (better than some of the caravan parks we have stayed in). The water was also great for swimming in and the birdlife on the waterhole was also good to see.  We had a great three days here and would like to have stayed longer but we could hear Queensland calling us.

Longreach Waterhole

 

Longreach Waterhole

 

Longreach Waterhole – one of the great sunsets

 

After a hard decision to pack up and leave Longreach Waterhole we then decided that we would get into Queensland in two days so it was a couple of one night stops on the side of the road until we hit the border.  We did stop and look at Churchill’s Head and had lunch on one day, make your own mind up about the resemblance.   After crossing the border we stopped the night at Camooweal to have a few quiet wines and celebrate making it with no big disaster’s.

From Camooweal it was a quick trip into Mt Isa for a few days of retail therapy and restocking after six days of free camping from Katherine.  One of the highlights so far in Mt Isa has been discovering a Bunnings in Town. It was heart warming to walk onto some hallowed ground and I really felt like I had come home.  It is still amazing how you can walk in with nothing in particular in mind to buy but walk out with all these essential things that I needed straight away and didn’t really know how I had got this far without them.  Mt Isa is really just a mining town and does remind me a bit of Kalgoorlie.  The four days we have been here is definitely long enough for us so it will be good to be on the road again tomorrow though we have enjoyed what we have seen while here.

Mt Isa – Underground hospital

Mt Isa – Underground hospital

 

Mt Isa – Lake Moondarra

 

Mt Isa – Lake Moondarra

 

Mt Isa from the city lookout

 We are going to go down towards Longreach with a few free camps along the way so it will be a slow meandering trip.  We think we might head in the general direction of Rockhampton but this could change as we get further along. That’s the great thing about not having a plan……………….to anyone who still works, keep paying your taxes so we can keep holidaying…… until next time.