21/6/2018
Thursday R & R woke a little earlier than usual at 6:30am and agreed to get
moving. It was 5*C and the wind was
still. By 8:00am they were saying “Goodbye.” to Mays Bend, the Darling and the
kangaroos grazing between the campers. They were bound for Cunnamulla 257 kms
north on the Mitchell Highway. For the
greater part of the journey the road follows more or less closely to the
Warrego River. No sooner had RL turned north for Enngonia (79kms), than he commented,
“Something big at 11 o’clock!” And big
it was! R & R could see a massive
building being constructed but there was no signage so they had no way of
knowing what it might have been. They
passed through Enngonia about 9:30am and noted that its primary school was
first opened in 1884. Other than that,
there was a hotel, health services building, a police station and a few
houses. They passed through Barringun, a
further 38kms, about 10:00am. The
community was much smaller with a truck stop shop and a popup hotel with free
camping surrounded by the only green grass R & R had seen all morning. Immediately beyond it, RL stopped at the
NSW/QLD border. R & R took a photo
break and even took a selfie together under the Welcome to Queensland sign. R & R stopped again for nearly 20 minutes
around 11:00am for a cup of coffee and a banana about 60kms south of
Cunnamulla. RA knew it would be a long morning so she played the other two
short stories, Big Medicine and Dutchman’s Flat, by Louis L’Amour for
RL. Generally, the road was flat and in
good condition and the country side was quite similar for the whole
journey. Flatness and openness varied
more or less with undulating and wooded areas, particularly in the last 30kms
before Cunnamulla, where the road ran in the floodplains of the Warrego and the
soil was more grey with small red sandhills that provided a good place for
flora and trees. There were more
carcasses and skeletons of kangaroo and emu than R & R had ever seen,
possibly one every few metres. Kanagroo
was more prolific in the first half and emus in the second. R & R arrived at the information centre
about noon to a lovely warm 19*C. They
took a quick walk downtown before heading to the caravan park. Luckily RL had suggested ringing ahead to
book a space for as soon as RL had parked near reception, there was a line
pulling in behind him. R & R set up
the camper and were sitting for lunch about 1:30pm with the wash in the washing
machine. They hung the wash and trusted
each other, again, to cut each other’s hair before a shower. That, all done,
about 3:00pm, R & R went back down town to take in the couple of the mains
streets and some photos. The gardens were spectacular with petunia and roses
immaculately kept and RL could not resist the opportunity to tell the gardeners
so, as they were pruning. RL drove just
out of town and they walked the loop trail which displays 6 different
ecosystems found with the region, each featuring plants and soils within that
ecosystem. It really was lovely. On the drive back RL detoured to the railway
station which had a large domed covered rail platform. They drove over the bridge to the Warrego
River walk but decided that the 2.5km walk would be better in the morning
especially as they needed to get the washing in. Having fetched the washing in, at just before
sunset, R & R scrambled up the red sandhills behind the caravan park to try
their luck at some sunset photos. When
they returned they had coffee and looked through maps while charging all their
tech. items. As they were sitting for
dinner S rang about her day. After
dinner they read and wrote a while. RA
had been wearing a dress and RL was in his shorts … they had no need of mittens
or beanies.
22/6/2018
Friday R & R woke at 7:00am to a warm 6*C and had breakfast before RA tried
to do a little catch up on the diary.
They took turns at going to the shower before tidying up and setting
down. Right on 10:00am, RL was driving
out of the caravan park heading down town to look in the couple of op shops
that were not open the day before. Then,
as agreed, they returned to the 2.5kms River Walk. It was a good thing that they did for they
may well have wondered what they were missing out on if they hadn’t. It was much shorter than they had expected
and only took 30 minutes with lots of stops to read signs along the way. One thing RA learned was that there is a bird
called the Rainbow Bee-eater which is brilliantly coloured with orange under
wing and that it lives, not in a nest, but in an underground burrow that can be
as long as a metre with the egg chamber at the end. R & R were only sorry they didn’t see
one. Before leaving the Cunnamulla River
Walk car park, R & R had coffee and rang to book their camping space at
Oxley Pines Caravan Park in Brisbane for Wed 27th – Sat 30th June. They felt that being safe was better than
being sorry. Finally, at 11:30am RL
headed for Bollon, 180kms east on the Balonne Highway (Adventure Way). It was a good sealed road that was a little
narrower in the middle section and only had lines marked about 40kms from
Bollon. RL noticed that where he would
expect a grid on the road as part of a fence line, there was a high-pitched
squeal as you went through. He had no
idea what it was and knew he wasn’t speeding!
Finally, he realised that it was activated by movement and was a
deterrent for animals wanting to cross.
Unlike the previous day’s drive where traffic was constant, there was
nearly no traffic at all. RA counted
only a half dozen going east like they were, and about 18 going west, half a
dozen of which were horse floats or transporters. Further, unlike the day before there were
virtually no living creatures, domestic or wild, as there had been on the
Mitchell Hwy. All R & R saw was one
pair of live emus, 2 horses near a tank, and a handful of cattle or goats near
dams with water. It was an ideal road
for them to begin listening to another Playaway audiobook, Bryce Courtnay’s Potato Factory. They listened to Chapters 1 & 2. The road verge was mostly wooded (cypress
pine, mulga, wilga and river red gum in lower lying areas) to some degree,
perhaps hiding activity that was further back and the soil mostly red with the
grey loam in flood ways. Just before
1:00pm R & R stopped for lunch on the side of the road. It was quiet and still. Not a sound and only the slightest puff of
breeze. There were no birds moving or
calling, no flies to irritate, the soil red and mostly mulga trees. After their half hour break RL drove on. The terrain became undulating and had a
couple of hills where it rose and fell again about 20m and was rocky at its
highest points. After that, about 40kms
from Bollon, there appeared grasses, on the side of the road and a couple of
patches in particular where there was a distinctive smell of green shrubs and
grasses in the low-lying area around Theodore Dam. At 2:15pm R & R pulled
into the Bollon free camping site on the banks of Wallam Creek. It was a lovely spot with lots of different
larger trees on the water’s edge, lots of space and great facilities. Having set up and had coffee and a biscuit
(thanks to their friend Fr P), R & R walked down town at 3:00pm, along the
river path and took photos of everything that appealed: the river, ducks, old
agricultural machinery, the welcome sign, two trees of different type that had
grown intertwined with each other and a Warrie shearing jacket that was hanging
in Deb’s Café as part of her shearing memorabilia display. They also noticed that the Shire had set up
free hot water showers to encourage free camping and the tourist dollar in the
shops. As there was no phone reception,
RL sent a Spot message and then read while RA did the diary early for a change.
After dinner R & R sat together and checked the draft of another post. It had been a long day … and they were both
tired.
23/6/2018
Saturday R & R got out of bed a little earlier than usual, breakfasted and
packed down with the intention of having a shower downtown. R & R noted the smell of the grey river
water on their skin and in the air where it was being used at ablution blocks;
a smell that was not unpleasant and did not linger. At 8:15am, as RL was driving over the bridge
away from Bollon, a brolga crossed the road in from of the Ute. R & R were headed for St George just over
100kms away with the settlement of Boolah about half way in between. For the most part there were wooded sections
along the road, in the paddocks or as shelter belts and tall grasses. Those sections with trees along the road probably
disguised the fact the back from the road, it was actually station country with
cattle, though RA did see a sign for a stock horse stud. Again, the trees
consisted of river gums, mulga with a big proportion of cypress. R & R listened to Chapter 3 of The Potato Factory. About 10kms out of St George the phone went
crazy tinging to let R & R know that there were a pile of messages and
emails. Shortly after, at 9:40am, R
& R were taking photos along the beautiful Balonne River and of the St
George Bridge and Weir before popping into the information centre where they
saw a sample of the famous illuminated emu eggs carved by Steve
Margaritis. It was a lovely neat and
clean town with a welcoming atmosphere. R & R walked downtown at a pleasant
18*C and popped into a couple of op shops and then into the library to look at
the quilt display before having a coffee and biscuit and chatting with their
son, S. No one was home when R & R
rang to enquire about visiting the cacti garden so RL headed for Goondiwindi,
203kms to the east. But first it was
about 40kms south towards Nindigully on the Canarvon Hwy before turning east on
the Barwon Highway. Immediately out of
St George, R & R noticed cotton farming that spread for about 20kms. There was some still yet to be harvested, the
walls and channels indicative of that type of farming, socks to indicate wind
speed and direction and no fencing.
Signs at the St George river front down town, indicate that these farms
use water from a scheme that was developed in the 1950’s and that grain, onions
and pumpkins are also grown along with cotton.
Interestingly, the other sign told of the three floods of 2010, 2011 and
2012 (three consecutive years) and listed years of other known floods. It also
noted that in 2014, there was a drought where the Balonne was reduced to a
trickle. It all showed how difficult it
would be to manage farming that relies so heavily on water from rivers. The second 20kms was sheep and cattle station
country with fencing and the usual vegetation of trees and grasses. About 12:15pm, R & R stopped to look at
the Moonie River and the Nindigully Pub (it had an interesting sign saying
“Beer Free Yesterday”). There were
already a great number of campers setting up by the river and settling into
happy hour early in the day. The hotel
has a reputation for being one of the oldest continually licensed pubs in
Australian and featured in the film, “Paperback Hero”, staring Hugh
Jackman. RL put a jerry can of fuel in
the tank and they set off for Goondiwindi.
R & R couldn’t not resist stopping when they saw a sign about an
Aboriginal Rock Well site at Weengallon 20kms east of Nindigully. It was an interesting site, quite different
from gnamma holes and the rock formations were unlike anything they had seen and
included some grinding grooves which were evidence of ochre removal. R & R had agreed to stop for lunch at
Talwood a few kilometres further so they drove on. It is a community a little larger that
Narrikup where a railway line needs to be crossed to get into the settlement. It had 20km/hr speed humps in the main
street, a school, a railway and silos and a free camping area where R & R
sat and enjoyed lunch for a half hour break.
About 2:30pm they set out for Goondiwindi. Just out of town they noticed
some green crops and they continued to see prickly pear as they had never seen
before. They were tall, mixed up in
between all the natural trees and their trunks were thick and dry and
hard. They continued to be visible for
the rest of the afternoon even past Goondiwindi. R & R passed through the
small settlements of Bungunya and Toobeah which were sidings with silos for the
movement of grain. R & R listened to
Chapter 4 as they drove. There continued
sheep and cattle stations and at one point there was a herd of cattle being
moved along the highway by some stockpersons: one, a man riding a horse,
another, a woman on a quad bike and the third, a child, walking. It was a pleasant 21*C when R & R arrived
in Goondiwindi at 3:30. They checked the time for Mass and that the information
centre would be open in the morning. RL
had checked fuel prices on the phone and refuelled for 145.9c/lt before setting
the Navigator to Munda Rest Area 20kms east on the Cunningham Hwy. RL noted a farm called Bonnie Doon where good
looking black Angus cattle were feeding and RA noticed a sign for quarter
horses at another farm. At 5:00pm they
were setting up the camper and 20 minutes later they were having coffee when
their daughter, S, rang. While they cooked dinner they rang their other daughter
H, as they had not chatted for a while.
Their grandson, R, was keen to tell them his story. Before dinner R & R looked at the map to
plan a path to Brisbane and after dinner they read and wrote until it was time
for bed … they would have to be organized in the morning to get 20kms back into
town before 8:00am Mass.
24/6/2018
Sunday RL was a little disturbed as a truck had pulled up at some time in the
night and had its motor running to keep the cabin warm. Both R & R woke about 5:00am, possibly anxious
not to sleep in but eventually they got out about 6:00am. They set about having breakfast and setting
everything down so they were actually heading for Goondiwindi just after 7:00am
and waiting outside church twenty minutes later. It was 4*C. Goondiwindi is a
very big town on the border of NSW and QLD and sits on the Macintyre
River. It is a big centre supporting
agricultural activities in the area.
Besides beef and sheep, cotton and cereals, like wheat and barley,
chickpeas, sorghum, olives, nuts, citrus, stone fruit, broccoli, lavender and
pumpkin are also grown. After Mass, R
& R, parked at Coles but it was not open so they walked to the information
centre and wandered along the river front reading all the plaques about the
different floods. There, R & R took
photos of the Pillars, a public art work, made from sandstone which celebrates
the fact that earth, rain and river have drawn prosperity, industry and people
to the “resting place of the birds” (the meaning of Goodiwindi). There were
three pillars representing past, present and future and the carvings include
river birds. They also saw the Gunsynd
statue commemorating the famous Goondiwindi Grey, a race horse who was bought
for a pittance ($1300) and ended up winning 29 races including the Cox
Plate. As they walked back R & R
popped into Foodworks for some groceries and put them in the fridge before
heading to the markets in the park where they could not resist buying some
fruit and vegetables. At 11:00am, before
leaving, RA posted a blog while RL messaged his sister, K, and the Goondiwindi
Regional Council to say how pleasant it was to find the town library open on a
Sunday. They also chatted to some fellow
travellers in the car park. About noon,
RA set the Navigator for the first rest area (Wyaga Creek) 45kms north towards
Toowoomba on the Gore Highway where they enjoyed lunch on arrival. It had been flat station country with wooded
road verges sometimes hiding farming activity from view. RA was preoccupied with the number and size of
prickly pear. Some of them must have
been almost 5m in height. She observed
that their habit was not as round and short and full as the few garden
specimens she had seen because in the wild they were forced to grow tall (and,
therefore, thinner) to compete with the other trees. After taking a half hour break for lunch, RA
set the Navigator for Millmerran 74kms north east and put in a CD; Billy Ray
Cyrus’s 1992 block buster “Some Gave All”. RA was shaking her head in time to
the boot scoot and bluesy rhythms and mouthing the words when RL commented that
it is one of those albums that most everybody did not want to admit to owning
and enjoying. “Achy Breaky Heart” became the first single to ever achieve
triple platinum status in Australia.
“Some Gave All” was the bestselling album in 1992 in the US with
4,832,000 copies sold while selling more than 20,000,000 copies worldwide. Although, they hadn’t really noticed the road
had been rising and was nearly 400m and the country side became more undulating
and trees taller as they neared the Wondul Range State and National Parks. Farming continued in between and behind
wooded sections and again near Western Creek State Forest and National Park and
around Captain’s Mountain which rose to 620m.
R & R stopped at Millmerran at a park which featured a wigwam and
had coffee while RL chatted with his brothers, G and S. On the way out, at 3:00pm, towards Toowoomba
RA took a couple of photos of the mural on the tank walls (all done in sepia
tones) of the history of water supply and not long after there was a huge Feed
Mill facility with a massive solar power grid to supply its needs. Along the flat and open 45km drive from
Millmerran to Pittsworth on the Gore Highway (an area known as Darling Downs),
the railway supported the movement of gain from the farms through sidings like
Brookstead. While cotton was grown (no
fences needed) near the Condamine River, sheep and cattle were seen behind
fences where small mountains rose north and south to about 520m. RL stopped briefly, about 4:00pm, at
Pittsworth to allow RA to set the Navigator for Federation Park 31kms across
country. It was a lovely undulating
drive through what looked like quite prosperous grain, sheep and cattle farming. Oaklands Stud featured as a large horse
breeding operation and a rider on horseback was checking the neat wooden rail
and wire fencing. Another property had
the name “Hoo Roo”. It was the best road surface RL had been on all day and RA
knew it because her notes were more readable.
Wyreema was a section of lovely new neat little houses recently built
which reminded R & R of Henley Brook.
They arrived at Federation Park, Vale View (about 12kms south of
Toowoomba), just before 4:30pm and twenty minutes later they were having a cup
and snack. After sorting out the
shopping, it was still a lovely 16*C so R & R walked round the trees each
of which had a plaque with the name of a Prime Minister of Australia. As soon
as the sun set, the cool moved in so R & R looked at the maps and checked
the location of shops in South Toowoomba for the next day. They cooked and ate dinner before writing and
reading. S, their daughter, rang to tell about her busy weekend with the
brothers and all the school preparation she had been doing. It had been a long
day … and both R & R were tired.
25/6/2018
Monday R & R got out of bed at 6:30am to a not too cool 6*C and had coffee
then breakfast. RA finished the diary
not quite completed from the night before and sent a birthday greeting to her
nephew, P. R & R walked around the
path that loops down over a creek and passes back on the other side by a very
deep pool where a father and his children were playing on their way to
school. They set the camper down and
secured it with a couple of locks. By
9:00am, it was already 12*C. RA set the
navigator and RL head north 12kms via the Drayton Connection Rd to Toowoomba
for a shopping expedition. Horses were
the most prominent type of animals seen from the road. R & R dropped the
gas bottle in at Anaconda for a refill and walked round the plaza in the
complex next door. They did a food shop
at Coles and were fortunate enough to notice that they had been overcharged for
a bag of apples. After showing the
docket, they were given a refund. R
& R had worked out that there was a Vinnies Op Shop just down the road so
they went there before leaving Toowoomba.
When they returned to the camper, there were several jobs that needed to
be done: put the meat and vegetables in the camper freezer, rearrange the gas
bottles, hook up the camper and place the receipts in a survey box. RL was particularly keen to participate in
the request from the Toowoomba Council for tourists, who used the rest area to
camp overnight, to provide receipts of any transaction they had completed while
staying. The idea was that, then they
would be able to see the value of providing the rest area. By 12:30pm, R & R were driving south
towards Allora (about 70kms) where they had planned to sleep that night. There was a direct route down the highway but
as the distance was not far, they chose a loop drive round a couple of smaller
settlements. The distance was only a few
kilometres more but it was more scenic, a much better road and at a more
leisurely pace. The route took them
through Cambooya, Felton, Nobby and Clifton before arriving at Allora. Like
late the day before, they were driving through country side which was flat and
open, grain with sheep and cattle farming where hills rose in the
distance. The farms appeared smaller and
possibly a little tired with older fencing and machinery but that may all have
been an impression caused by the lack of rain.
There was no water in the creeks to be using the irrigation equipment
that was visible and tractors that were working were raising dust. The area was known as Clifton Plains and was
about 500m while the mountains in the distance rose to about 600m. To be quite truthful, despite what they saw,
RA though it must be some of the most beautiful farming country in all of
Australia. At Clifton, R & R stopped
for lunch after popping into an op shop they had seen on the main street.
Clifton was quite a big town with a rail siding and several silos. About
2:15pm, they had found the rest area at Allora and dropped the camper, it still
being early enough to drive 25kms further south to Warwick just to see what was
there. Again, RL chose to take the
scenic route where they saw similar farming with more horses and a crop like
maize. About half way the road rose up a
hill and down over it again into the flat before entering Warwick through the
industrial area. R & R saw another stock horse stud called Lyndhurst before
crossing a single laned bridge over the river and under the rail line. There was a big operation which turned out to
be John Dee meat works. Warwick is a really big town, with several lovely old
buildings, traffic lights and all the bigger businesses like Harvey Norman and
car yards. Warwick sits on the Condamine
River and the area surrounding it is called Southern Downs. There was plenty of time for R & R was
wander round and take in its three op shops.
Shortly after 4:30pm, RL headed back to Allora and the camper, this time
along the Cunningham Hwy which was a much steeper drive, requiring overtaking
lanes to best manage the traffic. R
& R had to set up the camper but were soon having a cup of coffee and
settling in for the night. RL read while
RA sorted stuff and looked at a couple of maps.
They prepared dinner together and enjoyed it before messaging their son,
Z, to make arrangements for them to catch up later in the week in
Brisbane. S, their daughter rang and they
all chatted a while. RL went back to
reading and RA wrote the diary. It had
been another long day … tomorrow’s journey was not supposed to be very far …
but promised to be interesting.
26/6/2018
Tuesday R & R both had a bit of a restless night. They got out of bed about 7:00am to a
pleasant 8*C with the two other campers at Allora rest area already gone. After breakfast R & R walked for a good
half hour all the way into town along the Dalrymple Creek. When they returned
they had a coffee while they waited for a woman to drive away. She was standing having not one, but two,
smokes in front of a water trough that R & R wanted to photograph. Built in 1948, the wooden trough held 1200
gallons. It was at least three metres longer than the Ute and camper! Eventually, after 9:30am RL was driving south
along the New England Hwy before turning east onto Cunningham Hwy for a
journey of approximately 80kms to Fassifern where there was a free camping
spot. He put the Kenny and Dolly CD in to enjoy as they drove. At first the road was relatively flat running
in the valleys created by creeks with the mountains to the north and south
further away and farming of all sorts towards the hills: cattle, dry uncropped
grazing, cropped and green and cropped still brown. Then the road became steeper, the hills
closer and farming with terraces as the Ute approached the Gap. Cunningham’s
Gap is a pass over the Great Dividing Range between Fassifern Valley and the
Darling Downs and is the major route over the Main Range and through the
National Park; its elevation being 787m and its grade on descent 8-degree.
Spicers Peak rose to 1204m alongside the road. It was first explored in 1827 by
Allan Cunningham who came from the Hunter region to find a path from east to west. At the top of the gap, R & R saw a
Mountain Resort which boasted horse riding tuition and the Gap Moto Cross
complex. It was about 9kms of winding steep descent on the coastal side which had
suggested speeds of as low as 50km/hr, overtaking lanes both ways and parking
bays. About half way down RL pulled into
one and RA took a couple of photos, which in reality don’t show how awesome it
was. As he was driving down RL noticed a
body of water, which later turned out to be Lake Moogerah which is near Mt
Edwards (632m) about four kilometres west of Aratula. A few kilometres further, RL stopped at the
Fassifern rest area as planned but it being only 11:00am, it was way too early
to stop and set up for the night. R
& R consulted their Camps book and settled on the only other free camp on
the way to Brisbane, Tully Memorial Park, about 90kms away, easily achievable
even with a couple of stops for lunch, coffee and shopping. Eleven kilometres east on the way to Boonah,
R & R saw a very big horse farm, a sign advertising hay and carrots for
sale (Which is for the humans and for the horses?) and noticed that the hills
were smaller with Mt French North Peak being 472m. They stopped at the information centre and
armed themselves with a town map and their regional Scenic Rim touring
map. Their son, Z, rang and they chatted
a while confirming arrangements for later in the coming week. R & R walked
up and down all the streets and popped into three op shops and a fruit and veg.
shop. They could not believe their luck
to find a near new Brisbane UBD with plastic jacket in excellent condition for
50c! Boonah rose above the valley up the
side of a hill and was quaint with a one-way main street and some interesting
monuments: With An Eye on the Sky – about farming communities relying heavily
on the sky for sunshine and rain, Clydebuilt Horse – about the link between
these horses and the area in the early days, and the Blumbergville Clock –
which was made from recycled local farming machinery. Back at the Ute by 1:30pm, R & R ate
lunch while chatting to their daughter, H, before heading for Beaudesert 40kms
east. This part of road was quite
winding and hilly with farming up the hillsides while some sections appeared to
be allowing for tree regrowth rather than farming. R & R passed the QLD Moto Park and noted
that Teviot Brook and the Wyaralong Dam featured for quite a while before RL
drove past the building of a new multi-purpose estate 5kms out from Beaudesert.
Beaudesert which is on the Logan River has traffic lights, a big wood mill and
is a big centre servicing the area. It
was 20*C there and the clouds loomed dark and ominous overhead. RL stopped briefly to check the location of
the rest area and set the Navigator for Jimboomba 23Kms north on the Mt
Lindesay Hwy. There were three settlements Gleneagle which had a school,
Veresdale which had a hotel and Woodhill which had a hall and a school along
the way. The road rose somewhat before
RL crossed, first Scrubby Creek, and then the Logan River and turned off to
enter the Tully Memorial Park. It was
just after 3:00pm and both RL and RA were pleased that the wheels had stopped
turning. They had coffee and looked
through the UBD before even setting up the camper. It was then that they realized that the rest
area was actually in North Maclean, a southern suburb of Brisbane (in the UBD).
Just before 4:00pm they put the camper and the flies up just in case it
rained. They walked round the park and
read all the signs including the poles which indicated the levels of flood
depth in specific years. R & R read
and wrote for a while before preparing dinner and chatting with their daughter,
S. Her prac. assessor had been out and
by all accounts she would pass and graduate within a couple of weeks. RA was even more thrilled about that than …
finding a 50c Brisbane UBD.
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