18/7/2018
Wednesday. R & R woke at 7:00am to
5*C with a promise to rise to 27*C. R
& R wasted no time, breakfasting and tidying up and packing down and were
on their way just before 9:00am. The
plan was to head from Longreach for Winton 177kms north west on the
Landsborough Highway. As it was going to be a long drive R & R listened to
some more of “The Potato Factory”. The
road was mostly in good condition though it was quite busy with a lot of
vanners driving south (possibly to the races at Boulia). There were sections with lots of saltbush
and/or grasses and more wooded while other sections were sparsely vegetated, on
the mostly grey soil. Some sections of
the road were fenced and others not, while some sections of the rail which ran
to the east of the road were fenced on both sides. R & R saw some men and a couple of
engines working on the line at one stage and there were cattle and sheep mostly
near tanks or waterholes. To the west R
& R could see the mountains of the Bladensberg National Park about the same
time as they saw the Welcome to the Winton sign followed by a sign that
declared that the traveller was entering the Lake Eyre Basin which is filled by
the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers.
About 10:30am, RL pulled into a lovely free camp and roadside stop
called Crawford Creek with still a further 46kms to Winton. R & R sat for the best part of an hour
listening to the adventures or misadventures of Iki Solomon while having coffee
and a snack and enjoying the cool breeze of the creek side trees and the kites
circling above. The closer R & R got
to Winton it was easier to see that the mountains appeared flat topped and that
there were others far to the north east, pale on the horizon. R & R passed the turn off to the Dinosaur
Museum which was about 12kms out and arrived in Winton, the Dinosaur Capital of
Australia shortly after noon. They went
straight to the information centre. R
& R walked down town and into a couple of the opal shops. At one they watched the video clip before
admiring all the jewellery and rocks on display. At another they fossicked
through a few rocks in tubs and chose 4 little pieces at 50c each. The area around Winton (particularly Opalton)
is famous for its very rare form of opal called boulder opal. After that R & R were hungry for some
lunch so they went back to the Ute which fortunately for them was parked in the
new undercover facility for caravans and the like. Refreshed they went back
down town taking photos of everything that appealed. The Waltzing Matilda Centre was badly damaged
in a fire in June 2015 and had been rebuilt since. It is a magnificent building with stone walls
that look like a quarry or from a dinosaur era.
Around the bottom there were pieces of boulder opal embedded in the
walls. Out the front, there was a statue
of Banjo Patterson and on the pavement entrance the words of his famous poem “Waltzing
Matilda” have been blasted into the concrete.
R & R drove south out of Winton a couple of kilometres on sealed and
then another 1.5km unsealed to a delightful camping area called the Long
Waterhole. It is a man-made waterhole in
the Western River which was a sight for sore eyes, so pretty and
refreshing. Many people were already set
up for camping, fishing, bird watching or just relaxing in the shade of the
trees near the water, but R & R were keen to keep moving. The Western River joins the Diamantina a
little further south west. About 2:45pm,
R & R returned to Winton and headed for Kynuna on the road to
Cloncurry. There had been no Optus
reception in Winton so they did not expect to have any again until maybe
Cloncurry. As they were leaving, they noticed Mt Gordon which was one of
several small hills, some with round and others, flat tops. Very shortly after that the country was flat
and open and often bare on both sides.
There were pockets of treed sections where cattle would be seen
gathering near waterholes near creek lines such as Werna Creek, where there was
enough water for a large colony of birds to share it with the cattle. For a big part of the journey, there were
surveyors and surveying equipment on the side of the road. All round there was a haze and far to the
north a few clouds about 15* above the horizon.
Shortly after Wockingham Creek, R & R came upon the Ayrshire Hills
which were an interesting formation of mostly flat-topped hills with rocks and
boulders, one looking much like a building with a chimney on top. Fortunately, there was a rest area nearby so
they were able to stop easily and take some photos while taking a break. It was only a further 30kms to the Wanora
Downs Rest Area where R & R intended to stay the night so it was not long
before they were there and setting up.
By 4:30pm R & R were sitting with coffee and peanuts. They studied
the maps and were fortunate enough to notice three bustards feeding in the
paddock nearby. RL had put the Slim
Dusty USB into the sound system which provide them with some entertainment. R & R took their books out to finish them
off. Both were excited to finish but
both a little sad when it was done! They
prepared dinner together, after which RL read and RA did the diary. They had sat in shorts and shirt all evening
with a pleasant breeze moving through the opening in the canvas … RA wondered
how warm it might be in the early morning.
19/7/2018
Thursday R & R woke at 6:00am, a little earlier than usual, but they agreed
to get going, regardless. There had been
no rain overnight as R & R might have expected as the clouds covered the
stars just before they turned in, but both were aware that those clouds don’t
usually bring rain at this time of the year.
Needless to say, it was not a cold night or morning, though with no
reception R & R could not be sure.
They were surprised to see a single brolga feeding in almost exactly the
same place as the three bustards the evening before. By 8:15am, RL was pulling
away from the rest area situated on the edge of Donald Downs where cattle were
feeding at the tanks on the horizon.
Again, they saw a couple of bush turkeys, a small eagle and a pair of
kites in a nest in a tree. The
countryside was flat, rising and falling between 200-215m with more or less
grasses and more or less wooded in sections.
Cattle were seen several times, mostly near or on route to water holes
or tanks. They passed the McKinlay Shire
– Gateway to the Gulf sign before RL turned off Landsborough Highway towards
Combo Waterhole Conservation Park.
Engaging 4WD, RL drove over a grid and 8kms on a good unsealed track
before actually entering the park for another couple of kilometres to the
parking bay. This site is a significant
conservation park for its bird life in particular. R & R were fortunate enough to see
Spinifex Pigeons, plovers, parrots and other birds. Beside the gentle murmuring of the breeze
that almost sounded like running water, there was quite a noise from varying
bird calls. R & R also saw
butterflies. The area is also
significant in that, in an effort to retain water in the creeks and billabongs,
the Chinese built walls of stone called overshot. So carefully were they placed that they
remain today and still keep pools of water year-round. Lastly, the billabong at the western end, it
is claimed, is the site of the Jolly Swagman’s Camp and there is a monument
which claims it. The walk is well
signposted and though only 2.5km return, R & R took about an hour before
they returned to the carpark. Shortly
after 10:00am, R& R were passing through Kynuna, a very small town about
12kms away from the waterhole. The
section of road from Kynuna to Mckinlay was much as it had been before with the
soil being predominantly yellow ochre rather than grey as it had been near the
conservation park. About 11:30, R &
R were taking photos of the iconic pub, bar and truck right out of the
Crocodile Dundee movie, McKinlay’s greatest claim to fame. They popped into Queensland’s smallest
library, chatted with the librarian, exchanged a couple of books and popped
into the local museum before having lunch.
Not long after leaving McKinlay and heading for Cloncurry, 106kms away,
about 1:00pm, there was a dramatic change in the environment. The earth was redder, the trees more, of
different types, and thicker, with more grasses and anthills. At first the anthills were round but latter
they became more pointed. They listened
to more of the “The Potato Factory”. The
sign indicating the Cannington Mine just before McKinlay was just a foretaste
of what was to come. The closer R &
R got to Cloncurry, with the Selwyn Ranges coming into view and then become a
part of them, the more they were aware that they were really coming into mining
country. There were signs to mines in
every direction and the Navigator had them tagged. R & R arrived at the Cloncurry
information centre and museums about 2:15pm.
They were anxious to message everyone that they were safe as they had
not been able to do so for a couple of days and to ring RA’s brother to wish
him a happy birthday. That done they
sought information and walked around taking photos, particularly from the
lookout at the top, where the hills and their rocky outcrops were spectacular. RA wanted very much to buy a fossicking bag
for $10, so RL indulged her. They
fiddled around picking up big and small bits and filling their little calico
sack (maybe 10cm x 15cm) full of all manner and colour of rock, big and
small. They retired to the Ute for a cup
of coffee and a chat to their daughter, H, before venturing downtown for fuel. The diesel bowser was out of order so RL left
town with the intention of using one of his jerry cans. About 4:30pm, R & R were heading west out
of Cloncurry on the Barkly Hwy in the direction of Mt Isa with the intention of
sleeping the night at Clem Walton Park and Corella Dam about 53kms away, over
the Cloncurry River and weir which had water in it. It was spectacular country of hills up to
485m with rocky outcrops and big trees, something like the Kimberley in Western
Australia. Only a short journey, RL
stopped several times: to take some photos of the scenery, to empty a 20ltr
jerry can into the tank and to look at the Burke and Wills Memorial, so it was
no surprise how late it was when they arrived at the camping area, drove around
and finally chose a spot. It was well
after 6:00pm before R & R were having coffee and looking at maps. That meant a later than usual dinner. It had been a long day … such big changes in
scenery … from open flat grassed countryside to hilly, rocky and forested.
20/7/2018
Friday R & R got out of bed about
7:30am to a darkly clouded sky. It
looked like it might rain at any minute, but R & R guessed it was just the
way of it in this part of Queensland.
Cloudy skies in July do not mean rain.
R & R had breakfast and set about getting going as they wanted to
get the best part of the day in Mt Isa.
By 9:00am, RL was leaving Clem Walton Park and Corella Dam recreational
facility and free camp. Originally the
Corella River was dammed to supply the Mary Kathleen Mine a few kilometres
west. The Barkly Highway heading west
was in good condition and being undulating and winding, had overtaking
lanes. R & R only went a few
kilometres before stopping at Fountain Springs Rest Area just to see if it
would be suitable when they returned later in the day. Happy that it would be, they set off a
further 60kms west to Mt Isa. The
scenery was just like the afternoon before.
Breathtaking! The hills, which ranged in height from 400-600m, were
covered in rocks, boulders, slabs, tumbling, stacked, jutting out, horizontal,
vertical, red and some black. Surrounded
by hills, covered with trees, grasses and other bushes, the road was fenced on
both sides with mining activity further back.
The Navigator knew all their names.
That meant that there were lots of mining trucks going both ways. And with hills, come valleys, so there were
many creeks and rivers with bridges though mostly dry. RL commented that “The
wind was quite strong.” as it affects not only comfort in driving but fuel
consumption. But more profoundly, he noted, “It’s OK driving on a road in
country like this, just imagine walking through it in the early days!” About half way, shortly after crossing the
East Branch of the Leichhardt River which feeds Lake Mary Kathleen to the west,
the scenery changed a little. The hills
were a little further back and the appearance more Savanah where the wind blew
wildly through a grass that had attractive white fluffy blooms that looked like
lamb’s tails. It was 10:00am when R & R went into the information centre at
Mt Isa to ask all the usual questions, to check book swaps, look at maps and
brochures and take in any displays or art works. They sat and watched a movie for a
while. It was a broadcast style from the
1960s describing the history of Mt Isa, mining and the growth of the city. R & R learned some interesting details:
JC Miles, a prospector, discover lead in 1923 which lead to the pegging out of
118 leases by the end of the year, other minerals (zinc, copper and silver) are
also mined at Mt Isa, Mt Isa is Australia’s leading producer of copper and the
world largest producer of lead, there were 90 miles of road and 170 miles of
rail underground in the mines, even today most of the refining of ores is done
in Townsville on the eastern coast which requires the ore to be transported by
road train or rail, Mt Isa has a world class annual rodeo (“Mt Isa Rodeo” is
another of Slim Dusty’s songs.) and Bob Katter MP is the Minister for
Kennedy. Before heading downtown for a
walk and some food shopping at Coles, R & R had a cup and a biscuit about
10:45am and rang their niece, E, to wish her a happy birthday. When they returned a couple of hours later,
at 12:45pm, they had lunch. Fortified
they went for a walk and took photos.
The clouds had mostly cleared, the day, pleasantly sunny and the wind,
not too strong. The 360* view from the top of the lookout over the city (Mt Isa
has quite a few sets of traffic lights) was spectacular. It showed just how close the main Mt Isa Mine
with its smelters is to the CBD. R &
R could not resist snapping a couple of plaques on Rodeo Drive of the riders
and bulls that have achieved legendary status.
Back at the information centre, they took photos of art works, the
copper pour installation and miner statue, and of the Megalania Prisca,
Australia’s largest monitor of megafauna species (now extinct). It looked more
like a crocodile than a lizard. It is interesting
that with rocks and minerals there are often associated discovery of
fossils. About 2:30pm, R & R refuelled,
the second time that being a WA RAC member was a benefit and headed north east
out of Isa to Lake Moondarra. Built on
the Leichhardt River in 1958 by Mt Isa Mines to provide a town water supply, it
was the largest water scheme to be financed by a private company in
Australia. For visitors and locals
alike, the dam provides opportunities for recreation, water sports, fishing,
bird watching and photography. Having
walked to the lookout and across the dam wall, R & R were ready to return
through Mt Isa, and back along the Barkly Highway to Fountain Springs. Shortly after 5:00pm, they had chosen their
spot and set up. It took a while to sort
all the shopping but it was not long before they were up to their usual evening
activities like reading, studying maps and writing diary before and after
dinner. The scenery had been
spectacular, and as they were driving back to Cloncurry in the morning … R
& R would get another dose then.
21/7/2018
Saturday R & R woke at 7:00am and there was no way of knowing what
temperature it was except that RA’s nose had become quite cold at some point in
the night. They were only about 60kms
from Cloncurry and in no hurry to get there as they intended to stay in a
caravan park which usually have no entry before 10:00am, but by the same token
there was not much they could do to fill in time. So, they breakfasted and set everything
down. It was quite a tight spot where RL
had parked the van the evening before but RL was sure it would be fine. It was, until the car front left tire came up
against a tree stump hidden in grass. It
was no problem with the Hum in control.
It was 8:40am when they set off but RL stopped a couple of times. On the way out, a couple of days ago, R &
R had promised that they would stop at a historical site on the right of the
road when they returned. It was a large
monument of Aboriginal significance with a poem on it, but neither RA or RL
could work out quite what it was all about.
RL stopped again for RA to take a picture of an ant hill, and again,
3kms before Cloncurry RL turned off 2kms south, to look at Chinaman’s Creek
Dam. It was a very pretty spot and,
though it was no longer early in the day, there were quite a few birds in and
near the water, and beyond the water, the dam wall and Mt Leviathan, known to
the locals as Black Mountain because of its black ore. By 10:00am, R L headed downtown so that they
could pop into Vinnies op shop and not be too early for entrance into Wal’s
Camp. R & R were set up before
11:00am, having coffee and speaking with S, their son, to wish his wife happy birthday. It was a lovely 19*C and a gentle breeze
boded well for doing the washing and getting it dry. R & R had showers about noon and spent
the next hour choosing photos and reading the draft for the next post which
lead to a late lunch. About 2:30pm, R
& R walked 2km into town to fetch a few grocery items from Woolies and then
walked back. RL read while RA did some
domestics like putting the shopping and clothing away, sorting the books and the
plastics cupboard and washing and drying her rocks. RL rang and spoke with his brother, S and
topped up the water tanks to save time in the morning. Then they both read awhile before
dinner. R & R spoke first with one
daughter and then the other as they were not sure if they would get reception
for a few days as they headed to the Gulf.
After dinner RA posted the latest episode for the blog and then did a
little diary. They were still undecided
to head straight to Normanton via Burke and Wills Roadhouse or to turn west …
taking the long way around with at least a couple hundred kilometres on dirt.
22/7/2018
Sunday R & R were a bit restless as is always the case when worried that
one might sleep in and be late. At
6:30am, while almost still dark, they headed to the showers to make sure they
were there before anyone else. They had
breakfast and set down as quickly as possible.
Believe it or not, they were outside St Colman’s Church on an empty
street with more than half an hour to spare so they had a coffee to warm the
hands. Despite the lovely days, the
mornings were cool and all that touching of cold metal had a way of numbing the
fingers. Again, the church community was
small but welcoming; even the black and white Collie cross that belonged to the
Sisters was welcome! After the service,
R & R went to the information centre to look at the markets before spending
the rest of the morning driving round all the points of interest listed on the
brochures. Some things R & R learned
about Cloncurry: Cloncurry is 200m above sea level, gold, silver, lead, zinc
and copper are mined currently while uranium oxide mining at Mary Kathleen had
ceased, between 1870 and the 1900s there was a large Chinese community living
and working in and around Cloncurry and the graves of at least 60 who died are
commemorated at the Chinese cemetery, similarly between 1890s and early 1900s
about 200 Afghan cameleers and 2,000 camels worked in and around the area
making Cloncurry the largest “Ghantown” in Queensland, the ashes of Dame Mary
Gilmore a famous Australian writer whose face is on the $10 bill had been
buried with her husband in the cemetery, the first commercial QANTAS flight was
from Charleville to Cloncurry in November 1922, thousands of US Defence Force
personnel were stationed at Cloncurry airport during the WWII Battle of the
Coral Sea, and the RFDS aerial medical service was founded by Rev John Flynn
(featured on the $20 note) in 1928 in Cloncurry as it was deemed to be the
centre of the Outback. RL wanted to top
up with fuel before leaving; just in case to make sure that they were as
prepared as possible. Shortly after
noon, RL headed north on the Burke Developmental Highway passing Flattop
Mountain at 250m with the intention of staying at Terry Smith Lookout about
78kms away, just under half way to the Burke & Wills Roadhouse. It was not long out that R & R remembered
that reception would be debatable by evening, so they stopped to send an all
children message and to ring RL’s brother, G.
It was pleasant sitting in the Ute despite the fact that there wasn’t a
single tree in the gravel pit where RL had parked, as he had pointed the
vehicle south and it was shaded. They
ate lunch before heading off at 1:30pm.
The road was in fairly good condition, though at a couple of places
there were single lanes or narrow lanes on bridges over creeks and rivers. The verge was fenced and cattle could be seen
in the countryside that was, for the most part, well wooded and grassed. RL drove through Quamby as there was only a
picnic table and a shop that no longer traded.
There were signs for Quamby Queen Mine and the Quamby Rodeo for the last
weekend in July. Cloncurry was advertising its rodeo for the first weekend in
August and Mt Isa, soon after that.
Interestingly, the countryside at Quamby and for the rest of the journey
was more hilly with rocky outcrops up to 450m and much more densely wooded with
a good understory of shrubs. It was
picturesque. R & R arrived at the
rest area just before 2:30pm and were set up within half an hour under the
shade of a beautiful river gum. Birds,
including the tiny iridescent green grass parrots were tweeting and darting in
the trees and grasses nearby and it was delightful for R & R to take a cat
nap. Shortly before 4:00pm, R & R
got up, had coffee and read for quite a while before taking a walk but there
was not much room for that. The carpark
was near full and three small enterprising children from one family were
successful in getting other campers to buy their drawings or rocks that they
had found for 50c. RL filled a bird bath
with water and R & R were able to enjoy watching them. After dinner R & R studied the maps with
a view to the next day before reading and writing a while. R & R had enjoyed a quiet day …
travelling less than one hundred kilometres.
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