4. CENTRAL WESTERN QUEENSLAND.

Hi all,
Most of this blog sees us still in the Murray- Darling catchment area, which we entered as mentioned in our first blog a few hours after leaving the Hunter Valley.
The Warrega River which runs through many of the towns in Queensland we have been to, covers 7% of the catchment land area, however less than 1% of the water entering in the system. All very arid, and the wildlife is so different to back home.

Gaol Bird (or it could be if it commits a fence)

Morven, west of Roma has a small volunteer run museum with a unique kerosene tin hut constructed during the depression.  The ingenuity using available products in tough times is most impressive and resourceful.

Kerosene Tin Hut

Fantastic flashing 

Storing in a cool place didn't quite work

Double skin roof. Early double glazing technology 

Furniture from tins. Note the legs in tins to be filled with water to prevent ants climbing the table legs

The museum displayed also hand made model buildings and relics from times gone by.

Something for everyone to study

Moving upstream to Charleville, Don put the effort in the open air Olympic Pool, knocking down a very needed casual 2 km, much of it backstroke whilst watching a Wedge-tail eagle circling overhead.  The eagle no doubt thought the swimming style was an animal in distress and  was contemplating zeroing in on his next meal.  Fortunately, the swim ended without drama. The eagle flew away hungry.

The station at Charleville has just two more trains a week than Newcastle Station.

2 trains a week to Charleville Station

Charleville has a Bilby Experience Centre for getting up and close to these cute little Australian Marsupials. They are restricted to only small pockets of Australia, due mainly to 20 million feral cats which have taken over 99% of Australia and kill 75 million native animals every 24 hours; 7.2 million foxes doing the same; and 200 million rabbits taking over Bilby burrows and competing for the same food.
Fenced off areas giving protection for Bilby are being built, along with further research to help prevent extinction.
For further reading and donations, go to www.savethebilbyfund.org   

ENDANGERED BILBY. They taste like dodo and are best sautered in plum sauce.

Oh so cute

The Corones Hotel in Charleville is a large opulent hotel built with no expense spared in the 1920s. Such a contrast to the kerosene hut seen a few days earlier.
Guided 2 hour tours are taken through the hotel, culminating in an afternoon tea of scones and cream.

Corones Hotel. Charleville. (Nothing like the Mattara Hotel of Charlestown)

Flood levels reach the 8th step. The lower steps are inundated with regularity

Ladies have a room to write. Gentlemen are right in all rooms

Absolute class

Great floors. Macho colour scheme

QANTAS had one of it's first flights out of Charleville, with the Corones Hotel catering for the flights.  It is thought this was the first of inflight catering anywhere in the world.
So many of the early aviators also stopped off at Charleville, including the Smith Bros, Amy Johnson, Nancy Bird.  As well as being a compulsory stop in the 1934 London to Melbourne Air Race.

If sheep had been carried in lieu of passengers, there could have been a ewe in QANTAS.

World War 2 saw Charleville as a base for the US Airforce. In 1942, the airbase stationed 3500 US airmen and ground crew, 101 buildings, 3 runways and 160 aircraft. Aircraft included Flying Fortress B-17, Liberator B-24, Cobra, Hawk, etc. We took a fascinating tour of the base, seeing a top secret Norden Bomb Siting  machine which originally sat up in the glass cone of bombers.

3 Airstrips and 160 planes 

Norden Bomb-Siting bomb proof shed. 2 fences, men and dogs surrounded this shed, marked on plans as dentist/ doctors shed

USAF  ice hockey rink.

The latrine is that way

Complete with fire hydrant. Apparently hydrants are targeted in air strikes, not so WCs. Hence the camouflage. 

The Cosmos Centre has a wonderful shed, the envy of all men present, allowing for the complete roof to peel back for viewing of all things celestial.  A great evening was enjoyed after being cancelled on two previous nights due to storms and cloud. We don't have any film record of this.  Just mental notes of the 6 sites we viewed.

Goat indicating  we are approaching  the Tropic of Capricorn (perhaps an escaped star sign from the Cosmos Centre)

The Royal Flying Doctor Service  also has a  base in Charleville. The method of identifying injuries or ailments with a numbering system; along with a numbering system for treatment is so straight forward and easy to apply.  The old pedal powered radio transmitter no doubt help cut the remoteness for the caller.

Keeping fit whilst calling the doctor. Note the pedal generator

Numbering system on body for assisting in diagnosis

Numbering system of drug/ bandage treatment

These flying doctors are not associated  with the RFDS

Heading north we encountered more wildlife at Augathella.  This town featured in the 1956 film classic "Smiley". (So many classics originated in 1956)
The town has some great sculptures scattered around. 

Rin Tin Tin

 Meat ant on telegraph pole

Moving north and more traffic congestion and road trains.

Cattle heard about and herd about the bull bar

Clarabelle, Daisy, Buttercup, Big Mac and friends

For the first time in 1700 km, we have moved out of the Murray Darling basin, and camped on the banks of the Barcoo River. The Barcoo flows NW, before turning SW and  joining the Coopers Creek to eventually run into Lake Eyre.

View of the Barcoo from van window 

Almost Albert Namatjira

Under the shade of a coolabah tree

How Great Thou Art

Seeing Australia is so awe inspiring and wonderful. We feel so blessed in being able to get out and see the sights and this great land.  We hope more folk  get out and do the same. It seems that it is too easy to simply get on a plane and go overseas rather than see our own backyard. 
Meanwhile, it could be an interesting time ahead as the mobile home that Uncle Eddie drove in the Griswold's Christmas Vacation movie has just pulled up behind us for the night. 
We will see how we go!

Happy travelling.
Cheers, Don and Carrol

3.  QUEENSLAND, WE HAVE ARRIVED.
GO THE MIGHTY MAROONS (We are blending in!!)
 .

Hebel was the first settlement as we crossed into Queensland. It consists of a pub and a general store. The pub was very quaint, hours could have been spent simply exploring the bar area.
Pubs were an essential part of life in the early days, so many as changeover stations for stage  coaches. Horses out the back and front, all others in the bar or the modest accommodation.

Hebel Pub. Queenslanders spelling of beer is XXXX

The Commonweath Games on TV bring the pub up to date

We settled into a late afternoon bush camp north of St George. Great serenity, however only one kangaroo to be seen. The stars at night were in their millions.

Early morning view from our kitchen/ dining room/ bedroom/ family room and billiard room

Non slip tread 

Bare feet around camp is not an option. Thick thongs essential.

Leaving St George bush camp. (Dry weather camp only)

Approaching storm/ mobile car and caravan wash

All roads lead to Roma!! Hence here we are, or least we were. Having heard about aqua ducts and Roma, we went searching and managed to photograph the following. You would never guess they are apparently centuries old.

Aqua ducks near Roma (somewhat different to the Italian scenes)

Roma is also famous for it's Bottle Trees. They are scattered all over the town.

Bottle tree. When it matures it will be a Flagon tree.

Taking heed of the old saying, When in Roma, do as the Romans do, we kept on travelling and conquering. Heading due west firstly to the small town of Muckadilla.
The pub, the only establishment in the village had the following pieces of furniture outside facing the road. The Australian sense of humour is so much appreciated.

On then to mid-western town of Mitchell, where Major Mitchell passed through on his 4th exploration in an attempt to find a route from Sydney to Darwin.  Incidentally, he surveyed the convict built Great North Road from Sydney to Newcastle, the early version of the  M1/F3 freeway. (The convicts didn't have the word free in their vocabulary).
The town of Mitchell was named after Major Mitchell.  Major Mitchell was named after the Cockatoo found in the area.
We read that from the top of a hill (there are not many in the area), Major Mitchell stated that trees extended as far as his telescope would allow him to see. What a contrast to today with the land virtually stripped bare of trees.

Contrast of landscape from Major Mitchell's comment about trees as far as he could see

A long way to walk if the school bus in missed

The town of Mitchell has The Great Artesian Spa. Whereas Lightning Ridge Artesian Baths were built years ago, and has not had a face lift since, the Mitchell Baths were a masterpiece of modern and elegant design, cleanliness and welcoming feel.

An outback oasis

Football required to be forced into pipe. Then stand back and watch the drama unfold. 

39C in canon pool, 27C in cool down pool

Our free camp (donation) at Neil Turner Weir was very relaxing, sharing with several other vans and campers.

Weir d view. More lawn mowing required

Legendary Neil Turner Weir and firewood collector

The unique Queensland architecture is always so much appreciated. Whether houses, pubs, or schools, they all stand out as brilliant and welcoming.

Another pub, but what architecture

Art Deco or Art Gallery?

Department store

Do you want socks or bullets with your purchase?

We mix our night stops between caravan parks and free camps. Caravan parks provide electricity, water and more security for leaving the van when out exploring.
Free camps give far more peace and isolation, making us feel more part of the great outdoors. The night show of the stars when away from all electric lights is beyond belief.  Many of the camps have donation boxes for the overnighters, however it always disgusts us as to how many folk drive out without apparently giving a donation.  Hopefully they are supporting the local community by stocking up, fueling up and buying a cupper before moving on. 
Even when camped under trees, our solar panels ensure we don't run out of power despite lighting, cooling fans, exhaust fans and TV (watching the Commonwealth Games).
We cannot understand why Governments don't put more emphasis on all homes being off the grid in the same way.  The technology appears to be there.  It just needs fine tuning.

Early wind farm

Evidently also solar powered

A final legacy of the cat's eyes in thongs has been to puncture our tandem.  We have been more fortunate than some with our single puncture, as one fellow rider had 38 individual punctures in one tube of his pushbike.  We also need a new tube now as the tube around valve has called it a day. After 20 years, it was just a little tyred.
Hence the inflation is not as stable as it has been over recent years.

Deflating news

Tyre some repairs

Our journeying has us still heading west. This allows us to sleep in without guilt. (Sunrise for Newcastle NSW for 18th April is 6.16am; for Charleville Qld 6.32am.

We can see why so many people live in Western Australia!

Until next installment. Happy travelling. 

Cheers. Don and Carrol.