13/6
Long drive today –
Barkley to free camp 60 km west of Mt Isa. 8-30 – 3-30! Seriously rough roads over
the flood plains once into the Lake Eyre catchment area (150km from border).
Huge grassy plains, lots of cattle around the big dams. Once over the border
the roads are great again but not with the wide mown verge any more. The grass
is right up to the seal. Lucky nothing has jumped out at me! Plenty of very low
yellow scrub and scattered trees. Some areas back into red dirt again. No wind today
so better driving. Seems very flat now with just short rises and falls. Stopped
for fuel and lunch at Camooweal.
Quite a number at the
free camp. Chatted to a couple I met down the road. More native insights – what comes
from the land is left to the land. So if they catch and eat a roo they leave
anything uneaten when they move on so it
goes back into the land. When they buy groceries and eat in the parks they
leave the rubbish there for the same reason. The land they ‘own’ is only the
land they happen to be standing on at the time. They would not take a rock from
one part of the land to another either. Anything they have can be taken by
anyone else as ‘ownership’ and ‘possessions’ mean nothing to them. Nice to find people who are not 'red necks' and who are not terrified of them!
14/6
Short drive to Mt Isa
– slept until 9 and left very soon after intending to have breakfast when I got
there. Woops – quite a big place with weird roads so had to find a park
quickly! Truck booked for wheel alignment at 2. Front left tyre suddenly worn
on outside edge. ($85 align, rotate, balance and pressure) Ran over a dead roo
right in the middle of the road so I couldn’t go around it. Bugger. Hope
nothing damaged. Stupid caravan park – really tight little sites but only $28
so at least I can power up. Must get a charger. Did get a proper mirror for
right door though – will put it on this afternoon.
Pretty hills around
Mt Isa but the mine is very close and a high smoke stack right in town it
seems. Many parks full of workers also. Windy streets and quite tight with a
van on. First really town I have had to drive in with it.
Woolworths – 3 different types of potatoes and
pickled ox tongue –yum – dinner tonight. Noisy night – screaming and yelling and dogs
barking every time it started!!!! Community nearby I think.
15/6
Mt Isa to Julia Creek via Cloncurry. 9.30 – 2.30 Such
pretty hills a lot of the way then back on to flood plains with rough patches
of road. Must be so hard keeping them up to scratch with all the water damage. So much of the
yellow shrub which seems to grow higher here than further west where is can be
more like an alpine plant. Very windy
narrow roads amongst the hills but not too much traffic past the Longreach turn
off. Did think of going to there but the roads may be suspect after recent rain
so will do that another time. (They are labelled either ‘open’ or ‘caution’).
Watched a train passing me for ages (see on horizon of photo) but don’t know where it went – kept waiting
for a rail crossing but I guess it has gone down a bit. Had stock wagons on I
think. Big yards here.
The new mirror is great – as long as I don’t open
the window – makes it squeak! Fridge not working properly on battery maybe –
have turned it up!
Have a drive-through site here at Julia Creek but
won’t unhook – big lip to back up over to hook on again. Should go into town tomorrow
though – looks interesting. Have fan on – getting quite warm again the further
east I get. Maori lady from Coromandal in the office.
16/6
Booked another night here -Dehli belly today – spent most of the day
going to the loo or lying on the bed. Slept for a while. No pain, just feeling
seedy. Played wiz late afternoon then back to sleep. Maybe the 5 days driving
hasn’t helped either. Hot dog at Cloncurry, Mt Isa water?
17/6
Well –
what an insane drive today. Felt much better this morning after a good night’s
sleep and the gut is better, so drove to Richmond = blowing a cold gale so
fairly slow drive. Decided $10 to look at dinosaur bones was not worth it. Different if there had been other things as
well. Pretty town with a blue lake and wide streets, but only lunch time so
decided to go to Hughenden – only another 114 km. Took over 2 hours as I was
doing to 60km every time I got to a culvert – and there are hundreds of them
over this flood plain. Talk about pig-rooting! Crazy bucking and they don’t look
that bad as you approach them – I learnt very quickly to expect the worst.
These flood plain roads are the pits – probably won’t come back this way again
so have booked 2 nights and will go to the Porcupine gorge tomorrow – about
70km inland and pretty spectacular I am told.
One thing about all this slow driving – great
for the fuel economy but hard on the nerves!!!! Very ‘cosy’ park here – a
sealed strip just wide enough for the van then a raised grass strip to put the
awning out over – then the next van!!!! Had a guy rush over to help me unhitch
– married of course. 
Massive
grass prairies with cattle and some sheep, scattered low trees and a tinge of
green in the grass! Wondered why it got dark at one stage until I realised
there were a few clouds in the sky and the sun had gone behind one – haven’t
seen anything but pure blue skies since I left Perth!!!!!
Missing
rodeos where ever I go – always next month – or last weekend! Nights are
getting colder. Will need to cover the vent over the bed I think. Need to
decide where to go after August – depend on the weather – will need to stay in
reasonably warm areas!
Helicopter
flying up the middle of the road just out of Hughenden – weird feeling having
it fly over
18/6
Drove the 60km to the Porcupine look out.
120m deep. Nice drive through cattle country.
Got a level from hardware, went through the
dinosaur museum. A pain not being able to read the labels without glasses these
days.
19/6
Off to Charter Towers. Much better road thank
goodness and a lovely different drive!!!! Up over the Great Dividing Range
550m. National Park and lots of tree
covered hills, much taller trees, some starting to flower, and plenty of
cattle. Reminded me of the Aberfeldy. The ‘roadhouses’ have become tiny
villages with wide frontages and half a dozen houses. Came across several much
closer together in the 4 hours today. Even found a roadside fruit & veggie
stall also selling boiled mango fruit
cake – yum! Upset some stupid woman parked beside me there who went off to get
fruit – her husband stopped to chat instead of going to boil the kettle for her
and got snapped at.
Saw the
first cop car in a very long time. Had
someone pulled up, then passed me twice. Probably the 3rd I have seen since
I left!
Did the truck bypass – a town very like Otorohanga
I think and a big sale yard beside the road with a bank of seats for the
buyers. Decided I didn’t need to drive in town! Pretty place though. Stopped
for fuel at the Burdekin Duck Roadhouse and decided to stay the night. Got the
owners very excited – they have only been here 7 weeks so while son managed the
shop both mum and dad came out to direct me and plug in the power etc.:) Surprisingly nice ablutions ( I am an expert
on them now you know!) Slate flagstone floor and oiled tongue and grove walls,
doors etc., AND proper shower boxes!!!!
Amazing what looks familiar suddenly. GJ Garner
homes, Fastways couriers!!! Must be close to NZ!!!
20/6
Another
lovely drive – so different to the outback! Took a shortcut so missed
Townsville – can go there another time.
More big
hills and orchards, market gardens, manicured GREEN lawns in amongst the trees
in the valleys, very long couch like grass almost as high as the cattle, then
out into the sugar cane! Flower like pampas grass – pretty. They are just
starting the harvest. Wondered why no one stayed at the roadhouse I was at last
night = 1/2km down the road there is a free camp beside a lovely river – FULL
of caravans!!!! What happens when you can't be bothered driving anymore and
grab the nearest place I guess! Was going to free camp tonight but finding that
driving through all these big towns is quite confusing – need to be better
organised I think. So different to WA and NT where you can guarantee that there
will be a caravan park at a roadhouse or a free camp easy to find = and usually
the entrance will be on the brow of a hill or a curve in the road – they do at
least slow you to 80km though. Or in
the other smaller country towns there are clear signs to the parks as
well. Here you have to read the billboards and note the address –
not easy when alone!!!! At a big park tonight at Bowen although pretty empty
just now. About 150km to go but been on the road since 8.30 – got here at 2.
Enough for one day. Had scallops and chips at Inkenden for lunch – first place
easy to get in to.
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