Ravenswood

Came to Ravenswood for a few days and stayed - a whole week! Council run showground, power water, lovely hot showers. Drove to Burdekin Dam - 80km one day - nothing but a Caravan Park down there. Interesting to drive across the base of the dam - only possible when it is not spilling. what a shame there is no camping around the dam - 2 areas with toilets, covered picnic tables and plenty of room.

Dam is used for irrigation. Gravel road past there to Mt Coolan.

Lovely drive to the dam through stations. Very good sealed road, with the edges mown - or grazed maybe. Saw lots of mobs of cattle. I think it may be weaning time. Very little feed but the cattle looked content, and there is water in dams.

Interesting museum shop in town - along with 2 pubs, PO/General store, school. Chatting to a lady who is Painting tiles to cover the park's concrete tables. Hundreds of old bottles, some lovely pottery for sale, and the strange little hairless cat - forgotten what sort it is, but very playful. Reminded me of Golem (Lord of the Rings)

Got fuel at the PO. Old-fashioned pump - had to turn a knob then push a lever to get it to work.

About 30 members of a CMCA group here. Had happy hours with them and joined them for dinner at the pub one night. Also a sausage sizzle at the pub to support a group walking 100km for cancer - Ravenswood to Ayr.

Then Sundays entertainment - pig weigh-in! Fund raiser for the school. What a lovely family day that was. Station families brought their kids to town. Several stalls (homemade cakes!) and a well supported auction and a big Lions Club kitchen & bar of course.

 Lots of pigs. Not edible they say - too full of disease, so they are all buried after the competition. Not caught for eating either - thousands of wild ones but living on carrion too much.

A few of the hunters entered their dogs in the high jump. Got to 2.2m. Also the 'Fastest Eater' - a scoop of dognuts in a bowl and hope the dog is REALLY hungry - or a gobbler.

The highlight event for me was the kids trying to catch a rooster. They looked like bantam ones and were very fast. The first ran under the stall, the next ran into the adult spectators, and the third just flew straight up into a tree!