Avalook at Australia News
Issue Number 24, 24 July 2001
ISSN 1443-0797
Editors: Eric Lindsay and Jean Weber
info@avalook.com.au
In this issue...
Where are we and why haven't you heard from us in so long?
Outback trip 2001: Queensland, South Australia, and ??
Airlie Beach to Mackay
Mackay to Clermont, with a minor mechanical
problem
Clermont to Alpha, with a stop in Emerald
Alpha to Barcaldine
Blackall to Augathella
Charleville and bilbies
Just how big is Australia, anyway (compared to Europe)?
Press release: Explorers' Diaries of Western Australia
Press release: Motorhome holidays with Global Gypsies
Say G'day calling card
Subscription information
Where are we and why haven't you heard from us in so long?
Last issue (in March) I mentioned that we were going on a long trip to the USA and UK, and I would publish the next newsletter in mid-June - and here it is nearly the end of July!
We had a great time on our USA-UK trip, and I spent so much time writing it up that I didn't get around to working on this newsletter. If you're interested, that trip report starts here: http://www.ericlindsay.com/guff/trip1.htm
The existing parts of the report are mainly about the people we visited, and isn't done yet. I have lots more photos to upload and bits of travel info to fill in.
Meanwhile, we are now on a tour around part of outback Australia in our motorhome. I got back from the overseas trip on 27 June (Eric had returned nearly a month earlier), determined to set off on the motorhome trip within two weeks. We took 16 days, which I thought was a pretty good turnaround time, considering I had 3 months worth of mail to deal with, along with repacking, buying supplies, and the like. You won't be surprised to learn that we forgot a lot of (mostly unessential) things.
Enough preamble... on to the first installment of this year's trip report.
Outback trip 2001: Queensland, South Australia, and ??
I'm typing this now at Innaminka, South Australia, one of the most remote towns in Australia.
The question marks above indicate that we haven't decided which route we'll take after we reach our immediate goal, which is Lake Eyre in South Australia. So far we've amended our tentative route several times, following suggestions from people we met along the way. It's a great way to see the country, because you hear about places you hadn't heard about before, and you learn which roads are in good or bad condition - particularly important when heavier-than-usual rains earlier in the year had caused damage to some of the roads.
So far our trek has taken us to Mackay, Nebo, Clermont, Capella, Emerald, Anakie, Alpha, Jericho, Barcaldine, Blackall, Augathella, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Eulo, Thargomindah, and the Noccundra Pub in Queensland, then to Innaminka in South Australia. When we get a chance, we'll put together a map of our route, like we did for last year's trip. If you're interested in the writeup of that trip, it starts here: http://www.avalook.com.au/newsletr/oznews17.htm
The next sections of this issue cover in more detail some of the places mentioned above. See issue 25, issue 26 and issue 27. A map of the whole trip is here. The map below shows the route covered in this newsletter, from Airlie Beach to Charleville.
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Legend:
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Airlie Beach to Mackay
Friday 13 July 2001.
Since nearly everything was already in the truck, we had only to empty fridges
at home, pack ice boxes, gather up our computers and last minute extras,
and take them to the motorhome. That alone took us until 10:30. Redistributing
everything seemed to take ages, as always. Packing a motorhome, no matter
what size, seems like solving one of those puzzles where only one vacant
space is available, and that is always someplace you don't want it.
I drove the motorhome into Airlie Beach and filled the rear water tank from the council tap (faucet). A council truck was nearby, so I chatted with the occupants about local matters, just to prove I was a resident. A police car drove by, with the occupants looking at me suspiciously. I waved to them, and as usual in that situation, they drove away. We finally got away from Airlie Beach at about midday.
Our first stop was Bloomsbury, 60 km or so south down the Bruce Highway from Proserpine, for one of the most unpleasant tasks of the first day, refuelling. About 20 minutes later, we had 413 litres of diesel pumped into the two tanks, and a credit card bill for A$359.18, but it is by far the cheapest fuel in a 100 km range (10c per litre less than in Airlie Beach).
We consoled ourselves with lunch, and their giant double chocolate milkshakes. They do typical country style salad sandwiches, so large that the salad spills all over the basket.
We continued on towards Mackay (another 60 km or so down the main highway), where we stopped at the Andergrove Caravan Park. The reception person looked really pained when we walked in, until we said we just wanted to park the truck overnight, and didn't need any facilities at all. She said she had seen us arrive and was trying to work out where she fit us in. Space in a grassy area was no problem at all.
While there, we joined the Top Tourist park network, with our membership giving us a 10% discount. The facilities at the park looked to be of a high standard, although we didn't inspect them closely. A friend, Leanne Frahm, collected us soon after we arrived and took us to her place, where we were spending the night.
Mackay to Clermont, with a minor mechanical problem
Saturday 14 July 2001.
We left Mackay before nine, and headed west on the Peak Downs Highway to
Clermont. At Nebo we stopped and discovered that the engine was running
far too fast, something we had suspected earlier. The idle adjustment didn't
seem to change things.
I
thought we would have to take it somewhere for repairs, but Jean saw some
truck drivers parked nearby and asked them for advice. They kindly straightened
us out fairly quickly. The throttle cable was binding at the engine end,
because of dirt, and the idle adjustment wasn't working at all. Sitting
for almost a year with very little activity was no doubt a major contributing
factor. The truckers sprayed the cables with a lubricant and worked them
a bit, and the throttle came loose. This was our first experience tilting
the cab open to get at the engine, something they did with ease. (It always
seems too heavy for us.) We gave them some beer money, for their planned
evening in Mackay, and wished them a most enjoyable day.
As it was now lunch time, we decided to have a bite to eat before leaving Nebo, and shared a salad roll. At the Shell Roadhouse at the Moranbah turnoff, another hour or so up the road, we got more food: salad rolls so large that had we realised their size, we would have again shared just one. Parking for caravans and motorhomes is available behind the roadhouse, with use of the showers and toilets in the 24-hour restaurant. We didn't enquire about costs, as we weren't planning to stay this time.
We finally arrived at Clermont around 4 p.m. The caravan park was just as we remembered it from last year, with wide gravel and bitumen roads, and room to get even our motorhome in with a minimum of fuss. After dusk we set out for the Clermont Hotel Motel, where we had the rib eye steak and vegetables, rinsed down with cider.
Clermont to Alpha, with a stop in Emerald
Sunday 15 July 2001.
We
visited the gold fossicking store at the caravan park, and were properly
amazed at the detecting gadgets that abounded. Luckily we have no room for
the many fascinating trinkets they had for sale. The proprietor (a middle-aged
woman) told us she had only taken over the store six weeks earlier, but
was transforming it from being oriented almost entirely to male interests,
to one that catered equally for women, who she assured us were just as interested
in fossicking, gemstones, and the like as the men were. Several strongly
feminist paragraphs later, she had definitely endeared herself to us.
Our original plan was for a leisurely trip to Emerald, so we stopped in Capella, about halfway there from Clermont. The small town is named after a star, the eighth brightest, I believe. We met the friendly owner, John Hallan, of the Bottlebrush Motel store.
The rest area in the middle of town had toilets and showers, good news for long distance travellers. There was the historical pioneer village tourist attraction, a brand new and large Cultural Centre and an Aquatic Centre. Another plus: both of our mobile (cellular) phones (CDMA and GSM) worked.
Continuing on our way, we noted several large fields of stubble, with flocks of emus seeking food amongst the short stalks. Fluffy white stuff along the road verges proved to be cotton, not surprising given that cotton is a major crop in the area, so we concluded that the stubble was from cotton plants.
On into Emerald, where our mobile phones were still working. Emerald is much larger than other towns in the area, with about 12,000 people. Fairbairn Bakery sold us some wonderful meat pies for lunch and salad rolls for later. We noticed a park across the way, which was remarkable for the largest easel and painting we've ever seen, towering over most buildings.
The
park also had a tourist information center, toilets, and a dump point for
black water (toilet waste) from caravans and motorhomes. Emerald made a
point of allowing free overnight parking at the edge of the park area, a
policy sure to encourage repeat visits. Again this year we didn't stay to
see the sights, as it's a town that's easy to get to by car and is on the
way to several other places we're likely to visit over the next few years.
We
didn't divert to Rubyvale or any of the other gem towns, either. Our next
stop was Anakie, where we stopped briefly at the Big Sapphire gem shop,
which sported a wonderful range of gems and fossicking gear. Later we stopped
at the Drummond Range lookout, which had a great view of the valley we'd
just come through.
We
finally reached Alpha around 4 pm, and decided continuing to Barcaldine
that day wasn't a good move. Once again, we failed to locate all the numerous
murals in the town, although we did find several we hadn't seen before.
One pub didn't have food on Sunday, and the other seemed noisy, so we went
to the only cafe in town, which stayed open past 8 PM, where we had milkshakes
and shared a salad sandwich, both large and tasty.
Alpha to Barcaldine
Monday 16 July 2001.
We drove from Alpha across the Great Dividing Range. At the top, an altitude
of a mere 444 metres, we came upon a sign: "You are now entering the Lake
Eyre Basin, Cooper's Creek Catchment". We didn't expect to reach Lake Eyre
for another two weeks at least, which shows the size of the drainage area
involved. Also, considering that the last two years are the first time in
decades that Lake Eyre has had water in it, it also shows how dry this continent
is. Our skin is already cracking at the heels and elsewhere from the dryness,
and a bath towel, put out on a rail, can be dry in as little as 30 minutes.
We
stopped in Jericho to view the Crystal Trumpeters sculpture. This depicts
the destruction of the biblical Jericho and was created by the townsfolk.
As in Alpha, numerous murals decorate the town. Next to the town hall in
the main street is a small drive-in cinema with a small open-air grandstand
holding the projectors and a number of canvas two seater chairs facing the
screen. We've never seen one precisely like that before. Unfortunately,
it appears to be no longer in use, a victim of videotape, presumably.
We continued on to Barcaldine and checked in at the Homestead Caravan Park fairly early, a good move because it filled up early in the afternoon. Although my GSM phone did not work here, Jean's CDMA did. This was the first mobile phone connection since Emerald. We wandered into Barcaldine, and had a steak sandwich with salad at the Artesian Hotel, in the main street opposite the railway station. Good food, and lots of it. The beers helped too.
We managed to find an Internet connection in the Open Learning Centre at the local Court House. Only $3 an hour (not prorated; you pay for an hour even if you use only a few minutes), and a reasonable connection.
That evening we attended the billy tea and damper session provided at the caravan park, and listened to Tom Lockie tell his stories of the history of the area. We took one of his tours last year and really enjoyed it.
Tuesday 17 July 2001.
We stayed at Barcaldine all day, doing very little. Around midday we went
into town to get the newspaper and some lunch. This time we had the fish
and chips at the Artesian Hotel, and were so full we could barely move when
we had eaten the giant salad that came with it.
The local showground includes a Council caravan park, considerably cheaper than the Homestead, at $13 with the second night free. The showground had several toilets and hot showers, artesian tap water, and lots of electricity points around the perimeter, with plenty of space to spread out and get away from the crowd if you wanted to.
Blackall to Augathella
Wednesday 18 July 2001.
We were somewhat late leaving Barcaldine, as we refueled (189 litres of
diesel, after only 780 km) and went into town to buy books at the information
centre. I bought Heartbreak Corner, by Fleur Lehane, about the Tully
and Durack and other pioneer families of South-West Queensland, and In
the Tracks of Old Bluey, by Bobbie Buchanan, a biography of Nat Buchanan
by his grand-daughter.
Five
kilometres south of Barcaldine along the road to Blackall, we turned right
for the weir (dam), which was another 9 km along a single lane bitumen road
that changed to dirt when it turned off a half kilometre from the weir.
A number of caravans were camped by the weir, some of them having been there
for a month, escaping the cold weather in the south. The facilities were
limited, but did include a rainwater tank for drinking water, an artesian
bore tap for washing, BBQ pits and tables, and two composting toilets.
We continued the 100 km to Blackall, encountering nothing else except another free camping area a few km before Blackall. We pulled into the Blackall Caravan Park around 1 pm, again good timing since the place filled up soon after we arrived. There was also a heavy vehicle camping area a few blocks over from the town centre, with lots of rooms for buses. The town centre included showers and toilets for this area. The camping fee is $5 per night, somewhat cheaper than the caravan park. Our guidebook suggested that staying there on the nights before stock sales was not recommended, presumably because one would be parked among road trains full of noisy, smelly cattle.
We wandered into town, and finally found a place for a light late snack of chicken, sun dried tomato and avocado sandwich. They sure don't make outback food the way they used to (and a darn good thing, too). We didn't want anything heavy as we had signed up for the caravan park's $10 dinner of soup, lamb roast, vegetables, billy tea and damper at the caravan park that evening.
We then collected towels and swimming costumes and headed for the Aquatic Centre. A mere $1.50 each got us use of a 50 metre Olympic size pool, where the main problem was staying cool. As with most of the towns we had passed through, the local water supply is artesian, and you usually need to cool it before use. The pool temperature was 32 C, while the spa pool was 36 C, and the inlet water too hot to handle.
Thursday 19 July.
After
breakfast we visited the Black Stump, behind the State School, a tree used
for surveying purposes in the 1880s. Allegedly the country west of Blackall
was considered at the time to be "beyond the black stump". (The Black Stump
in Blackall is only one of several Black Stumps, all declared authentic,
in various towns. Collect the entire set.)
Blackall is also known for the legendary shearer Jack Howe, who lived and died there (in 1992 he shore a record of 321 sheep in 7 hours 40 minutes) and for being the location of the first meeting of the first shearers' union in December 1886. The group moved its headquarters to Barcaldine, and later became the Australian Labor Party.
Next
we drove 4 km out of town to the historic woolscour, where the 58 degree
artesian water makes a good resource for cleaning greasy wool. We took the
tour, which was very interesting. In addition to a 20-stand shearing shed,
the complex includes a full steam-powered wool washing plant full of old
belt-driven open machinery, powered by a gigantic steam engine. They had
many engines, in various states of disassembly and repair. After the scour
was abandoned around 1978, the machinery was neither vandalised nor removed,
so essentially everything is complete. The tour guide told us that many
of the pieces started working once they had been oiled and greased again
over a period of weeks. They also obviously have a lot of mechanically minded
helpers doing repairs and making replacement parts for the brass and bronze
fittings.
We left the Blackall area around 10 am. Jean was still getting CDMA phone reception at times until we were 50 or so km from town. We pulled into a truck rest stop about 25 km short of Tambo, and were surprised to see it had a couple of shelter sheds, a BBQ area, rubbish bins, an artesian water tap, and toilets.
We reached Tambo at midday and did part of the historic walk listed by the information centre. Alas, most old buildings were incorporated into newer ones, and without signs, we really couldn't tell which ones had even contained older parts. They did have a fine old post office and courthouse, both being restored. We visited the Tambo Teddies shop and saw wonderful teddy bears made of sheepskin and stuffed with wool - so cuddly.
We had lunch at a service station near the Post Office, where the salad rolls were again so large that we could easily have shared one. We also checked the parking area near the lake at the southern end of town. It looked like a very pleasant place, with toilets and shelter sheds. Fuel in the nearby service station was pretty reasonably priced (for country Australia) so we topped up again.
We
reached Augathella just after 3 pm. The town was a bit of a walk away and
didn't contain much of interest except some wire sculptures outside the
local pub. One sculpture was a giant mosquito; the other was two men sitting
at a table and drinking beer. These were really nice, with fascinating detail
(including antennas on the men; don't ask us why), although our photos don't
do them justice.
The pub included the TAB and betting facilities, with several televisions, and the noise from that made us unwilling to stay. We went back to the highway, and had dinner at the roadhouse. Four lamb chops and vegetables, with the lamb a bit on the tough and overcooked side - the first meal we've had that was less than great.
The Murweh Shire, which contains Augathella, Charleville, Morven (and Cooladdi, population 6) covers 43,905 sq km and has 5400 residents.
Charleville and bilbies
Friday 20 July 2001.
The drive to Charleville from Augathella was short, so we were soon parked
at the Bailey Bar Top Tourist caravan park. Owner Rick was exceedingly efficient
at getting us into a spot. We went for a long dusty walk past the National
Parks and Wildlife place and (despite an inaccurate tourist map) out to
the Information Centre, situated near a pleasant park at bit out of town.
The Aboriginal arts and crafts place across the street wasn't open, so we
walked back into town.
We found the local library had an internet connection, at fairly high prices, so Jean arranged a booking for Saturday. A bakery in town also had one Internet machine at a dollar less an hour. We lunched at the Charleville pub on their $5 special (crumbed chicken and vegetables). This meal proved so large we knew we wouldn't need more than a snack for dinner.
The caravan park had a 4 pm singalong with bush poets. The amplified music always sets our teeth on edge, so we didn't attend. In the evening we walked back to the National Parks and Wildlife place for a talk about bilbies, an endangered species. This cute furry animal (sometimes called the rabbit eared bandicoot or walpatjirri) eats almost anything, doesn't need to drink water (and thus can survive even in waterless deserts), and breeds like rabbits, yet it is almost extinct. (Feral cats are now the main predator.) If we can't figure out how to save that one, we probably can't save any small native animal in Australia. The NPWS has a breeding program and one of their employees, Frank Manthey FrankManthey@env.qld.gov.au, on his own time, organised a public campaign to raise A$300,000 to build a predator-proof fence to enclose a 5 km x 5 km bilby sanctuary in a nearby national park. He was introduced to the nocturnal bilbies years ago by zoologist Peter McRae. Great stuff.
After the talk we got to see some of the bilbies, which are really cute little critters about the size of a small cat. We'd seen videos but never the real live animals, which are totally nocturnal as well as rare.
For more about bilbies, see the Bilby Appreciation Society, http://www.ozemail.com.au/~bilbies/ and other links from our page, http://www.avalook.com.au/newsletr/oznews11.htm#bilby
Saturday 21 July 2001.
Today was a rest day, so we did laundry early in the morning. There was
a mournful howl in the predawn light, an anguished cry. Was it a hunting
cry, the Hound of the Baskervilles? More a whimper, the Hound of the Charlevilles.
We later met Barney, the hound. The amenities blocks here, as at many caravan
parks, are designed for hot weather. Walls tend to start high and end low,
leaving an airspace for cooling breezes. Unfortunately, in winter a bitter
cold takes the place of the pleasant breezes of summer, so showering is
more of an adventure than we'd prefer.
We were at the library around 9 am for Jean's internet session. While waiting for her, I read about the flood of 1990, which extended from Alpha and Longreach down into NSW as far as Nyngan, where 1130 homes out of 1160 were flooded, with flood heights of 5 to 11 metres above the normally dry creek beds.
We ate lunch at the same pub as yesterday. Cajun red emperor and stir fry vegetables was the special this time - delicious.
Continued in next issue.
Just how big is Australia, anyway (compared to Europe)?
Last issue I gave a link to a picture that superimposes an outline of Australia on the continent of North America: http://www.avalook.com.au/pix/OZONUSA2.JPG
I asked readers where I could find a similar map comparing Australia to Europe. Someone sent me this link, which has comparisons to both USA and Europe: http://www.trailmaster.com.au/motorhome_hire_australia.html
Press release: Explorers' Diaries of Western Australia
Kim Epton sends this press release, dated 27 June 2001.
The first volume of the Explorers' Diaries has been published by Hesperian Press, http://www.hesperianpress.com/
The Explorers' Diaries is a chronological series covering all exploration in Western Australia from first contact to the present time. Each volume comprises exact transcriptions of explorers' diaries or journals and covers a range of years depending on the amount of exploration that was done in the period and the length of each report or diary.
Preceding each diary is a precis of the exploration, including the name of the expedition members, the start, finish, length and duration of the expedition, and the name of the 1:250,000 topographical maps required to follow the route. Interspersed among the diaries in each volume is supplementary information relevant to the time (e.g. mode of transport, navigation, firearms, etc.) as well as a great variety of maps, illustrations and photographs.
The transcript of each diary has been taken from source documents to ensure accuracy and validity.
If you wish to be on the mailing list to ensure you receive your copy of the first part of this important work, send your contact details to explorersdiaries@hesperianpress.com
Press release: Motorhome holidays with Global Gypsies
Tony Wilson at Motorhome Holidays Worldwide sends this press release, dated 25 June 2001.
Perth-based Global Gypsies offers fully-escorted 4WD "tag-along tours" with to various destinations throughout the western half of Australia. On these unique expeditions, clients drive their own, or a hired 4WD vehicle, and travel in the safety of a convoy led by an expert guide.
No previous off-road experience is required - 4WD tuition is part of the package. There are there are both fully-catered and self-catered safaris.
For safety and communication, each vehicle is provided with a two-way UHF CB radio, and the escort vehicle also carries an EPIRB (electronic positioning indicating radio beacon), a Royal Flying Doctor Service Radio and a satellite phone.
A comprehensive Pre-Departure Workshop and Pre-Departure Kit prepare the gypsy travellers for their adventure. Convoy leader, Jeremy Perks, is a fully qualified mechanic (petrol and diesel), an experienced four-wheel-driver, and was a Finalist in the 2000 Tour Guide of the Year Awards.
Most safaris begin and end in Perth, Australia and the number of vehicles on each tour is strictly limited.
This year's tours include trips to the Ruddall River, the Kimberley, the Holland Track, Perth to Alice Springs, Esperance, and the Southwest Forests.
For more details contact Tony Wilson at Motorhome Holidays Worldwide on (03) 9783 3488, 1300 883588, e-mail sales@drivetravel.com or see our web site: http://www.drivetravel.com/
Advertisement: Say G'day calling card
Say G'day(tm) is a new pre-paid calling card which allows you to call overseas for as low as 9 cents per minute to the United Kingdom, New Zealand, USA, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Germany, France, Hong Kong and Japan.
This new calling card can be used from virtually any touchtone phone in Australia by dialling the telephone access number. You don't insert it into a payphone like some other cards. The back of the card has all the instructions you need to use it.
The Say G'day cards feature unique Australian designs, with the launch series displaying quirky Aussie icons suitable as souvenirs or Australian gifts. More information and examples.
(Jean's note: I've now been using the Say G'Day card to call my mother in the USA, and I think it's very good value. The backpackers in Airlie Beach said it was the best value they'd found, and they tend to pay attention to these things more than we do.)
© Copyright 2001 Eric Lindsay and Jean Weber. All rights reserved.
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