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    • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 1
      1
      Day 15

      Muttaburra

      August 23, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      Next day we drove back into town to the local library/info centre to get opening times for the local museums. This is a great little town that cherishes their history and have done a terrific job preserving it. I have included photos of the A.A.Cassimatis Store Museum and the Muttaburra Hospital Museum. Both very worthwhile a visit. The hospital museum in particular is fantastic. It really shows what it was like in the early part of this century in the outback. Took way too many photos to show here.
      We visited the Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre as well. This is very well done and an incredibly impressive building. The metal sculptures around town add even more interest.
      We had been told about another free camp area not far from town called the Broadwater so went down to have a look. Plenty of space down here but the water is not very accessible and it was all very dry, dusty and hotter than everywhere else. Another lesson learned about walking too close to the edge of outback rivers. Pictures tell the story. We also visited a couple of places steeped in the history of the Shearer's Strike of 1891. The Union Camp and the Union Hole are worth a look.
      Back to camp and Faye wanted to take up the camp mat as she felt there may be some showers around. We could see some in the distance. The mat and solar blanket were no sooner packed away than an almighty downpour came through with me still stuck outside. I got drenched trying to stop the camp furniture from blowing away. Thank goodness we had the other stuff packed away.      Read more

    • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 1
      Day 11

      Blackall - Douglas Ponds

      August 19, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Into Blackall this morning and the weather is still being kind. It is gradually warming up both during the day and the nights. We have long wanted to be out west in these open camps to see if we can really experience the stars in perfect weather. The only problem we have had so far is the moon. It is so bright it dims many of the stars. We live in hope.
      The morning was frustratingly spent on the phone to Dell PC Support to try to sort out my laptop issues. It has been randomly blue screening for a couple of months now, becoming unusable for days at a time and then seeming to rectify itself. Hopefully the hour and a half I spent on the phone with Sinesh (who insisted on calling me Mr Stephen) has sorted the problem.
      A quick walk around town and a visit to the Information Centre. I asked about the Woolscour and we were told the last tour of the day started at 1:00pm. It was 12:50. A quick drive about 4 kms out of town and we arrived just as the tour started. What an interesting place and it's a great credit to the locals who fought and worked so hard to preserve it. To see it in action makes it a lot clearer about how it all worked.
      We continued north and stopped at Douglas Ponds free camp. As Faye said it is a "bit creepy" because there was no-one else there. Nice new and clean toilet facilities available. A beautiful sunset topped the day off.      Read more

    • TravelerOur Lap of Oz - Part 1
      Day 12

      Barcaldine

      August 20, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Barcaldine is our next stop and on the way we came across the Alice River Botanical Walk. This was a bicentennial project to help educate everyone about the native environment. Many of the trees on the walk through the bushland are labelled and it gives a real appreciation of how diverse the landscape really is. Sadly it has fallen into some disrepair but still good exercise.
      We stopped at the Homestead Caravan Park in Barcaldine. This is the first paid park we have stayed at since we left Canungra almost 2 weeks ago. A nice quiet park with grassy sites.
      Time to strip the bed, wash the sheets and the mats and the towels and all the marginally dirty clothes. A full machine in their laundry for $3, pretty good value.
      The park also provides billy tea and damper every afternoon for the guests. We went for a wander around the town which is just a short walk from the van park. So sad to see the Tree of Knowledge now although the monument they have replaced it with is excellent. Glad we got to see the original so many years ago.
      One thing we have learned about these outback towns is to not assume something will be open. We've been caught twice now, this last time with the local IGA closing at 2:00pm Saturday. Of course we got there at 2:10. :(
      Had the chance to go for a couple of early morning walks around the town and down by the lagoon. Long hours in the car take their toll.      Read more

    • TravelerYear off around Australia
      Day 38

      Ilfracombe

      July 21 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Arrive here and park in the main street to check out the Wellshot Hotel.
      Monday morning has Roger and I, separately, check out the main street displays. Very good historic displays of machinery, items back in the day, bottles and guns.Read more

    • TravelerYear off around Australia
      Day 38–39

      Wellshot Hotel Campground

      July 21 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      First place we stop to check out in Ilfracombe. Like the welcome, bar attendant immediately offers to take our photo in the funny seats before we order drinks. Roger enquires as to their rates for caravaners to stay out the back...$10 per person + $5 if want power. Deal - $25 seems good to us! Have our drinks - beer for Roger, Sloe gin and soda for me- then we go and settle our van out the back (Roger fully backs it into the yard). Turns out to be a good spot for us with showers, toilets and laundry etc. Not our timing for laundry. Get into our bathers and head off to the Artesian Spa and Pool. $5 each - very enjoyable here, neither of us got in the pool here though - too cold! Go back to our camp and use the hotel's showers. Decide to have dinner in the pub - both of us have the special (just in time it sold out) Tbone steak with salad and chips $24 each - really good! Enjoy the hotel, then go for an evening walk to collect the sunscreen that we left at the pool - nice lady also at the pub let us know, and that we should be able to reach through the pool fence to retrieve it. We did! Now back to our caravan for cuppas and bedtime.
      Monday morning around 7am sees Roger go for a walk, while I go for a run. I shuffle out to the Ifracombe Racecourse and do a lap of the track and return. Then I walk back along the main street checking out the displays - all free. Meet Roger back at the caravan, he has breakfast ready, and after this we go and have showers. Packed up and underway by 10am heading for Aramac today.      Read more

    • TravelerYear off around Australia
      Day 36

      Longreach School Of Distance Education

      July 19 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      Arrive here in time for the 11am tour $18 each. These entry fees are used directly to fund projects for the children ie costumes for their bi-annual musical production etc.
      Angie took our tour and showed us a great glimpse of how vital and unique this service is - and how well it is done. Very happy that we did this...at the end I was very tempted by all the fund-raising merchandise available that supports this service. I couldn't resist the knitted 'storybook' tea cosys - and for $30 I'm the proud owner of a horsey one 💕
      Take a few photos before we leave.      Read more

    • TravelerYear off around Australia
      Day 36

      The Branch Cafe Longreach

      July 19 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

      Treating myself to breakfast while our ute and caravan are being checked out at Longreach Auto Electricians. Roger has stayed to supervise Blake, nice young bloke, who is trying to work out why light panel (that shows what charge is doing) isn't working etc. Hasn't worked since we changed in the new batteries at Hawker SA.
      Happy with my Cafe choice - ambience lovely and popular with local front liners (police and ambos), so taking that as a very good sign.
      Oh no - can't help myself, turning into that person who takes pics of food! Really good! Only complaint (shame I'm doing it) is the surcharge for using my card....I'd better just get used to that hey. Would eat here again in a heartbeat (reminds me of food at Bang Bang Cafe Adelaide).
      Meet up with Roger after battery issues sorted $221 later. Glad Roger happy with what's been achieved.👍He tells me he's still hungry so I bring him back to this Cafe - he has a big breakfast. It was great too. Now need to move ourselves to try and make the school of air tour - driving there with caravan.      Read more

    • TravelerYear off around Australia
      Day 35

      Longreach

      July 18 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      Arrived and parked in wonderful parking supplied for RVs near the town main shopping area. Have our lunch in the caravan, sandwiches for Roger, toasties under the griller for me. Then we go stock up our grocery supplies at the IGA - biggest shop so far over $200. Go back and unload into our van and eski, then head for Cellarbrations to stock up our drink supply - lucky not quite as much spent.
      Next head on out to camp at Apex Park.      Read more

    • TravelerYear off around Australia
      Day 35–36

      Apex Park Overflow

      July 18 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Arrive and find Darren and Kris have selected a spot with heaps of space for us to camp in beside them (as we've been doing for a while now). Set ourselves up - cuppa time and great time to make some calls to catch up with loved ones....
      Next get ready to be picked up by a courtesy bus for our evening cruise - it will collect us at 4.30pm.
      Bus collects us (abit later than stated) and takes us at most 2kms to where we'll board the paddle boat. Can tell by the lovely banter from our young bus driver Will, who tells us he'll also be on our cruise, that tonight should be fun. It certainly was! The captain was an older gentleman who had plenty of stories to tell. After the cruise we were seated around a beaut campfire and entertained and feed a beaut 2 course meal, Beef stew with mash and bread, followed by apple dessert with custard. Plenty of food and yummy. Next we're taken to a outdoor screen and comfortably seated to watch a film about Captain Starlight, a cattle rustler. Enjoyable too, this is followed by returning to the campfire area for tea,coffee and damper (freshly cooked in camp ovens in front of us) smothered in golden syrup 🤗🙂 Bus then drops us off back at campground. So cold we call it a night and retreat into our caravans with heaters cranked up! Shower time for Rog. Bedtime.
      Friday morning sees us up early to get our battery set up looked at (Roger booked this in while we where at Winton). Roger has his Weetbix for breakfast, I hold off on this - will have mine in Longreach. Say our goodbyes to Darren and Kris, they are heading in a different direction now - homeward bound for Tasmania. Been so beaut travelling with them, kind and generous folk we've enjoyed getting to know - promise to keep in touch.
      Get the ute and caravan to Auto Electrician shop well before 8am.      Read more

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