Rell01

Day 2

What a night so so cold! One weather map said 2c another said 0.3c 🥶 either way it was cold! A very slow start! We didn’t get away until 10am!
John had cut some wood 🪵 for us to take off fires, all ticket up into big hardy vags, off we set!
Still a dirt road from thick wooded forests to open plains! A massive range came into view! The closer we get to it the more intriguing the features of it became! After coming across a grid we could see the range from a fantastic vantage point, so we stopped to make a cuppa! The wind had come up just before we set off and was blowing well and truly once we stopped! We did get the kettle to boil eventually. Had a cuppa and a bite off we set to Tambo!

The Range we come to find out was Drummond Ranges sone truly spectacular features along its huge stone walls as we drive along. Sadly so many of the features were sadly behind Forrest wall that meant I couldn’t get good shots!

We arrived at Tambo as we drove into town we could see a huge open field of a free camp area but with the wind blowing as it us at present, it wouldn’t have any shelter to protect our tent on wheels!
We drove buy into town finding a servo straight up as John had run the fuel tight out we were coasteering in on air I think k by the time he filled up! He had already used one of the fuel Jerry’s to top up this morning before we left.

It was $208.9 per L, $217 t op fill up, certainly changes the face of travel in the Outback and will get dearer!

From here we headed up to book to a van park the first one was full so onto the next only 2 in town! It had only had someone cancel their spot so we could have it! We were placed against a back fence which I had hoped the wind wouldn’t be blowing as much! But sadly it was! So after setting up I decided to make lunch! Thee we wind have Mr hell as I tried to cook soup gif me and s as toasted sandwich for John! What s as battle eventually I gave up it was what it was!

After lunch we had a look at Tambo going for a drive to the Qantas Crash site! From here we followed Pathways winding through the forest parkland connecting into a nature walk along the Barcoo River. Interesting set up which we ended up on the other side of around the back end of the town! Having to back track as there were some very wet boggy sections which we didn’t want to have to fight!
Out the other side of town that went to Augathella nothing out that way! Back to the Foodworks storer to buy a new bucket after 30yrs of using the same buckets 🪣 they are cracking down the sides! I think our little old buckets have truly done their job after all these years! We found one, then across the road to the Grasslands Gallery! They were having an Art Competition we had to vote on ! Did our votes looked around, then off to the Camper to have a shower before an early dinner at the pub!
We had our showers once finished I saw a shuttle picking up tourists to go to Royal Carrangarra Hotel that had Chicken Racing! There were so many on the first shuttle ride they had to come back, we were able to get a lift up with the second round! We got to the Pub ohh my goodness people everywhere! It certainly is a huge pull for people to see the coloured chooks racing!

The guy commenting the publican owner was a real character!

We didn’t see the whole race. John had an early work Zoom meeting so we had to eat early! When we asked to order dinner they told us we couldn’t eat until after the race! With the huge crowd we knew we would t get our meal into late, so off up the Street to the other Tambo Tavern! It was a very different old pub as well! Warm as toast inside! Chatted to another couple of travellers heading north very sensible compared to us heading west where it’s still cold! The meal was a 2 foot sausage and mash! We shared this very tasty! Back to our tent on wheels John had the little electric heater’….the joys of having a powered site!

Another early night way too bad a day for 2nd day!

History below!
(QANTAS Crash SitePrint Page Print this page

06-July-2020 (John Huth)
06-July-2020 (John Huth)
06-July-2020 (John Huth)21-September-2015 (Bob Rogers) 05-August-2016 (Sue Smith)05-August-2016 (Sue Smith)06-July-2020 (John Huth)06-July-2020 (John Huth)06-July-2020 (John Huth)

Photographs supplied by Bob Rogers / Sue Smith / John Huth
The monument marks the site of first crash of a QANTAS aeroplane in 1927.

On 24 March 1927 the DH9C G-AUED was on a regular route between Charleville and Mount Isa with Tambo as its secondary destination. It intended landing on the clay-pan that serves as Tambo’s airstrip when it was seen to dive suddenly into the ground. Mystery surrounds why the crash occurred but it was determined the aeroplane had landed at a nearby station to undertake repairs. The three men on board were buried at the Tambo cemetery.

After just over six years' operation during which over 450,000 miles have been flown without injury to either personnel or passengers, disaster befell one of the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service aeroplanes at Tambo this morning. The pilot, D. Davidson, of Richmond, and A. W. N. Bell, owner of Belmont Station Winton, who accompanied him as passenger, were killed, while the other passenger, J. Donaldson, manager of Rocklands Station, Camooweal, was so severely injured that he succumbed some hours after the accident. It was the pilot's first trip.
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), 25th March 1927.)Read more