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Our Lap of Oz - Part 1
  • Wandering Ozzies

Our Lap of Oz - Part 1

We’ve sold everything and are hitting the road for an extended length of time travelling Australia. Part 1 takes us from Brisbane to Melbourne to board the Spirit of Tasmania. Covid restrictions mean we take the long way around. Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 9, 2021
    Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    13 Constellation Drive, Loganholme

    August 9, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    An emotional day as we finally left our base at Amanda & Leon's home. Covid lockdowns have delayed us but finally we are away. Visits to Danielle & Kelvin's to say goodbye to Abi & Harry and then to Michelle & Nick's to see Amity and Riley before we headed to Canungra Showgrounds for a couple of nights.Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler
    Thanks Wayne, Pam, Graeme, Jan, Trevor and Lucy for coming to say goodbye.

    Canungra - O'Reilly's Vineyard

    August 10, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A lovely picnic hamper lunch today at O'Reilly's Vineyard. The hamper was a present from all our girls for Christmas last year and this was a great opportunity to use it. The vineyard is also home to Mountain View Alpaca Farm. These guys are cuteness overload.
    We had a wonderful surprise in the afternoon when many of our camping friends visited us to farewell us on our trip. We thought we had missed the opportunity to say goodbye because of lockdowns so this was a lovely send off. Thanks Wayne, Pam, Graeme, Jan, Trevor and Lucy.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Bowenville Reserve, Bongeen

    August 11, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    A travel day today, leaving Canungra and driving up over Cunningham's Gap and on to Toowoomba. We needed to do a little shopping and then further on to a free camp on the banks of Oakey Creek at Bowenville. Toowoomba Regional Council really go out of their way to provide facilities like this and it is obviously appreciated. Quite a few campers, vans, motorhomes and buses here tonight.Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler
    Condamine River

    Archer's Crossing

    August 12, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Heading for Chinchilla we saw a sign for Archer's Crossing on the highway and decided to have a look. So glad we did. This is a free camp on the banks of the Condamine River that was originally developed by the local fishing club. No power water or toilets but there are rubbish bins and a covered area with barbeques and tables. I tried my hand at fishing with some lures but nothing was doing. The yabbie pot went in overnight but I can now report that yabbies have no liking for sweet potato peelings. I really must get better organised.
    This campsite was so good we decided to stay another day before moving on.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Judd's Lagoon

    August 15, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Another day on the road to Judd's Lagoon free camp near Yuleba. Good reviews in Wikicamps but the lagoon is looking a bit sad with not a lot of water. There were plenty of birds to keep us amused however. A nice campfire rounded off the day.
    The next morning was bright and clear so I decided to use the drone to get an overview of the campsite. Everyone who has ever owned a drone says it is inevitable that you will crash it, eventually. Well I decided I wasn't going to waste time waiting for it to happen so I took this opportunity. The video on Facebook shows the results. Luckily no damage done so I think I was lucky to get away with it. Time will tell if I've learned a lesson from it.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Mitchell - Neil Turner Weir

    August 15, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Another free camp on the way west. This one is very popular as it is a short walk into central Mitchell and has amenities and water available. We were able to catch up on some washing while here.

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler
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    Charleville - The Rock Pool

    August 16, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    This was a pleasant surprise! There is not much grass around here but at least there is not a lot of dust either. A great spot to explore Charleville so we unhitched and went in to town. A quick visit to the Cosmos Centre during the day but the conditions weren't right for us to come back for the show in the evening. A bit of cloud around and a bright moon didn't help. A walk around Charleville town in the afternoon.Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Augathella

    August 18, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Next morning still in Charleville we decided to do the Warrego River Walk. This is a lovely walk along the banks of the river lined with magnificent eucalypts, acacias and more. All these trees have many many hollows that the local birdlife enjoys. Times like this I do wish I hadn't sold my better camera. Parrots we had never seen before were just a delight. Mulga Ringnecks and Red Rump Parrots watched us without any qualms. A coffee and cake at the local bakery before we headed off to Augathella.
    The Augathella free camp is directly behind the town centre and has a brand new amenities block for travellers. These country towns are going out of their way to welcome tourists. We visited the recommended local butcher and picked up some gourmet beef and vege rissoles and some double smoked pork ribs.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Barcoo River

    August 18, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    A nostalgic visit to Tambo today while continuing north. The Tambo Teddies store is still going strong so we dropped in to check out the latest additions. We did find a close relation of our own Drensmain Dudley (well Amanda's actually). Tambo really embraces their history and has many restored buildings and historic points of interest. We enjoyed a walk up and down the main street. A little further on to another free camp on the banks of the (dry) Barcoo River. It seems some places have had some good rain recently but others not so much. The country is really looking pretty good to my uneducated city slicker eye.Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    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

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    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

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler
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    Muttaburra

    August 22, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    After our early morning walk in Barcaldine we are off to Muttaburra. The road varies from what looks like a recently built super highway to a single lane piece of scrappy bitumen. I know which type I wanted to see oncoming road trains on. We passed through Aramac on the way and being a Sunday everything was closed. It certainly looks like a well maintained town with some great facilities like the swimming pool, gardens and parks. The quirky bull statues add a bit of colour (well...white). An intersting note was the story of the white bull and it's connection to the movie "Robbery Under Arms".
    Between Aramac and Muttaburra the road was so good we decided Faye should do some of the driving. I took the opportunity to try to get some drone footage as we drove along to show the countryside. Everything went well with the drone following behind us, looked great on the screen. I brought it back down and then realised I hadn't hit the record button. Another win!
    Arriving in Muttaburra we drove past the caravan park (great deal on 3 night stays) as it looked a bit crowded, hot and dusty. Further down the road is Muttaburra Freedom Camp on the banks of a local dam. At $6.00 per night and a lovely space available we decided to stay. Still being Sunday, nothing was open here either. Campfire dinner turned out well.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler
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    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

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Winton Australia

    August 24, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    What did I say about pleasant? The winds came back with a vengeance last night! It was one of those situations I'm sure every camper has been at some stage. Wind howling, awning still up and threatening to disappear in to the dam, and freezing cold. We managed to roll the awning up and get everything away eventually. A couple of rubber mats disappeared but were found floating on the dam's edge in the morning. So far so good. No damage done.
    Taking the short cut today from Muttaburra to Winton via Morella. 206km in total and 76km of dirt. When we enquired at the Muttaburra Library the librarian assured us it was in “great condition”. Her husband had driven it “just the other day” and it had all been graded. We can't complain too much, most of the dirt section was pretty good although we had about 10km that hadn't seen a grader in a while. Tyre pressures down to 25psi and all the vents sealed, we had no problems. We did come across the grader and compactor about half way and after that it was smooth sailing. Only damage inside the van was the smoke alarm fell off the ceiling.
    Camped up for the night at The Long Waterhole just outside Winton on the road to Bladensburg National Park, where we stayed last time we were here.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Cloncurry

    August 25, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Leaving Winton today from The Long Waterhole and got a lovely sunrise photo. Sometimes you can be lucky (See the last photo in the Winton group).
    Original plan was to drive to Julia Creek and then Mt Isa tomorrow but we were feeling good and the day was clear so we headed to Cloncurry. A longer drive but shortens the trip to Mt Isa tomorrow. We didn't stop to sight see in Cloncurry, just a quick visit to the local library and then on to our camp for the night at Stoney Creek free camp just north of the town.
    There's plenty of stones here and not much creek, but it's ok for an overnighter. We had our first experience of true bulldust on the way into the camp with a fine red covering over everything when we stopped. Happy to say there was none inside.
    Camped up with two other couples from Victoria and had a pleasant happy hour with them swapping travel stories.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Mt Isa

    August 26, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Away fairly early (pre 9:00am) from Stoney Creek and on the road again. A quick stop at a Burke & Wills memorial at a spot where they stopped on 26th January 1861. It's mind boggling to think they walked/rode all this way through the bush.
    Further on towards Mount Isa we pulled in to the abandoned Mary Kathleen township. We have seen the township, or what's left of it, before but had never made the trek to the actual mine. Following the signs we headed down the cracked roadway that gradually got worse and worse. Perhaps dragging the van in here was not such a good idea. We got to a point about 5km in when the road simply got too rough with the van attached, so we unhitched and left the van in a safe spot to continue on. It was certainly worth the effort. The mine is spectacular and the scenery around the area is worth the drive.
    Back down to Mary Kathleen for some lunch. This is a very popular free camp site as it is a huge cleared level area. The trip in to Mt Isa was uneventful except for a broken down triple trailer dump truck half way up one of the hills. Luckily I was behind a semi and got around ok. Afternoon was spent stocking up at the supermarkets and Kmart. I think Faye was suffering mild Kmart withdrawal. The car is booked in for it's 60k service on Friday so it will be a quiet, clean up day before heading for the NT border. Border passes done!    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Camooweal

    August 27, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    An early morning start for us today as we Facetimed with Flynn at 6:00am for his 10th birthday. It was such a thrill to share the opening of presents with him even though he (and we) were still in bed.
    We eventually left Mount Isa around 9:30 and headed to Camooweal.
    An uneventful drive until we got close to town and spied a police car with flashing lights ahead. They had pulled over someone with NSW number plates heading towards Mount Isa. We hadn't really thought about the prospect of people trying to enter Queensland from the NT against Covid rules. It wasn't the last time we saw the police with someone pulled over.
    We passed through town and noted the line up at the only remaining service station in town. We definitely needed fuel before heading across the border so decided to come back later when hopefully there was less of a crowd.
    Just through town and over the Georgina River we turned into an extensive area of bush camping along the banks of several lakes. We were lucky enough to find a spot beside the water and camped up. A beautiful location but getting hot! 35° today and forecast again for tomorrow.
    As we entered town we drove past The Drover's Camp, a tourist destination in the town that highlights the lives of the early drovers in Qld and the NT. Turns out this weekend they are having the annual Drover's Festival with displays, entertainment and campdraft competition events. We decided to check it out and spent a pleasant couple of hours wandering the site and listening to the “entertainment”. We watched one of the events where calves were separated from a herd, roped, tied and “branded” with paint. Talk about hot and dusty work! These guys really earn their money.
    Back at camp for a beautiful clear warm night with the best star display I think I have ever seen.
    The camp was so nice we decided to stay another day. It had nothing to do with the fact I put the wrong entry date (Monday instead of Sunday) on our NT border passes. We were due for a day of rest anyway.
    The birdlife around the lake kept us busy as well, spotting and identifying. We saw brolgas, hawks, eagles, pelicans, egrets, grebes, dotterels, ducks, cockatiels, budgies and the ever present magpies, peewees and crows.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    41 Mile Bore

    August 30, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Leaving Queensland today, the realisation hit us that we probably won't be back for quite some time.
    Border passes in hand (well phone) we headed for the NT border not knowing if there would be checks or not. After all Qld hasn't been a hotspot for nearly 3 weeks now. No sooner than we got to the border we saw that all traffic was being directed off the highway and through a checkpoint. The police there were pretty organised and had us through in no time. We found it hard to believe that some people, 2 in caravans and 1 truck driver were pulled aside to do their border passes then and there. What rock have these people been living under? Anyway we were off again after only a brief stop.
    The sign just out of Camooweal advised it was 279km to the next fuel. I checked the fuel estimator in the car and it said I had range of 315km. A bit too close for my liking when headwinds can take up that slack in no time. Consequently we drove very conservatively and didn't strike any significant wind, apart from everyone passing me. Travelling at around 85-90 km/h we made the Barkly Roadhouse around midday. My fuel estimator still had 160km range showing so I was happy with that. Calculations I have done so far show a fuel consumption averaging out at 17.5 L per 100 km. Apart from today we have been pushing pretty hard so I'm happy enough with that.
    Filled up with the dearest fuel yet ($1.92) at Barkly Homestead, we headed west toward Friwena bush camp, about another 80km. To describe this as a bush camp is not really accurate. It is a dust camp. It is definitely not the most attractive camp site we have seen. In fact I could say it is the least attractive camp site we have seen and it looked better than it smelled. The decision was made to keep going. We ended up about another 50km west and stopped at Bore 41 camp just off the highway. Everything is dry and dusty as you would expect but at least this camp provided a bit more shelter and less dust. Temperature was showing 44.1° outside. Inside with the fans going it was a chilly 38°. Time for a cold beer.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Karlu Karlu - Devil's Marbles

    August 31, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Hoping for a little relief from the heat we headed west to 3 Ways Roadhouse and then south towards Alice Springs. We passed through Tenant Creek which doesn't seem to have changed much since we last visited in 2004.
    The road south of Tenant Creek is not one we have ever been on before so it interesting to see the changing views. It is painfully obvious some of the places around here have not seen rain for a very long time. As we headed south we saw the diversion road to The Devil's Marbles so we left the highway and drove into a spectacular landscape. We were both of the impression that this was an interesting but smallish area of boulders. We were very wrong. The granite boulders here are everywhere and most impressive. It was still very hot when we arrived so we only took on the shortest of walks from the campground. We also headed up to the lookout for the sunset (as everyone does). The longer walks could wait until the morning. The campground here is very limited so we were glad we had arrived a bit earlier. It filled up later in the day.
    Next morning we took some of the longer walks around the boulders. It is just an amazing place and is hard to describe. You really have to experience it first hand.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Prowse Gap

    September 1, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We had planned on staying at Ti Tree for this night but the small town didn't have a good vibe so we moved on to Prowse Gap Rest area. This was a simple roadside stop area that turned out to be very popular. There was at least 10 groups there eventually.Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler
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    Alice Springs

    September 2, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    The drive down the Stuart Highway has until now been pretty mundane. But as we got closer to Alice Springs the scenery changed to rolling hills and then some more dramatic hills as we moved in to the Macdonnell Ranges. We managed to cross the Tropic of Capricorn on the way. As we travelled south we noticed a fair amount of traffic that was either driving or towing classic cars, hotrods and various souped up vehicles. It turned out that the coming weekend is the Red Centre Nats in Alice Springs. This was pretty huge in The Alice. Never seen so many revheads in one place. We stayed at G'Day Mates Caravan Park to catch up on washing and cleaning. As luck would have it Friday was the first rainy day The Alice has had in ages. We managed to get the washing dry but it put a halt to any sightseeing plans we had. I'm sure the locals are glad for it.Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Alice Springs

    September 3, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Overnight we could hear the Red Centre Nats Burnout Qualifiers being held about 10kms away. It must have been deafening being at the track.
    More washing and shopping on Friday. The rain persisted and we had to finish the drying in one of the machines at the park. We did manage to get up to the Anzac Lookout for a brief glimpse over the city.
    Has anyone wondered where all the planes are that are not flying around because of Covid? Well I can now reveal that a heap of them are being stored at Alice Springs airport. I do remember reading something a while back about airlines storing planes in the desert to preserve them. It was quite a sight seeing them all parked up like that.
    Heading south, a quick stop at a marker on the side of the highway found it commemorated the death of 4 people during the Cannonball Run of 1994.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Curtin Springs Station

    September 4, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Our plans changed again as we continued south. Trying to keep the driving days down to 200-250kms maximum had us planning to stay at a spot called Desert Oaks Rest Area just off the Stuart Highway. We arrived there by lunchtime and although it was nice enough it was VERY dusty with fine red dust everywhere. It was early enough so we decided to keep going.
    Of course we had to stop at the famous "fake Uluru" which is Mt Connor. First glimpses of this mountain really do look like Uluru. As you get closer it becomes obvious it is the wrong shape.
    Not much further on we eventually ended up at Curtin Springs Station on the Lasseter Highway. This is the same spot we stayed at many years ago when we flew out to meet friends Pete & Marie while on one of their around Australia trips. It hasn't changed much but considering they offer free stays it is a fine spot to stop. Just wish this wind would give us a break. An early night locked up in the van.    Read more

  • Wandering OzziesOur Lap of Oz - Part 1Traveler

    Uluru - Curtin Springs

    September 5, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Father's Day on Sunday so we caught up with the kids via Facetime in the morning. They were enjoying a nice warm morning in the park. We were freezing our butts off in the wind. Thermometer showed 7° outside and the BOM advised us with the wind chill it felt like 1°. They were right. At least the sun was shining so we headed off to Uluru anyway, hoping to be able to do the Base Walk again. A drive of about 100kms from Curtin Springs we arrived at Uluru with it looking spectacular in the bright sunshine. It is such an awe inspiring sight as you approach, it's hard to take your eyes off it. The wind was still blowing but the closer we walked to the rock the less we could feel it. We headed off for a couple of kms before coming back to the road that runs all the way around. The next part was in open country and we remembered it as being the less interesting part of the walk so decided to head back to the car and drive around to the other side. Lazy I know but the wind was still blowing. We checked some of the sites on the sunrise (less windy) side before heading back to the Cultural Centre and Yulara to have a look around. We found the campsite we had last time we were here. The park was not full but was still pretty busy. We were glad we decided to come to Uluru again. It is an awesome place and everyone should visit at least once in their lives.Read more

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