Through Geoff Dinning we were made aware that Bev and Mick Marr were camping near us. We had the pleasure of enjoying a cup of coffee with them in the Pinaroo bakery before we headed for Victoria. It was good to be back in our home state. Again we were not required to show our border passes. Heading east through familiar towns, we came through Wicheproof where John accidentally put the incorrect fuel into our Toyota. Luckily a very thoughtful guy noticed what was happening and stopped to tell John and advised us to call the RACV, which we did. The RACV representative came very swiftly from the nearby town of Charlton. We were so lucky as this incorrect fuel would have damaged our vehicle quite badly. The owner of WALSH motors came to our rescue, loaded our Toyota on his truck, hooked the caravan on the back and headed for Charlton where he and his staff emptied our fuel tank, cleaned it out and refueled the truck for us. It was great service because it was quite late on Friday evening before the job was completed. What a lot of Good Luck involved !!
We camped in Charlton that night and set out for Milawa early the next morning...The last day of traveling. We gladly arrived home here about 2.00pm. the unpacking happened immediately. We were pleased to be home where we can keep track of the rules for the COVID Virus.Thursday, June 23, 2022
Thursday July 29th, 2021
We left Burra shortly before 10.00am. We drove for 3 hours straight before we stopped for lunch at Loxton. It was a good stop right outside Woolworths Super Market where we did a little shopping to see us over the first weekend at Milawa.
This evening we are in Pinaroo...again very cold and windy. Hopefully we can cross the Victorian border tomorrow morning.
Some part of the country have been very dry while other areas are green. It will be interesting to see how Victoria looks as I think there has been rain.
Wednesday July 28th, 2021
I actually think that I have missed a date. It is tricky to keep track of the days and dates.
After being at Beltana, we
have traveled more swiftly today because we were on bitumen roads most
of the time. Our camp tonight is at the Burra Showgrounds. It is a
satisfactory place to camp but very very cold and windy. I always enjoy Burra, in fact it seems different each visit.
Tuesday July 27th, 2021
Another long day of driving. It has been interesting coming down the Strzelecki Track from Innamincka to Lyndhurst. The country was bare and brown and very poor in appearance. The road was dusty so our van is full of it. The clean up job will need to wait until Milawa. After having a Covid test taken in Leigh Creek we have come on to a the small historic town of Beltana. Again the wind is blowing so hopefully by the time I need to sleep, it will have settled down.
We will work our way down to the SA border into Victoria and hopefully be able to return to our home state. The borders have been a challenge…..NB take note for those who want to travel our country this year.
Monday July 26th, 2021
Quite a big pack up at our Dig Tree Camp. Off we went to Innaminka. We have been to this outback town several times before. John was able to buy gas & fuel and I purchased a some food stuffs. We thought we would need to stay a night but it was suggested that we go south on the Strzelecki Track and travel as far as we could toward Lyndhurst. It was long drive and I am sure john is as tired as I am. He drove 274 km ans we have camped on Strezlecki Creek which has little or now water in it. The waterhole and surrounds are attractive with green trees and wild flowers.
Along the way we went by the Moomba gas works and small township. The gas works provide many jobs for guys and I also noticed a young woman driving a truck as well.
We are now in South Australia and hopefully the Covid Restrictions will not handicap us…we will see.
We found many flowers like this on the sand dunes.
We are now in South Australia and hopefully the Covid Restrictions will not handicap us…we will see.
Buds on the Bloodwood trees. There were many of these trees by the roadside. Sadly the blooms were not quite fully out.
Monday July 26th, 2021
Quite a big pack up at our Dig Tree Camp. Off we went to Innaminka. We have been to this outback town several times before. John was able to buy gas & fuel and I purchased a some food stuffs. We thought we would need to stay a night but it was suggested that we go south on the Strzelecki Track and travel as far as we could toward Lyndhurst. It was a long drive and I am sure john is as tired as I am. He drove 274 km and we have camped on Strezlecki Creek which has little or no water in it. The waterhole and surrounds are attractive with green trees and wild flowers.
Sunday July 25th, 2021
We are still camped at the Dig Tree to fill in time before we cross the border into South Australia and then go into Innamincka. Hopefully our plan will go smoothly so we can travel south in South Australia. It has been challenging to work out the best plan. My food supply if OK but it will be good if we can buy a few extra things in Innaminka.
This
morning we met a young woman who has been living at this property ‘Nappa Maree’
for 17 years. It must have been an extraordinary challenge to live in such a
remote place for so many years. Evidently that property takes charge of this
camping park so she was here emptying bins etc.
Coopers Creek from the Dig Tree Site.
Friday July 23rd, 2021
We have enjoyed the site of Arabury Water Hole and felt sorry to leave it before 10.00am this morning. It is about 200km to The Dig Tree. We arrived about lunch time. The gravel road was OK for some distance but then it became severely rough, stoney and corrugated.
The day has become severely windy. The clothes I washed will dry rapidly.
The dig tree and all the details are situated on a wide grassy area on the property of ‘Nappa Merrie’ which was originally owned by John Conrick and his family. The details of Burke & Wills and his team are very well tabulated. The story is interesting and well worth studying. We have visited here before but the details of the story have now been presented in a much more detailed manner. The trees with the carvings on them are very close to Cooper Creek.
In 1860-61 expedition met a tragic end when the support team gave up hope and left this location only hours before Burke, Wills and King finally made it back from their expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Burke and Wills succumbed, but King survived with help of the local Aborigines and was rescued several months later.Friday July 21st
We are still camped at Arrabury Water Hole. Another fine day..luckily! Again tonight we will remain at this Water Hole. Today is not so windy so we have enjoyed a couple of walks along the water’s edge. I need to carefully manage our food supplies at present. The small Queensland towns do not always have the food stuffs that you would like. In fact they have been ‘out-of’ goods such as gas which we have little of and are even low in fuel so planning needs to be carefully done.
It has been OK and easy to collect wood here but we have to carry our own firewood to the Dig Tree.
Tomorrow we hope to get as far as the Burke & Wills Dig Tree where we can camp and fill in some time until Monday when we can go into Innamincka. We have been approved to cross the border into South Australia on Monday July 26th. The long drive after this will be long and quite lonely. Our plans are to travel south and try to cross the SA border into Victoria.
Dead trees along Arabury Water hole
South
Australia has new Covid cases so that state is now in ‘lock down'
We realised today that we camped in this spot when John Yeo was with us in 1997 (and his parents as well as Elaine & Norm Allan) We do not remember the spot at all!! It is a pity John Yeo cannot remember that trip but he was only 7 months old (a beautiful baby too!)
Gradually we are getting closer to home but there is quite a bit of travelling to do yet. Once we cross into Victoria we will feel more positive.
We are extremely hopeful that this very strong wind will slacken off this evening and tomorrow will be calm.
Thursday July 22nd, 2021
Today has been the very worst day of our trip. Last night I thought that it could rain in the night but no, luckily the day dawned clear with only a few clouds.
We left in reasonable time but unfortunately about 50km down the road, as we stopped to have a look at an Aboriginal Waterhole the left side wheel came rolling off the van. Enough said..what a disaster. There was a young couple pulled up nearby and they stayed with us while John serviced the tyre. We were lucky to have their support. Eventually we found all the bolts to secure the trye and wheel in place. Our new friends went on their way and so did we!
We took the road west, then east, which will eventually take us to Innamincka. Tonight we are camped on the Arrabury Water Hole which is approximately 150 km from Innamincka. The wind is appalling- blowing very strongly and wildly. Hopefully is will calm down enough this evening to cook some dinner.
Friday July 21st….We are still camped at Arrabury Water Hole. Another fine day..luckily! Again tonight we will remain at this Water Hole. Today is not so windy so we have enjoyed a couple of walks along the water’s edge. I need to carefully manage our food supplies at present. The small Queensland towns do not always have the food stuffs that you would like. In fact they have been ‘out-of’ goods such as gas which we have little of and are even low in fuel so planning needs to be carefully done.
It has been OK and easy to collect wood here but we have to carry our own firewood to the Dig Tree.
Tomorrow we hope to get as far as the Burke & Wills Dig Tree where we can camp and fill in some time until Monday when we can go into Innamincka. We have been approved to cross the border into South Australia on Monday July 26th. The long drive after this will be long and quite lonely. Our plans are to travel south and try to cross the SA border into Victoria.
Monday July 19th
We were able to do a little shopping in the small Super Market in Isisford. This has replenished supplies for the next few days.
I found it to be a very remote part of Queensland as we passed through Emmet. This is south of Longreach. As we neared Yaraka we decided to eat out lunch at the foot of Mt Slowcombe . This is a small hill with a very steep road to the top. The view of the surrounding areas is wide and interesting as you can see from my photo. The small township of Yaraka can just be seen in the left top corner. The population of Yaraka is 20 people. The population of Emmet is 2 people.
Sunday July 18th
We are still camped in the same spot on the banks of the Barcoo River near Isisford. The land around us is very dry and there are many people camped along the same area. It has been a very quiet Sunday. Luckily we do have internet connection so we spent some time this morning organising our border pass into South Australia from the area of Inamincka. As we are required to remain in Queensland for 6 or 7 more days we will not be leaving this state until July 26th. We can find different/new places to visit in the interim. Covid has certainly changed everyone's plans. We have never seen so many caravans travelling but more than likely their owners have made new plans rather than going overseas. I think travelling in Victoria is not very appealing with the July weather of the NE. Tomorrow we will head for the SW corner of Queensland and explore some new areas on the way.
The second photo shows the view of the Barcoo from our caravan door.
There are many birds..pigeons, whistling kites, apostle birds and a couple of pelicans. to mention a few.
Saturday July 17th
We
enjoy camping on a river but the only disappointment is that all
waterways...rivers, creeks and water holes are muddy. Today's target is
Isisford where we are camped on the Barcoo River. We drove on gravel
roads all morning but they were all very easy to drive on. We arrived at
a suitable camping spot on the Barcoo at about 12.30pm. The morning has
been interesting. Firstly
when I looked out of the van this morning there was the most amazing
reflection in the Thompson River. There was even a graceful pelican
having an
early morning swim. The reflection was amazingly clear and detailed.
After lunch we drove into the small town of Isisford. Of course being Saturday everything was shut and it will be similar tomorrow I expect. The shops are small so they probably do not sell many grocery type items. Hopeful we can inspect them thoroughly on Monday Morning prior to us heading off....
Friday July 16th
This
is our 2nd day at Lochern . We have found a small spot at the entry
gate where we have internet connection. After this we plan to explore
the park a little more. We drove the Nature Trail and found it very
interesting as we could see the country which was once the Lochern
Station.
It is very dry as there has been little or no rain of late.
We are lucky that our caravan is parked by the Thompson River. There
is a cool change expected, no rain I hope as it will be fun driving
through this black soil if it is wet.
was flooded. No doubt the old truck was used for Station activities.
Thursday July 15th
The night on the Thompson was peaceful. Firstly we had a trip into Jundah for a little shopping---food, fuel post office etc. We then left and travelled north to Lochern N.P. We have settled here on the Thompson River again but further up stream than last night at Jundah. I do enjoy a pelican on the waters! They are beautiful graceful birds. When I see pelicans I always think of my friend Beth who loves pelicans. We will stay here for a couple of nights. The day is very warm at 30 degrees. It would be good to dive into the river but I am not quite confident to do this. We are booked here for 2 nights which should be peaceful.
Wednesday July14th
Back to Windorah for some shopping and a visit to the info centre. We also caught up with Kathleen who is a sister to Maree Sullivan in Wangaratta.
After filling with water & Petrol etc we headed off for Jundah which was in a NE direction. We arrived in time to eat our lunch by the Thompson River. We have a very pleasant camp spot but the day is much hotter at 29degrees. Jundah is quite a well kept town with all the necesssties of play areas, schools, hospital etc. We found a small store of goods..groceries, chemist items and an icy pole for John.
We
are unsure how long we will stay here but our camping spot is shaded by
the leaves/ branches of the coolabah tree (pictured below)
Tuesday July 13th
Another day, this one has a difference. We went into Windorah to do some washing. Home we came and hung it to dry on this delightful sunny day. The local nature trail attracted us so we drove through the properties and bush.
The last bit of news we have received we received is that the border into South Australia has been closed as well as the border into NSW. this is quite restrictive as you will only be allowed through if there is an emergency.
We will stay here in Queensland for awhile as we had originally planned. The change is a challenge for us..however we originally planned to stay a little longer in this state so will bend with the changes as they come. It is a pest but camping on the Cooper's Creek is very pleasant. The weather is warm although the nights are cool/cold. We have plenty of food for the next week so our plans are evolving.
Charles Stuart visited this area and actually
Below is a view of the muddy waters
so close to our caravan door.
Monday July 12th
We left our camp about 9.30am and had decided to travel on a side road to Windorah. After 20kms we found a sign the conveyed there was a locked gate ahead. The was no alternative but to return to the main bitumen road to Windorah. It was a very busy road with many cars, caravans and trucks. We did see a few animals along the way...sheep and cattle but wondered what they ate. The country was remarkably green and grey with very short grass.
Eventually we went across Cooper's Creek about 5 miles from Windorah. There was a comfortable space for us to camp on the River. The day is warm at 25 degrees. The small town of Windorah is one of only three towns in the shire of Barcoo in Central West Queensland. Population would be about 150 people.
We visited the township and did a little shopping and have made the decision to stay for 2 nights.
Sunday July 11th
We spent time here in Eromanga to use the available Internet connect. Lack of Internet in so many places has caused me to be late publishing blog notes. We love being in these remote places but there are disadvantages.
We
camped at the Kyabra Creek Camp where we have camped before. It is by
the lovely stream and water lake of Kyabra Creek. There are many birds
in the trees and pelicans on the water. Pigeons are the most common.
The reflections are remarkable and the evening view is unusually attractive.
Saturday July 10th
We left at about 9.30am, going north to Eromanga. The road was bitumen all the way which was a very pleasant change. The country side showed quite a lot of variety of green, dried and dead trees, quite a few cattle of red, white and black. We stopped at the waterhole the Bellalie Water Hole to have a late morning read of our books as well as lunch. After this we came on to Eromanga where we have booked into a very poor camping park. However I have been fortunate to be able to make several phone calles to friends.
About 2.00pm we drove our to the Eromanga Dinasaur Museum. We found this interesting and joined an hour long tour of the prescinct. I am not at all knowledgeable about dinasaurs but certainly learned a little about these huge creatures.
Take
note in the photo the size of Cooper's shin bone as well as the size of
his toes compared with me. This dinasaur was called Cooper because the
bones were found near the Cooper Creek. The young lad who found the
first bone was about 14/15 years old. It seems remarkable to me that a
young chap would recognize the bone as being unusual.
