Day 8 - Porcupine National Park to Mount Surprise
Today we tackled the Kennedy Developmental Way. The section we started yesterday was a little bumpy, with shallow dips for floodways. However it was all bitumen, obviously trying to encourage the cityfolk to visit Porcupine National Park. I didn't notice any damage to the van until I went to have a shower last night and discovered the shower door had lost a pivot pin - obviously from the bumps. Luckily, I found the pin on the ground outside the van door this morning so we replaced it and taped the door down for the expected much rougher road today.
About ten kilometres north of the Porcupine Gorge National Park turn off, the bitumen ended, but the gravel was very good and the road very wide. We were optimistic as we drove along, only seeing a Subaru car. Another 12 km along and the bitumen was back! We couldn't believe our luck! That was shortlived as the gravel came back. This went on in sections for the whole 195km. If all the gravel had been as good as the first section, it wouldn't have been a problem. But we struck corrugations, sand, potholes and everything else that could happen to a gravel road.
About 100km in, I saw an approaching dust cloud and knew a road train was coming towards us. We pulled off to the side and got a courteous way from the driver as he passed us in a cloud of red dust. We were soon back on the way, contending with some good sections of gravel, some excellent sections of bitumen (randomly in the middle of nowhere) and some very ordinary sections of rocky corrugated gravel. It took us 3 3/4 hours to travel the 195km and as we pulled into the Oasis Roadhouse at The Lynd, we were looking forward to lunch and continuous bitumen for the rest of our journey. A quick check inside the caravan initially revealed no damage - until I stuck my head around the bathroom door and saw the shower door had come off again......and worse, gouged a hole in the shower floor. We'll make some more running repairs and have vowed that the shower screen door will travel on the bed (with the TV!) for the rough sections of our trip!
A great lunch was eaten and we were back on the road. Along the way, I saw our first wedge tailed eagle right beside us on the side of the road, eating some fresh kill. A bit further up the road, and the wedgy could have been eating roast beef, as a ripe dead bull was "maturing" on the side of the road.
We pulled into Mount Surprise at about 4pm, where we had booked two nights at the Bedrock Village Caravan Park. A very pleasant spot, although we haven't sighted Fred or Wilma yet. Beer o'clock was never so welcome.
Weekly Wrap Up
So, we've been on the road one week now. Here's a snapshot of that week:
- 2,313 kilometres travelled
- 2 nights in caravan parks
- 5 nights free camping, four of them in beautiful spots
- goat count - millions
- cattle count - millions
- emu count - multiples of ten
- kangaroo count - multiples of ten
- animals struck - nil!
Day 7 - Longreach to Porcupine Gorge National Park (70km north of Hughendon)
The alarm had us up early although pack up takes longer when you're in a
caravan park so it was still 8am before we were on the road. The 175km up the
road to Winton (the true birthplace of Qantas) was nice and easy and we were on
a roll so we turned off to Hugendon for the 214km from there. Lots of road
works took us on detours which were quite rough but the road was quiet. We
passed through two tiny hamlets - one "Corfield" where they even have
a racecourse and hold the Corfield Cup.....!
The second, Stamford, had a pub
but there were no people to be seen anywhere. No life at all except for the
horse in the middle of the road??! We arrived in Hughendon at 1ish and thought
we better fill up with fuel, as 175km of tomorrow's drive is on a remote dirt
road. As the lady filled our tank, we
learned about Hughendon. Including that this weekend is the Hughendon Show and
that today is a public holiday so no shops were open. Which was a problem, as
we needed bread - and lunch! She went on to say that Hughendon was a dying town
- it had a population of 2,000 ten years ago but these days only had about 800
and there was no sheep farming left, which took most of the occupations that
kept the town thriving. A sad story, and not uncommon across all of Australia
but even more so out here, so far from anywhere else.
Filled with diesel, we headed up the Kennedy Developmental Road to the
Porcupine Gorge National Park. Upon arrival, we discovered a caravan in
"our" campsite so I kindly asked them to move. Which they did and we
were very quickly set up and I had hamburgers cooking for our late lunch. After
lunch, we made a few adjustments to the car in preparation for our big day of
dirt roads tomorrow before I hiked down into the gorge.
Now, they call this
"Australia's Grand Canyon" which might be a bit of an exaggeration.
It is certainly spectacular, and with quite steep walls in parts. The rocks
through the various levels are very interesting and make the view worth the
walk. The walk down was easy enough - coming back up was another story! At one
end, the canyon wall forms a pyramid like hill, hence the name of our
campground Pyramid Hill Campground.
Above: The view of the gorge from the top of the walking track.
Above: The rock walls of the gorge inside the canyon
Above: Inside the gorge
Abve: Pyramid Hill - from inside the gorge
Day 6 - Longreach
Our first warm night last night - will really need to take the winter sheets off so we can sleep comfortably! However, we did enjoy a sleep in, knowing we didn't have to hit the road this morning.
After decent coffee courtesy of my coffee machine (yay! we have power so I can use it!), I did a spot of grocery shopping and put a load of washing on. Hanging out it to dry in this weather means it was dry very quickly! We then made a few other necessary stops so it was lunchtime before we made it out to the Stockman's Hall of Fame.
We spent an amazing afternoon touring their five galleries, including one dedicated to the Royal Flying Doctors Service - something Greg has always had a passionate interest in. Imagine his delight when he got to pilot one of their planes!
We decided to stay on for the show and dinner so after finishing the galleries, we bought souvenirs and relaxed with beers at the Cattlemen's Bar and Grill. The show started at sunset and is performed by a stockman from Yackandandah (practically a local!) and he puts on a good show. Apparently he did "Australia's Got Talent" a few years ago! He sang and had the animals dancing and we enjoyed it very much.
Dinner followed and we swapped caravanning stories with our table companions over a Black Angus steak and it was a pleasant end to a really good day. We're now planning a early start tomorrow as it appears I have miscalculated how far our next stop is and that will require more driving than planned. On the road again.......!
Day 5 - Tambo to Longreach
As we were having coffee on the banks of the Barcoo River this morning, watching the sun rise over the trees lining the river, Greg asked "Wonder what the poor people are doing right now?".
Us and the other 8 caravans lined up on the riverbank left progressively from 8am. As we drove out we noticed signs to the "Qantas crash site" opposite our camp. Turns out this was the first fatal Qantas crash in 1927, and the descendents marked the site with a memorial only a few years ago. But, more on this to come later in our day.
We drove 100km up the road to Blackall but were on a roll so we kept driving. Another 100 or k's and we were in Barcaldine, but by now we were keen to get to Longrach so we kept going, hence missing the Tree of Knowledge. Another 100 or so k's and we arrived in Longreach by lunchtime. The novelty of a caravan park (which thankfully we booked yesterday, as the whole town is chockers with people and caravans!) so I had my first real experience of backing into a site in this tiny, very quaint caravan park. We then had to remember to set up power and water and sullage - all those things we haven't bothered about in the bush.
A quick test of the airconditioning to cool the van down (it was 33C as we were setting up) and then we were back in the car (we almost hear it joyfully drive out of the caravan park without anything behind it! ah, the freedom!) out to the Qantas Founders Museum. We had lunch in their cafe first before doing the museum. This was an excellent set up with lots of audio experiences, with great stories from the founders of Qantas and their descendents (the museum has nothing to do with modern Qantas, it is in fact a non-profit entity), and the potential to climb into all sorts of planes. We both "flew" the Avro simulator, and climbed into the DC3.
We then went into the original hangar where Qantas started, and where they built their first 6 planes. One of the guides at the museum told us about a presentation he was giving next week, called "Rainman got it wrong", where he tells the tale of Qantas' 18 crashes, many of them with fatalities. He was how we learned about the Tambo crash (which was the first). Back in the hangar, we climbed into a DC50.
We spent a pleasant afternoon at the museum and would highly recommend it to anyone coming to this neck of the woods. After brief consideration of whether to do the 747 and 707 tours in the morning (including studying them up close), we headed back to the caravan park for beer o'clock.
In all the excitement of being in a big town (comparably) again, we thought we'd get takeaway tonight. Who would have thought that was so hard? Although it was pleasing to see the big commercial takeaway giants haven't made it here yet, we struggled to find anything. I don't know if it's because State of Origin is on and everyone is watching that (even the local fire station had the appliances on the apron and chairs in the engine bay to watch it on a big screen) but in the end we settled for some ordinary pizza - and then wished we hadn't. Sometimes, the simplicity of bush cooked food is best.
Day 4 - Cunnamulla to Tambo
As I type this, Greg and I are sitting in front of our campfire on the banks of the Barcoo River (not quite as impressive a river as the last two we have camped on) with a little brush tailed possum hanging around for some vegie scraps. Too bad our campfire cooked dinner is over and we are just soaking up the atmosphere!
We awoke early this morning as the wind picked up and was banging our awning around. However, the delight of seeing so many pelicans on the river as I stepped out of the van door this morning won out over the early start. I fired up the outdoor cooktop for a yummy cooked breakfast (which meant I could have percolated coffee as well!) and we enjoyed a lazy morning before packing up and being on the road by 10am.
That wind that woke us early turned into a nasty headwind the whole way to Charleville. We went through a quarter of a tank of fuel to the half way mark! And I was fighting to keep the car and van in a straight line and on the sometimes narrow bitumen. Add to the mix an emu that was running straight for our car, a kangaroo that only at the last minute thought he would change direction and the usual goats (again, a lot less today than every other day).
Arriving in Charleville we sought out a servo that would accept one of our fuel cards and then a bakery for lunch. Back on the road again by 1:45pm, we started a new audio book and wiled away the kilometres up the straight and usually boring road. Roadworks just south of Tambo gave the car and van an authentic red look as we again checked the Hema for a suitable campsite in Tambo. We were directed to Stubby Bend and turned into what seemed to be open plains down to a creek - and many other vans! We must have grabbed the last spot on the river bank as the next van to come in is parked up on the plains.
Day 3 - Cobar to Cunnamulla
We did some pretty good driving today (Greg even said so) to get well over the Queensland border. Apparently NSW cattle aren't allowed here though as I had to jump the cattle grid to take the photo above.
The day started noisily in Cobar with the mine traffic waking Greg early (ear plugs helped me keep sleeping) so we were on the road just after 8am. First stop of the day was the Fort Bourke lookout. As you can see (especially those who have been to Kalgoorlie) it's no Super Pit. However, the presence of a bus in the lookout carpark made me practice my reversing (Mum, you'd be proud) and the lookout was certainly worth it after that,
We then headed up the road to Bourke, again watching out for goats (a few - but nothing like yesterday) and sheep and cattle and emus and arrived in Bourke for morning tea. We headed to the Back O'Bourke Centre and went through their exhibition, which was done very well and had plenty of stories for us both to listen to. The one that stuck with us the most was about Outback Legend Barefoot Harry who earnt his nickname after he vowed never to wear shoes again when he took too long to take his boots off and his wife drowned. From that day on, he never wore shoes, hoping to save someone else from the misfortune that befell his wife. He never got the chance but he earnt a place in folklore with some long tales. After a pleasant lunch at the Back O'Bourke, we hit the road again, for yet more very straight, very boring roads. We easily passed where I mapped out our overnight stop and instead kept going, over the Queensland border and into Cunnamulla. A quick search of the Hema to identify a campsite suggested the Weir and so here we are:
As we settled back under the awning with a beer and snacks to watch this awesome sunset, and listen to the birds (especially my favourites, the pelicans) on the Warrego River in front of this, we both agreed this is the life.
Day 2 - Darlington Point to Cobar
We're officially in Outback NSW now, after we saw the sign on the Kidman Way. Our 400km of travels today took us through some pretty ordinary countryside although there were a few scenes worth describing. The sun rose on a beautiful morning in Darlington Point this morning, after a few showers and a thunderstorm during the night, We had a leisurely breakfast and pack up and were on the road by 10am. The drive to Griffith took us past cotton fields and citrus farms, the latter intermingling with vineyards as we approached Griffith. It was probably still a bit too early for wine tasting at that hour so we kept going. Griffith was a bit sleepy on a Sunday morning so out the other side we came and headed up the very straight road. There was little to entertain us on the roadside then, so we read up on stories of the local towns. Like the hamlet of MerriWagga (population 34) which boasts a Black Stump Hotel, named after the unfortunate Mrs Blain, wife of a bullock driver who left her to make camp for the night while he tended the stock. The day was hot and windy and while Mrs Blain prepared dinner, the campfire raged and she was burned to death. When people expressed their sympathy, the bullock driver simply said "When I returned, my wife was dead - she looked just like a black stump".
Further up the road, the wildlife started to come out - goats by the hundred and a few emus. Conscious of Neill and Jude's attack two years ago by the mad Billy Goat Gruff only a bit up the road, I took the road slowly when I saw them out - or even on the road (a kid found the warm bitumen a pleasant place to sleep).
We arrived in Cobar in time for beer o'clock (it was a pleasantly warm 27C today) and have settled for the night in a rest area.
Day 1 - Broadford to Darlington Point
The adventure has begun! After a waving off ceremony attended by the whole family this morning, and presentation of a fantastic drawing by our nieces (so good I have stuck it to the fridge for the duration of our trip!), we were on our way only 45 minutes behind schedule. The car was fully loaded, the caravan too but it still handled well on the road and soon the kilometres were melting away. A quick morning tea stop at the 1 U Cafe in some place I couldn't pronounce produced an excellent homemade sausage roll and a pretty good coffee. Lunch was in Jerilderie, at the bakery - which apart from the IGA was the only thing open down the whole main street on a Saturday afternoon. Greg was mimicking four-year-old Kobi before too long with "are we there yet?" which amused him greatly. We pulled into Darlington Point just after 3pm, and headed off the bitumen along a sand track down to the Murumbidgee river. Within the hour, we are having afternoon tea looking out to the river and listening to the birds. Greg's "Castle" like comment - "ahhh, the serenity".
Firewood is collected for the campfire and the first glass of wine is being enjoyed. This is the life!
Final countdown
Departure day is almost here! Shame the caravan still looks like a bomb hit it; the car is not packed and the house is still a mess! Never mind, several hours of work to go, followed by last minute packing, welcoming the house sitters and hopefully a good night's sleep before we set off in the morning. Our aim of having the caravan packed and all ready by last weekend did not quite eventuate.....
Next time you hear from us, we'll be on the road - and hopefully a lot more relaxed!
Day -20 before the big Mallett caravan adventure of 2014!
It's been a while since our last post and a lot has changed but the biggest thing we have learned is to seize every opportunity and not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
So in 20 days we are off on a big caravan adventure that will take us up through west/central NSW into central Queensland, turning left onto the Savannah Way along the bottom of the Gulf into Arnhem Land across to Katherine where we meet up with Lisa and Paul and then together travel to Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu and then down through the Centre.
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| Our new Journey under an amazing sunrise in Broadford - where will it's next sunrise be?!? |
We'll travel 12,000km over 9 weeks and make the most of every experience along the way. We've bought a new caravan so over the last few weeks, we've been practicing around Victoria and this weekend was our last practice outing, up to the Murray River.
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| Among the red gums on the Murray River |
We travelled with some friends who have a much fancier van than ours, but the stories of caravanning, the tips and advice are applicable no matter what kind of van so we feel a lot more prepared for the big trip now. Thankfully, the weather was even better up on the Murray than it was in Melbourne!
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| OK, so the Journey is dwarfed a little by the Bushtracker but it can hold its own! |
In reality, this post was just to re-invigorate the blog and check that everything still works! Apparently things have changed but it seems to be working. Let the countdown continue - 19 days to go now!
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| The Journey on it's maiden adventure just up the road on King Parrot Creek. |
