Winton

Dana and an inquisitive friendly visitor

 We arrived in Winton on Monday and it was 28 degrees,  we free camped in the carpark of the Winton Hotel - Jo the landlady, was very generous in allowing us to do so and we had free access to showers and toilets.  We spent a very pleasant evening with her, her husband Kevin and staff having a meal there.

Our outlook was over farmland as you can see and the neighbours were pretty friendly as well.  The dogs are certainly geting some experiences and seem to be settling into their side well - as it is now hot and dusty there is no water for swimming. We had a 250km drive to Winton along a very straight boring road and the only interruptions was the constant roadkill - every few metres was a 'roo carcas or a fresh one - rather depressing really.

Misty and Jake with their friends

Footprints in the street

We are also still in the heart of dinosaur country and they have a novel way of keeping their bins in one place, most businesses have these bin covers and their are huge footprints all over.  It is also the home of Banjo Patterson and Australia's best export - Waltzing Matilda.

Banjo Patterson and the words to Waltzing matilda.

The Matilda Centre is a wonderful museum a testament to a song and its writer.Not only that it is a testament to life in the Winton Shire from the pioneers, especially the women who worked trying to keep the stations going and raise a family often of 7-10 children - and we moan today.....

There are also many other things to look at including Arno's wall which was built by Arno, a German immigrant and instead of having a museum he has put everything into concrete in a long wall arund his old house - a hoarder, I think.  There is literally everything from machinery, toilets, kitchen sinks, old motor bikes, you think of it is there.

Tuesday evening we went to the caravan park and listened to two lady bush poets, 'friends' they were but boy were they good, theyn told bush stories, sang songs and recited poetry, some of which was very risque,  but we 'g.n's' loved it - a laugh a minute.

So Weds morning we bade farewell to Jo and her team from the Winton and headed 184kms s/west to Longreach.

Hughenden

Arrived in Hughenden at the c/van park about 1pm but even then it was hot 28 degrees - and it is winter.  Not used to this dry heat anymore.  Hughenden has a pop of 2191 and has the unique position of being in the heart of dinosaur country.  History for this area goes back hundreds of years with ;prehistoric history of over 100mil. years.  It is situated on the edge of a vast pre historic inland sea, once home to many terrestrial dinosaurs as well as martine reptiles making ths area well known as "Dinosaur Country" The first fossil ever to be found was in  1865 on a property west of Hughenden and so the discovery of a greater past was made.

Being an outback town, everywhere closes Sat. lunchtime until Mon morning, except the 2 pubs owned by the same family and the local food store. We are 250 km from Charters and 219km from Winton the s/west.  Why the hell anyone wants to live here I don't know, it gets so hot.  However, the streets are wide, the grass brown, plenty of parks and things for the kids.

The water, a life saver in the dry river

Sunday afternoon in Hughenden

Friends who joined us for lunch at the c/van park



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Jake and his mate "Mutt"  (the muttasaurus)

Federation Rotunda



The river is a dry river but we were lucky because it had rained here in the last month which gave access to a water flow on one side of the river - the dogs went mad when they saw the water especially as it was clear - and he kites (like hawks) hovered as they saw Misty running around and they got closer and lower.  We put her back on her lead and David picked her up and put under his shirt.  They would have had her in minutes.

The Federation Rotunda is made frm 20' windmills brought in from a local property dated 1912 and 1916 The windmills were originally used to pump water for stock.

There is a very good dinosaur museum with interactive talks and explanations regarding the dinosaurs fossils found in this area.

Porcupine Goge Nat. P:ark is termed Austeralia's little Grand Canyon and is aprox. 1 hr drive from Hughenden.  This is one of 3 nat parks in the Flinders Shire



Just as the sun was going down

 This was taken at sunset on top of Mt. Walker just out of Hughenden, lastr night, where there are viewing points at six different lookout points giving 360 degree views..  It is 478m above sea level, and 152m above Hughenden.  Named by the explorer William Landsborough.

The lights of the township light up in a sea of black wilderness.

Mutt and his mates



Brekkie in the carpark

Colombia Poppet Head mine shaft reconstruction

Fri night saw us just 3km out of town on a free site which was a huge carpark for c/vans and campers but there were only three of us rigs there, it only had cold water but had wonderful big grass area for the dogs looking over paddocks.  Thought it would be busy with truck noise and the railway but have to say that 'the silence was deafening', was wonderful.

This was the shaft (reconstruction) which let the miners go down the shaft to mine the ore.  This was the other end of the c/van park where we were.

We also witnessed the wonderful rising of the full moon from the horizon up into the sky,  just as we set our table on the asphalt with a cloth and had bangrs andmash for tea with beer - great. The moon was just like a huge red ball and then in the morning we had brekkie on the park balcony sitting watching the sun rise. The dogs had the freedom to run as well -and then the drive - 250km through to Hughenden in the outback in central Qld.

Charters Towers

Magnificent Post office

City Hall

Standing inside the ornate entrance to the old city hall

Mt Alma hospital (original) now private house, beautiful lace work around the balconies

Left Fletcher Creek Fri am and drove only 40km into Charters Towers an old gold mining town which saw its wealth and population soar in the gold rush years of the late 1800's. Its wealth was based on the discovery of underground reef of gold in 1871.  At its height the pop. of Towers was 29,500 with 67 pubs and 29 crushing mills - the pop. today is 13,500 and of course most of the pubs have gone along with the mills but  the beautifully renovated heritage buildings remain and its a pretty country Aust. town . Have also a wonderful 600 theatre which has been completely overhauled and has the most amazing acoustics.

C.T stands on an interesting junction in the Aust. landscape.  Here the Gt. Dividing range is the headwatersof some ofthe country's biggest river systems.  Waterways originating here drain sth. west to Lake Eyre; north to theGulf or east along the Burdekin river system to the Gt. Barrier Reef. 

Home to the Gudjal and Gudjala tribes. It is on the Overlanders Trail running from Townsville to Tenant Creek in the N Territory.

Fletcher Creek

Ok we'll drink more - give us time

this is the pyrotecxhnic maniac, Val had to havce her campfire was a good one though

Weds am headed to Charters Towers and ended up at a wonderful free site 40km north of Towers (local speak) called Fletcher Creek which is at the edge of the Dalrymple nat. Park and right down by the creek which runs into the Burdekin river ( one of the largest river systems in Qld).  There were rigs of all shapes and sizes right along the side of the creek and in the central area - all grassed. Weren't that many there , probably about 40 rigs altogether, at the start of the winter when the Victorians head north there can be as many as 200 rigs placed along the river and also going way into the bushland towards the park, so we got off light.  Only toilets, cold showers, tap water lots of mitchell grass and nothing else - but it is wonderful.  Had cold shower Friday morning, although the water is not really cold, more lukewarm.
 The sunsets were superb, the weather hot and the dogs loved the freedom and the swims in the creek.  We had no power but our own gas (stoves) so wonderful to have a cooked brekkie of egg, bacon, toms. and mushrooms the next morning and then we just walked, read and relaxed along with all the other 'greys' and at 4pm out came the wine and beer. Fletcher Creek and the nat. park is all open woodland and is the spiritual home of the Gudjal and Gudjala tribes (although we didn't see any).....  however, we did wonder why this sign was erected and were we in line of fire if we didn't get the wine out on time.......

Oh dear, this couple were too late and that is all that is left of them, 2 chairs and their wine bottle - no dingoes here.....

amazing sunsets while still with sun

as the sun was going down

 The sunsets were fantastic and as there was a new moon this week its rising through the trees was superb, we had great views for the two nights, it created almost full daylight even at 3am.

Val had to go an scrounge wood for her fire the two nights, and people are very reluctant to let you near their wood pile - it is like gold in these parts.  She would have cut down a tree if we had had an axe........ and when they leave camp they take the wood with them much to her dismay.  There are little campfires everywhere all contained within their brick surrounds.  Could get used to living that life for a few weeks, we were settling into it even after 2 days - you can stay there for up to 30 days in one hit and a lot of the longtime stayers have their own solar panels and are completely self-contained with everything that moves and squeaks. Towers is only 30 mins down the road for your supplies.

T/ville rock pool

lunchtime at T'ville c/van park

Ann, Dave and Val (David taking pix)

The rock pool at one end of the 2.5km walkway - The Strand

Looking towards Magnetic Island from bbq area at rock pools

The rock pool is on the 2.5km -The Strand.  It is a natural sea rock-pool built because the water is too cold to go into in the winter (26 degrees) and in the summer it is impossible because of the stingers in the sea -  so you can't win.......  However this area is magnificent with free bbq's and grassed areas.

Townsville

Have had two nights in Townsville, was to be only one but a bit of an accident yesterday, we were  all in Dave's car going to The Strand and some f......t ran into the back of us, luckily we had the tow bar, so he had a hell of a lot more damage than Dave's car did,  stove in his radiator and the police told Dave the guy only had three demerit points left on his licence as he had a string of driving offences........so after exchanging details we went on our way,  everyone, inc. dogs were alright.  This guy was uninsured, and this is  pretty common up here wth loads of people running around with no insurance but it was his car and he was who he said he was.

This meant that they needed to sort out ins. and go to police and then repairer before moving on just to make sure nothing was damaged underneath or anywhere else.  They were given the green light so hence the extra night, which we were delighted with as it meant we got to have a walk along The Strand which is very picturesque and  so onto Charters Towers tomorrow.

Strand runs from the port right thru to the rock pool at the other end and the council have certainly made a great job of it wih playgrounds, cleaned the beaches up and great walking track from one end to the other.  Val went swimming in the rock pool and we just sat on the grass and looked out to Magnetic Island which is 8km away and an hour by ferry.

Also went up Castle Hill which overlooks T/ville and has tremendous views out to sea and the islands.