Friday 21 May 2021
After a hiatus of nearly a year and a half we are back on the road. Unfortunately COVID has meant our plans for travel to exotic overseas locations have been shelved for the foreseeable future. Our only option is for travel around Australia, staying home after the lock downs of 2020 is not an option.
Our plan is to travel through western Queensland, north to the gulf country and back via the Great Barrier Reef coast.
We started with a short 2 hour drive from home. We needed to get back into the swing of travel and camping. After that night the distances have been longer and the roads more empty. The country also became more remote, empty and generally very flat.
Our observations so far:
Where We are Headed
For those with a geographic bent, we have travelled to southern Queensland and west to the Burke and Wills Dig tree. We are now in Charleville before we start our move north. It seems everyone that might have been travelling down the Danube on a 5 star river cruise is now on the road towing a caravan and stopping wherever there is a bakery and coffee.
A Stow Away
On opening one of our camp chairs I discovered a stowaway. A micro bat (essentially a mouse with wings) had thought sleeping through winter in our garage in a camp chair would be a good idea. Unfortunately his plans came unstuck about 1,000 kms from home. A quick call to the local vet and we were informed we could let him go, just don’t handle him and don’t get bitten. After all the COVID stories about bats we were never about to pick him up. We just hope he found other batty friends in his new neighbourhood.
Entertainment on the Road
Out here FM radio stations are a non event so it’s AM. The challenge is most of the radio station advertisers are located a good three days drive away. The services and products they offer are just geographically impossible. The TV stations also include ads for companies in Alice Springs. Getting there would require a serious week of remote 4WD travel. The music is western or straight from the 70s and 80s, perfect. Forget connecting to the internet, there is also no mobile coverage, except in the towns.
Remote Country Towns
Your first priority when you arrive in these small towns is the search for fuel. Fuel stations can be identified by the queue of caravans waiting to fill up or alternatively they might be located in some obscure section in the industrial part of town. There always seems to be a fuel station or two without fuel.
The Bulloo River
Price is irrelevant, competition is unlikely.
The Country
It’s flat, wide open and empty. On some days we have left town and its been three hours before we have seen a building. There is the odd gas refinery and widely dispersed oil wells.
After years of drought the country is green, well relatively. We are not talking the green of England but it is green. The creeks have water and rivers are a series of water holes. Even the swamps are wet.
We have discovered electronic barriers on the roads. Instead of cattle grates between properties they have installed electronic sensors that trigger a high pitched alarm. These are little disconcerting when they first go off and you think something has happened to your vehicle. We are guessing they are designed to stop cattle wandering. There are few fences out here and the properties are vast.
The Locals
Everyone in these remote towns seems to have a story including the lady at the bakery whose 84 year old dad was out the back. He was the baker and was preparing laminations while we were there. We got the sense that when dad falls off his perch the business will fold.
The guy out the front of the super market told us all about shearing in 50c degree temperatures and hauling fuel to Birdsville. That’s a 1200 km return trip and they do it every week.
Everybody told us about the butcher in Quilpie. It seems he is the best butcher in all Queensland and we can attest to the quality of his steaks.
The Roads
The roads have been very good and mostly sealed with the exception of 15kms to the dig tree. The width of the sealed road however varies from two cars wide to just one.
On the narrow sections of road the approved etiquette is to move out of the way of anything bigger than you. Road train avoidance is a must. These three trailer behemoths are to be given respect in all circumstances. Move out of their way and stop if you want to avoid a broken windscreen. Never argue with a road train.
The Great Artesian Basin
Everywhere out here the water supply is from the great artesian basin which covers one fifth of the Australian continent and is the largest underground water resource in the world. Unfortunately some of the artesian bores have been flowing freely for over 100 years and one day this amazing resource will dry up.
The up side of the artesian basin is sitting in an old bath tub filled with steaming hot water at 3.00am looking up at the stars. Ah the serenity.
The downside is your shower comes with a slight hint of sulphur. All part of the experience. Oh, and soap lathers perfectly well.
Wildlife Along the Way
The country is so empty that on some days seeing a cow is a reason for excitement. Goats, wild horses and sheep are also present.
The native wildlife includes emus, kangaroos, brolgas, turtles and wedge tail eagles. In the water holes, creeks and rivers there are blue claw (yabbies) and yellow belly (fish)!
More to come as we continue our travels over the next couple of months….
A Traveller's Tale 