Road Signs - Final

So after 3 months and 6,290 kms we are nearly home............till next time.

Road Signs 2

Outback Road Signs 1

Birdsville and Beyond

The road sign at Birdsville gives you the idea that we are a long way from anywhere...by the way Betoota 'closed' many years ago, there is nothing there, and I mean NOTHING.
The pub at Birdsville is an Aussie icon - and this patron is a ring-in.Note the planes at the airport.
The most fun was the 4 wheel driving on the sand dunes in the Simpson Desert. The best was 'Big Red' - the dune with desert on one side and wetlands on the other. Just in case you were wondering - yes - I (Kate) DID do the dune driving. Great fun!

Odd snaps along the way

Further West

The further west we travel the more amazed we are with the country and the people. It isn't an easy life but the peace, quiet and understated independence are evident every day.
Here is a photo of a pub in the 'town' of Middleton. By the way, it is the ONLY building and the residents operate and live in the pub. The telephone booth was near the pub - near meaning several kilometres. The sunset photo and the one with the three of us was taken at the Hamilton Ruins (also an old pub that was a Cobb & Co station that burnt down). There we were awakened by dozens of cattle all closely around us - there are no fences here so the livestock roams freely.

More pics of Carisbrooke

Carisbrooke Station

About 80 km wast of Longreach is a smallish (58,000 acre)cattle station (ranch)named Carisbrooke. To boost their coffers they let a couple of caravanners 'camp' at their shearing shed where we connected to power. The property was vast and beautiful and we did a bit of 4x4 driving exploring the country. We saw even more wildlife than we expected including wild pig and wild goat. Of course I don't have to mention the kangaroos, emus and prolific birdlife. What an experience.

If you notice in the photos a fella in a big hat that is Eric. We are in Akubra country (Aussie icon hat) so you wouldn't expect a fella to wear anything else.Hope you enjoy the gallery.

Longreach

Spent a few days in Longreach. Lots to see here, The Stockman's Hall of Fame, Qantas museum, The Station Store, Pastoral College (for farming, not men of the cloth) and plenty of animals.....

See if you can guess which title (above) goes with which photo.

Jericho, Jordan - Where are we??

Our journey continues but who would have thought we would camp on banks of the Jordan River in a very small town called Jericho?? Yes, we are still in outback Queensland. We stayed here for several days and relaxed. There was swimming in the river (we didn't indulge) yabbying freshwater crayfish), birdwatching, bushwalking and fishing. We met some lovely fellow campers and sat around the fire each night and toasted marshmallows.
Downtown Jericho consisted of one pub and one shop AND a drive-in theatre on the main street with a show every second Saturday. Thankfully, the shop made good coffe and was a pleasant walk from our campsite. Have you ever seen a drive-in like this one? It took 30 cars and had deckchair seating in a little grandstand at the back.

Central Outback Gems

Sapphires are not the only gems to be found here.
Here we are in Willows Gemfield (name of town). The campsite is something to behold. Have a look.

The people here are the real gems. From all over Australia they are here on, mostly, their annual fossicking pilgrimage. They stay a few months every winter and meet up with old friends and search for the ever elusive Big Find. Our campsite even has a herb garden planted by the 'regular' who spends four months here every year. I have included the Bonanza Mine set up (see photo) where we covered ourselves in mud and examined many trays of mine 'gravel'. We actually found a number of different sapphires. One of which may(?) be able to be faceted. But don't worry folks - we don't have "The Fever". In case you are wondering what else there is to do here there is a Rec Club like no other. The program is posted in an unusual fashion. And, yes, that is the clubhouse in the background....

Fraser Coast

Two weeks have passed while we have whiled away our time at/near Hervey Bay - the whale watching capital. The weather has been sunny although often breezy. We have caught up with friends and just chilled. Skip Bo (cards) are played at Happy Hour with our friends Yvonne and Peter - ps happy hour starts at 4:30 and continues for well over an hour.....
We've done a little cycling along the Esplanade and E has found a great little coffee shop that he visits daily. I thought you might like these photos of our camping set-up.
We head further north tomorrow..... stay tuned.