Day 8 – Emerald to Winton

The road from Emerald to Alpha, a distance of 168km, would have to be the most uncomfortable stretch of road we have driven on.  It was so rough, you had to hang on to the steering wheel to stay in the seat.  And it was exhausting.  From Alpha to Barcaldine it improved enough to be a bit more comfortable.  Damn Queensland roads.  I’m told it’s the soil underneath which soaks up the moisture, then in the dry it cracks and causes the road surface to move.

We met up with friends Rod and Louise who were staying at Barcaldine.  It’s called “Barky” as we were told by locals.  The great Australian language – shorten every word so you don’t waste time pronouncing it.  Rod and Louise were staying at a lovely caravan park off the main road that only had 11 sites, but it had a café on site.  Lunch was just perfect.  Three of us had barramundi and chips with a fat desert of pie/cakes/icecream.  Yum yum.

We left Barky later than we had expected as we had a 3 hour drive ahead of us.  This was going to be a long day from Emerald to Winton, a distance of 600km.  There’s nothing out here but scrub and a few trees.

The railway line to Winton runs alongside the road and we saw this train coming towards us.  We thought it was one of those big long coal or freight trains, but alas, it was just a little train pulling empty coal trucks.  How disappointing.

We passed through Ilfracombe which has a collection of old tractors and trucks on the roadside.  Interesting place. And great for drawing the tourists to support the town.

We arrived in Longreach where we had stayed before, and refuelled.  This is the home of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum.  We’ve been here before so we didn’t do any tourist stuff.  But there had been a lot of extra work done on the Qantas museum since we were last here.

The road from Longreach to Winton, a distance of 179km with nothing in between, is very boring.  But the road is much better.  Wider and smoother.  Why couldn’t the road from Emerald be like this??

Anyway, we arrived in Winton about 4.30pm and drove through the other side of town to the Winton Wanderers Caravan Park.  This is brand new and opened on 4 April.  There is not much in the way of caravan parks in Winton that you would call reasonable, so this new one is going to be a pearler.  It’s a work in progress as some of it is unfinished.  But it’s in a nice quiet location if you want peace.  If you like the hustle and bustle, stay in one of the older parks in town.  Helen caught up on the washing and then we had a happy hour shooting the breeze with the managers of the park before dinner.  The sunset was just magnificent too.

Helen’s Highlights/Minnie’s Musings

Not really highlights today just musings.

The road was definitely bumpy and the scenery flat and scrubby in parts. I find that really beautiful. Yes, it is flat and seems to go on forever, but the colours are really interesting. From the red to the slight dark pink of the soil and the variety of greens of the plant life all add to the beauty that is outback Australia. The eagles continually circle above and often there were quite a few to entertain me. The road ribboned (is that a word?)  into what seemed an infinite distance….quite mesmerising.

Day 9 – Winton

Having caravan envy today.  Had a chat with the guy camped next to us.  He has a Sunland Off-Road that he bought two weeks ago.  Had it built to his specs in Brisbane and picked it up on his way after leaving Tasmania where they live.  They are travelling Australia for 8 months.  From here they are heading up to the tip of Cape York – because he can with that rig.  He’s already been on some rough dirt roads and is ashamed he has got it so dirty after two weeks.  It’s a $150,000 caravan but it has everything.  He can go off grid and run his airconditioner!!!  Wow.  It has a power box in the back that is better than a household one.  It has satellite TV, 450amp hour of batteries and 600 watts of solar panels.  It’s fitted with Cruisemaster air bag suspension that he can press a button and the caravan levels itself before putting down the stabilising legs.  It even has a seat in the shower so you can sit and wash your feet!!!  I want one of those.  But, alas, I got told to “dream on – not going to happen”.

So, we finally got around to making the map of this trip as we have of previous trips.  We started in Yass, New South Wales, and are now in Winton, Queensland.  A distance of 3041 km and 600litres of fuel.  The black line is our travelled route.

This morning we went to the Waltzing Matilda Museum.  The original building burnt down after an electrical fire in 2015 and it has been rebuilt with a magnificent structure of rusty steel and concrete with displays inside.  Very well done.

Afterwards we went to the Tattersalls Hotel, an historic pub in the middle of town, for lunch.  A very big hamburger and chips.  Yummy.  Washed down with a nice cold beer (Helen had a Coke).  The main street is very well kept, especially for being in the middle of a dry country.

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs is an operational dig and museum about 20km outside town.  Stunning scenery from the top of the Jumpup (a hill for all you uniniatied).  We were going to do the tour but it’s very expensive for a 1 ½ hour tour.  It would have cost us $110.  No thanks.  If you want to full 4 hour tour it costs $75 each.  This is now a commercial operation searching for, digging, and restoring dinosaur fossils so they’re out to make a buck. We had already been to Lark Quarry which is the real deal you can walk around the edge on a boardwalk which was amazing so we did not feel we were missing out.

When we got to the entrance of the ‘Age of Dinasaurs’  there was a sign giving an indication of the “fly level”.  Funny.  Today it was only VERY HIGH, not FREE PROTEIN level.  Lucky for us.  But we had a fly nets on anyway.

The place was well laid out with lovely views over the range below.

Back to the park and finish this blog before we have the happy hour beers at 5.30.  Might have to start the beers today given it’s a bit on the warm side.  The further north we go, the hotter it will get too.

Helen’s Highlights/Minnie’s Musings

Lots of interesting things to see today and one of the highlights was chatting to the lady who worked in the historic building selling crafts etc. There was a stool near the old counter which she remembers sitting on as a child waiting for her Mum to buy things at the mercantile as it was then. Lovely chat. I bought a recipe book called ‘Shearers Recipes’ that was put together by a shearer’s cook. Watch out Pilates guys, that’s what you will be getting when I get back!!!!!

The other highlight was taking all the Woolies cards and Ooshies from the last 4 years that I had collected and the donated ones from Mt Carmel Primary School in Yass and give a large bag to the students at St Patricks Primary School here in Winton. They were thrilled and as it is a small school all students will get a sizable collection each.

 

Day 6 – Scarborough to Mundubbera

We left Scarborough at 0800 to meet up with friends Greg and Anne Ison at a truckstop south of Gympie for brunch.  I haven’t had a “Big Breakfast” for years and truckstop breakfasts are the best.  So I ordered one and it was delicious.  Helen had a boring ham and cheese toasted sandwich.  We had a great chat catching up and after about an hour or so we departed and headed to Mundubbera via Gayndah.  The road was bloody awful.  Parts of it were single lane with on-coming traffic requiring you to drop your left wheels in the dirt.  No fun with a 3 ton caravan.  The rest of the road was just plain rough, typical of Queensland country roads.  The freeway driving to Gympie was easy, but after over 3 hours of this rough country road stuff I was looking forward to stopping.

We arrived in Mundubbera mid afternoon and checked into this lovely caravan park.  It’s just small but very clean and neat, and the people were just so pleasant.  At night they have a firepit gathering to meet other campers and socialise.  The fun part of country caravan parks.

The fire pit is a great concrete pit and we all sat around the fire.  It got a bit cold as the sun went down and we met some very nice people around the fire.  The couple on the site next to us live out western Queensland but travel in their caravan and current model F250 pickup truck (nice rig).  They’ve been here in Mundubbera for a couple of nights before we got here and just travelling where they feel like going.  We also met a guy who is semi retired but is currently contracted to do some roadside spraying around the local area.  Over the last couple of nights here, there was a contingent of ex-military guys who gathered for ANZAC Day and left Mundubbera this morning.  Apparently they consumed a good stock of Bundaberg Rum, even for breakfast.  After a couple of hours around the fire, we went back to the caravan for dinner.  Tomorrow we’re off to Emerald.

Helen’s Highlights/Minnie’s Musings

Actually, it’s not so much a highlight as much as an interesting observation. When we parked there was a couple sitting outside their van opposite us. The male; probably husband; was sitting with his feet up on the wife’s legs. She was scrubbing his feet with a file and then rubbing cream onto them……I have made it quite clear to Michael that that is NEVER EVER going to happen to him!!!!!!!!!

I went for a lovely walk into the town and came across some great artwork on a water tower. Hopefully, we will see lots more on our travels.

Day 7 – Mundubbera to Emerald

Departed the caravan park and turned left to what I thought was the right direction for Emerald.  Turns out the GPS had taken us that way because I had confused it by turning left instead of right.  Once we understood we were actually heading south instead of north we were then on the right track (folks are dumb where I come from!!!).  Just south of Monto we unexpectedly came across some silo art outside the town.  A place called Three Moon Cave.  Beautiful.  How they do it on a curved surface is beyond me.

The road is still shitty out here.  Bloody rough and bumpy.  We occasionally come across a sign saying “Rough Surface” but in reality it’s the same as the rest of the highway.  We stopped for a break at a roadside stop for a refresh as the driving was strenuous.

In Biloela we saw a Foodworks Supermarket with a coffee shop and bakery next to it.  Had to have a coffee.  We got some snacks too and I had the most delicious apple pie I can remember.  So I had to have another to take away with us.

Onwards to Emerald on the last 170km leg.  This is coal country and we drove alongside the coal railway line.  Quite a busy line with very long coal trains.  We counted 100 coal trucks on one train with two engines up front and one in the middle.  This line is electrified so the engines are electric, not diesel/electric.

Blackall has a large sign saying “The Coal Capital of Queensland.”  There are a number of open cut coal mines visible from the road and these look huge.  Big mountains of coal.  We passed a train being loaded but unfortunately the picture was blurred, so no photo.

We pulled into Emerald about 4pm and checked in to the caravan park.  We then went and topped up with fuel and did some grocery shopping.  Helen then called Adam Jarvis, the son of a friend we spent time with at the Gold Coast a few days earlier.  Had a great evening with Adam and his wife Trish and we sunk a few beers catching up on old times again.  Now just finishing off this blog and tomorrow we leave for Winton.

Helen’s Highlights/Minnie’s Musings

One of the highlights today was that I actually stayed awake for the entire trip. Normally I doze off along the way and miss lots of the great scenery but not today ….. because it was too damn rough to sleep.

But definitely the best part was catching up with Adam and Trish and their 2 gorgeous dogs. A lovely family and we will make sure we continue to stay in touch.

 

Day 1 – 21 April 2021 Yass to Harrington NSW

We departed Yass earlier than expected at 0800.  We stopped at Sutton Forest for a wee-wee break and maybe to get coffee at McDonalds but there were 3 bus loads of school children (I think years 5 and 6 boys) on a school trip and they were ALL ordering at the counter ……loudly.  And the McCafé part was not taking orders. So back in the car and off to another stop.  We stopped at Mittagong to have morning coffee at Roses Café in Mittagong, which is the sister café to the one we go to each day in Yass.  Good coffee there too.  Then on to Sydney to battle the traffic on the freeways around the city.   Oh, how I hate Sydney traffic.  Got through there ok with only a few minor scary situations.

Next stop was Raymond Terrace north of Newcastle for a late lunch.  We could not find a nice place to stop so parked out the back of the industrial area. 

Oh, well.  At least it was close to the fuel station where the trucks refuelled so we topped up our tank and continued on to Harrington.  Nothing exciting on this leg though.  18 months ago, there were horrific fires through the Taree area and this time there were floods only a few months back.  The regrowth from the fires is noticeable now, and lots of fences are chocked with debris from the floods.

We checked into the Big 4 Colonial Park at Harrington just for the night.  We’re not unhooking so we’ll call one of the pubs to come and pick us up and take us to dinner.

OK.  We called the Harrington Irish Pub as reception here said they have a courtesy bus.  The guy at the pub when I called said it’s only available Friday thru Sunday and here we are on Wednesday!!  So we unhitched and drove there.  Did the normal Covid check-in and the guy asked to see our green tick on my phone even though I showed him when I did it.  Smart-asre comment back from him that he’s blind and needs to see it again.  Not a good start so far.  Dinner ordering was an exercise in patience.  This pub is full of old retirees.  I think Harrington is the retirement capital of Australia.  I don’t think anyone is under 80.  And they can’t make up their mind when ordering or paying.  One guy, after using the NSW $25 voucher had $1 to pay and he had a dollar to pay it but the wife insisted that he pay the dollar with the credit card. OMG. It was also a club meeting of sorts as there were a lot of elderly ladies dressed in 1920s outfits.  After finishing our meal, we went to the supermarket to get some supplies.  The streets are so dimly lit we couldn’t find our way into the shopping centre.  Heaps of roundabouts and one way lanes, and the parking was 100 metres from the supermarket.  And this town is for oldies??

Back to the caravan for some peace.

Helen’s Highlights/Minnie’s Musings

I did not have anything to write in this section until we were trying to get into the shopping centre, so the highlight then presented itself in the form of the hilarious antics and vocal tirade from Michael as he tried to navigate the carpark while talking to his Auntie Margaret on the phone. Margaret and I were not very supportive as we were laughing at him.

Day 2 – Harrington to Gold Coast

For a coastal town it was very cold overnight.  At 5.00am I had to put on another doona and then I was nice and toasty.  Maybe this is because of all the “cold people” who live in Harrington.

We departed Harrington about 8.00am.  Freeway traffic was rather heavy as I guess everyone was off to work in Taree.  Traffic at the Port Macquarie turnoff about an hour up the freeway was also backed up.  Past that everything went smoothly until we hit Coffs Harbour.  The town needs a bypass and quickly.  The new Grafton bypass is just magnificent and cuts off all those river coastal towns that for decades have been a bottle neck on the north coast highway.  So we stopped along here for lunch at a nice new rest stop.

From there on the traffic was flowing nicely and we just sat on 100km/hr on cruise control.  Arriving at the Gold Coast precinct everything turned to custard.  Traffic everywhere.  We found the Tallebudgera Creek Caravan park with the help of the GPS and checked into a nice site near the river.  Great park this one.

My aunty Margaret lives on the north side of the Gold Coast (and we are on the south side).  We went to her place for dinner and set the GPS which told us it would take 30 minutes along the Gold Coast Highway.  BULLSHIT!!!  It took us an hour.  Traffic was horrendous.  Who would want to live here??  It’s worse than Sydney!!  Had a great evening with Margaret and reminisced over some old times and some more recent ones.  Back to the caravan park that evening we came back “the long way” down the M1 Freeway.  Although it was over twice the distance it took us about 40 minutes.  And not as much stress.

Early night tonight after another long day driving.  But first a cup of tea after I finish this Blog post.

Day 3 – Gold Coast

This is a very nice campground right on the banks of the river.  So far it’s nice and quiet and only less than half full.

This morning we went to Pacific Fair shopping village, the largest on the Gold Coast.  Fascinating place but the underground parking was very squeezy.  The height limit is 2.0 metres and we just fitted under the barrier.  But on the next floor the barrier looked lower without any height markings, so we reversed down the ramp and parked.  Not too crowded and we came away with a pair of new sneakers each.

Then it was off to meet our long lost friend Bev and her partner Clive.  Lovely apartment overlooking Burleigh Heads beach.  After lots of hugs, we discussed what we had all been doing over a few drinks and a very long lunch.  Great afternoon.

Back to the caravan park to find it’s now full.  Caravans and tents everywhere.  I guess being Friday night most of Brisbane has come down to the Gold Coast.  Tomorrow it’s off to Scarborough for the next couple of nights.

Day 4 – Gold Coast to Scarborough

Boring drive, straight up the Gold Coast freeway.  Checked in to the Scarborough Tourist Village where we have stayed a few times previously. 

Outside the park is a very nice café called Sea Salt and Vine.  So we had the obligatory coffee and went shopping for stuff we needed.  Then went to see my sister and her other half Alan.

Day 5 – Scarborough

Today was a personal day where we visited Mum.  Tomorrow we head off on our trip proper.  Driving north to Gympie, we spend the night at Mundubbera.