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Monday 19th July If we had a day up our sleeves, I would be visiting Opalton to fossick for boulder opal, its beautiful. Eric has his nose in the direction of home though and I might have had trouble convincing him of this side-trip. A game of golf in Darwin awaits and besides, we have dear friends who have arrived in Darwin in our absence that we hope to catch up with before they leave. So, once again it is time to refuel ($1.52) and hit the road, t he Smiths and Munros parting ways.. We are heading north-west and they are returning to Ilfracombe and heading south. While we are very compatible travelling on our own, it has been a nice change to share some of the journey with old friends. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.  Not long after taking the Matilda Way toward Camooweal, our music skipped from F to G and we listened to Galileo by the Indigo Girls. The landscape was unchanging, flat black soil plains with the occasional mulga or gidgee tree which manage to  thrive in ch
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Home of Waltzing Matilda

 Saturday 17th July We drove to Winton after the show at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and once again reflected on the toughness of those generations of men and women who came before us. People like Nat Buchanan who made several successful trips droving cattle from Qld and NSW all the way to the NT’s Top End and Kimberley in the west. The animals in Lachie’s show were amazingly well trained and cared for. I have never before seen a horse willingly lie down on its back with all four hooves in the air and we enjoyed the lyrics of his original songs. Sadly though, the 20 odd sheep in his flock is more than we have seen in any flock for weeks.  Approaching Winton we could see the Forsythe Range way off to the left. Can you spot them?  Up until then the land is flat in all directions for as far as the eye can see and appears featureless yet you know you are crossing Mitchell grass plains, spinifex country and channel country just waiting for the wet season. Once again there was barely any sto
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Heart of the Outback

In Longreach we set up camp in the van park right across from the Qantas Founders Museum. From this entrance to town the unmistakable symbol of the airline is clear to see under a massive Airpark Roof enclosure that dominates the skyline. As we parked so did a number of brolga, right beside us, and they are very at home here in our van park.  Next was a trip into town to resupply the pantry and access wifi. This required a rest on the verandah of the Longreach Tavern. I like the name of the other hotel in town. It’s the Birdcage as it is situated on the corner of Duck and Galah Streets. Actually, we’ve quickly realised all the streets are named after birds. Before returning to the van we took a drive out to the Golf Club but quickly decided we are spoilt by grass covered fairways and green greens in Darwin and will skip the possibility of a game here. Our stay here is just a bit early for the Outback Qld Masters which begins in Biloela and finishes in Longreach with $1M hole in one up
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Noonbah Station Visit

 Monday 12th July We re-joined the Matilda Way this morning. Once again, we found the road heading west involved long straight stretches and landscape bereft of livestock. This area has suffered drought for up to 9 years and the farmers have all had to destock as the feed ran out or prices got too high to purchase it. Now, after rain the grass is returning but the prices for cattle and sheep are so high, the farmers can’t afford to restock. We drove nearly 270 kms and saw a flock of about 10 sheep, one goat with two kids and some emus. Terribly sad. On the way we passed through Ilfracombe, famous for its Machinery Mile. We had initially planned to return to here after our station stay, so we didn’t stop to have a look. The township was founded as a transport hub for the historic Wellshot Station, one of our greatest sheep and wool producers. Apparently, the pub is exactly as it was 120 yrs ago, but we have changed our plans and will be staying in Longreach, so that is a bit of a gem we
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To Barcaldine

 Saturday 10th July Fuelled up ($1.37) we turned onto the Capricorn Hwy and headed for our morning cuppa stop at Alpha, having passed through Bogantungan and glad we weren’t born there under that moniker.  The café and bakery were both shut so no coffee to be found in Alpha but I did buy a pack of homemade cornflake cookies in the craft shop. When did I last see cornflake cookies? Alpha boasts 27 murals but the ones we saw mostly looked like they could do with a touch-up. There was also a sculpture representing petrified wood. Perhaps we have been spoilt by the fabulous silo and water tank art now featuring around the country.  We pushed on to Jericho, built on the banks of the Jordan River and just south of Galilee Dam. Not surprisingly, they have an impressive Crystal Trumpeters monument and Trumpeter statue in town which reflects their biblical infused history. Unfortunately we just missed their Saturday morning market and there is no coffee shop open here either. We settled for a c
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Carnarvon Gorge

  Tuesday 6 th July Today we are heading to Carnarvon Gorge. We have wanted to visit here ever since my mum and dad did so in about 1988 and raved about it. We have arranged to meet up with Heather and Michael Munro here too, they are travelling up from Ballina and we will travel together for the next ten days or so.  We first met this couple in Singapore in 2013. We left Emerald and stopped in at Rolleston to top up fuel and water. This is the last place you get to do so. Lovely coffee van in the local park run by volunteers was much appreciated by many travellers. It has been a lovely drive today with lots to look at on the horizon as we passed by the Minerva Hills National Park with its spectacular peaks. Although the sky looks brilliant we are starting to feel the chill. Notice Eric's stance in the next pic, he remained in that posture for the next couple of days.  Heather and Michael drove up from Roma.   We pulled into the Sandstone Park reception just as another van did a
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