Where the Outback meets the Tropics

 Fri 2nd July

The weather is overcast and gloomy but the good news is we have heard that Darwin has reported no more Covid19 cases, and so the lockdown will be lifted at last. We have been thinking of our family and friends experiencing it for the first time. 

We turned off the Savannah Way and onto the Great Inland Way heading for Charters Towers, considered to be where the outback meets the tropics. We know very little about the place other than many of the students who passed through Katherine School of the Air, came to boarding school here. The trip was uneventful with just a quick stop for fuel at Greenvale ($1.46). We moved on from C to D and the first track was a Rod Stewart hit 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy'. Conditions did improve and by the time we got to town it was fine enough for Eric to have a hit of golf while I went into town for a look see. I was immediately struck by the architectural reminders of the booming goldrush era, somewhat like Ballarat and Bendigo where some of the most impressive buildings were the banks.

I took a wander through the stock exchange arcade, the first stock exchange in the southern hemisphere that once dictated the world gold price. 

In Lissner Park there is a beautifully preserved Boer War Veterans Memorial Kiosk and bandstand dating back to the early 1900's as well as a couple of fountains and other installations. Pity about the huge numbers of bats who have been plaguing the park for ages.

Reports from the golfer were that the course was challenging, greens were terrible. I think I made the right choice. 

Saturday 3rd June

We woke to more overcast skies but it isn't cold; just a flannelette shirt required. We had a slow morning then drove into town and followed the city walk which showcases the elegance and grandeur of the buildings in the gold rush era. We were tempted by the devonshire tea served in the old stock exchange arcade but got side-tracked in the second hand bookshop where I found a copy of 'The Singing Line' by Alice Thompson, great, great grand daughter of Alice Todd. It tells the story of the man who strung the telegraph across Australia. I'm already finding it a very engaging read. 

In the afternoon we visited the Miner's Cottage which is a mini museum and the owner gives a genuine demonstration of panning for alluvial gold. Then the kids get into it. It was great to see their excited faces when the specks appeared in their pans. I was interested in spending some time at the local Fossicking Area but he explained that you need a gold detector as it is eluvial deposits you would be seeking. 

So then instead we went in search of the town lookout but to our dismay the track we chose was completely impassable, so we abandoned that plan too and settled for a drink under our canopy and another chapter of my new read. Eric is busying himself tracking all the trips we have done in Australia on a map. Looking forward to a Ziggy roast tonight.