Mike & Carol's Bushtracker Adventures Around Australia

Friday, May 09, 2008

THE BIG TRIP - 2008

AROUND AUSTRALIA 2008
Saturday 26 April to Friday 9 May
Sydney to Kununurra
Blog 1

We drove out of Sydney on a lovely sunny Anzac Day long weekend. We headed north to Maroochydore for some minor work on the caravan and spent a few nights at Cotton Tree caravan Park situated on the mouth of the Maroochydore River. It is a beautiful spot and we enjoyed watching the board gliders against the beautiful sunset.

Our first stop after Maroochydore was at Lake Monduran, 20km north of Gin Gin. The sun was setting over the dam and we enjoyed the birds as we sat around the camp fire and soaked in the peace.

Mosaics in the footpath and the lovely sculptures explained much of the local history of Childers as we wandered up and down the main street. We bypassed Rockhampton but stopped to enjoy the beautiful statue of the Brahman Bull and then turned west on the Capricorn Highway spending the night at Mt Hay.

As we have travelled these roads many times before we didn’t stop for any sight seeing but headed west to Broome. We rested at Longreach for a few days to break the journey and were lucky enough to arrive at the restaurant at the stockman’s Hall of Fame to see 70 old drovers and their partners getting together for a 20 year reunion. They had a great time and we had a great time watching them.

We continued west through Winton and decided to take a detour to Boulia, a road as yet untravelled along the Kennedy Development Road. Lunch was a highlight at the Middleton Pub which is about half way between Winton and Boulia. The pub is an old wooden homestead with a great veranda looking across at the “Hilton Hotel” which offered No TV, no air conditioning, no pool and no cost. It was very cute. We had lunch on the veranda with the flies and the dogs.

Boulia is a little town of 300 population with it’s famous Min Min experience which is an animated display telling the stories and theories of the Min Min lights of the area. They are lights that have been recorded since 1912 after the Min Min Hotel was burnt down and have been seen at various times by many different types of people since then including the last sighting in 2007.

They haven’t been explained by scientist but there are various theories including electromagnetic radiation caused by the rocks of the area, the atmospheric conditions at various times and of course the spirits of both aboriginal and white people of the area. The Pitta Pitta people who are the Aboriginal tribe of the area have seen the lights long before 1912. They say the lights are the spirits of past people. What ever the explanation, the phenomenon certainly seems to occur.

A must see is the Corroboree Tree, situated behind the Boulia state school with a student population of 18. The tree is the last recognised Corroboree Tree of the Pitta Pitta people and is a Waddi tree which can only be found in the Boulia/Diamantina Shire. The wood is known as one of the hardest timbers in the world.

Before leaving Boulia we wanted to see the old Stone House and were shown around by Dick Suter who is in charge of the House and the Museum beautifully organised by him and his sister. What a character!!! His stories made the experience even more enjoyable.

He had collected, cleaned and documented all the exhibits and organised the material in the museum over the last 10 years. All the murals have been painted by his sister.

We saw lots of majestic Wedge tail eagles along the Diamantina Development Rd on the way to Mt Isa. After Mt Isa the countryside was mainly grasslands as we headed through Camooweal and into the Northern Territory west along the Barkly Highway and north on Stuart Highway towards Katherine spending the night at the caravan park at the Pink Panther Pub in Larrimah. The beer was lovely and cold after a hot dusty day.

We watched the owner of the Timber Creek Caravan Park feed the fresh water crocodiles in the Victoria River before heading to Kununurra the next day for a few days there.


We left Sydney and lunched here on the Hunter River at Brooklyn


Views of the Hunter River near Brooklyn NSW


Our rig at Cotton Tree Caravan Park - Maroochydore QLD


It was great watching these surfers para-surfing at Maroochydore


Up, up and away - thrilling


It takes a lot of effort to beach the para-gliders


Sunset on the Maroochydore River at Cotton Tree Caravan Park


Lunch by a lake at Gin Gin Qld as we headed north


View of the lake at Gin Gin from our van at lunchtime


We decided to spend the night at Lake Monduran Qld


And having set up camp we walked to the dam at Lake Monduran


Love the way the light caught these grasses at Lake Monduran


Views of Lake Monduran


Dam wall at Lake Monduran


Lake Monduran


Mike just loves this late afternoon light -
brings the tree to life in vivid colours


We walked through Childers Qld


A quaint typical Queensland town


Entrance to the Ladies toilet at the Childers Hotel


Dog sculpture - Childers Qld


Federal Hotel (est. 1907) - Childers Qld


Gaydons Buildings - Childers Qld


Childers Post Office


Street sculpture - Childers Qld


Stockman Statue at the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame - Longreach Qld


Typical stance of an Australian Stockman (Drover)


They are trying to grow grass here in Longreach


New Cattlemen's Bar & Grill at Longreach Stockmans Hall of Fame


We thoroughly enjoyed having dinner and watching these old fellas
getting together at the annual Stockman's Reunion Dinner


We decided to get to Mount Isa via Boulia where they have camel races every August


Views as we drove along the Min Min Byway from Longreach to Boulia


Views as we drove along the Min Min Byway from Longreach to Boulia


Look there's a Hilton Hotel here at Middleton -
no TV, no Showers, no air conditioning...


Hilton Hotel - Middleton Qld


We had to have lunch here at the Middleton Hotel


They had an original Cobb & Co coach here at Middleton Qld


Middleton Pub bar, restaurant, Carol and behind her is the owners living room


That's our rig outside the Middleton Hilton, and look we were not the only ones here


Boulia is famous for strange sightings of light which they call the "Min Min"


This is the very site where the hotel was where the "Min Min"
lights still appear and follow people


Hmmm, we have not seen the light but we were breathalysed by police on this road


Boulia Shire Hall


We had enough time to catch the 4:00pm Min Min Encounter Show


Inside the Min Min Encounter Centre


These robot characters come to life and tell the Min Min encounter story


These characters come to life and tell the Min Min
encounter story - it was very well done


Mike loves these longhorn skulls


About the Sacred Aboriginal Waddi Tree - Boulia Qld


Sacred Aboriginal Waddi Tree - Boulia Qld


Our rig near the Sacred Aboriginal Waddi Tree - Boulia Qld


Information about the Burke River - Boulia Qld


Burke River - very dry - Boulia Qld


Still a drop of water in the Burke River at Boulia but we wouldn't touch it


Another view of the Burke River - the drought hits home when you see sights like this


We had to tour the Boulia Stone House


Boulia Stone House


Old childs horse - Boulia Stone House


Luxurious bedroom - Boulia Stone House


Dining Room - Boulia Stone House


Kitchen - Boulia Stone House


Wash bar - Boulia Stone House


Cool Store "Refrigerator" - Boulia Stone House


Old cinema film projector at Boulia Stone House


Dinosaur fossils - Boulia Stone House


This was actually a fantastic collection of fossils
from the region - Boulia Stone House


More fossils - Boulia Stone House


Fascinating is the only word to describe this Elasmosaur fossil find


Dick Suter - "Curator", just a local fencing contractor that got into fossil finding


Information on fossils in and around Boulia


This used to be Boulia Hospital, now a museum - part of Boulia Stone House


Original Boulia Telephone Exchange


Dick Suter has put together the most amazing collection of artefacts - Boulia Stone House


Cow bells - Boulia Stone House


Old trucks - Boulia Stone House


Old trucks - Boulia Stone House


Inside the old Boulia Hospital - Boulia Stone House


Inside the old Boulia Hospital - Boulia Stone House


Aboriginal Moonlight's original name plate - Boulia Stone House


Sign as we left Boulia - 300 inhabitants and the government
built a $4million swimming complex for them


We stopped for lunch here at Dajarra


Dajarra Railway Station


They still have parrots here at Barkly Homestead


Hello Cocky - Barkly Homestead Qld


Not much changed here at Barkly Homestead Roadhouse where we spent the night


Sign at Shell 3-Ways Roadhouse in the Northern Territory


We took on fuel here at Shell 3-Ways and continued our journey north


Dunmarra Roadhouse - 336km north of Shell 3-Ways


We stopped here at Larrimah for the night - two years ago we had lunch here with other Bushtrackers


Government Intervention in the Northern Territory to address Aboriginal Issues has led to these restrictions


Views as we headed to Timber Creek in the Northern Territory


There are fresh water crocodiles here at Timber Creek


Fresh water crocodiles are fed every afternoon at 5:00pm at Timber Creek NT