Day 7 Charleville to Blackall

I just cannot believe this  software.  Now, after sending out the last blog, my saved work appears.  So this is what I intended to send you.  You should have already got the photos.




G'day everyone

Travelled 303 kms today across country that was much the same as the trip into Charleville.  We said goodbye to the Mitchell Highway at Augathella and joined the Landsborough Highway and travelled north west deep into Central West Queensland, close to the Channel Country.  We were intrigued to see a sign telling us that we were now in the Lake Eyre Drainage Basin.

This highway is pretty ordinary.  Very rough in spots but they are doing it up.  However that means roadworks!  Struck a 10 km stretch this morning that slowed us down considerably.

We stopped briefly at Augathella.  Not much there apart from a pub, a grocery  store, a butcher shop (came highly recommended by another traveller) and a caravan free camp opposite the pub.  It came equipped with a small, clean toilet but no showers.

Next stop was Tambo a very attractive small town about 100 ks SE of Blackall.  Good spot for a lunch stop.

Then it was on to Blackall and the caravan park.

We weren't expecting much, thought it would be just another overnight stop.  But we could not have been more wrong. It is not on the large size but nevertheless boasts a good shopping centre.  The most intriguing thing about this town is that it draws its water straight from the Great Artesian Basin.  Whenever you turn on a cold tap, the water comes out very warm and smelling slightly of suphur!

The caravan park is not too bad.  However, they really shoehorn the vans in.  We went along to a happy hour and camp fire dinner put on by the park tonight and it was the highlight of our trip so far.  We really had a great time.  We were accompanied by live music provided by a couple of GNs who knew all the 60's and 70's good stuff.  Then we enjoyed a delicious roasted pork dinner with all the trimmings totally cooked in a couple of camp ovens.  It was the first time we had experienced camp cooking and we were totally won over.The main course was followed by damper and golden syrup washed down with billy tea.  Once again this was cooked around the camp fire.  At $22.00 per head this dinner was a bit more expensive than a pub or club dinner but well worth the experience.

The other great thing about it, of course, was that it brought us into contact with people we would not normally have met.  We sat opposite a very interesting couple who spend a lot of their time visiting remote pastoral properties providing teaching relief for the parents of isolated children and providing a bit of farming assistance.  They had some really interesting stories to tell us about what life is really like on stations where the homesteads are 160 kms from the front gate!

Anyway, I think I have bored you enough for tonight so here are the best of today's photos.