Birdsville to Karumba

Birdsville. 

When last we were speaking we had just arrived in Birdsville. So it is from here we shall pick up the story.

22 April 2016 - Around 12 noon we arrived in Birdsville. We passed the eerily empty Birdsville Racetrack,

Birdsville Racetrack - before the 7000+ arrive for the September races

Bridge over swollen Diamantina River, Birdsville

crossed the swollen Diamantina River and entered the small township. We checked into the van park and set up, cleaned out the dust, washed and freshened up. The flies welcomed us once again and the dry 38 degree heat kept us in the shade for the afternoon. We had an early dinner and headed over to the Birdsville Pub to watch the Broncos beat Souths and maybe have a beer - just maybe.

Our lonely car outside the Birdsville Pub - we walked there that evening

The Birdsville Pub wreaks of history. Having been around since 1884 it has obviously served up a few beers in that time. Outside is unchanged from the time it was first built. Inside is a great, albeit battle scarred, Public Bar with a dining room out back. As we approached the front door, a cattle dog was sitting on a windowsill with his owner having a smoke and a beer outside on the sand covered footpath with him. We tentatively entered to find the place barely busy. Mostly filled with grey nomads there were a few locals who were all well behaved and quite entertaining. Birdsville is unexpectedly quiet at the moment and this is reflected in the bar patronage. We had an entertaining night watching the footy and yarning to some travellers and hotel workers.

The town is clearly getting ready for the sold out Big Red Bash (6000 people in early July) followed by the Birdsville Races (7000+ people in early September), but for now it is quiet - so quiet that the famous Birdsville Bakery is closing early each day. 

Little Red

Our second day in Birdsville saw Julie, Ray and myself in our car heading 35 klm west of town to tackle Big Red -  a 30 metre high, dry, red, sand dune, one of the 1113 sand dunes that snake across central Australia.

Arriving at the end of the well formed dirt road we peered up at the red challenge before us. Pushing every button on the car's dashboard that I could find up we headed. Piece of cake straight up to the top, no problem! Pleased to have selected all the right buttons I exited the vehicle with my fellow super impressed companions to take numerous photos of this marvellous achievement.

Atop Little Red

Climbing to its highest point, we again posed on Big Red for more photographs of this marvellous achievement. It was during one of these photo shoots that the feeling of unease started to enter my mind. It all seemed too easy. Ray was of the same opinion.

I decided that we should continue over the other side of Big Red and follow the track along its base. I vaguely recalled seeing a map with Little Red to the south and Big Red to the north. About two kilometres further north we came across a tin hand painted sign (the first sign we had seen) pointing to Big Red to our right, the real Big Red. There it was the steep western side of Big Red. The first dune had been Little Red - what a waste of so many photo shoots.

Now we are on top of Big Red

Up for the challenge, I lined the car up once again. I again pressed every button on the dashboard I could find. I looked at Big Red, I slowly swallowed, a bead of sweat appeared on my brow, I pushed all the buttons again. I looked at Big Red again and Big Red at me .... we stared each other down. I then realised my second button pushing episode probably turned everything back off - what an idiot!. I pushed them all again including my belly button for good luck. We stared each other down once more. I pushed my belly button once again and off it went and so did we. We got two thirds the way up and stopped - I had missed a button! 

On top of Big Red

Backwards I retreated - beaten but more determined than ever. All the right buttons were now pushed so we took off and drove to the top. Too easy. Just me plus Julie and Ray (who did nothing really other than offering to push their own belly buttons if needed - as if that would make a difference) had conquered Big Red (plus 10000 other cars so far this year). Anyway we had the dune to ourselves so we stopped here for morning tea and some more photos before heading down the way we came and back over Little Red once again before heading home. 

The view from Big Red where the Big Bash will be held

We went to celebrate my achievement at The Bakery where I had a Kangaroo and Shiraz pie and a coffee. Julie had nothing as the Bakery doesn't really live up to all its hype. After a visit to the excellent Information Station where we watched a great video of the history of Birdsville and all its characters, we spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the car and van for our travels north through Bedourie and Boulia to Mt Isa.

Just a quick word about the road from Blackall to Birdsville. It was well formed with very little corrugations. The Birdsville end was rougher as the base was very stony. The eastern end is black soil so any rain and it quickly becomes impassable. The road passes through the Channel Country where again any rain would be a problem. The drive was less of a challenge than I thought it would be with the tracks we did last year around the Dig Tree, Cameron Corner, the Old Strzelecki, Innamincka and Tibooburra being far worse. It is no longer a great adventure I feel but is very much a good drive in good conditions through spectacular but unforgiving country. The recent rains had the landscape green with lakes, clay pans and numerous ponds all full. 

Waddi Trees

24 April - heading north out of Birdsville we soon came upon one of only three remaining Waddi tree stands left in the world. The wood of these trees is so hard that it has been known to shatter an axe and stop drill bits. Fence posts have hardly deteriorated after 100 years in the harshest of conditions. 

Endangered Shoe Tree

Smoko was at the ruins of an old Kidman homestead on the banks of Gilmour Creek. After the cattle king lost 4000 head of cattle in one year to a drought he closed the homestead. Today the ruins make for an interesting stop and a good overnight camp if needs be.

Kidman property ruins

The road north to Bedourie was closed due to flood waters so we had to take a detour on higher ground to get through. The road was fortunately very quiet so we pottered along traversing many red sand dunes. Eventually we rejoined the northern end of the road and stopped in Bedourie for lunch. Bedourie is famous for the Bedourie camp oven - a lighter and less prone to breaking stainless steel version of the heavy cast iron oven in use at the start of the 1900's. In 1920 it was an immediate hit with the drovers and cameleers and is still being sold to this day.  

Road to Bedourie

Bedourie Camp Oven

We ended our day in Boulia Van Park. A walk around town just on dusk allowed us to see all the sights - their big windmill and water tower!

The sights of Boulia

Burke River at dawn - Boulia

Dawn service - Boulia

Next morning we attended the ANZAC day dawn service held in the middle of the main street. Breakfast was offered in the town hall so, with a donation to the RSL, Ray and I sat down to curried sausages and savoury mince on toast followed by a cuppa. Julie and Gael being vegetarians had a lovely piece of toast. Just as we finished eating our breakfast the power went out to the whole town so we took it as a sign to move on.

The road from Boulia to Mt Isa is sealed and the northern end of it snakes its way through beautiful hilly country. Just stunning. Arriving in Mt Isa around lunch time, we found everything closed for the day due to a big ANZAC service in the morning. After fuelling up we drove through the near deserted town centre and headed east to our overnight bush camp in the ghost town of Mary Kathleen. We chose to camp in front of the General Store - Ray and Gael on the footpath and us on the curb.

Our camp at Mary Kathleen

Mary Kathleen mine site

The town of Mary Kathleen has long since gone but everything up to and including concrete floor height remains. The full road system, curb and channelling, fountains, tiled floors, house slabs for garages etc are all still here. Ray and I visited the abandoned uranium mine 10 klm out of town. The mine wall was spectacularly lit up by the afternoon setting sun. Unfortunately we were too late to see the sun lighting up the weirdly coloured contaminated water that fills the bottom of the mine. The water has a melted glacier water look about it but it probably glows in the dark.

Coloured wall of mine

Ray was stationed at Mary Kathleen for a number of years and again told us many interesting stories about his time here. Tonight was our last night travelling with he and Gael as they are heading towards home after we reach Cloncurry about 60 klm away. We had a great time travelling with them and really enjoyed Ray's many stories of his decades in Western Queensland which brought, what we may have thought of as small towns of little interest, very much alive. 

Away early the next morning we stopped at Cloncurry for a final coffee, did a quick shop and said our goodbyes to Ray and Gael. They headed east towards Hughenden and us north to Normanton in the Gulf. It was different travelling alone not seeing the little snail shell of Ray and Gael's either in front of us or in our rear view mirrors.

Ray, Gael, Julie and I on last morning travelling together

Normanton is a place one should pass through but not necessarily stay in, especially if you want a good nights sleep.  

Lunch stop on the way to Normanton

We stayed two nights in a good van park but were woken both nights in the very early morning by noise in the streets/area behind us - the first night at 3.00 am by a group of kids, the second night from 4.30 am until after 7.00 am by a group of men using loud foul language.  Well they seemed to know only one word and not a word either of us would ever use.  It didn't really feel all that safe and we decided not to walk around town and certainly not to visit the famous purple pub. In hindsight we should have continued on the additional 70 klm to Karumba - next time.

We spent our time in Normanton cleaning the dust off and out of both the car and caravan and generally setting ourselves up for the next stage of the trip. In the main street is a life sized replica of the largest estuarine crocodile ever caught in the world (that is if shooting one is catching one). In 1957 a lady crocodile hunter shot "Krys" which measured 8.63 metres (28ft 4ins). 

Actual size of Krys the Croc 

Marked locations of blazed trees

Next day we ended our epic three years following just some of the steps of Burke and Wills and their ill-fated journey north from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. 36 klm west of Normanton, along the Savannah Way, we turned off and visited Burke and Wills most northerly camp - No 119 which is located by a billabong and the Byone River. The final four member party set up camp in February 1861. Burke and Wills left King and Gray behind as they set off for a four day dash to the Gulf. While they were away King and Gray marked at least 15 trees with distinctive axe carvings (blazes) to prove they had reached this far north. When Burke and Wills returned (the place was a blaze :)) the party turned south to head for home and glory. Unfortunately all but King survived with the help of a friendly Aboriginal mob. On a number of our travels, Julie and I have come across other camps of theirs including the final resting place of Burke.

Burke and Wills camp No 119

Today Camp No 119 still has one tree that is alive that bears the blaze of King and Grey. Four others have died but their blazes can still be seen. Over the years floods have partly buried the trees so that their original blaze height of around 800 mm is barely above the black soils of the floodplain.

28 April - Moving day. Off to Karumba on the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria and what a little oasis it is.

Morning tea at Walker Creek Weir - Normanton to Karumba road

We checked into one of four van parks in Karumba. It's nice and shady and less than half full - a far cry from what it will be like in a months time. Karumba is all about fishing, if you're not fishing you are talking about, planning to or preparing to go fishing. People come for months to stay here. If you don't have a tinny on top you are just a tourist. Us tourists decided to stay two nights in this tropical village. 

Our first night in Karumba was spent having dinner and a few drinks at the Sunset Tavern right on the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria. It was so pleasant that we will do it again tonight. Perfectly cooked fresh wild barramundi, chilli squid and Gulf prawns filled our plates while nicely chilled beer and wine filled our glasses. Our view was filled with the golden setting sun over the water and wading brolgas successfully hunting feeding barramundi along the shoreline. After having our fill we went home.

Hard to find a better view from a beer garden  (that's me in the centre of the photo)

Sunset in Karumba

If you don't have a tinny then you don't have a lot to do in Karumba. Life in the van park revolves around the wind and the tides. When both are good the park is all but empty. Everyone I spoke to said the fish were just not there - not like a couple of years ago. Last was bad due to the lack of rain - this year is worse apparently. Our neighbours come every year and stay for three months or so. 

Right next door to the van park is a seafood outlet that sells fresh Gulf prawns at $22 a kilo so guess what's for lunch - a kilo of prawns and fresh bakery bread. After lunch I had an irresistible urge to sit on a fishing hook for some reason, maybe I didn't have enough bread.

The rest of our time in Karumba was spent relaxing and waiting for the next seafood meal. We are all set to start heading east tomorrow towards Georgetown, Cobbold Gorge and the Undarra Lava Tubes.

I'll end this Post here as it seems to be a good time to do so.

So until we speak again, bye for now.

Jeff and Julie

Gold Coast to Birdsville

12 April 2016 - 

Prelude: Well the day has finally arrived and we are off west again. Our year of travelling has started. The first part up until now was filled with supporting Mum through her second knee replacement followed by a week at Brooms Head, NSW surfing every day. Our travelling companions on this trip called in for a couple of nights at Brooms Head too. All this was done in the van. Mum's knee went well once again and the week at the beach was fantastic. Returning home for Easter and the school holidays we are now ready and rearing to go to hook the van on and explore Australia a little bit more.

At this point we are planning to try to get to Birdsville (they have had lots of rain and the roads have been closed due to flooding) then turn north to Mt Isa then on to Normanton in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Our goal, for no particular reason, is the Undara Lava Tubes. Once we have finished there we will evaluate where we are and how we and the rig are travelling before deciding what to do next. We will be away around 10 weeks and plan to return by 24 June 2016. 

So that's the plan, which is always subject to change of course.

Friends of ours, Ray and Gael who we met in Norway a couple of years ago, are travelling with us for a while. Ray worked in central Queensland west of Winton around Stonehenge, Dulacca, Jundah, Windorah, out to Boulia, Mary Kathleen and Cloncurry. He doesn't know it but he has volunteered to be tour guide for the first part of the trip. They are travelling in a 4WD with slide-on on the back. 

The Trip: 12 April - all packed up and ready to go we left the Gold Coast around 10am. TomTom (Tommy) had the address for our van park in Killarney, Ray and Gael set off separately from their property in Canungra about 30 minutes earlier. The road to Killarney via Woodenbong I remember from years ago to be a winding, steep, undulating road so bad that I decided to get Tommy to take us further west towards Aratula then to head south before Warwick. A nice road with a travel time of about three hours. We expected to arrive in Killarney before 2pm, set up and have a few drinks with Ray and Gael. The road past Queen Mary Falls is closed to caravans coming from the north so we needed to avoid that too.

Smoko at Peak Crossing

All excited we headed off out through Ipswich then Tommy had us turning south as expected through Peak Crossing, the lovely town of Boonah and on to more and more back roads through the picturesque Boonah valley. Spectacular volcanic plugs poked out of the lush valleys into the sunny blue skies above us. With only 40 minutes to go before arriving in Killarney, Tommy had us turning right into another stunning deep valley with basalt cliffs rimming the sky high above us. I remember commenting to Julie how the valley before us seemed to have no way through it. The big sign now in front of us confirmed my idle thoughts - "Not suitable for Trucks, Buses, Caravans or Trailers" screamed at us, so I screamed back at it. "Bugger!"

From there, the quickest way to our destination added an extra 100 klm and that was along one lane, winding goat tracks that wound themselves through lush dairy farms that always got in the way of anything like 100 metres of straight road. Sharp switch-back corners and no verge were the main design features of the road engineers. We had lovely views of Mt Barney though, which is why is was called the Barney View Road.  Finally we popped out onto the highway - the Mount Lindesay Highway that goes through Woodenbong - the very road I wanted to avoid.

This detour added another 1 hour 20 minutes to our previous enjoyable drive in the countryside. The road was just as I remembered it from 20 years ago - a winding, steep, undulating road with milk carrying semi trailers coming at you.

Tunnel to Browns Falls

Arriving in Killarney at 3:30pm we set up and spent the afternoon calming our nerves with the aid of a couple of cold beers and wine. 

Next day we set off into Killarney to visit the IGA/Home Hardware/everything combined shop. Then to the Op Shop for some reading material before setting off to do waterfall walks at Browns Falls and Queen Mary Falls followed by lunch at a great cafe at Carrs Lookout. The spectacular food was only surpassed by the spectacular views. 

Browns Falls

Queen Mary Falls

Carrs Lookout lunch stop

Condamine Track

Next we headed down the steep, winding, narrow road that is definitely "Not suitable for Trucks, Buses, Caravans or Trailers". We then turned left onto the Condamine Track that crosses the Condamine River 14 times and passes through some thoroughly beautiful scenery. Having left camp at 9am we arrived back at 3:30pm all having enjoyed the day. Dinner was held outside under clear skies.

Condamine Track

14 April - light showers overnight washed the dust off the car and van from yesterday. The cool weather we are enjoying is a welcome relief from the long hot summer we have all just endured. The day cleared to a lovely sunny day with light cool breezes. 

Today's adventure has us travelling south to do a loop drive through Legume, Liston and finally to Undercliffe Falls. The highlight of the day was racing sticks down the clear flowing creek flowing over large granite boulders before the water plunges over the falls. The drive itself was pretty as is the whole region of the Granite Belt.

Stick races

15 April - Moving Day.  Last night was 10 degrees! It was not forecast to be that cold. Hopefully Autumn has arrived for good and the weather remains cool and dry. Several of the roads out west we wish to travel are still closed due to flood waters from earlier rains and storms. We will keep accessing our plans to work around any closures.

Shane Webcke's Pub in Leyburn

We are heading towards Chinchilla via the back roads through Pittsworth, Cecil Plains and Tara. We are not sure where we will camp the night. If we come across a nice spot we will just pull up.

In Leyburn we stopped at Shane Webcke's Pub (we think) for a look around before heading to Cecil Plains for a morning tea stop. 

Our rigs

Lunch in Cecil Plains

Cotton on roadside - it's pickin' season

For miles and miles we travelled through flat featureless cotton fields. Crop dusters flew above the fields like huge eagles swooping spraying their environmentally friendly chemicals over the already destroyed environment. Coal Seam Gas is targeting this area too. How ironic were the many signs on the side of the road erected by the cotton farm owners saying that Coal Seam Gas is "Mean not Green". 

Around 3pm we pulled into a bush camp overlooking the Chinchilla Weir. We jagged a great spot on the corner of the designated camping area and set up for the night. This is a great camp provided by the Chinchilla township 9 kilometres up the road. Its free with some sites having access to power (we went off grid in exchange for a great view). Rubbish bins and flush toilets are available too. The place was busy but not packed.

The afternoon was spent walking around the lake which is currently very low. The weir wall is fully exposed as are numerous tree stumps and the boat ramp.

Camp at Chinchilla Weir

Walk around the weir

Julie and Gael on weir wall

Their is still enough fish in the lake to support a large group of pelicans ,cranes and egrets. The rest of the day and early evening was spent sitting under the awning chatting and creating a sizeable pile of recycling cans and bottles to pay for a full repaint of the local Scout's Den.

Men in Blue in Delacca

Next day under sunny skies we travelled further west towards Roma. On the way we stopped at Dulacca where Ray was the sole policeman for seven years. We wandered the streets while Ray told us stories of local murders, speeding cars and of the interesting characters of a time when the town was thriving. Today a number of shops have closed down as have the railways, Post Office and the like as the population has moved to somewhere else.

Dulacca

Next stop was Wallumbilla, my Mum's birthplace 83 years ago. Her parents ran the local General Store here before they all packed up and moved to Brisbane. We called into the old store and spoke to the lady owner. She has had it for five years and since buying it has increased the turnover from $270k to $1 million annually. It's up for sale too. Mum's old house has been recently bought and is being renovated. Once an abandoned run down over grown property is now a tidy attractive place.

Mum's house today, Wallumbilla

Inside today's shop, Wallumbilla

The shop as it was

Very early photo of the shop

The shop as it is today

Men in Blue (MIB) walking to town in Mitchell

We had lunch back on the main road near the large white silos where there is now an informative Museum and coffee shop. 

Camp for the night was in Mitchell - another dying town. 20 years ago when I was here with the family on our around Australia trip, there was a great bush camp on the Maranoa River just before you come into the town from the east. It is now a lovely tidy van park. Many shops and pubs have closed and the town is obviously suffering.

Morven - kero tin hut

After a cool night we headed further west towards Charleville. On the way we stopped in at Morven for morning tea. A dwelling from the Great Depression has been preserved here - a hut made from flattened out kerosene tins. Originally there were five huts surrounding a single tap. Also in the park was a tree which was a seedling from one of the original trees where the battle of Lone Pine took place at Gallipoli. Certainly an interesting little town to explore.

Flattened kero Tins

We arrived in Charleville to stay for a couple of nights. The first night Julie and I went to the Cosmos Centre for a couple of hours of star gazing through their powerful telescopes. The staff were very informative and a great night was had. Ray and Gael stayed at camp to be entertained by a visiting Probus club staggering back and forth from their fridges to get drinks. In the dark at least one of them went AOT sending cutlery and munchies everywhere.

Charleville river walk alongside the Warrego River

Our second day was filled by a long walk along the Warrego River and their new flood levy bank then shopping and generally preparing to turn west onto dusty roads leading to Birdsville. The good news is that the roads have reopened and we should be able to get through. The weather remains cool at night and around 30 degrees and dry during the day. 

The sign says it all

19 April - Moving Day. 

Smoko stop 

Ray choosing between food or beer

Stopping at Tambo for morning tea we wandered the streets reading the history boards. We came across a Furphy on display in a park. Manufactured by Furphy and Sons in Australia, these water tanks were used to supply water to soldiers in World War I. As they drank from the 135 gallon tanks the soldiers would swap yarns and rumours. The driver would then relay the stories to other troops. Some of the stories might seem unbelievable and were deemed Furphies. Tambo is also the home of the famous Tambo Teddies which was also visited.

A Furphy

Blackall was our lunch stop after which we spent a couple of hours at the wool scour and then onto the Black Stump.

Inside the wool scour

  

Blackall wool scour

Blackall wool scour

Same tractor 20 years ago with the kids 

The Black Stump

The Black Stump

Just after 3:30pm we left Blackall by the back door and headed west. Camp tonight was a bush camp on the Barcoo River on the town common in Isisford.

Isisford camp

Isisford campsite

Only two other caravans were camped here so the place was peaceful. Our camp was right on the river overlooking the weir. At $3 a night with flushies and drinking water available it is a great place to stop.

Isisford Street Walkers

Mural on Pub wall - Isisford

Isisford like other towns we have visited seems to be going backwards but with the good camping spot made available by the townsfolk it should be saved by the tourist dollar.

Next day we headed further west towards Stonehenge.

The changing road surfaces

Heading to Stonehenge

Somewhat isolated morning tea stop

The landscape flattened out, the blue sky rolled out above us meeting the orange gibber plains in the distance. Bitumen gave way to dirt and the sense of finally entering outback Queensland had arrived with the flies. The roads were in good condition so we let the miles pass us by as we travelled leisurely along savouring the serenity of the landscape. Treeless plains and rolling hills were eventually broken by the rooftops of the tiny town of Stonehenge. Ray spent seven years here as the sole policeman in an enormous area of central Queensland.

Old Stonehenge Police house

Having a quick beer in Stonehenge Pub

A visit to the Tourist Information office was followed by a beer at the pub. The stories of people and events of Ray's time here started to flow. There is no longer a police presence in the town as cutbacks made Ray the last policeman to live in the town. 

We headed a further 40klm west to a jumpup and a fantastic bush camp perched at a lookout. We had views across the endless plains below. Nightfall brought up the near full moon and after dinner we sat back and counted shooting stars and satellites. With no one else around the conversation slowly dwindled as total isolation soaked in. This is why we like to travel.

Camp at jumpup near Jundah

First full moon of the trip

Artistic sunset photo

Tonight's sunset

Our camp

The Lookout

The view

Ray's excellent bush skills lead us to a Native Well

Away early the next morning we continued west. A sign on the road pointed us to a "Native Well". These small rock holes collect and store precious rainwater and were used by the Aborigines for generations. They are relatively common out in this area and are easy to find because they are signed. 

Looking for a Native Well

The dirt road and flat plains led us to the little town of Windorah. This is a town that presents itself really well and doesn't seem to be struggling. With only a pub, general store and a few houses is has lovely grass medium strips and a park. On the edge of town is a very old two room tin house that was the original police house. An old couple bought it after a new house was provided for the policeman. They and have lived in it for decades and it looks like a photograph right out of the Depression years. 

Windorah General Store

Old Police house now a general residence - Windorah

We pulled into the garage to fully fuel up (car and two jerry cans) for the long distance to Birdsville. The garage had no diesel! The fuel truck hadn't arrived that morning and they were sold out. Down to the General Store we went. It had a single old bowser out front and it was a diesel one and yes they had fuel - YES! So we were able to fuel up and keep on going.

The bitumen soon gave way to dirt and dirt it would stay that way for most of the 380 klm to Birdsville.

The last of the bitumen

Following Ray and Gael

Combined Airstrip and road

The road to Birdsville

We started to pass through the channel country and although there was recent evidence of flooding, the flood-ways were dry and the road was in good condition. Our camp tonight was at the spectacular Deon's Lookout. 

Deon's Lookout

Perched high on a jump-up is a covered table and chairs and a campsite to die for. With 360 degree views and 40 trillion flies we looked out over the channel country and flood plains to the horizon in the west. Storms lined the horizon, lightning flashed. Skuds drifted around us but clear skies remained above us and the full moon filled the eastern sky just after sunset. The flies went to bed and there we sat mesmerised by the sight below us, the isolation and the solitude. Around 9:30 pm the wind picked up and up. Everything was packed away as we prepared for bed. The wind shook the van most of the night. The storms in the distance might cause us some problems tomorrow but we will have to wait and see.

The Audience

The view

The moon

The moon again

The nibblies 

22 April - the storm in the west didn't move all night and we woke to distant lightning and dark skies towards Birdsville. We had to eat breakfast in the van as the flies were in plague proportions following the recent rains.

Road to Birdsville - Ray and Gael's dust in the distance

The ghost town of Betoota

Storm clouds in front of us at Betoota ruins

We set off under sunny skies and headed towards the dark skies in the distance. Veering off the main track we pulled into the abandoned town of Betoota. Up until the crazy owner of the Betoota pub crossed the creek to the nearby homestead and shot the farmer the place was an important stop off point for a coldie and fuel. It is now abandoned because the publican is in jail and the "highway" bypasses the place by 7 kilometres.

Off we set and just as we pulled back on to the main drag it stared to lightly rain. It was just enough to clean the dust off the windscreen and create a couple of puddles on the short stretches of bitumen. As luck would have it we skirted behind the main storm and drove on dirt roads that had had enough of a sprinkle to mildly settle the dust.

Public Art on hillside on the road to Birdsville - Rainbow Serpent

We did leave some dust behind although it didn't seem like it

Morning tea on the road to Birdsville

Arriving at the Birdsville Caravan Park

We arrived in Birdsville around 12 noon.

I will end this Post here as I have to satisfy the publisher's deadlines. We are having a great time. 

Bye for now 

Jeff and Julie