Changing landscapes

Since my last post we have travelled from Hervey Bay in Queensland all the way up through the west to Mt Isa then over into the Northern Territory and up to Katherine.

On the way we have passed many dry creek beds and rivers, notable among them the Cloncurry and Leichhardt Rivers which were both bone dry. Some others show signs of past flooding.

See the 44 gallon drum up the tree!

There are lots of creeks and other spots, especially in NSW and Queensland, with funny names, such as Tom Cat Creek, Middle Brother Creek, Passionfruit Creek, Dirty Creek Road, Murderers Creek Road, Dead Bullock Gully, Pumpkin Hut Creek, Spectacle Creek and Christmas Creek (the sign for which also had red tinsel!). .

The landscapes have been subtly changing along the way. We have seen some very long straight stretches of road which go all the way to the horizon in front and some almost 360 degree vistas. The skies are huge mostly with few or no clouds.

Along the way we passed a group of push bike riders who were raising money for cancer research. They were called 'Smiling for Smiddy'. There were about 50 of them and we first saw them at a rest stop where we made some breakfast. Then we passed them on the road.

We soon started to see road trains and now they have become quite common. They are about 53 metres long and usually have three or four trailers behind a prime mover. They carry anything and everything in all directions.

We stopped at a little town called Alpha in Queensland and were set up not far from the road. As it grew dark we could see the big trucks coming out of the darkness in a blaze of light. They have so many lights on them you can see them coming for ages before they appeared. There were also some great paintings of lorikeets on the sheds in the caravan park. Mike reckons they have evil eyes!

We travelled to Barcaldine, where my friend Grace used to live, and stopped for breakfast at a cafe on a corner in the main street. Unbeknown to us this was a corner where fully laden cattle road trains did a right hand turn in front of the cafe. You can imagine the dust and how this smelt as it went past! It was enough to put you off your eggs.

We stopped at another little town called Ilfracombe and found three emus walking around in the main street. They were not bothered by humans at all.

Bougainvilleas abound all over these remote towns. They are often the only bright vegetation in the place. This beautiful specimen below was also in Ilfracombe along with a whole lot of old farm machinery including a Marshall Traction Engine, which we are quite partial to.

The bougainvillea....

and the Marshall Traction Engine.

The weather has been great but its getting warmer and warmer. We stopped in Winton where it was about 38 degrees. . It cooled down at night though which was good. They use artesian water there which has a very strong smell of sulphur which was different to say the least. We also saw two big brolgas walking down the main street of the town early in the morning.

After leaving Winton we travelled towards Mt Isa. On the way we stopped at the Walkabout Creek Hotel which featured in the movie, Crocodile Dundee. It was very very hot so we had to stop and have a beer. Well we did, didn't we? It was 11.30 am so it was OK.........

There are lots of photos of Paul Hogan and crew from the movie inside.  Along the way we also saw a camel just roaming around in a paddock beside the road! That was a surprise.

Mt Isa is a pretty big town.  There is a huge copper, zinc lead and silver mine there right beside the town. It dominates both economically and physically.

You can see the mine at the back of the town in this picture.

It was also very hot there but the caravan park had a pool which was lovely. It was pretty dusty and dry but we met some friendly people in the pool.

We went on a tour of a mine which was set up specifically for tourists. Apparently it took about 4 years to build and cost about $6 million. The equipment down in the mine was the old equipment that is no longer used in the modern mine. Our tour guide Bill was fabulous. He was a retired miner himself having worked in Mt Isa mines for some 36 years. It was a great tour and I would recommend it to anyone. It really gave us an idea of what it must have been like. I'm sure modern technology has changed many aspects of mining but it is a dirty and dangerous place to work. One thing we really noticed was how noisy all the equipment was that they used. Its a wonder they didn't all go completely deaf.

After leaving Mt Isa we found ourselves in the countryside which was much greener than before. There were termite mounds everywhere and some of them were dressed up in T shirts, dresses, a superman outfit, helmet, beanie, etc. This has continued all the way to Katherine.

We came across two drovers with a mob of cattle roaming across the road. It was a fantastic site.

The cattle took their time and this one just stood in front of the car. Mike nudged the ute forward really slowly and eventually he moved over to the side.

We also came across an enormous eagle who had been feasting on a dead animal on the roadside. It was a huge bird, probably about 4ft high. Unfortunately he moved too fast for a photo.

We spent another night at Barkly Homestead which is another very isolated spot on the highway a way further on from Mt Isa. It was a very dusty spot but had a pool, bar and restaurant.

The driver relaxing.

A pretty sunset.

Our next stop was in Daly Waters which is a tiny place off the main road. There is an old pub there which has a lot of history and character. Its also a petrol station, caravan park, post office, restaurant and motel. The Greyhound Bus headed for Alice Springs roared into town, turned around and pulled into the front of the pub at about 9.30pm to drop off a backpacker and pick up the mail bag!

This building is opposite the pub. Not sure what its for!

Our campsite was again very dusty but we fitted in between all the other vans. No need to unhitch. Everyone was just passing through for the night.

There is a historic aerodrome at Daly Waters too which was very interesting. The display provided lots of info about the town itself as well as the aerodrome. There was also this amazing bush outside with the most beautiful flowers. I have no idea what they are. Maybe someone else has seen these before.

One thing we have found already is how friendly our fellow caravaners are. After all, we are all on holidays and out to have a fun time. Everyone says hello at petrol stations and makes enquiries as to where you are off to or where you have been. We all raise a wave to each other as our vans pass on the road. We have quickly got into the habit of doing this. Mike has done most of the driving so far. I did most of yesterday and some today but I still leave all the tricky bits to him. I'm nowhere near ready for reversing!

From Daly Waters we travelled to Katherine via Mataranka Springs. This is a classic oasis in the dessert. Its just out of town and a welcome relief from the heat and dust. The pool and springs are now part of the national park so they will be preserved for all to enjoy.

The beautiful tall palms

The beautiful pool

and the canopy above.

We are now in Katherine and plan to stay here for a couple of nights before heading west.

For those of you who have made it to the end of this mammoth post I thank you for your attention. The next instalment will be from Western Australia.