Longreach via Emerald

Darren with Jersey & Kynan.

Carolyn with Erin, Kynan
and Jersey.

We were so close to Emerald we had to stop by and visit our Nephew Darren and his family. We are so glad we did. We made a surprise visit to the house and found Erin at home with the kids, and busy with the housework. Darren, who works at Ensham Coal Mine, was on night shift, and therefore staying out at the mine site, and wasn't due home until Tuesday. The first thing we noticed was how much the kids had grown since we last saw them, which was in November 2011. 

At Darren's quarters, Ensham Mine

At first the kids were shy with us, but that soon changed. We spent a little time at their home, and then everyone came to visit us at the caravan park. We were in Emerald's "second" caravan park, as the better park in town was full, as it often is, due to all the miners who are permanents there. Our park, The Nogoa Caravan Park is an old and very tired park, full of permanents. It is slowly being upgraded, but still has a long way to go. Its clientele is 90% permanents, from all walks of life!
Sunday afternoon we got a nice surprise, as Erin had called and asked if we would like to go out to the Ensham Mine to have early dinner with Darren. This was a real eye opener for us. The mine is about 40 kilometres from town, and family are welcome to join their partners for meals. Darren works 7 days on and 7 days off. His on shift alternates between day shift and night shift, as the mine works 24 hours a day 365 days per year. Shifts are 6am to 6pm. When on day shift Darren goes home as he will get some time with the family, but night shift he stays at the mine site, in excellent accommodation provided by the company. He has his own room, and all meals and washing provided.

We all went up to the dining area, where we got to choose from a buffet as good as you'd find in most hotels. Roast chicken and vegies, pasta, curry, loads of salad, and a separate dessert bar, and for kids big and small, an ice cream bar with about 8 different flavours. Talk about doing it tough! After dinner, Darren gets to go to the lunch bar, and pack his lunch which he will take down the mine with him. It is quite incredible. Outside there is a tavern, a swimming pool and countless BBQ and relaxation areas. There is even a store. Oh, you have to pay for grog and incidentals!

Kynan in class.

Monday Carolyn and I got another treat, as Kynan had asked us if we'd like to come and see his school. He loves school and is doing very well. We headed up on the morning drop off, got to see his classroom, and then even got invited to Monday morning assembly. A real novelty for us.
After assembly we headed into town for coffee. Town has also grown a lot since we were there last. There is a new shopping centre with BIG W, Woolworths super market and a lot of specialty shops, including bulk retail like BCF. The mining industry has a long life ahead of itself in Emerald. Darren told me that the Ensham mine will still be working in 100 years, unless the world finds another energy source!

Darren's Go Kart set up.

Bath time.

Tuesday afternoon we all got together for a BBQ at Darren and Erin's. Just a nice relaxing time with the kids, who by this time are very familiar with us, and wanting to show us everything. I also get to take a look at Darren's "hobby". He is into go kart racing in a big way. He has a top of the range cart and all the trappings, and has had good success at various meets around Central Queensland. There is an excellent facility in Emerald. The night went all too fast, and we were soon saying goodbye. Erin was taking over the work duties next day, where she is continuing her pharmacy traineeship at a local pharmacy, on a part time basis.

Wednesday morning we hitched up and headed west, not sure where we would spend that night, or how far we'd travel. We thought we'd try our hand at our first bit of "Free Camping".

Free camping at Jericho.

We reached the Galilee Basin, and set up camp alongside the Jordan River at Jericho. Now before you get too excited and start wondering how we got to the Promised Land, I need to point out that we are only 80 kilometers east of Barcaldine, and yes all the names are true. The "Free Camp" at Jericho is much talked about by travellers, and on arrival we can see why. It is a huge area, and already has a lot of caravans and campers in it, and even has toilets and fresh water. We are lucky to find a spot right beside the river. Seems people either go for the view or go for the loo! We choose view.

Not a care in the world.

The area is teeming with bird life, including to our surprise, pelicans and cormorants. They swim up and down the river and have no problem getting a feed. It is just wonderful, sitting under the shade of the trees soaking up the atmosphere. That night our neighbours, Graeme & Doris and Bruce & Carol, invite us over to share their campfire. We just sat around a lovely fire on a crisp clear night, and shared stories of our travels with kindred spirits. And what about those Outback night skies. If you've lived all your life in the city, you just don't know how many stars there really are! The Milky Way and the brightness of the sky is simply dazzling. We try and take in as much as we can from our neighbours, who are all regular free campers, choosing to stay out of caravan parks on a regular basis. The learning curve is a long one!

Jericho Shopping Centre.

Next morning we wake up, and instantly realise we are new at this free camping thing. We have no power! We expected to have at least three or 4 days of power left. I phone Watson's and ask what is going on. We have solar panels, an extra battery, and everything should just work! When collecting the van, I specifically asked if there was anything to switch or do, and the answer was an emphatic NO! I now find out there is one little exception, a switch needs to be on. Ours has been off. Anyway, not a problem, as its out with our generator and recharging begins. Actually it is good to finally give the generator a good workout. I'd only just run it 2 or 3 times to make sure it still worked! Our neighbours Graeme and Bruce have been a great help, and after 4 hours of generator charging, Graeme checks my batteries and declares them fully charged, despite what the readout in the caravan was telling us.

Jericho Drive In Theatre.

We did a walk through Jericho, which is very basic. Only one functioning shop, the General Store. Loaf of bread $5.50, half a litre of milk $3.00. We won't be shopping for much here! The big novelty in town is the Drive In Theatre. It is right smack in the middle of town, and works. They showed the State of Origin live on the big screen, and last Friday had been a movie night, but alas nothing while we are here. That night we again just sat around the campfire and chatted. We could get used to free camping! Everyone is so friendly, and I love talking to people. The variety of people you meet out here continues to amaze me. Late that afternoon a young guy had set up camp near us. He had a pretty new ute, and slept in his swag beside the ute. His companion was a Kelpie dog. I got talking to him, and it turns out he is a Wine Maker! He hails from the Margaret River region in WA, and had been working for McWilliams at Griffith in the Riverina area of NSW. He was longing for home, and decided to go home the long way. He was heading out to Boulia, then across the Plenty Hwy, which is a rough dirt track, to Alice Springs, then along the Tanami Track almost to Broome, then down the west coast to Perth and home to the Margaret River.That journey will take him through some of the most remote country Australia has to offer.

Main Street Barcaldine,
lined with pubs

The Tree of Knowledge Memorial.

Next morning, we awake and have power. YAY! We pack up, say farewell to the neighbours who are all heading off as well, and head for Barcaldine, just 80 kilometers away. Barcy, as the locals say, is the birthplace of the Australian Labour Party, born out of the great shearers strikes of the early 1890's. In the middle of town outside the railway station has grown The Tree of Knowledge, the symbol of the struggle for worker's rights. Over the years it has been affected by drought, poisoned, cut down, regenerated and poisoned some more, until eventually good old Round Up did the trick! So with a Labour Government in Qld and also in Canberra, a cool $9.5 million was spent to create a huge timber memorial, that stands over the now dead tree. It sure is some memorial! Also in town is the fantastic Australian Workers Heritage Museum, which we did on an earlier visit. This traces the history of the unions in almost every profession known in the bush. We hit the Gidgy Bug Cafe instead, for good coffee and Banana Bread, served with fresh cream and strawberries, and no gidgy bugs!

Melbourne Cup Beer Bottles.

Qantas Founders Museum.

Onwards, ever west we pressed, albeit slowly due to the endless roadworks. I think they are re-doing the entire Capricorn Hwy! The other thing you cannot miss is all the road carnage. The road is littered with dead kangaroos and pigs. It's a sad sight, and just so many. We stop just once more at Ilfracombe, only 27 kms short of our ultimate destination for today, Longreach. We stop here, because of the amazing museum and collection of old machinery, that lines the highway. There is also one of the largest Bottle collections in the world. As you travel the last few kilometres into Longreach, you can't miss the huge Qantas 747 Tail that dominates the flat skyline from several kilometers away. It is at the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach Airport, where there is an excellent story of the history of Qantas and aviation in general. You can even do the Jumbo tour, and there is also now a Boeing 707 which can be part of the tour as well. We did all things Qantas on our last visit.

Says it all.

Ask anyone about the Outback and the name Longreach will come up. It is an iconic name, and has played a huge role in Australia's history. The Longreach Tourist Park is huge. It was huge when we were here 8 years back, and it is even huger now. You are hard pressed to find a blade of grass, but they do a good job with the water tanker, keeping the dust down. During the tourist season, they have entertainment like bush poets, and country singers on many nights, and they have their own restaurant. We are only here for a long weekend, to do a couple of things we've heard about, that have started since last we were here. The Stockman's Hall of Fame is almost next door, and this weekend it is home to the Annual Rodeo, and a massive Quarter Horse Event. There are horse trailers small, large and monstrously large, and cowboys and cowgirls all over town. At night, the sounds of the rodeo and the concert that follows, drift over the caravan park.

Riding shotgun on Cobb & Co.

Off we go!

Every Aussie has heard of Cobb & Co. the stagecoach company that pioneered passenger transport throughout Australia, and especially rural Australia. A local family, the Kinnon Family, whose cattle property had been adversely impacted by drought, decided to resurrect an authentic Cobb & Co stagecoach experience. The coaches are authentic and fully restored. We had read about it and we couldn't resist. We got our seats up top at the back, and headed off for the 45 minute trip. Richard Kinnon drives the team of 4 horses. There is commentary via a rabbits ears system you plug in your ears, and off we go. We head out of town and start down the dirt track that was the original Cobb & Co route from Longreach to Windorah. It is dusty and the commentary is delivered in a slow country drawl, full of humorous yarns. We move along at a reasonable clip, and once we turn for home, Richard lets the horses have their head, and soon we are belting along at 55 kilometers per hour. Now that gets the adrenalin flowing! Fantastic!!

Trees full of Corella.

Paddle boat cruise on
the Thomson River.

It is very dry around this part of Queensland at present, and the trees and power lines are home to thousands of Corella. Every night we get a noisy flyover. Our other treat whilst in Longreach, is a sunset cruise on the Thomson River. They say it is the cleanest river in Queensland, as there is no "P" in Thomson (Boom Boom!). This is also operated by the Kinnon family, who on the back of the success of the Stagecoach experience, have built up a tourist business. They bought the old Paddle Boat, The Thomson Belle, from a previous operator, and turned it into an Outback experience. There is a cruise up and back along a section of the river which has a surprising amount of water in it. When we get back to the bush camp set up along the river bank, we are welcomed by a little guy in a big hat and no shoes, who goes by the name of Scotty. He tells us a few very funny yarns, and a little about what is in store for us. He gets interrupted by a one of the boys in a cart pulled by the biggest rooster we've ever seen! 

Biggest Rooster on earth!

Scotty telling his yarns.

Dinner is served up. Good old Beef stew, served on a tin plate with a slab of bread to soak up the gravy. No tables and chairs, just sit it on your lap around the campfire. It is very tasty, and despite what Scotty said, it tasted like beef! Dessert was Apple Pie and Custard, and equally as good, and there was seconds of everything. The whole event was BYO to help keep the cost down. After dinner we headed down to the Theatre, a huge screen floating on a pontoon in the river. We got an excellent audio visual presentation with a light show that lit up the river. It told the story of Capt. Starlight, the famous cattle duffer. It was very well done. 

Back around the campfire we got more Scotty yarns. "Me mate comes into the pub with a black eye, and reckons he got it in church. Now come on Jack don't be making up stories. It's true, I was sitting behind this lady and when we stood up after prayers I noticed her dress was caught up her bum. I reached forward and pulled it out and she turned around and whacked me! Next Monday Jack walks in with two black eyes, so I says don't tell me it happened in church again? It did! this time I took Johnno with me, and sure enough, when prayers are over the lady stands up with the dress caught up her bum. This time Johnno reaches forward and pulls it out, but quick as a flash I says Johnno the lady doesn't like that so I reached forward and pushed it back up the crack. She turned around and belted me!" That was one yarn I could remember. And also, "What do you call a dog with no legs? Anything you bloody like 'cause he still won't come when you call him!" To finish off the night, we all got Billy Tea and brown damper with Cocky's joy. Best damper we've ever had! 

The Stockman's Hall of Fame.

Sunday we were lazy. The Horse extravaganza was still happening at the Stockman's Hall of Fame, but we did that really well last time. It is fantastic and not to be missed if ever in Longreach. Town was really quiet. Not even the supermarket opens on Sunday! We'd gone up town to get the Sunday paper, only to be told it doesn't come in until 11.30am. So we did find the Merino Bakery open, and had a light breakfast and coffee, waiting for the Sunday papers. We went back to camp and I spent time starting this blog while Carolyn read the Sunday papers. We are off in the morning, heading for Winton, a really true blue Outback town with a history going back millions of years. Can't wait to get there and start exploring.