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.

Carnarvon Gorge

The Entry to the resort.

Set up at Takarakka Bush Resort.

We are so glad we went to Carnarvon Gorge. It is ranked as one of Australia's great natural treasures, and so many people had told us not to miss it. We were there for 5 days, and each and every minute was a delight.

Crossing the causeway into
Takarakka Bush Resort.

It is a very remote place, in what is known as Queensland's Central Highlands. It is a National Park, and the only place to stay is Takarakka Bush Resort, a privately owned venture that provides a caravan park, bush camping, and safari tents. It is a really great Outback Experience, with a lovely creek running along beside. Access is via the Gregory Highway, which we joined as we turned north from Roma. The turnoff to the gorge is about halfway between Injune and Rolleston, neither of which are large towns. It is a 40km drive through some lovely grazing country. The road is unfenced, and we regularly came across cattle on the road. The last 20 km is a gravel road, which was very dusty and corrugated in parts, and included a number of creek crossings, so the caravan really got its first "Off Road" experience, which it handled with flying colours. 

Reception, General Store and Cafe.

Once set up at the camp ground, we headed up to the National Park Information centre, to get the info on the walks to be done in and around the gorge. In the evenings, the campground is a buzz with the noise of happy travellers. We joined up with another Carol and her husband Neville for happy hour. We had arrived together, and in fact had shared the same roadside lunch stop along the way. They are recently retired dairy farmers from near Swan Hill, and are on their way to visit a daughter at Proserpine. It was as if we'd known each other all our lives as we shared stories over drinks.

The Kangaroo wanted to go first!

On the trail.

Next morning we were off bright and early for our big walk. We had decided on a walk that went up the main gorge as far as Ward's Canyon, which is a side track, and on the way back we will make extra side trips into The Amphitheatre, and The Moss Garden. All in all, we will cover about 14 kilometres during the day. And what a day it is. Mother Nature in all her splendour. The track starts with stepping stones across the river then winds along the river crossing it a number of times, always using the carefully placed stepping stones. 

One of the side creeks.

Crossing the main creek.

The scenery is just breathtaking. The unique Carnarvon Pines, only found in the gorge, towering ghost gums and red gums, cycads and ferns. In the side canyons are tree ferns and mosses, and over head the noise from the birds is just amazing. Currawongs, thousands of little black faced birds called Apostle Bird's that sound like a lorikeet, of which there are also many, and the good old kookaburra. If you sit by the river and watch and listen, you'll also see water birds and even an elusive brilliant blue Kingfisher which we were fortunate to see. All the while you meet other hikers eager to tell you what not to miss. We run into Carol & Neville, and compare notes. After around 2 hours we reach the side track to Wards Canyon.

Ward's Canyon.

John enters
 the Amphitheatre

The track is steep and has a lot of steps, but the climb is well worth it, as you work your way deeper into the ever narrowing canyon. The colours in the rocks and the vegetation, together with the crystal clear water make the whole scene. We decide this is the ideal spot to have our lunch. Carolyn has made us sandwiches, and we just sit and take in the vista. As other hikers stop and chat, I rue the fact we didn't bring extra sandwiches. We could have sold ours ten times!! Suitably refreshed, we descend to the main track and head back towards home, and our next side diversion, The Amphitheatre. If we thought the last track was steep, we have now found a new level of steep, and when we reach the end of the track, are met by a series of steel ladders to take us up into the Amphitheatre. Inside is a small chamber with sheer cliffs reaching up to the sky. The floor is covered in moss and small ferns. Just amazing, and again worth the climb.

Cliffs and palms.

Looking towards the Gorge.

Next stop is the Moss Garden. Another steep walk with a huge reward at the end with moss covered trees and rocks, under a a canopy of cycads and Carnarvon palms. We have been on the go for about four and a half hours, and John's knees are starting to bark, so we head back to the carpark, a slow hour away. Carolyn is as fresh as a daisy. Bloody show off!!  Along the way we come across lots of walkers like ourselves, taking breaks as the effects of a long day on the trail, take effect.

Saying goodbye to Carol & Neville.

Back at the camp, there is lots of happy laughter as everyone compares their day of walks over a cold beer or glass of wine. We again spend a lovely Happy Hour with Carol and Neville. They are heading off tomorrow, half regretting they didn't stay a little longer. BBQ's are the order of the night, and the smells fill the air. It won't be a late night tonight! In the morning we say farewell to Carol & Neville, and just spend a lazy day walking around the camp ground, up to the lookout, and along the creek which winds its way around the camp ground. It is just  a wonderful place to be in.

Some of the State of Origin crowd.

Tonight is State of Origin Decider night. People are covetously looking at our Satellite dish and we start to get enquiries as to our reception, which as usual is excellent. No one else can get a thing, and ours is the only dish in the camp. I work out a way to get the TV out the window and spread the word to bring a chair. What a night! Free beer, a rowdy crowd, but alas, a close loss again. But who cares, it is the best State of Origin night we've had in years. In contrast to last night, this is a late night as sorrows need to be drowned, and victors need to celebrate.

On the track again.

Clear water, wonderful colours.

A later start to the day, sees us doing a number of the short walks at the gorge. We do lovely walks to The Rock Pool, the only place in the gorge where you can swim, but swimming is not on today's agenda, then it is off to Baloon Cave, to see the Aboriginal Rock Art, followed by a slightly longer walk up Mickeys Creek Gorge, which has some really spectacular scenery. The short righthand track was described by one of the rangers, as her favourite place in the entire gorge, BUT only if you ignore the "END Of TRACK" sign, and clamber over the rocks and follow what is a pretty well defined track, for another 200 metres. We again have our picnic lunch, and this time choose the picnic grounds at the Visitor Information Centre, where we share lunch with a bunch of lazy kangaroos.

Drinks by the creek.

An Echidna looking for love!

As we walk along the creek at the campground, we find a lovely spot at which to sit and listen for wildlife. There are platypus in the creek, and a number of people have made sightings around dawn and dusk. Sitting there quietly, we hear a little rustling in the grass, and out pops an echidna, about 6 feet away. He just looks at us, takes a sniff and waddles off, followed shortly by his mate! Apparently it is mating time, and within a short time we see another 2 pairs, waddling along the creek bank. How unbelievable is that! Sadly, no platypus sighting.

Cowboys mustering along the road.

Thursday night is Pizza night at Takarakka. We have put in our order, and around 7.00pm head over to the kitchen to see "Cookie", and collect our pizza. It is a beauty, and a good way to spend our last night. We have had a number of visitors drop by to thank us for the footy night, and we have loved the comeraderie of the friendly campground. We have met some lovely people. Next morning we hit the dusty road out of the gorge. We leave the dust behind, and then run into a road block of a different kind. We run into a couple of cowboys droving around 600 cattle along the road. It is a real case of the old and new, with one on his trusty horse using his dogs, and the other on his quad bike. The boys come over for a chat, and we follow them a few hundred metres down the road, dodging cow pats, where they send them down a side track to new pasture. 

We hit the Gregory Hwy again and head for Rolleston, then Emerald, having had one of our most enjoyable and memorable weeks, since the journey began. 

Jondaryan Woolshed to Roma

Not too far west of Toowoomba is a wonderful part of Australia's Wool history. We are currently staying at the Jondaryan Woolshed.  www.jondaryanwoolshed.com.au  

Pronounced Jon dary an, this place is all about when Australia rode on the sheep's back. It was first settled in the 1830's, and the huge shed was built between 1859 and 1862. We are in the rich farming area known as the Darling Downs. When the area was first settled, the Government would only grant land in parcels of 600 acres. The remoteness of the area, and the high cost of bringing produce to market, saw most farmers struggle, until some enterprising men who could see the potential of the area, bought up most of the leases, thus injecting cash into the area, and creating one huge Leasehold. At it's peak in the 1880's, this property extended over 300,000 acres, and in one period of 11 months, 650,000 sheep were shorn in the shed. Eventually, the Government forced them out of leases and the sheep business, and the small parcels were sold off, in favour of grain crops.

Today, it is no longer a working station, it is just the most amazing 300 acre working museum, a testament to those incredible men and women who helped to shape our nation. We are staying at the caravan park built on the property right beside the wool shed. It is a nice caravan park, with a new amenities block, and whilst the powered sites don't have water, there are a number of taps around the park to fill up your tanks. The whole scene is very rustic, with the camp kitchen being a corrugated iron shed, with an open fireplace in the centre, which attracts a lot of visitors on the cold wintry nights we've been having.

The actual woolshed building.

Carolyn at the caravan park.

A walk around the grounds is a walk back in time. There are buildings everywhere. An old Schoolhouse transported from a local village, a boundary rider's hut from times before the property was fenced, a blacksmith's shop, an old homestead building, a tiny railway station building, and countless sheds that house an unbelievable collection of old horse drawn wagons, sulkies and drays, as well as tractors from over all ages. There is an animal nursery, with sheep and ducks and chickens and a variety of native birds, as well as five Clydesdale horses, that still work around the property doing stage coach rides and demonstrations.

Some of the Clydesdale.

The Tractor Shed.

Every year, a number of big events occur coinciding with national days of celebration such as Australia Day, and New Year's Eve, as well as featuring the working horses and of course a huge sheep shearing event. Some of the old buildings have been modernised and are used to host social functions from Weddings to Corporate Events. All year round, tours are conducted daily, and the Damper Hut dishes out good old Aussie tucker, like Damper and Cockie's Joy, genuine Billy Tea, Treacle Dumplings, real corned beef and pickles. It is like raiding Grandma's kitchen 50 years ago!

Inside the woolshed.

Doing the tour.

We signed up for a tour, which ran for over two hours, and was so informative. Listening to our guide, talking in that so distinctive, slow bushman's drawl, you can't help but be overawed by the scale of what happened here, over 150 years ago. When the shearing was underway, 88 shearers were hard at work in the shed, shearing an average of 200 sheep a day each, using hand shears. The legendary Jack Howe, Australia's most famous shearer, was regular at Jondaryan. Throughout Central Queensland he is an absolute legend. For those that don't know of Jack Howe, he set the record for shearing most sheep in one day. It was 10th October 1892, when in a period of 7 hours and 40 minutes he sheared 321 sheep. The record was not broken until 1950, when it was surpassed by a shearer using mechanical shears! He also set a weekly record of 1437 sheep in 44 hours and 30 minutes. Once all that wool was baled, it had to be sent to the coast for shipment back to England. Before the railway came in the late 1800's, the wool was shipped overland to Newcastle in NSW, a five and a half month trip, one way! It was carried on bullock drawn drays, pulled by teams of 80 bullocks. On the downhill sections, it was 40 up front, and 40 at the back to act as the brakes!! Truly amazing. And we bitch if we can't get a parking space near the entrance!!

Shearing demonstration.

On our tour was a young shearer from Victoria. He camped down by the river with his dog. I loved talking to him about his life. It is so different to mine. He was on holiday, or should I say a pilgrimage. All he wanted to do, was shear a sheep in the famous shed where Jack Howe had worked. When one of the other people on the tour asked him why, he simply said "just so I can say I've done it."
When the shearing demonstration commenced, I don't know how he kept off the stage. As you can see from the picture, he is on the right holding the sheep's leg, he just wanted to help.
I hope that during his stay, he did get to shear that sheep, in the famous Jondaryan Woolshed.

This is a genuine furphy.

A Pub with no beer!

After the tour, we enjoyed a lunch of corned beef, pickles and damper, followed by some of those treacle dumplings and ice cream, all washed down with billy tea. We just walked around, and made sure we looked in every building and shed. For all you trivia buffs, what is a furphy? Most of you will know that a furphy is good old Aussie slang for an unlikely or improbable story. So how did a water cart become an improbable story? Well the answer is that the water cart became a place for people to gather and share the gossip!

Another great piece of Australian history visited, and enjoyed.

Chinchilla Information Centre.

Lunch on the road at Miles.

From Jondaryan, we headed west towards our next short stop at Roma. The first town we come to is Dalby, a good sized town that looks orderly and well laid out. We found the Coffee Club was in town, so stopped for morning tea and a little banking. Back on the road we next reached Chinchilla. Don't ask me why, but I've always wanted to visit Chinchilla. Well, I've now got that out of my system. Not a lot at Chinchilla! We stopped for lunch at Miles, and if we thought there wasn't much at Chinchilla, there was a lot less at Miles! We pulled in alongside the railway station, and got out the tuna and bikkies for a lunch on the run. It was soon pretty crowded as more caravans pulled in for DIY lunch.

One of the new miners residential
villages at Roma.

Roma Saleyards.

We made it to Roma mid afternoon. Boy has it changed since we were last there around 2006. The mines have taken over. Around here it is coal seam gas. We are in the Surat Basin, with its vast quantities of gas. It is all being piped overland to Gladstone, for shipment overseas. The Big Rig Caravan Park, which was grassy and full of Bottle Trees, is now full of portable buildings, permanent and semi permanent caravans, a few casual sites, and lots of dust! Fortunately, we got a site with a reasonable amount of grass. Glad we'd booked, as the House Full sign was up early every day. 

One of Roma's Bottle Trees.

Roma is home to the largest cattle saleyards in Australia, and is still in full scale operation. There are huge lines of road trains bringing the cattle in and out. There is a sale on almost every week day. The other great attraction around town is all the bottle trees. The Memorial Avenue of Trees, that is one tree for  very man lost in the Great War, is a moving site. 
We stocked up on groceries at the local Woolworths. Shopping in these mining towns is quite amazing. You look in peoples trolleys and see 20 loaves of bread, 10 Frozen Pizzas, 10 packets of frozen pies, 30 litres of milk, giant jars or tins of coffee, everything is in bulk. It just cracks me up. And everyone wears yellow or orange flouro work clothes and Mongrel boots! The local menswear store is row after row of work clothes, and everyone drives a white 4WD or Ute. Welcome to the mining boom. Believe me, not Kevin. The boom is still going nicely out here in Mining Land!

So, off to Carnarvon Gorge. We are really looking forward to that. No mining allowed there!!