Longreach - Winton - Mount Isa

Longreach – Tuesday 26 & Wednesday 27 July 2011

Well here we are in Longreach, the true Outback of QLD and probably Australia, there are stockmen and cowboys everywhere. Along with miles and miles (not kilometres out here) of bushland driving along the road you expect to see the Bonanza boys riding their horses. Apart from all that it is a nice town, clean and tidy with proud residents. 

We spent the day at the Stockman all of Fame, an excellent museum of Australian Outback history, starting with the discovery, the pioneers then onto how the outback has been tamed.  We took in the show, with a cowboy riding and talking about stock horses, camels and a bullock team, all the time telling yarns.

Stockman Hall of Fame Longreach

Story telling in the Outback

Stockmen Hall of Fame

The next day we visited the Qantas Museum, as this area is the birth place of Qantas.  This is another full day, we had a tour through a 747, top to bottom, then walked on the wing and sat in the Captains seat, Capt’n Kenny was in charge again!!.   

Boeing 747 Wing Walk

Sucked In

Flying high and In Charge

That night we took a cruise up the Thomson River on a paddle steamer to watch the sunset on the river then had a drover’s dinner, stew & damper, this too was a fun night topped off with the bare foot poet telling yarns.

Longreach to Winton – Thursday 28 July 2011

Easy drive today, only 188 km to Winton to visit the Waltzing Matilda centre, as this is the birthplace of the swagman and the waltzing matilda yarn.  The centre was full of history about the story, along with plenty of history and museum pieces from the area.  We strolled the main street, and visited the pub for a beer in the outback.

Waltzing Matilda Cetre Winton

That night back in the caravan park they had a couple of bush poets and story tellers, it was quiet a night with them telling great yarns, 2 ladies who cruise the outback telling bush stories.  As we sat down one of them came up and started asking questions about where we came from and who we are, she was the ex union rep from Canberra, very interesting conversation with her.

Winton to Mount Isa – Friday 29 July 2011

We were up and gone by 8am as it was a 460+ day, the road was rough, we did manage to see a mob of camels just out of Winton and a number of emus, but of course no opportunity to stop and take photos.  On the way we stopped at McKinley to visit the WalkAbout Pub, made famous in the Crocodile Dundee movies, didn’t have a drink but there is still a lot if memorabilia from the movie there.   We arrived in Cloncurry around lunch time and had some nice fresh bread rolls form the Cloncurry Bakery, and those people that know me I can’t ever go past a fresh cream bun, to bread rolls and cream buns for $4.00 a bargain.

Walkabuot Hotel

After lunch and more fuel we headed for Mount Isa, the terrain changes dramatically very quickly.  After 500+k of nothing just grass, a few trees across flat plains, we were now crossing mountain range after mountain range all the way to Isa.  Mount Isa sits in the middle of all these ranges and the mine is in the middle of town, very different but still a nice town.  We settled into the Big 4 Argylla Caravan Park, nice park with plenty of red dirt, but that is now becoming the norm.

Mount Isa – Saturday 30 July 2011

Woke to a great day, temps about 28deg, but this is now becoming what we expect, hope everybody is enjoying the great minus temps at home still!!

Today is clean-up day, after a couple of weeks of dust and dirt we needed to do a full on spring clean, the van was cleaned inside and out the washing was brought up to date and of course the car was washed.  Domestics were all done by midday, off to town we went and visited the underground hospital left over from the war days, a fully working underground hospital very interesting.  Also had a trip to the look out, this is where you realise that the mine is in town. 

Underground Hospital Mount Isa

Sign Post to Everywhere - 1898km to Canberra

The mine is in the city

Looking out over Mount Isa

Did our grocery and drinks shopping then back home to get organised for the next few days.  We head off in the morning for 650+km to Threeways, then 540+- to Mataranka, 2 very big days ahead.  We look as though we will be in Darwin by next Thursday; we are both very excited and looking forward to Catherine, Ryan and Tim arriving in Darwin Monday week to spend a week with us. 

Where we have travelled so far - tomorrow off to NT

The best Letterbox so far