Author: aapalmers@icloud.com

We rise a little later after a long day yesterday, having the rental car is a boon. After a leisurely breakfast it’s time to enact our plan to travel out to the other monolithic rock structure on the horizon Kata Tjuṯa. The 36 domes that make up this collection of islands in a red desert sea are composed of Conglomerate (sedimentary rock rounded to gravel sized pieces-clasts ranging from a micron to the size of an apartment block). A conglomerate typically contains a mixture of finer-grained particles like sand, silt or clay that fills the air spaces between the clasts. These then are cemented by other minerals like calcium carbonate, iron oxide and silica all hardened by the clay. At Kata Tjuṯa the sedimentary rock consists of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt bound by coarse sandstone. Kata Tjuṯa, that includes Mount Olga covers an area of 21.68 km² (8.37 sq mi). The highest dome, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m (3,497 ft) above sea level, or approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain 198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluṟu. Geology lesson over it is interesting to note there the indigenous people of this area recognise three distinct rock formations not two. The other being Mt Connor or as the aboriginals call it Artilla. Mt Connor remains in private hands so is not accessible to the traditional owners or the general public.

Our drive to Kata Tjuṯa takes 38 minutes, but by no means boring after recent rains the desert is alive with wild flowers. Low scrubby bushes look exceedingly healthy with new growth, flowers, seed pods and fruits. One particular bush the honey grevillea has a yellow wiry flower that oozes with nectar a favourite with aboriginal children who suck the flowers dry right from the bush. Sturt’s desert pea, although a South Australian state emblem also grows well in this arid environment.

On the way we stop off at a lookout that gives us a great panoramic view of the Kata Tjuṯa domes and surrounding landscape

Our walk today takes us into Waḻpa Gorge where two of the giant domes that make up Kata Tjuṯa come together at one end. The walk takes about an hour covering 2.6 kilometres. On our approach we spot zebra tailed finches flitting from one tree to another in a frenzy of chatter. We continue on an upward path, a gentle slope but a rocky one. You can clearly see rounded cobbled basalt stones embedded by clay along the red tinted pathway. There is loose gravel in places so one has to be careful not to slip as we progress along the entry. Either side the walls of these two red domes climb upwards to a brilliant blue sky. Some areas are sheer others have pockets in them like footholds that a climbing giant would need to make it to the top. Man made bridges allow easy crossing of gorges that would be hard to negotiate if they weren’t there. Watching where we put our feet and stopping frequently to take photos makes this slow warm work, the sun is still rising to its zenith with the temperature a tolerable 26c. As the temperature rises we contend with an increasing number of flies, other more prepared hikers have nets that sit over their head ware but we missed the memo on this useful tip. The great Aussie wave comes into play as we bat away the pesky critters while try not to breath in too hard for fear of sucking in some unwanted flying protein.

The gorge gradually narrows until we can go no further. We have reached a refreshingly cool shaded place where a viewing platform with benches allows us to take a break and take in the majesty of this place. In front of us the “V” that forms the point at which the domes meet opens from a narrow base high into the sky. The sheer walls of the gorge now a shady ochre against the brightest of blue skies. When we we turn around the whole gorge opens up before us.

The cool break from the sun is a pleasant reprieve and a chance to restore some energy for the walk back to the car park. Now down hill most of the way the going is a little easier.

The time comes to drive back to the resort where we have booked in for a dot painting course. Dot paintings tell a story from an aerial point of view using symbols to represent people, places and animals as well as Dreamtime spirits. The Dreamtime spirits are inevitably represented by giant versions of animals, like the Rainbow Serpent, tell the story of the creation of Australia, coming down the centuries through storytelling and song lines. After we arrive back at the resort we gather at the meeting point where Evelyn our aboriginal teacher tells us about the basic symbols that she uses in her paintings. As previously mentioned the locals are extremely shy and Michael a white assistant interprets her softly spoken words into clearer English. Evelyn paints in the red sand with her finger the symbols for Artilla, Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa with her house there to give us an idea of where she comes from in relation to these rock formations. Our mission is to create our own story using the same symbols of wavy lines, dots and concentric circles. I draw an aerial view of our house and garden but I think I miss the mark. I should have drawn the city of Adelaide, Mt Lofty and our houses relation to those with symbols for water and forested areas etc. My painting is far too ambitious and I can’t control the dot size but I do end up with something fairly identifiable, at least by me. Barbie’s effort is much better with dot structure and a neat layout I couldn’t quite manage. Once completed we are called upon to tell our stories with a story telling stick, pointing at the symbols and explaining how they relate to our story. All good fun, glad I didn’t take it too seriously! We are able to take our artwork with us but mine is no masterpiece, I’ll stick to painting the walls thank you!

Our last event of the day is an exciting one indeed and a first for Mandy. We have booked a sunset helicopter flight that will take us around Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa as the sun descends on another day in the red centre. At the appointed time we walk the now well worn track to the Desert Gardens Hotel to wait for our shuttle to the Yulara airport. We are picked up by a young lady bus driver who looks like she just left high school. We soon find out that she is one of the helicopter pilots filling in as a bus driver after a day in the air with other like minded tourists. There is a shiny looking unmarked jet parked nearby when we arrive through the gates, the federal government’s conveyance for Mr. Anthony Albanese our prime minister who has arrived to give a speech in support of the referendum yes vote, the speech due to happen at sunrise tomorrow morning. We wait while our pilot driver closes the gates, she explains “to keep the camels out”. There are reportedly over 1 million camels roaming the desert out here, out numbering many of the indigenous animals, in fact out competing them for food and water. Our Helicopter pilots are waiting for us alongside their rides, Mandy, Barbie and I are greeted by Jake who tells all about the Bell 207 Jet-Ranger Helicopter we are about to ride in. It’s not long before we lift off in the direction of Kata Tjuṯa.

The 38 minute aerial tour of Kata Tjuṯa and Uluṟu is a stunning finale to our visit to the red centre of Australia. We have added greatly to our knowledge of aboriginal history and culture as well as the geography of the landscape that the Aṉangu consider a sacred place.

We are soon back at the Desert Gardens hotel and our room at the Emu Apartments before enjoying our last meal at the Mangata restaurant. Tomorrow we fly out via Sydney to Adelaide.

It’s 3.00am when the radio comes alive with the local news, this is our alarm to get moving. It’s pitch black outside and 4c. This will be our first flight since Covid hit three years ago so we are somewhat apprehensive. Qantas haven’t enjoyed the same level of popularity since virtually closing down the airline and sacking 17000 employees soon after Covid became a worldwide problem and Australia locked its doors. Not to mention that they continue to be embroiled in controversy over their CEO’s dubious business practices. Though within the law seemed morally corrupt given the high regard the flying kangaroo enjoyed here.

Amanda’s cousin Barbie arrived from Hurricane, Utah last Monday awaking us from our winter slumber, giving us the impetus for this trip to the red centre. After a week of city sightseeing dotted with the occasional wine tasting in the newest of south Australia’s wine districts the cool climate Adelaide Hill’s we ready ourselves for a visit to the monolithic natural rock formation that once known as Ayres Rock is now renamed Uluru. Indigenous Australians took control in 1985 signing a 99 year lease, declaring the area a sacred place, eventually ceasing the practice of climbing the rock that had proven dangerous and in this day and age certainly outside health and safety guidelines. Uluṟu doesn’t sit alone out there in the red desert just a few kilometres away is Kata Tjuṯa once known as the Olga’s a collection of rock formations that form islands amongst the red sandy sea. One of the most visited and remote places in Australia, Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa sit in the Ayres Rock National Park some 400 kilometres from Alice Springs.

By 4.15 am we have loaded our bags into the car and are on the road to the airport. A drive made easy by the lack of traffic at this hour, by 5.00am we are through security and looking for breakfast. We spot a coffee and muffin outlet with everything from savoury to sweet and settle in to assuage our hunger. Our flight time soon arrives and we are on our way through the night sky. Dawn greets us as we make our way east towards Sydney on the first leg of our journey with a gradual emerging stratified display of pink, grey and blue.

Crazy as this seems currently there are no direct flights to the airport that services the Yulara resort. The Yulara Resort sits just 1580 kilometres north of Adelaide while Sydney is 1375 kilometres east and Yulara 2838 kilometres west from Sydney. We long for the pre Covid days when life seemed now in retrospect so much less complicated.

Our stopover in Sydney is brief, we have moved forward by 30 minutes and have a 60 minute wait for our flight to Uluṟu. Flying west again we will loose the 30 minutes gained on our flight from Adelaide plus another 60 minutes, the Northern Territory doesn’t do daylight saving time, something to do with upsetting the cows. This time we have a three hour flight into the red heart of the continent.

Onboard wifi allows us to track our path, as we cross the border back into the far north of South Australia the vast ground beneath us is a hazy ochre that fades into distant grey cloud cover topped with white before reaching a pale blue sky. The three hours passes by, passengers to the left off us have an aerial view of Uluṟu and glimpse of Kata Tjuta as we descend. The landscape is a canvas of bluey green low scrubby bushes, yellow spinifex grasses that form tufts that sprout from the red soil and blue grey spindly desert oaks. Once landed we take the shuttle the short distance to the resort and the Emu Walk Apartments hotel that we have booked for our 3 night stay. On our way we have our fist glimpses of the rock formations we are here to see. The day is pleasantly warm with a light breeze. After check in we walk into the town square to check out the restaurants, organise our rental car as well as browse the shops and the indigenous art gallery. A crowd gathers in an amphitheatre where a didgeridoo player is holding a lesson on the basics of playing this ancient instrument. Originating in the north of Australia around Arnhem Land and The Kimberley’s in Western Australia the wind instrument is now associated with Aboriginals all around the nation.

Our energy fading we find a restaurant and settle down to an early meal and a glass of wine. The sky turns a rosy hue as the sunsets while we stroll back to our room for an early night after an early start and a long day. Tomorrow we will travel into the Ayres Rock National Park for a close up encounter with these two giants of the landscape, Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa.

Another early rise today, it’s 5.00am and dawn is slowly breaking across the desert landscape that encircles Uluṟu. This is a desert that is putting on a grand show after three successive winters of heavy rainfall across Australia. The air has a chill that is only there when no clouds remain to keep yesterdays warmth from escaping overnight. we have awoken in a foreign land, this is the spiritual heart off Australia, Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Country, home of the Aṉangu people. Our passport a three day pass to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuta National Park.

The day starts with an early breakfast, a traditional buffet, but with some items that might surprise you. Like Bush tomato chutney to go with your scrambled eggs, Kangaroo sausage or wattle seed pancakes with lemon myrtle butter to wash it all down a nice cup of eucalyptus flavoured Billy tea or coffee.

Our breakfast is quick as we have a date with a park ranger at 8.00am. Once packed we are in the rental car, a small hatchback to make the 30 minute drive to Uluṟu for a 90 minute educational tour at the base of the rock along a track known as the Mala Walk. The Mala are a small native marsupial mole that in Dreamtime stories had a hand in creating the monolith Uluṟu. When the Aṉangu people came upon Uluṟu it seemed to them a garden of Eden. Plenty of water, an abundance of vegetation, edible fruits, grasses with seeds that could be ground to make a flour and bread. Animal life also abounded, kangaroos, lizards, emus, and bush turkeys. The Mulga tress that they needed to make utensils and weapons for everyday life also grew in abundance. As we walk our guide tells us of the gradual learning that the children would undertake to be able to survive in this harsh environment. How to make weapons for hunting for the boys and how to make utensils for the girls. How to differentiate between the different plant species, the edible and not so edible, animals habits and the best way to hunt them. Ceremonies would mark their progress as they developed into active community members. Their culture that spans nearly 60,000 years is handed down through Dreamtime stories and song lines, they have no written language. At the base of the rock there are caves that have acted as classrooms the walls covered in pictures painted in ochre, ash and charcoal. Places where the elderly sat and swapped stories, places that acted as a kitchen and places where men made there tools. Here there culture flourished until colonisation.

Our next stop is the Cultural Centre, here there are displays of traditional aboriginal art both in their distinctive aerial view dot style painting, mostly carried out by women. Then there is wood carving, weapons and tools made by men and utility items like bowls and open ended carrying cradles by women. The latter decorated by heating wire to burn designs into the wood. We stop for a gelato of Mango and roasted macadamias for me, Lemon and Desert Lime ripple for Amanda and Rosella flower and Raspberry for Barbie. The flavours are all so delicious we share them all. We catch a presentation by two Aṉangu women supervised by a white guide that enables us to touch and feel some of the cultural items. The Aṉangu are a shy people telling their stories in soft voices that at times cross over into their own language. Their are at least 350 different indigenous countries in Australia each with their own language and sometimes different dialects or accents. Our presenters speak several native languages as well as English. As we go through the cultural items some can only be handled by men, like a belt used to carry men’s tools made entirely of human hair.

We have one last trip in us to end the day, the Muṯitjulu Waterhole.

We arrive at the car park and are immediately accosted by newspaper journalist from the Sydney Morning Herald. Can we spare a few moments to talk about our trip? Yes we reply! With the referendum just around the corner that will decide if the indigenous community will be recognised in our constitution. Also to allow them to form an advisory committee to the government on issues that pertain significantly to them. The journalist tells us that the prime minister will travel to Uluṟu to confirm the government’s commitment to a yes vote tomorrow. Where do we stand on the issue and why have we chosen to visit the area at this historic moment? The Uluṟu Statement from the Heart started here in this sacred of aboriginal places. A document that asks the Australian people to recognise the social gap that exists between mainstream Australians and the indigenous peoples and to make a commitment to closing that gap. We support them in this effort that ultimately will have great benefit for them and Australia as a whole. The journalist takes our photo and we part ways.

The base of the rock is a 10 kilometre walk with a lot of sheer red walls rising above you. The faces of which are of arkose, a coarse sandstone containing iron that gradually rusts and flakes off leaving patches of grey sandstone beneath. The culturally significant areas around the rock are of most interest to us as mere tourists, focusing on these today is our goal and the waterhole is one of them. The area surrounding the waterhole is particularly lush and shady due to the constant presence of water there. Bird life abounds and occasionally wallabies can be seen amongst the grasses but today the midday temperature has creeped up to 32c so the wallabies are resting up under a shady tree, out of sight. Occasionally all is still, the sound of silence is deafening, leaving a peaceful tranquil setting, a perfect place to sit and contemplate life. One of the many benches that are to be found all over the park made from large polished natural timber tree limbs sits nearby just for that purpose. On a nature walk one notices the smallest things, the wild flowers, the colour of the eucalyptus bark, a butterfly that flutters by. This time it’s a small brightly coloured black and red beetle that scuttles across our path minding his own business but drawing attention to him or her self with its bright coat contrasting against the ochre pathway. After posing for a flurry of snapshots the beetle scuttles on into the surrounding bush.

Time to return to the resort for a break before dinner tonight that takes us to an elevated viewing point to watch the sunset over Uluṟu.

The dinner is named the field of lights dinner after a huge installation of 50,0000 solar powered coloured lights that gradually power on after the sun has set. A one off installation by artist Bruce Munro has outlasted its original 6 months tenure and now lights the equivalent of seven football fields nightly. So popular is the installation that turning off the display is continually put back.

Once we arrive we are welcomed with a glass of champagne and bush inspired canapés. Barbie tastes her first Kangaroo meat, rolled into a flat bread and cut into bite size pieces. We settle in to watch the sun go down, the suns last rays reflecting on Uluṟu giving the monolith a pink tinge until finally the sun disappears behind Kata Tjuṯa behind us. We move on to another level just over the red sand dunes where immaculately set tables sit with white table cloths, gleaming cutlery and light reflecting glassware. The air is warm and still as we are seated in tables of ten. Our group of three has extended to four as a lovely lady of Indian heritage from England joins us. At the table we also have two young girls from Sydney two couples from Melbourne, Barbie from the US and Mandy and I from Adelaide, quite a mix. As the light gradually fades a single cube of light illuminates our table. In the foreground of Uluṟu lights begin to fill the landscape, colours of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white appear across a seemingly vast area gradually pulsating with their own rhythm. Tales of the days adventures are told around the table, the energy of the young girls clearly apparent as they tell us of their Segway tour around the base of the rock, their visit to the camel farm and subsequent ride to the rock base and an adventurous plane ride over Kata Tjuṯa and Uluṟu. Quite a one day itinerary.

After the completion of dinner again showcasing bush produce the table lights are extinguished we are plunged into darkness. Looking up the night sky is filled with the stars and planets the Milky Way clearly visible as a cloud of stars that arch across the sky above us. An astronomer joins us taking us on an Astro tour of the galaxy, pointing out with a powerful laser pointer the clearly visible planets Saturn, Venus and Mars along with the stars of Alpha Centauri and Sirius.

Finally we take a twenty minute stroll through the Field of Lights on our way back to the bus. Wandering through a maze of illumination that is both dazzling and fairylike.

Another wonderful day of new experiences for all.

September 24th 2022

Broken Hill NSW to Stirling SA

The clear blue skies for our last day in Broken Hill yesterday had me thinking about the shorts and T shirts again. This morning couldn’t be more different, with the overcast conditions came a blast of cold weather, making a nippy start to our early morning.

Now, so close to home we are both anxious to be on our way as quickly as possible. This impetus giving us our earliest start yet. The holiday is over, all that is left is one day of travel back into our home state of South Australia and familiar territory of the Adelaide Hills.

The South Australian border is just 50 kilometres east from Broken Hill a short distance in the scheme of the trip, we then travel south east for 258 Kilometres to Oodla Wirra, then South to Burra for 98 Kilometres.

South Australia currently has a Fruit Fly issue, biosecurity is clamping down on the transport of fruit from the other states. If this pesky little fly makes its way south and into commercial orchards or market gardens the situation could prove disastrous for growers and the states economy. Heavy fines apply for bringing even one tomato across the border. Fruit is always in our onboard cooler, this morning breakfast consisted of the last of our fruit, anything we can’t eat we had to ditch before leaving. We can expect to have biosecurity checks at the border or along the road before we start to enter populated parts of SA.

Outback South Australia is stunning this spring, native plants are putting on a colourful display, against a back drop of green that is rare out here. Emu’s with their chicks are in abundance grazing on the rich pastures. The closer to Adelaide we travel then the greener the landscape becomes.

Once we pass over Goyder’s line cropping becomes sustainable and the landscape changes to rolling hills of grain crops and particularly striking Canola, now in flower this crop creates carpets of yellow-gold that cut a swath through the landscape.

About thirty years after first settlement, the Surveyor-General of the time (1865) George Goyder, at the request of many prospective farmer settlers created an imaginary line that separated high and low rainfall areas of South Australia. Many pioneers had taken up cheap land in the north of the state only to find a few years of rainfall could be followed by many years of drought, this made cropping very unpredictable, many eventually failing. Mr Goyder climbed upon his horse and traversed the northern areas from east to west for 3200 kilometres, listening to the farmers along the way and gathering information about the types of plants that survived in the northern areas and southern areas. The aim to form a map that would create a demarcation between arable land to the south and high risk of drought susceptible land to north. In November of 1865 Goyder submitted his report, inclusive of a map to the colonial government. Above Goyder’s line, as it would hence be known, only light grazing should take place, below the line, then cropping would have a more reasonable chance of success. Many farmers still ignored this advice, rainfall between 1867 and 1875 turned out to be more than adequate for cropping. The idea existed in these times that rain follows the plough and indeed this did appear to be the case in the westward expansion in the USA. However the years that followed drove many to abandon their lands, proving Goyder correct. Many an old stone farm house can be seen from the road, in ruins before we pass over Goyder’s line. Over the years til today the line has proved remarkably accurate. Current climate change predictions have the line moving slowly south as temperatures rise and rainfall lessens.

Just before we reach the town of Burra, about 160 kilometres from Adelaide, there are a series of road works, we slow down as we travel across some gravelly roads that are being reworked. One part of the road is being patched having developed a number of potholes, most of them are, but one isn’t, our passenger side front wheel hits it full on sending a shudder through the vehicle. I sense a problem but the car is behaving normally, so we continue on until we reach Burra. We stop to inspect the tyre, just above the rim there is a 50mm (2″) split in the wall. These tyres are run flats designed not to puncture or deflate. The theory being that, with this design a spare wheel is no longer needed, saving money, space and weight. This is my first experience with a mishap of this nature so I am unsure how to proceed. Mr. Google tells me to drive slowly not over 80kph. We limp home, stopping on our way at a tyre service outlet, a quick check and they confirm we will make it home the last 40 kilometres.

We finally arrive home around 3.30pm, weary but safe. Now the hard work starts the unpacking and settling back into a routine, but not until tomorrow! Until next time.

Tony & Amanda Palmer

September 22nd 2022

Broken Hill

Arriving at our little local hotel in Cobar, we find a group of car enthusiasts have arrived with their hotted up vehicles. Their here for a car meet, some driving their vehicles some arriving with the vehicles in trailers, amongst them an Aussie Ford Falcon Fast Back, an American Chevrolet sedan, complete with tail fins and a British Rolls Royce (my favourite). The car is painted in a stunning white, the vehicle is immaculate, with original cream leather upholstery and oak timber veneer dash board. The Rolls Royce engine removed and a locally made V8 installed, a hole cut in the bonnet for the twin carburettors to poke through. Shiny alloy wheels, standard size at front but super wide at the back. It is almost sinful to give a Rolls Royce this treatment, but I have to admit the car looks superb.

The motel is one of the best we have stayed at for room amenities, cleanliness and layout although compact we have everything we need. Also has a homely touch, that is comforting after a long time away. The motel has a restaurant but only serves breakfast, directing us to the Bowling and Golf Club just across the road. We never know what to expect at these country town hotel/motel restaurants but thats part of the fun. The Club is typical of NSW country towns, gambling is part of the fabric of Aussie society out here, the bonus is that the gamblers subsidise the food and drinks. The gambling consists mainly of poker machines and Keno, no cards or fancy games like roulette, you can however bet on most sports, wherever they maybe played in Australia. The restaurant is set in a large room away from the bar and gambling areas, its no surprise to us that once again the food is Asian. This time Chinese. The food is good, we have a duck and a beef dish to share, finding the food quite authentic rather that too westernised.

The next morning we find that the rain has continued most of the night, with the temperature dropping considerably, the shorts and T shirts are now well and truly relegated to the suitcase. Winter attire is back on, with the rain jackets kept in close proximity along with the umbrellas. We had planned to visit Cobar’s Sound Chapel, not a religious venue but a permanent artwork incorporating sound, architecture, art and poetry. It functions as a digital 4 channel string quartet that plays continually on a loop 24-7. The venue is a 5 metre walk in cube set within a 10 metre tall water tank, with an in-built loudspeaker in each wall. Sound spills out of the water tank that has a rusty rustic appearance on the outside, giving the impression that the music is coming from an old water tank set in the outback. Intriguing, but the weather is not conducive to walking around a muddy paddock. Besides I think that I may be experiencing the onset of a cold, with sore throat symptoms coming on with the advent of the cold weather, not good, not happy! The organisers don’t make it easy to access either, with a viewing fee and a cash refundable deposit of $300.00 just to view it, the return of the money subject to inspection after your visit, to ensure you haven’t wrecked the place. Anyway we decide that time is against us, and make our plans to travel directly to Broken Hill where we have a two night stay.

As with yesterday we are retracing our steps, the area has experienced substantial rainfall since early August when we departed on this sojourn. As a result the land is even greener, with spring now adding carpets of cream coloured flowers along the roadside and off into the distance. Purple flowers appear now and again, as well as masses of pinkish oval shaped flowers that sit like beads on green grass like stems. Again we play spot the animal or bird, plenty of feral goats graze along the verges. Not so many Emu’s today. One exciting moment sees us spotting a pair of magnificent wedge tail eagles, feeding on the ground from a recent catch. We speculate if this could be a baby goat as there are many in the vicinity.

First stop is Wilcannia, a mainly indigenous town situated on the Darling River, once the second largest river port in the country. In a time when Australia lived off the sheep’s back when 1000’s of bales of wool made their way up and down the river to be exported to Britain and the world. Local Australian woollen mills, existed then, now long gone with much of Australia’s manufacturing industries. Sadly today the towns historic buildings are in much disrepair, leaving an impression that is neither welcoming or attractive to the passing visitor, to want to linger long.

Next stop is Broken Hill, we continue along the the Barrier Highway a long straight stretch of road where the weather system ahead is on full display. Dramatic against the open plains below. We travel through a number of rain cells, but nothing too heavy, the colours of the landscape continue to amaze. Rusty red coloured low bushes, contrast against smaller blue grey salt bush, lime green new growth grasses as well as yellow flowers from low growing creepers. All adding to a textured blanket of colour in vivid 3D covering the land on both sides of the road.

As we approach Broken Hill we can see the radar telescopes that form part of the Outback Astronomy facility. Outback Australia is famous for clear star filled skies, many towns are now offering astronomical experiences free of light pollution that impacts viewing in the big cities. Broken Hill among them.

As we are early, and our clocks now go back half an hour to South Australian time, we decide to go straight into town. I want see if I can find some throat lozenges for a deteriorating sore throat. For the last week Queen Elizabeth II’s passing has formed a back drop to our breakout holiday. One of those moments like the death of J.F.K or the Moon landing, that you will forever remember exactly the moment in your life when you heard this world changing news. As a result our Prime Minister, bless his heart, gave us all a day off. Since everyday is a day off for us, the gesture misses the mark in our case, but we do appreciate the intent. Today it happens to be that day, just about every commercial operation is shut down. Apple maps, in walking mode wasn’t much help either, sending us first one way then another looking for none existent supermarkets. We finally need to drive to find one, that just happens to be in a fuel station, but not before having a good walking tour of the inner Broken Hill township.

Walking in Broken Hill is like a stepping into the past, grand hotels such as The Palace with grand entrances fill the street corners, two story with wrap around verandahs, large decks like promenades around the upper floor.

One is decidedly Art Deco with an elaborate ironwork balcony that runs the full length of the building on both streets of the corner location. All this with a huge Lead, Zinc & Silver mine right at their back door, in the centre of town. The original slag heap is still right there. Many of the shops and buildings are still in original condition, its easy to imagine you are walking down the street in your hat, button down white shirt front with turned down collar and thin black tie. Maybe a cane and moustache, while the lady besides you is wearing a full length dress, hat, gloves and carrying a parasol. Horse drawn carts rumble down the street as you hurry along to your next appointment. While the noise, steam and industrial odours fill the air from the very nearby mine. As a visitor you would be staying at one of these grand hotels, after arriving from Sydney on an epic steam train journey. At its peak 31000 people lived and worked here now the town is home to only 17500 people.

Miners meanwhile slave away deep in the pit bringing the precious ore to the surface for refining.

Many of the miners came from migrant families, Italy, Yugoslavia, Norway, Greece to name a few. After the second world war Europe had little to offer the already struggling peasant families of these nations. Australia offered opportunity and a better life.

The miners live outside the town centre in tiny corrugated iron dwellings, but still close enough to walk or bike to work. They lived on streets with names like, Bromide, Calcite, Chloride, Cobalt, Carbon, Garnet, Graphite, Iodide and Sulphide to name a few but doesn’t take much guessing to realise this is a mining town. Many of the homes they called “Tinnies” still exist today. Mostly made of corrugated iron, some in original condition. or many now, with a new generation are in newly renovated. They all form part of the history and fabric of Broken Hill today.

Above some examples of Broken Hills renovated corrugated iron Miners cottages

The deepest point of the Broken Hill ore body descends over 1.5 km underground. Broken Hill had a massive sulphide lode of over 200 million tonnes with 50 million tonnes of lead and zinc and 20 000 tonnes of silver. Back in 1875 one Charles Rasp worked on the Mt Gipps sheep station that covered an area of 100,000 acres. Gold prospectors had moved in, but without success. Charles road the fence boundaries and noticed a dark rocky outcrop that to him looked like tin. He along with six others, staked a claim forming the Broken Hill Mining company. What they thought to be tin, turned out to be lead, zinc & silver. Not the Holy Grail of gold but a deposit so big that it is still being mined today. The hotel, come motel, camping and caravan site we are staying at is a heritage listed building. Originally the Mt Gipps Hotel established around 1890 served the community for over 100 years before being left derelict since 1987. In 2018 an enterprising family restored the building, setting up an outback stop for weary travellers like us.

Above a Broken Hill building mural that celebrates the Ghan Railway, that crosses Australia from Adelaide to Darwin, the Afghan camel drivers that helped with the exploration and opening up of the vast Australian Outback.

In the centre of town is the original headframe that sat above the first mine shaft, from this shaft came 6 million tons of ore from 1884 to 1940, as refining became more efficient they re-visited the mine drawing many more tons of ore from 1944 until 1959. The frame is made from Oregon Pine, charred to weather proof it, with steel rods used for cross bracing.

A corrugated iron building once housed the winding mechanism shown in the picture below.

Above, the ever present slag heap that now houses the Line of Lode Cafe/Restaurant (now closed due to Covid restrictions and not yet opened due to staffing shortages) (Right) and the Miners Memorial (Left) 800 miners lost their lives working this mine over the many years of its operation.

Next we are off to the Pro Hart Gallery, since the mid 1980’s we always had paintings of Pro Hart on our walls. Pro Hart grew up in Broken Hill and worked in the mines, at that time a requisite of living in the town meant at least working one shift at the mine per week. Many miners developed other creative outlets to keep them sane after many hours of work in dark claustrophobic conditions for hours, days and weeks on end. Pro Hart learnt to paint, becoming famous for his colourful stick like renditions of people enjoying regular Australian outback leisure activities like an outdoor BBQ, or attending a country horse race meeting and outdoor picnic’s. Also Australian outback life in general. He painted in a number of other styles as well, such as shooting paint balls at canvas or tipping tins of paint on pieces of carpet to form a textured canvas. He passed away in March 2006.

Pro Hart owned 4 Rolls Royces, all still neatly parked in their carports at the Gallery and studio where he worked, symbols of his commercial success over the years. All though becoming wealthy he never left Broken Hill. This Rolls, above, he painted in his own inevitable style.

Apart from painting (Broken Hill also is home to other famous Australian Outback painters including Jack Absalom) Broken Hill also established a sculpture park, in April 1993 a month long symposium added sculpture to the local culture. 53 tonnes (metric tons) of sandstone arrived from nearby Wilcannia to the Living Desert State Park just 7 kilometres outside of Broken Hill. Invites to sculptors around the world brought in twelve artists, from Mexico (2) Georgia (3), Syria (2), Australia (3) and Bathurst Island (Timor Sea) (2). For a month the sculptors worked at the site to create their art, with a great deal of help from locals.

Tomorrow we travel home, our journey comes to an end like all good things. the final 549 Kilometres of a 7200 kilometre journey. Hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventures as much as we have enjoyed sharing them. We have seen far more of Australia than we have previously, and solved a lot more mystery’s than we new there were. I’ll send a short note to let all that we arrived home safely. Until the next adventure stay safe and happy travels.

September 21st 2022

Cobar

Dinner last night brought another surprise, again closed on our last visit this time the restaurant is open for business. Situated next to the hotel in a small cabin like building with a wide deck, brightly lit with LED fairy lights, tables are set under the verandah. The night is warm after a hot hot day, more akin to our imaginings of outback Australia. Given the choice of indoor or outdoor dining we choose the outdoors. This time the owners are Vietnamese, the food is western, with a slightly Vietnamese twist, especially on the spices. We are waited on by the owners young son aged about fourteen, who mostly looked like he wanted to be elsewhere on this warm spring night. Dad, though kept a close eye on him, with not much english himself the boy spoke pure Aussie and so an important link in the chain. Once outside, Aussie flys are known worldwide as a pest during the heat of the day, but at night, gnats and mosquito’s come out for a bloodsucking feed. Dad is quick to the rescue when the patrons start swatting, itching and scratching, quickly producing cans of Aeroguard to distribute amongst the guests. The menu is a little different, but the food is excellent.

We make the night an early one, we want to be on the road as soon as we can tomorrow. Just after midnight the promised rain comes thundering down and lasts until morning. We both manage to sleep through most of it, after all we live in Stirling, but awake to a leaden sky and a sodden hotel grounds. Fortunately, this large weather system moving from west to east across central Australia had mostly passed through. Note the severe weather warning on the map above.

We manage to be on the road a little after 8.00am, a real effort for us oldies but we are pleased, as we have a solid day of driving, mostly retracing our steps of five weeks ago. The trip of 614 kilometres is made in three blocks, Charleville to Cunnamulla, Cunnamulla to Bourke and finally, Bourke to Cobar. Again Mulga forest makes way for wide open plains that open up 360 degrees, horizon to horizon, then back to forest again. After leaving Charleville we run into few heavy rain showers under dark skies, but the further south we travel, the further the weather system drifts off to our east.

Blue skies once again appear, the temperature rising to a more comfortable level. Our First stop is at Cunnamulla around mid morning, a rest stop and a quick visit to the visitor centre. Amanda is on a mission to collect a few souvenir stubbie holders (neoprene sleeves for keeping small beer bottles cool in your hand) for our collection.

After a short break we are back on the road again, traffic is light, very few caravans on the road, very few semi’s, no cars just a few wide loads heading north that we need to navigate, slowly and carefully.

Next stop, around lunch time, Bourke and the visitors centre where we know we can buy a good cappuccino and a stubbie holder. There are some art installations at the site giving us some photo ops.

Moving on there are hours to talk and play spot the animal or bird, Emu’s are everywhere. We first see them off behind fence lines but more and more they appear on the verges, leading us to slow down on numerous occasions. Father Emu’s with their chicks cross the road or graze on the verges as we pass close by at speed.

Needing a constant eye on the road for unexpected movement. At time flocks of tiny budgerigars fly out across the landscape, a flash of brilliant green, turning in unison first one way then another before disappearing behind us. We spot many bird species unknown to us but hawks are a constant circling the roadside looking for a meal. Occasionally other parrots fly by and Willy Wag Tails flit about wagging their tail feathers, around fence posts. Finches and Wrens as well are all out here enjoying the spring rains.

At one point after a particularly bumpy stretch of road Amanda discovers the suspension controls, whats sports mode she asks?, well that’s for driving in hills and curves where you want maximum road feel I reply, whats comfort mode she asks, I sense an issue here. Well it sort of, is for straight line cruising where comfort is more important. Ok. She says switch it to Comfort. The roads somehow became a lot less bumpy after that.

Back to animal spotting, we are wondering where all the goats have gone that we saw in the hundreds in this area on our way north. There are far more emu’s than goats on our return trip. They soon began to appear, firstly behind fences, probably farmed, then more frequently on the roadside, we stop to take some photos but the families of Billiy Goats, Nanny Goats and Kids quickly bound into the bush as soon as we stop.

Eventually we reach our destination Cobar, now in NSW, just in front of another rain event that has the clouds opening up again as we pull into our hotel for the night.

Tomorrow we travel to Broken Hill our last stop, a two night one, before crossing the border into our home state South Australia on Saturday.

September 20th 2022

Charleville

A pleasant surprise greeted us last night in Roma, the hotel restaurant had recently reopened. The Chef and his young wife, a Thai couple had just moved to Roma from Brisbane. He had previously worked in Brisbane’s Chinatown but also had a good grounding in western food. Why anyone would move the 475 kilometres from Brisbane to a small outback town like Roma is anyone’s guess, but a lot of internal migration is going on right around Australia at the moment. The menu consisted of both western style and Thai food. We went for the Thai food always a favourite of ours, we were not disappointed.

Once again we wake to a brilliantly sunny morning, the shorts and T shirts are back on again for another day. The drive to Charleville again, is at first open plains with that huge dome of big sky above us, then changing to mulga forest and back again, we feel like we are driving through a huge park as the landscape has sprung to life with spring foliage and the verges are a lush green. in places purple flowers spread out along the roadside. Stray yellow canola that has escaped last years fields also puts on a show of yellow along the highway. It is easy to tell that we have had plenty of rain in the outback this winter season.

This mornings drive takes us in a more or less strait line west from Roma to Charleville along the Warrego Highway for 267 kilometres. We have purposely shortened our journey to arrive in Charleville so that we can visit the Bilby centre in town, where a great deal of work is being done to rehabilitate these small marsupials back into outback Australia.

We arrive early, allowing us to have a further look around the town, we take a walk along the Warrego River that is a muddy brown colour from the recent rains and flooding up stream. We can see evidence of the rivers raging recent past with up rooted trees and branches lodged in the muddy bottom of the now calm stream.

Charleville is also working on the beginnings of a botanic park, with lakes and bridges, featuring native trees and shrubs that are indigenous to the area. Including the architecturally attractive Bottle Tree that is featured so much here in this part of Queensland Towns landscaping. We take some time to walk around the lakes and look at the plantings. Its early days but the park will be of significant value to the people of Charleville and its visitors as the flora matures. The atmosphere is already peaceful with gently running water that cascades down a stepped waterway spilling into the lakes. Turtles sun bake on the rocks, conveniently placed for exactly that purpose, but they are camera shy and plunge into the water as soon as we approach.

Time is approaching our Bilby experience, after topping up the fuel tank at $2.23 a litre we top up our lunch and breakfast supplies. Then check in at our hotel that is conveniently located just across the road from the Bilby centre, located in the old railway station building that also acts as the visitors centre.

The Bilby experience is a fun event, a very animated and passionate young lady gives us a slide show about the Bilby’s demise in Australia. While the little Bilby, about the size of a small rabbit used to range all across the arid dry lands of central Australia. European settlement brought cats for pets that in turn became feral, catching and eating small birds and the small marsupials that lived in these regions. Rabbits also provided food for early settlers but bred “like Rabbits” soon competing heavily for food with the Bilby and other small native animals. Then of course came foxes, brought into control the rabbits they also killed the native animals. All of these imported animals thrived in all regions of Australia leading to the extinction of 34 native species in the past 100 years. This is more extinctions than any other advance western country in the world. A poor record for Australia. The Bilby centre here has not only introduced a breeding program, but has sent progeny out to all the major zoo’s. They have introduced fencing that is electrified and cat proof so that large areas of arid land can be effectively fenced off to feral animals. Giving the Bilbies a fighting chance to regenerate their populations.

We have long supported the Bilby cause, having given away the practice of buying Easter eggs and Easter rabbits, we started buying the Easter Bilby. An Adelaide chocolate manufacturer took up the cause, donating part of the proceeds of the sale of their chocolate Bilbies to the save the Bilby fund. Now a number chocolatiers are following suit. If we can save an Australian icon and eat chocolate while doing so, this has to be good.

Finally we have a chance to meet the Bilbies in person a family of three. Dad, Mum and baby Will, live in an enclosure that simulates night time while allowing us to see them in action. Bilbies are nocturnal and omnivorous, making them hard to detect and study by day. At night they come to life foraging and scampering around looking for small insects and the young shoots of local vegetation. The enclosures are lit by a red light (removed in the video above) that the Bilbies narrow range eyesight can’t see, leading them to believe its night, during the night normal lighting is switched back on and the bilbies retreat to their burrows to sleep. This marsupial has a very short gestation period 12-14 days and leave the mothers pouch at around three months, when the cycle can start again, they can have between one and three young. We are allowed a good viewing, while the still animated young lady tells us more about the features of each of the members of this little family. An hour goes by very quickly, after buying some Bilby souvenirs we cross the road to our hotel.

The heat of the day had risen dramatically during the afternoon into the low 30c (90f) but rain is forecast for tomorrow, expecting to drop the temperature dramatically for our journey to Cobar. The further south we travel the colder it is anticipated to be so we will enjoy the last of the warm weather while it lasts, until spring turns to summer Stirling.

On to Cobar tomorrow…….

September 19th 2022

Rockhampton to Roma

This morning is dull and overcast a complete contrast to yesterdays glorious weather. Rockhampton is softening the blow for us as we prepare to leave. The tropics will soon be in our rear vision mirror, goodbye palm trees, plumeria and hibiscus goodbye to tropical gardens and soft warm  air. Goodbye to the blue oceans of the Coral sea as we head inland for cooler climes.

Amanda has reset the car space for another game of Tetris. In the process finding my long lost thongs, that had believed to have stayed on holiday in Palm Cove. Piece by piece the assorted paraphernalia that makes up our travelling belongings fits neatly into place. 

Again we put our trust in Apple maps, we travelled this way six weeks ago, a simple reverse of procedures seems a simple task, not so. Before we know it we are headed off into the back hills, over the invisible line that marks the Tropic of Capricorn and into dryer terrain. Weaving through the hills, about 38 kilometres from Rockhampton, that form part of the Gelobera State Forest, we come across a town that could double as a movie set for the site of a gold rush town in the late 1800’s. The old Queenslander style houses in untouched original condition dot the hills, perched up on their stilts they line the hilly streets of the town. Mount Morgan is quite big for a small country, well out of the way town, with a population around 2000 people. The buildings are mostly distressed looking with chipped paint and faded facades. We see a steel chimney stack back behind the town so figure that this is indeed a mining town. It is not until we are leaving the town that we see a sign “100 Years of Gold” Seems that a gold mine opened in the town in 1882 and the town grew up around it. Mount Morgan took its name from Frederick Morgan who took out the original gold mining lease. Over the years the mine produced, gold, silver and copper. One man made a fortune from the mine William Knox D’Arcy, he went on to form the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in Iran, now known as BP.

The area went on to produce clay bricks for furnaces, that resulted in man made caves that later became known as Fireclay Caverns. Preserved Dinosaur footprints found at the site lined the ceiling of the caverns in nine different locations. Modern testing dated them back to the Early Jurassic. In 1891 3514 people lived in this prosperous little town. Sadly the money all went offshore. The only Gold we found belonged to a shrub, golden grevillea, common name Golden Lyre an Australian native plant.

Unbeknown to us we had travelled the Burnett Highway, that turned out to be an interesting diversion. We continued on to the town of Dululu before connecting up with the Leichhardt Highway again.

We are now making a steady pace south via the Leichhardt Highway retracing our route on the way north. We stop at Theodore for a break, passing by the Dawson River weir we encountered on our way north, only this time the river is flowing much faster. Just as we are leaving the heavens open up and heavy rain descends. One photo has eluded me over the past weeks, that is one of a typical Queenslander house that has restoration work done, taking it back to its former glory. We spot one on our way out of Theodore and so I stop in the pouring rain to take a shot.

The main highway once again takes us through the town of Wowan, we stopped here on our journey north more than a few weeks ago now. Just passed Wowan we come across a field full of camels. Still an unusual and unexpected site in outback Australia, although we all know the story of the Afghan camel drivers that roamed the outback in the 1800’s. Camels are becoming big business in Queensland, with the largest camel Dairy in Australia (Camel milk is now a readily available ingredient in skincare products in Australia with many claimed skincare benefits). Australia has the largest wild camel training centre in the world. In 1840 over 10,000 animals came to Australia, most to South Australia, to assist with exploration, many escaped and flourished, ranging over 70 kilometres a day they quickly became an invasive species in the outback Queensland where the climate suited them most (sounds like someone we know). Every year in July, in the outback town of Boulia, a Camel Race meeting is held, thousands flock to the town to witness the event with jockeys dressed in full riding gear and colourfully patterned silks and caps. Of course it is well known that Aussie’s will gamble on anything that moves so this shouldn’t be a surprise.

The country side around the Mt Isla National Park is densely forested giving us plenty of scenery to look at in this part of the trip, slowly the clouds are left behind and the sky once again turns blue with no sign of bad weather ahead. The temperature again begins to rise as we travel further south. We are back in the Banana Shire, named after the Bull not the Fruit, soon reaching the town of Taroom. The Apple app. wants to take us on a short cut bypassing Miles, we are a little apprehensive, fortunately a large mobile road sign indicated that there is water over the road 5 kilometres ahead. Our decision is quickly made to travel on to another road that also shortcuts through to Roma. Southeastern Queensland and northern NSW has experienced an enormous amount of rainfall over the past 6 months resulting in severe flooding, inundating a number of towns and causing untold damage and misery. The rain keeps coming back, sweeping over the centre of Australia, and now for the third time this year flooding is expected in these normally drought affected outback areas. All of the rivers are up, the usually baked dry earth has absorbed as much moisture as it is able, any further rainfall just feeds into the already swollen rivers, eventually overtaking the flood plains. It is this scenario that provides us with some anxiety.

The turn off to our second shortcut arrives at Wandoan, we stop for a comfort stop at a convenient placed memorial park. Stretch our legs before moving on.

This next cut through road displays no signs of water over the road ahead, its an 85 kilometre shortcut so we decide to take it. The road is good most of the way but narrows down to one lane with gravel shoulders in a number of places. Very awkward for passing road-trains that are not infrequent. We come across one work crew repairing the road, broken up from heavy water flows across it. Numerous creeks present themselves mostly dry after relieving themselves of their load over the sodden landscape around us. The creeks are not forded by bridges of any description, the road just dips steeply over the usually dry creek beds and then rises steeply out of the bed to higher ground again. About halfway though the shortcut that is rapidly becoming less of a shortcut then we anticipated, we come across one such dip in the road but at the bottom the creek is full of muddy water. We stop and ponder what do we do, turn back or go across. The water doesn’t look deep, but it could be a lot deeper than it looks, the water isn’t flowing a real positive. We draw breath and cautiously proceed, while a farmer in a four wheel drive on the other side of the creek crosses over giving us a wave and a wry smile. We make it through no problem the farmer probably having a laugh, its not often he would see city dwellers like us out here in a Mercedes fording flooded creeks in outback Queensland. Continuing on is almost as harrowing, not knowing if worse is yet to come, has us on edge. Never the less we make it through and once again pick up the Leichhardt Highway for the final leg to Roma.

Tomorrow we travel to Charleville for an appointment with Bilby’s, Stay tuned……….

September 17th & 18th

Rockhampton Day 4

We wake up to a hot sunny day in Airlie Beach, too bad we have to move on to Rockhampton where storms are expected later in the day. Before we drive west again to pick up the Bruce Highway we decide to drive the short distance east to Shute Harbour. Shute Harbour takes its name from Shute Island, a small island just 500 meters away south east of the headland. A beautiful sheltered bay ideal for small vessels became the ideal boarding point for ferries between the Whitsunday islands. Now many of the charter boat tour operators favour the harbour, due to the close proximity and easy access to the islands with their various resorts and campsites. Apart from the dock area, the idyllic setting with tropical islands set like emeralds in a turquoise ocean, there is not a lot see. Very few people live here, the facilities are negligible, Airlie Beach and the much bigger town of Cannonvale though are close by. Once the largest seaplane terminal in the southern hemisphere operated from here and small boat traffic rivalled Circular Quay in Sydney. The rapid rise of Airlie Beach with their huge investment in marine infrastructure has no doubt had a detrimental impact on Shute Harbour. We can see that some new home development is starting up, one can imagine waking up every morning to these spectacular views from the surrounding hillsides.

Time to move on again, we drive back from whence we came, through Airlie Beach and back to the Bruce Highway. The temperature continues to rise as we drive further south reaching 33c (96f) before we reach MacKay. After some more hijinks with the Apple Navigation app. on our third try we find a fuel stop that supplies high octane fuel, the first try took us out in the boondocks to a decrepit service station that looked as if it hadn’t sold any fuel this century and the second didn’t exist at all. Back on the highway the weather begins to change, the closer to Rockhampton, the more threatening the heavy dark grey clouds building before us become. The temperature drops 7c and the darkness prompts us to remove our sunglasses. Goodbye summer we fear, our sunny days are over. By the time we reach Rockhampton the rain has started to fall and by the time we reach our hotel we are in the midst of a tropical storm. Thunder and lightening flashes all around us, the intensity of the rain becomes torrential just as we enter the Kortes’s portico. Thankfully we have covered access to reception and to our room, the latter having a convenient carport that we can back into and unload. We are planning a day trip tomorrow, a circular loop from the hotel to Yeppon, Emu Park and back.

Yeppoon Day 5

The next day we wake to clear blue skies, the dark clouds of the night before have disappeared completely, not a cloud in sight. Perfect for our last coastal trip, this time to Yeppoon, Rossyln Bay, Kinka Beach and Emu Park. The shorts and T shirts have a stay of execution for now, as the temperature looks to be in the high 20c’s (70f’s) again. The highly recommended drive by people that know the area, is north of the city of Rockhampton. Just a short drive from our hotel we turn north east for the 30 kilometre drive to Yeppoon. The countryside is lush and rich in vegetation, first settlers must have thought all their prayers had come true, when they first arrived here. First impressions of Yeppoon are of a colourfully landscaped, neat and tidy well laid out town. Queenslanders, at least in these parts revel in their tropical gardens and meticulously mowed lawns that on some properties are parklike.

We have to take care of necessities first, making our first stop a Coles supermarket. Amanda has a list of supplies to take us through the coming outback days as we travel home. Restaurants are hit and miss, making a booking hard work, so many are closed due the lack of staff. Making sure we have breakfast and lunch sorted is a priority. The shopping centre is a new one with probably the best Coles I’ve ever seen, wide isles, well lit, even the shopping trolley behaved itself. The shelves well stocked but range not as extensive as we are used to. Having put that chore out of the way we make our way to the Yeppoon Sailing Club where we have booked a lunch of fish and chips by the sea. The sailing Club is situated on the Esplanade in an elevated position overlooking the beach and the South Pacific Ocean to Great Keppel Island. We arrive early, find a carpark, giving us plenty of time to walk the pathways that run along the main beach area. The beach is wide with golden sand that runs for 1.4km in between low intertidal rocks at the northern end, to the mouth of a small creek at the southern end. As with most beaches along this northern coast line stinger jellyfish are not uncommon but generally don’t appear until November, disappearing again in the following May.

There is a very light breeze above the beach but at the beach’s northern end the lifesaving flags are fluttering and sand is causing a low haze as it is picked up and blown towards the rocks. The rest of the beach is calm with small white foamy wavelets gently rolling in. Despite the perfect beach weather and the fact that it is a Sunday, there are not a lot of people on the beach today.

Time to have lunch, the sailing Club speciality a seafood basket, of prawns, reef fish, scallops and calamari. The window of the upstairs restaurant and bar area that faces the sea is a vista of sand, ocean and islands for the length of the building, quite breathtaking. The crossbars on the window are an indication of the age of the building, no doubt that it has stood in this spot for sometime and has obviously stood the test of time. Not many restaurants in Australia have vistas like the one in front of us.

After lunch, we follow the road south, the scenic drive takes us high above the ocean overlooking Fisherman’s bay and around the rocky hills to Cooee Bay (must be the cutest Aussie name for a town). Overlooking Cooee Bay is a lookout at Wreck Point, with an installation representing a wrecked ship.

The story of Wreck Point, Selina, a transport schooner, washed up on the shores off the coast near present day Wreck point, on its maiden journey from Brisbane in 1847. Disaster hit early on the journey, the full story never will be known, resulting in the Selina losing its crew, no further sightings of the ship occurred until 15 months later. The mystery eventually revealed by marine scientists using maps of ocean currents, they proved that the schooner had wandered for thousands of nautical miles in a huge circle from near the Victorian Coast, before heading towards New Zealand and then heading crew-less again north. The ship finally ran itself ashore, wrecking on the Capricorn Coast, which in turn gave name to Wreck Point.

Then on to Rossyln a small village that sits in a snug corner of Statue Bay. This is the most beautiful coastline we have seen on our trip, islands dot the ocean, tropical green against the tropical blue of the sea. It is fitting that the best is left for last. Then on to Keppel Bay where here too, there is a large marina. Kemp Beach stretches from there to the Capricorn Coast National Park that juts out into the South Pacific. We follow the road, now south along Mulambin Beach that stretches to the tip of a peninsula. Then makes way for an inlet to Causeway Lake that is fed from various creeks running into it from the surrounding hills. A paved roadway runs across the inlet neck as part of the scenic route. Over the Causeway is Kinka Beach that runs for 3 kilometres along Shoal bay. There are a few residences and limited holiday apartments in this area but it is stunning, lacking amenities maybe, but for natural beauty truly wonderful. From Kinka Beach on to Emu Park, truly feels like a you are entering a park when arriving in this coastal village. At Emu Park we find a monument named the “Singing Ship”. A white concrete and steel interpretation of a sailing ship, 12 metres tall. Created and erected in 1970 to mark the bicentenary of Captain Cooks journey to Australia, his discovery and naming of Keppel Bay in May 1770. The Singing Ship is notable for the sound it emits on windy days as the wind whistles through the cables that represent the sailing ships ropes.

The Singing Ship, Emu Park

The Singing Ship sits on the hills high point, a boardwalk takes you around the hills edge allowing a view out to the many islands in this area, 18 in all.

At the end of the boardwalk there is a lookout with a memorial to the Anzac’s of World War 1. A complete timeline with pictures of the places and events that Australians became involved in, in a period our grandparents called the Great War. We leave in a somber mood as we reflect on that war and the freedom we enjoy today, because of those that went before us. It is quite fitting that the memorial is set in a place of such natural beauty, man’s ideologies will come and go but the earth will remain forever.

We leave full of praise for this area, full of stunning natural beauty, the pictures do not really do the area justice. Time to head back to Rockhampton. Tomorrow we are back on the road travelling inland, looking forward to several more adventures as we make our way through the outback in a south westerly direction to Roma.

September 15th & 16th

Day One

Mission Beach to Airlie Beach

There are so many tropical beaches along this beautiful coast line one could spend a lifetime just beach hopping from one to another. Strangely, Amanda and I are not beach people per se, like most children and teenagers we both had our fair share of beach days. Amanda’s on the Detroit lakes and at Newport Beach. Mine on the not so sunny south coast pebbly beaches of England, later at Semaphore and West Beach in Adelaide. Those to my eyes then seemed exotic and heavenly enough. Since those heady days of youth we have grown not so keen on ocean swimming, with the exception of snorkelling in tropical waters, all that salt water usually leaves me gagging after an unintended swallow from a recalcitrant wave,. As for sand, well the gritty stuff ends up in places you wish it hadn’t. Yet we are inextricably drawn to tropical sunny coves and bays, where natures natural beauty is on full display. Just a stroll along a sandy beach, listening to the sounds of the gently lapping surf is enough to satisfy us. Somewhere where swaying palm trees meet the ocean always seems magical. Something primordial stirs, that takes us back to the days when we as a species made our first tentative moves out of the warm life giving seas to start new lives as landlubbers.

Today we travelled the 507 kilometres back along the Bruce Highway to Airlie Beach. I last visited here in 1987 when I drove our two boys Troy & Matt to go on a sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands with Amanda’s late Uncle Brian, her Mother Shirley’s bother. I was keen to show Amanda where we had begun our adventurous trip onboard Discovery a 30′ yacht built more for luxury cruising then racing, all those years ago.

Before we leave we take a quick tour of Mission Beach. Archeology has shown that the Djiru aboriginal rainforest people had lived in the region for 5000 years undisturbed by the western world. James Cook anchored of Dunk island on his way north in 1770, then Owen Stanley followed in 1848 aboard the HMS Rattlesnake. The crew traded with the Djiru people until a crew member shot at them, the crew had tried to make an unwelcome entry into a nearby village. The Djiru resisted and the crew retreated. It wasn’t until 1880 that settlers returned to the region, setting up logging operations and employing aboriginal people, paying them with tobacco and tools. Landholdings began to be established in 1886 at nearby Bingil Bay, farming mangoes, bananas, pineapples, coffee, citrus fruits and coconuts. The local Djiru became heavily reliant on one family of land owners, the Cuttens, who found they couldn’t support the whole clan. The Cuttens threatened to exterminate them, but only went so far as to burn down their camp. The law in these days had the aboriginal labour indentured on government wages but the Cuttens took the money and paid the Djiru in rum, even then highly illegal. Fate intervened when a cyclone hit the area in 1918 destroying the Cuttens plantations. Shortly after the Cuttens started selling out, in the process leaving the Djiru’s to fend for themselves, their previous lifestyle and reliance on the rainforest now forgotten and completely destroyed.

It wasn’t until 1949 that Mission Beach, originally a camping ground became a town with a post office, first established in 1949, a school opened in 1953 but closed after cyclones ravaged Mission Beach and the surrounding rainforest in 2006 & 2011. As a result a great of destruction to local property occurred, the beach stripped of sand and rainforest flattened, leaving a heavy impact on rainforest animals in particular the Cassowary. The shy flightless birds emerged in numbers from the rainforest foraging food.

An investment consortium purchased 200 properties here and on Dunk island in 2019 with the intent of turning the area into a tourism mecca, but by 2020 the Dunk island venture had failed and the consortium came under the scrutiny of the Australian Securities and Investment commission (an Australian government organisation set up to investigate dodgy corporate dealings). Since Covid local tourism has boomed but international tourism is only just returning, albeit very slowly.

As we make our way through the rainforest just outside Mission Beach a Cassowary suddenly emerges from the rainforest, there are signs all along the road warning motorists to look out for these rare flightless birds as many are killed by passing traffic. We slow down and stop and attempt to take a photo, all I manage to capture is the retreating back of this large land locked bird with fine black feathers that from a distant resemble hair. There are many dreamtime stories of the Cassowary, the local one sees the bird flying above the rainforest looking for his home, he lands in a muddy area of rainforest, unable to extricate himself he looses his wings and is forever fated to wander the rainforest looking for the home he only recognises from above. Our sighting is indeed a rare one in the wild, previously we have only seen them in captivity. The Cassowary is closely related to the emu not as tall but can grow to 1.8 metres (6′) but much heavier with powerful clawed feet used for rummaging through debris of the thick rainforest floor looking for its main source of food native fruits and berries.

Back on track we head to the Bruce highway for our long trek south, stopping at Cardwell again along the way for a coffee from the mobile cart there at the beachside.

Continuing on, this time skirting around Townsville, gives us a new perspective on how really large this town has grown. Road works are everywhere with new highways, bypasses and flyovers, sending Apple maps into conniptions as we rely on the navigation app instead of the cars GPS, that is sadly now way out of date.

After a couple of unplanned scenic drives, that give us an insight into the backroad farming districts, we are back on the Bruce Highway. The terrain starts to lose the dense verdant rainforest, drying out, trees sparser on the hillsides with brown dry grasses as an infill taking over from wet tropic ferns. Cane fields and banana’s still dominate but cattle start to make an appearance along the roadside properties.

The constant roadworks slow us down, the Bruce Highway is notorious for road accidents and fatalities, as we ourself can attest after our experience on our way north a month ago. Hopefully all this new work will result in a safer road system as this area grows in popularity. By 5.30pm we arrive at Airlie beach, after a little difficulty locating our hotel we check in for our two night stay.

Day Two

After a a restful night we set out to explore the holiday resort village that is Airlie Beach. From our room we could see the main beach and a man made swimming lagoon. All manner of pleasure craft anchor out in the bay. This is where myself and the boys together with Amanda’s family and friends departed for the Whitsunday Islands, visiting Hamilton and Daydream Islands as well as exploring Whitehaven Beach. Airlie Beach is still the gateway to the Whitsunday islands along with Shute Harbour, most sea traffic to the islands goes through these two towns.

The earliest settler at Airlie Beach, a Scottish farmer named Thomas Abell, took up land offered by the Queensland Government in 1904 with the intent to grow fruit and vegetables, the beach thrown in for good measure but of no real value. Thomas and his wife and nine children thrived in the area, with a number of prominent places named after him. The name Airlie came from his Scottish homeland.

it wasn’t until 1968 that the first motel opened for business, accommodating local tourists visiting the area.

Once out of the hotel door we make for the beach and bay area by way of a series of wide pathways that weave in and out of the parklike foreshore area. The changes are dramatic, the bay seems much smaller, rocky breakwaters offering shelter now line the sides of the bay stretching out into the turquoise blue waters. There are large marina’s on both sides of the bay filled with multimillion dollar yachts and motor cruisers. A housing development still incomplete lines the spit of land that is Boathaven Beach, that separates Airlie Bay and Muddy bay. Impressive homes face the beach and the so called Muddy Bay (definitely a misnomer) on one side and the marina on the other, where we imagine their boats are securely moored. Ferry and Whitsunday day cruise ships regularly leave from a terminal deeper into this part of Muddy Bay.

Walking by the marina three Red tailed Black Cockatoo’s land on a nearby small but large leafed tree, its leaves turning vibrant red before falling to the ground.

To our west the green forested hills of the Conway ranges rise sharply, terraced with apartments, seemingly stacked one complex above another as they climb to take advantage of the view.

In 1987 the Airlie Beach post code became famous for the amount of post office boxes that dole (unemployment payments) cheques went too. The town had become a surfer and hippy hangout where the young and free could spend there time on the beach or in the ocean, rent cheap, camping cheaper with a year round temperature that meant power bills didn’t exist. Today they have departed as the camping sites and caravan parks disappeared making way for more expensive exclusive developments. The feel now is of a wealthy tourist resort town. The real hippies from the the baby boomer years grew up and invested here. Listening to accents along the street, there’s German and British, Amanda’s always has us enjoying good service, shop assistants are always surprised to learn we are from Adelaide not the US. The main street is a gaudy tourist orientated place with restaurants and bars pumping out the latest tune at high volume.

The target market seems to be young well heeled singles, but there is definitely a cohort of our age group. The town would have suffered under Covid restrictions but today a Friday there is plenty of music in the streets, both live and recorded, plenty of people in the shops and at the beach or in the lagoon. A curious item draws our attention here in the main street cars are king it seems, the crosswalks have signs saying give way to cars.

The lagoon opened in 2001, as with all the tropical beaches a jellyfish known as a stinger occupy the waters from November to May making the wearing of a stinger protective suit a necessary requirement, with the lagoon safe swimming is possible all year round. Tomorrow the Queensland school holidays start, we imagine the population will explode over the next two weeks. While Segways might be reserved for organised tours, adults and children whizz by on the system of wide pathways riding motorised scooters, both two and three wheeled varieties, one has to rely on their good sense to pause if you are in their way as unlike bicycles the devices don’t seem to have a bell and are quite silent when running.

That’s a snapshot of a day in Airlie Beach, sunny and hot, tonight we treat ourselves to a seafood dinner at a restaurant named Fish D’Vine. Tomorrow we are back on the road headed for another two night stay in Rockhampton.

PS The fish was divine the chowder advertised to rival San Francisco’s and it didn’t disappoint.