Warrego wandering

We've arrived!

We left Bourke and the Darling River after breakfast on Thursday, heading north, planning to stop at Enngonia for the night. After perusing the "town", we decided it wasn't for us, so we stopped by the Warrego River for a cuppa then continued north. The land either side of us was dry and scrubby, with not a lot of feed! We saw paddocks of goats and cattle, tall dingo-proof fences, emus and kangaroos as we drove along, crossing the border just north of Barringun. There were plenty of caravans travelling in our direction; all the "grey nomads" are heading north to avoid the winter! We arrived in Cunnamulla just after 12:30, driving straight to the caravan park we remembered from our previous visit, the "Top tourist park" on the southern edge of town. We were very lucky to secure one of only three remaining sites, and saw many others turned away as the afternoon progressed. 

The Cunnamulla Fella

We visited the information centre in the afternoon, to get an idea of what we might do tomorrow, and attended "happy hour drinks" around the campfire in the late afternoon, meeting many others travelling north or west and swapping yarns and advice about roads, caravan parks and things to see and do. As the night cooled we returned to our "home" for dinner and bed. 

Covered railway station, disused.

On Friday morning we walked into town and checked out the local shops. Returning home, we enjoyed breakfast, then got organised for the morning's sight-seeing. The Artesian Time Tunnel at the information centre is well worth a visit and we learned a lot about this valuable natural resource and how they are working to preserve it. We drove past many lovely old houses and the covered railway station, the painted water tower and the local weir, where, while there is plenty of water in the weir, there is very little water from the Warrego River continuing south. We bought a "Cunnamulla camel burger" for lunch - an interesting taste, stronger and coarser than beef but quite edible! In the afternoon we did the "Warrego walk" through the mulga and along the river. Returning to camp, we joined a large group at the campfire, they were on a "mystery tour" around outback Queensland, and didn't learn their night's destination until that morning! A different way to travel (and the reason the park was full!) 

Warrego River

Saturday morning it was time to pack up and continue north, through Wyandra and on to Charleville. It rained a bit on the way, but had cleared by the time we reached our next stop, the Evening Star campground on Thurlby Station, 8km out of town. We were made very welcome by Shirley, the proprietor, who showed us to a nice "drive through" site next to a lemon tree covered in fruit! As a result, dessert that night was lemon delicious pudding :-) At 5pm, the cowbell rang, summoning everyone to the huge nightly campfire, where we were entertained by a country singer while we swapped yarns with fellow travellers.

Corones Hotel, Charleville

Sunday morning was time for exercises, then we drove into town to see all the "hotspots" recommended by the very nice tourist information ladies. We visited the airport and the Cosmos centre, the (failed) vortex rainmaker and the river walk, marveling at the high levee banks to keep any floods on the Warrego River out of town. After a drink at Corones Hotel, we went to the RSL club for lunch; not much else is open on Sundays in Charleville!! We stocked up on lots of groceries then returned to camp to unpack our purchases and wander over to happy hour at the campfire. 

Evening Star campfire

On Monday it was time to move on again, after a walk to check out the woolshed, star gazing area and the wild dog fence - a must in this area. Following the Warrego Way east, we stopped at Morven for morning tea, just in time for the "Fruit team truck", a weekly service much appreciated by farmers in the district as it saves them a 100km trip into Charleville for produce supplies. After purchasing a few veggies, we continued on our way, arriving at Mitchell and checking into the Major Mitchell caravan park in time for lunch. Later we visited the Great Artesian Bore water park, where I enjoyed a soak in the 39 degree pool while Martin also plunged into the cold pool, brave man! We walked along the Main Street, visiting the supermarket and the news agency and buying steaks at the butchers, as recommended by the caravan park propreitor. Cooking them later that night, we could see he was right, they were delicious! 

Marion and Sue

Judd's Lagoon

We continued east along the Warrego Way on Tuesday morning, stopping at Roma for morning tea and to catch up with friends Marion and Ken, who were on their way west! The land is becoming more settled the further east we drive, and Roma is a town that reflects that, with a lovely Main Street and lots of people around. Continuing east, we turned off the Warrego Highway at Yuleba and followed the signs to Judd's Lagoon, a lovely peaceful campsite which would be on the water's edge if there had been any rain, but looks quite pretty even when dry. As the afternoon wore on, more caravans and campers arrived, but we weren't disturbed too much! Martin lit a pre-dinner campfire where we enjoyed drinks before dinner and bed.
After a short walk around the campsite in the morning, we drove back to the Warrego Way and headed east again, passing Miles and stopping briefly in Chinchilla to visit the information centre and buy some food for lunch and dinner. Today's destination was Chinchilla Weir, recommended by others and listed in the Camps book. We were lucky to arrive early enough to score a plug in the power box; even though we don't need it, it makes dinner preparation easier. After lunch we walked around the waterfront, well down from normal levels, as the Condamine River does not have much water in it at the moment; the ski club looks like it hasn't operated in a while. Once again, many travellers arrived as the afternoon wore on. 

Chinchilla Weir

After a quiet night in the wilderness, we woke, did our exercises and packed up, heading off again just after 9:30. We took a different route out of Chinchilla, and were surprised by the number of short term accommodation units (dongas) and white four wheel drives we saw. This area is renowned for energy source supply - coal, oil and gas extraction. We saw several long coal trains travelling in each direction as we headed east along the Warrego Way. We arrived in Dalby before 11am; Dalby is a large town at the eastern edge of what is known as the "Western Downs", an area rich in agriculture including cattle, grain and cotton, as well as energy extraction and supply. It is at a cross road of highways, and trucks of all description trundle through all day and night. We booked into the caravan park in town, from where we could walk to lunch, to the shops and to see the tourist attractions (not much, in a busy town!) and get to learn more about the area. That night, the caravan park had a singer and a sausage sizzle at the campfire; the singer was very good but we didn't try the sausages.

Myall Creek, Dalby

Friday was our last "proper" day on the road for this adventure. We started our morning with a walk along Myall Creek, to try and learn more about the history of the town of Dalby. It was the first crossing place for everyone heading west to take up land. We returned to the van, packed up and hit the Warrego Way just after 10:00. On our way east, as we passed through Toowoomba, we found some cheap fuel so we filled the car, then visited our first Dan Murphy's in a few weeks to restock the wine cellar, before taking the steep passage down the Great Dividing Range and into the Lockyer Valley. We followed the old Cobb & Co route for a picnic lunch in Grantham, then returned to the Warrego Way past Ipswich, turning onto Mt Crosby Road bound for Karana Downs, where friends Fran and Peter have welcomed us for our last night in the caravan. Tomorrow, we will reach Bayview Marina and Manookatoo, where we intend spending some time on the water. We've enjoyed over three weeks, travelling along the Murray, Darling and Warrego Rivers and then following the Warrego Way, but now it's time for some fun cruising!

The Darling River Run

Pooncarie Hotel

We packed up and left Mildura and the Murray early on Wednesday morning, heading out to Dareton and turning right, driving past vineyards and citrus orchards until the irrigation stopped and the dry scrublands began. Soon after we joined the main road to Pooncarie, immortalised in a song by Slim Dusty "When the bitumen reaches Pooncarie"! This road is part of the “Darling River Run”, a series of (mostly unsealed) roads travelling both sides of the river. Rain fell as we drove along, not forecast and making us glad we were on the sealed road! I’m sure the farmers welcome it, though we are hoping it’s not much, with several days of unsealed driving ahead of us. We arrived at Pooncarie before 11 o’clock and drove down to the “wharf” and out to the campground for a cuppa, before collecting a key from the pub and setting ourselves up for the night. There is very little water in the Darling at present, in places it has dried completely, but we are told it is coming south, and hopefully will reach there soon. We walked to the pub for lunch, then enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. A few other campers arrived as the day went on, some talking about the slippery conditions they’d faced on unsealed roads. As the sun set, it quickly cooled, but we enjoyed a drink in front of a small campfire before retreating indoors to the heater to eat dinner!

Hitting the dirt!

Kinchega Woolshed

We woke to 1.9 degrees but clear skies. After breakfast we packed up, dropped the key at the shop and headed north, hitting unsealed roads after a few kilometres; dry today with very little dust after yesterday’s rain. We drove past many stations including “Tolarno”, a huge property recently made famous by their protests against water losses from the Darling. We reached Menindee just before 11 o’clock and, after some very helpful advice from a local, drove to Copi Hollow, 15km from town, right on the edge of a lovely lake - with water in it! After setting up camp and having lunch, we went driving, first to Menindee Weir and Burke and Wills camp (where men and livestock waited 12 months hoping the explorers would return), then out to Kinchega National Park, visiting the massive Woolshed and the homestead ruins, finishing with a drink at Maidens hotel, also visited by Burke, Wills and team on their way north. We returned home for another chilly night where again we appreciated a powered site and a heater! 

Copi Hollow

Warrawong - First ones here!!

On Friday morning, after packing up, we drove out to the lookout over Menindee Lakes. It is terrible to see them completely dry, after seeing them full on our previous trip. Dead grapevines surround the town, a thriving industry killed by lack of water. We took the western side road north, with conditions better than we had expected for a dirt road. The Darling River runs closer to the east-side road, but we’d been told “west is best”, so we listened!! Just before 11o’clock, we reached Wilcannia, once the biggest port on the Darling, with many beautiful old sandstone buildings, now a very small outpost on the Barrier Highway. We drove 3km out of town to Warrawong on the Darling, a well-equipped caravan park which was empty when we arrived but gradually filled as the afternoon wore on. At a welcome community campfire late in the afternoon, we met travellers from far and wide, mostly grey nomads, and we swapped yarns of places visited, road conditions and caravan accessories! We learned a lot. 

Tilpa Weir - the pelicans are loving it!

After a not-so-chilly night, we headed off the next morning, following the advice from the local council and taking the west road, which had been recently graded. Again, it was the one further from the river, but the advice had been good and the road was well maintained, so we arrived at our next destination, Tilpa, just after 11 o’clock. We drove out to the weir, where water was flowing downstream and many pelicans were enjoying a swim, then back to the pub, where we were shown where to camp in a quiet place near the Royal Flying Doctor Service office. Tilpa is on the flood plain, with levies to keep the buildings safe in times of flood. We had lunch at the pub, then lazed the afternoon away, Martin preparing a small campfire before our roast dinner, then we returned to the pub, the only place with reception, to watch some footy before retiring to bed.

Shindy's Inn, Louth

What a memorial! 

On Sunday we started the day with our exercise routine, then packed up and continued the western route north. The recently graded road lasted until the shire council boundary, then became much more corrugated, particularly near cattle grids and causeways. We travelled past Trilby Station, where we had camped in 2011, and soon after we crossed the bridge and arrived at Louth. We checked into the campground at Shindy’s Inn, set up then walked around to explore the surroundings. The annual picnic races at Louth put money into the local community, and there is a lovely park with good facilities, a school and cricket ground as well as the racetrack. Lunch at the pub was delicious, and later in the afternoon we visited the cemetery to see the beautiful marble Celtic cross, commemorating the first publican’s wife; it was made in Bendigo and transported by bullock cart and paddle steamer to Louth, and reflects the sunset back on the town each evening. 

On Monday morning, after a walk to the Louth racetrack, we headed off again, following the eastern road this time and turning off to Gundabooka National Park. We set up camp at Dry Tank campground, a well laid out area amongst the mulga scrub. After lunch, we walked to “little mountain lookout” to gaze across at The Gunderbooka Range. The walk was interesting and well marked, with information about aboriginal life, local trees and wildlife to read about as we went. We lit a small pre-dinner campfire before moving inside for the night as it cooled. A small rain shower surprised us later that evening as we watched a movie on the laptop. 

Gundabooka

We drove only 20-ish kms on dirt on Tuesday morning before we reached The Kidman Way, then, with the straight, smooth bitumen below our tyres we reached Bourke in no time! We called into the information centre to check what attractions we might visit, then set ourselves up at Kidman Camp, 8km north of town. After a reviving cuppa, we drove back into town, walking along past the beautiful old buildings, marvelling at the aboriginal art in the gallery and checking out the water levels from the wharf: much lower than last time! We admired the old Crossley steam engine as it puttered to life for one hour a day, before returning to camp for lunch. Later we took a horse and buggy ride along the banks of The Darling, appreciating how rough and slow it would have been to take our journey 100+ years ago. The horses handled the hills and gullies with ease, while we hung on for dear life! Returning to camp, we took a walk to a local art gallery featuring beautiful paintings of the outback in a variety of conditions, then walked along the river bank, past the PV Jandra, not working at present due to low river levels, and back to camp for dinner and an early night. 

Wednesday was exercise morning, followed by washing and grocery shopping - the first one in a week, so we are very proud of our forward planning! Later we went to the Back'o'Bourke exhibition and collected some "mud maps" for today's touring - a drive out to "Fort Bourke", set up by Major Mitchell as he explored the Darling River, then to the Bourke Weir - no water downstream due to the low river levels; the water we had seen at Tilpa and Louth had come from the Warrego, which joins the Darling south of here. After lunch we continued with a trip to May's Bend, where many people were free camping, then we drove the maritime drive along the north bank of the river, reading many informative signs about river history including the explorers Sturt and Mitchell and the busy riverboat trade of the late 1800s and early 1900s. At one stage 80 riverboats serviced the Darling - it is hard to imagine that today! Finally, we visited the Nancy Bird Airport Terminal, and read the fascinating history of this early aviator. All in all, we have learned a lot in our couple of days in Bourke. 

Bourke Weir - no water flowing here

Tomorrow morning we leave the Darling River and head north, following our third river, the Warrego. A new adventure awaits!