The Black Stump...and beyond!

Muttaburra traffic jam

Martin meets Muttaburrasaurus

Winton was as far north as we were taking Vanooka on this trip. On Thursday we followed the Matilda Highway southeast for a short while, then turned onto a dirt road, heading east for Muttaburra. It was nice to get off the "beaten track" and, as we had checked previously with the local council, we knew the road was recently graded and in good condition. After less than 100km of dirt we reached the township, a small population of about 100 which certainly punches above its weight in hospitality. The town also offers two small caravan grounds, with water, power and amenities, for a small fee, payable at the local library. And of course there is the local pub and a great store next door! When we arrived, the power was out for line repairs, so the pub had no meals, but the owner of the store made us some burgers and delivered them to the pub - what great service!!  Muttaburra also has many lovely attractions. First is the "Muttaburrasauraus", an almost complete dinosaur skeleton found nearby, the first one discovered in Australia. There is also an old General Store and Hospital, both preserved by the local community and open for visitors to see how they operated in times gone by. Not to mention the swimming pool and artesian spa, a lovely place to spend an afternoon in the warm bubbling waters. We had a great afternoon in Muttaburra - off the beaten track, but well worth a visit.

Muttaburra is also the town closest to the geographical centre of Queensland - and has a statue to celebrate! On Friday morning we started our day with a walk around town, then packed up and hit the road again, stopping briefly in Barcaldine for supplies. Tonight's stop is also "off the beaten track", this time at a cattle station with its own artesian pool, wetlands and bush camp. Lara Station is a hidden gem, run by a lovely lady, Jodie, assisted by her many friends. The location is idyllic, and many "grey nomads" are discovering its treasures. Friday night is camp oven dinner and entertainment with duo "Country Horizons", so we quickly booked in to make sure we didn't miss out! It was well worth it: chicken and vegetable soup followed by drumsticks, gravy and vegetables and damper with jam and cream - yummy! We met many fellow travellers and enjoyed the country music duo playing toe-tapping music as we ate and talked. Great fun!!
Saturday was a "rest" day - we started with our exercises, then enjoyed walking a couple of laps around the billabong, checking out the wildlife and the other caravanners. There have been 80 different types of birds identified at Lara, attracted by the water and the bushland that surrounds it. Later we enjoyed a dip in the artesian spa - the water, straight out of the ground, is quite hot, but it is a relaxing way to while away the time. That night we cooked up a delicious three-course dinner, with delicious pork bought at the Barcaldine butcher, accompanied with vegies and a nice bottle of wine and followed with yummy apple crumble, cooked on the BBQ as there is no power here! After dark there is virtually no noise, apart from the frogs in the billabong - a very peaceful place to unwind for a couple of days.

Water from the artesian bore

On Sunday morning we had a short drive - the 13kms back to the highway and another 80kms south to the town of Blackall. This is the place were surveyors marked out all distances west from a black stump near the centre of town, hence the expression "beyond the black stump"! After arriving at the caravan park and setting up, we took a walk into town to check everything out. The last four days here have been the "Better in Blackall" festival, so the town was very quiet as it returned to "normal". Neither of the pubs offered lunches, so we returned to our van and made our own (which was very nice!). Then, on a hot afternoon, we headed to the local pool. Blackall's water is pumped straight from the artesian bore, and is piping hot - so much that people don't have hot water systems, some even have water coolers instead! We lazed the afternoon away, swapping from the pleasant Olympic pool to the slightly warmer thermal spa and another much warmer thermal spa - what a way to relax! We returned to the van for showers before the entertainment - and happy hour - started in the camp kitchen. More country music by "Country Horizons"! Later we wandered back to the caravan for dinner and bed.

Chicken races at Tambo

The nights are getting much cooler and we were glad of a short walk to the amenities block!! We took a walk along the back streets of Blackall - the architecture here is beautiful, lots of big old Queenslander style houses. After breakfast we packed up for our next short drive, this time just 100km down the Matilda Way to Tambo. Apparently this was the first town build in outback Queensland and was an important trading post, where the Cobb and Co coaches went, before rail took over to the north and south and the town dwindled. These days it is a popular tourist stopping point, well known for its "Tambo teddies", with one sent to each of the current royal babies. The shop and its contents are lovely, but quite expensive! The other tourist highlight in Tambo is "Ben's chicken races", held at the Royal Carrangerra Hotel every night of the tourist season (May to October). It is quite hilarious watching multi-coloured hens chase a remote controlled car filled with chicken treats around a circuit, with all money raised from the races going to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The pub does quite well out of it too, because who could watch a chicken race without a drink in their hand? It was great fun.

Next morning, after a short walk, we were on the move again. We weren't sure how far we were travelling today, with a few alternatives in mind. We stopped at Augathella for fuel, then turned southeast towards the Warrego Way, stopping first at Morven, where the pub had burnt down and the town appeared to have died as a result, then at Mungallala, where another pub had suffered the same fate! Neither had much to hold our attention, so we pushed on to Mitchell (where we had stayed on our last trip), and had pies from the local bakery for lunch, then onto Roma for the night. It was more driving than we had done in a while but we were happy to arrive, unpack and go into town for a look around. Roma is the largest town in the region, supported by agriculture and oil and gas wells. It is also famous for its bottle trees, similar in shape to Boabs but with a lot more greenery! The architecture of the main street is also an indication of its importance in the local region, with many large, stately buildings along the way.

Town mural, Roma

The Big Rig

On Wednesday morning, we started at the Big Rig Information Centre, keen to plan a day of sightseeing. A drive around town followed, checking out the largest bottle tree, the tiled feature wall in the cultural centre depicting Roma's history, and the beautiful stained glass windows of the Anglican church - they looked spectacular with the sun shining through. After lunch we toured the Big Rig facility, learning all about the history of oil and gas discovery in the local area, which started with drilling for water but hitting large supplies of gas and oil instead. It is what helped Roma become such an important town in Queensland, and it still supplies much of the gas shipped to Curtis Island (Gladstone) and overseas. Coal seam gas is also now a major industry in the area, although it is more controversial! Cattle is also a major industry, with the largest sale yards in Queensland here, and twice-weekly auctions held, however, the drought has cut the number of stock sold and sales held as many farmers have destocked their properties.
This is our last stop in the central west of Queensland. Tomorrow we continue our journey, moving south and east, heading back towards the Gold Coast and Manookatoo.

The beautiful stained glass windows of the Anglican church, Roma