Camooweal to Burketown

We leave this small town which is so near the Northern Territory boarder you could you nearly kick a footy there, armed with far more knowledge of this small town and it's people than we ever imagined.These are the most down to earth people you would ever wish to meet, even though our time here was short my memories will linger for a long time to come. The locals became very interested in the journey of these 4 brothers inlaws from the south, footy was a major topic and anything else they thought of. One of these blokes was called Paul Finlay who not only knew the history of Camooweal but also the whos who of the people, after a few beers he invites us to his drovers camp museum on the edge of town. We arrange to meet the next morning at the site, the stuff Paul has collected is absolutely amazing. Time is now pushing our buttons so we depart this lonely little town headed for Burketown about 400 kms to our north, road conditions are pretty good for most of the trip even after 240 mil of rain a fortnight ago. Stopping off at the Gregory Downs hotel brings back a few memories for Paul and myself as we passed this way in2009 ,as we continue north toward Burketown some 120 kms further on the temperature continues to rise. Arriving at the Savannah Lodge the boys are impressed with this tropical haven and give it the thumbs up, so we chuck our stuff inside and head to the pool cos now it's stinken hot. After many hours in this place of pleasure it's off to have our evening meal at the Morning Glory restaurant, Barra  of course , tomorrow we head for the town of Karumba about 70 kms north of Normanton........Wadda

Mt Isa to Camooweal

The day has begun like any other Sunday on this trip WADDA up early the rest will follow,as we chow down on another fabulous breakfast at the Leichhardt Accomadation block our planned trip to Camooweal is being unthreaded at the breakfast table. After pumping more gas into the rig we set sail for Camooweal some 190 kms away in a westerly direction, Time has come for the tour director to speak to the other party members regarding a alcohol free day in accordance with the grey nomads guide. With shock and horror written on there faces you would have thought a arm or a leg had been lost, with three to one odds against me I felt the battle been lost but Paul was prepared to compromise with a 8 hr rest been 10 pm and 6 am. The other 2 stood there ground and would not budge, on arrival at Camooweal we pushed on to the N.T boarder some 20kms further on , with the outside temperature hovering around 40c we ditched the grey nomad handbook for another day. Now to the Camooweal caves about 25kms to the south ,shit is hotter than the devils breath out here back to the Post Office hotel for dip in the pool . This hotel is a gem which means spotlessly clean and most definitely welcoming, no let up with the heat so we are sitting on the veranda facing the Barkley highway watching the world go by very slowly. No meals at the pub so we hit the servo ,another gem in this very remote location,as the sun dips on the horizon I will treasure this memory of a great country town.......WADDA

Saturday in Mt Isa

The weather up here is in the high 30s so we plan to just take it easy for day or so, the Leichhardt Accommodation block is resort style living with a difference . The breakfasts here are a fantastic buffet style all you can eat affairs, the place is absolutely spotless and the donga style rooms are just what the weary travelers need. With a few small jobs to attend to our work is soon done and it's off to the lake for a picnic, Lake Moondarra is about 14 kms to the north of Mt Isa .With a few navigational errors we finally arrive at this water wonderland and find some shade, out comes the bickies and cheese. The temperature has risen to about 38 c and we are sure feeling the effects so we all reach into the esky and settle for a cool drink. As WADDA checks for any dangerous lake monsters he then enters the warm murky water, this bath like water is refreshing but that's about all. The heat eventually beats the brave souls from the south and we head home to the air conditioned donga and lay out a plan for Saturday night in Mt Isa. As we chill out and plan the evenings events a couple of blokes from Townsville introduce themselves and it's game on ,the stories come thick and fast and very soon we are long lost buddies. The couple of hours spent with Bob and Eggon will stay with us for a very long time, planning our evening out is put on hold, when the back slapping and hand shaking is over we head for the Irish club. The food was fine but we need our rest so catch the bus back home, our day is done........WADDA

Windorah to Kynuna

Up and about early for some , the road to Bedourie is still closed so the trip will be re routed via Longreach and Cloncurry, the 300 kms to Longreach will take in 2 isolated towns called Stonehenge and Jundah .  After a couple of hours in Longreach we push on ,the trip to Cloncurry is about 550 kms so we decide to head for this far flung place, a quick stop at Winton and the journey continues. Driving into the setting sun takes its toll at Kynuna so we seek shelter for the night at the pub. We settle on the price for the night in this flyblown insect ridden poverty pack hotel,as few more weary travelers pull into this lonely place I dont feel so bad ,fed and watered we wander back to the luxury section of this lonely place and open my door and enter the wide world of insects .After a couple of quick night caps I retire, not long into planned sleep find i am not alone ,yes miss preying mantis is also sharing my space so after a flick and a kick she didn't bother me again.Next morning early we flee this overpriced insect infested hellhole, with empty stomachs we head for Cloncurry still some 180kms away. Hit Mt Isa around lunch time the temperature is hovering around 36c so we get a early check in and hit the pool .Off to the Buffs club for dinner WADDA snags a prize in the raffle the Maggies pip the Tiges in the footy things just got a whole lot better ...........WADDA

Eulo to Windorah

As I awake to another overcast day in the outback my mind flicks back to the previous evenings antics I just shudder. After a big breakfast at the quaint Eulo pub we hit the road again. Passing the mud baths we all look at one another and just  laugh. Hoping to find some black roads today as we never saw any yesterday, here's hoping as we are on a express run to Windorah some 600 to the north west. With the early morning sun at our backs we head for Thargomindah about 160 kms away to see the thermal power generator in operation, but to our dismay it's buggered so no history lesson today. As we strike north toward Quilpie i find since my last visit to this region more bitumen has been added to this horrid road so it's time to to let the big ford loose for a while. Our arrival at the Tompine hotel is welcomed with a cool drink, Quilpie being next stop for lunch . The long lonely road to Windorah is a mind numbing experience which you all should experience at least once in your life, the main survivors in this area are FLYS yes they are here in their millions  of them. Arriving at Windorah the temperature is 36c and more flys , again greeted by no phone service which means no blog. Coopers cabins are a welcome relief in this outback oasis and our cabins are spotless, the restaurant run by the owners is first class with beautiful meals and a great selection of Australian wines so we invest the sponsorship money into sampling some of their collection. The travel weary boys retire but far from defeated have a nightcap before retiring to bed in this very tranquil location.....WADDA

Tibboburra to Eulo Via Reola

Up early to catch the famous Tibboburra sunrise but I've been duded again, yes it is overcast and raining but still very warm. The time is 7.45am and the rebels are yet to rise I wonder what could be the problem, maybe to much honky tonk. The time is near when I'll speak to these boys about the rules of outback travel, which are don't go to hard to early. There is still a long way to go on this outback adventure, on departure from Tibboburra we notice a women in her wedding dress on the balcony of the pub so stop to take some happy snaps. We head east some 300kms on the some of the roughest roads I have encountered and we call this fun .Some180 kms down down the road from hell we spot a sign pointing to Reola station ,as we drive another 28 kms to the south and arrive at the biggest shearing shed you would ever see . On meeting the owner of this huge sheep station who then gives us a guided tour of this vast shearing shed we were somewhat impressed, we continue heading east till we arrive at Wanaring for a lunch stop with no food available we settle for a ice cream . To the north lies Hungerford smack bang on the NSW ,,,,,,QLD boarder , road conditions have gotten worse but we push on. Arriving at the boarder Paul opens the gates and we begin the last 130kms to Eulo, our attraction to this very small QLD town is its mud baths. Accomadation at the EULO QUEEN hotel is fine so we head to the mud baths for some pampering , with 4 naked men bathing together and having a glass of red by the open fire let your mind wander ,it was not a pretty site. We head back to the pub for dinner and a well earned early night, maybe some meditation before we hit the sack as we ready ourselves for another day in the beautiful outback.....WADDA

Broken Hill to Tibboburra

Attaching photos is still a concern for for this dumb bum blogger as you may have noticed, but I'm working on this problem and hope to be able to rectify it soon. I now need to thank our sponsors for making this trip possible,to Bob and Marge Braidie the owners of Braidies Tavern in Strathfieldsaye thanks again for your support. The plan for today is to visit the historical town of Silverton then continue on to Tibboburra some 300kms toward the QLD boarder ,on the drive out to this lonely outpost I reflect on the early settlers plight who settled this region. As we scour the surrounds of this remote region investigating it's history we soon learn of the gold diggers plight on arrival in this area was of sheer disappointment,no water no gold . As we creep back into this very remote outback town bugger me dead if we don't come across one of the 2 local watering hole,as I open the money bag the eyes of the other 3 blokes become as big as dinner plates . I think there is trouble brewing in the camp, asWadda the tour director buckles to the pressure of these outback rebels we continue solve the problems of the world. Our outing takes us to the Tibboburra hotel where we meet a happy couple from Mt Evelyn on their honeymoon, after gas bagging for while we discover they have 9 kids between

As we return the Granite motel the sun has wfell and truly set on the tired and weary crew, now for photos of today's events I'll cross my fingers and toes and hope this all goes well for Wadda .  WADDA

Resting at Packsaddle 

Roadside communication 

Buying sheep at Silverton

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