I have reached the outback. It's not quite what I'd imagined. Yes, the roads reach to the limitless horizon and towns are few and far between. Kites wheel overhead and there are brahman cattle grazing in the endless paddocks. But it's green! There's something really wrong about a verdant, lush landscape when you have been expecting desert, bindis and saltbush. It's beautiful but it just seems too kind and forgiving.
My first stop after a rain-soaked Emerald was Alpha. I only visited the Lifeline shop in Emerald (more books) and missed the gem fields (wet, wet, wet) and just drove west, where the BOM showed no rain. Much as I love Van Morrison, he is not suited to wet weather unless there's a good camp kitchen. So to Alpha. Maggie and I ended up staying there for two days. The caravan park was delightful and I had many a long chat with the managers and quite a few walks around the small town - set out like many of these outback towns on a rigid grid system. Alpha is a bit different. My first (and only) conversation with a local went like this ...
I was taking a photo of the bakery and an old man leant against the wall and said "you won't get a pie". "That's fine" blinked Anthea, "I've already got lunch". "Well, you won't get one" he replies. "No worries" say Anthea. "Yep! You won't get no pies here" he mutters. I start walking away and hear "she won't get a pie that way neither!" I must look like I am in dire need of a pie!
Having enjoyed the serenity and pielessness of closed Alpha, I travelled along more straight roads, through more green pastures to Ilfracombe. This is a very small hamlet about 27 km from Longreach where I wanted to visit the Qantas Founders Museum and maybe the Stockmens Hall of Fame. Ilfracombe has a pub, the Wellshot Hotel, a caravan park, a post office/op shop/craft shop/library/homewares shop and a mile of tractors, trucks, agricultural machinery and weird gadgets, all painted lurid colours. It was quite a display!
On of the side effects of (a) all the eastern states being on school holidays, (b) some pretty ordinary weather in the said eastern states and (c) the hangover from COVID restricting movement last year, is that it is VERY, VERY BUSY. In Barcaldine, vans and trailers lined the main street in both directions, with a queue halfway around the block to get fuel and the bakery with empty shelves at 11am! I've had to book into most van parks, often getting sites just because the van is so small. Otherwise, things are booked solid. So it was no surprise to find that the Stockmens Hall of Fame was booked out and I just squeezed into the Qantas museum. But I really enjoyed this place - it was well presented and very interesting. Interactive displays told the story of the founders of Qantas but also gave a feel for the place and the times.
And so to Winton. I'd booked three nights behind the North Gregory pub, camping out the back, and had managed to book into the Australian Age of Dinosaurs. This was going to be a highlight! And it's a sad lesson in expectations that Alpha was more pleasant (even with no pies) and Qantas more interesting. But Winton did have some lovely highlights. The pub was a beautiful example of an outback pub, although it seems to have been a bit unlucky, burning down in 1899, 1916 and 1946. I loved its grab at history ... Waltzing Matilda was played in public for the first time here, the founders of Qantas met here and Lyndon B. Johnson stayed for a night when his plane was forced to land during WWII. It has a ghost (of course) and beautiful etchings on the doors.
For all of you who are planning to go to Winton, can I give you a word of advice? Take lots of water! Nice water! Drinkable water! Not water that vaguely smells like a septic tank. Sulphur fumes coming out of your shower really don't make you think you are clean. Add to that, backpackers and 15 campsites sharing the ONE shower ...
So to the dinosaurs ... a 'highlight'! I was disappointed ... no! I was bored! The dinosaur tracks had been transported there from a site 60 km away. Many of the exhibits were copies. There was no access to the actual sites where the bones had been discovered. It was pretty much all fake. And I felt so sorry for the families, who had shelled out $200 but there was nothing much there for the kids. I heard one mum ask her little girl what was the best part of the trip and she replied the sandpit ... not any of the tours or displays or statues or ... just the free sandpit. For my part, the best bit was the diversity of plants, many of them flowering, and the stunning views from the "Jump Up" down onto the Winton Plain. However, don't let me put you off ... if you like dinosaurs I'm sure you'll love it!
So now I'm in McKinlay - home to the Walkabout Creek Hotel of Crocodile Dundee fame. As I eat my fish and chips (surprisingly lovely considering how far away from the sea this is), kill mosquitoes and listen to the road trains thunder past, I'm still undecided as to where I'll go next. I'm so enjoying the 'outback' and there's still so much to see. How exciting is that!
Ok so now l can comment - it’s Clare. Loving the posts, it really feels like I’ve been there 😀
ReplyDeleteHi Anthea Annie here. I am loving your blog but having trouble commenting. The photos are fantastic and it's great to hear how the rest of the country is going. Mansfield is full to the brim with tourists and there's no toilet paper in Mark's.
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