Day Six: Longreach – Cloncurry

We’ve quickly realised that it won’t be feasible to do daily updates on our travels. Too many things happening, not always got the time, electricity, light or energy to write up highlights. Not to mention VERY little access to the Internet i.e. this is the first time…

So, with the blog, we hope to just sketch out an outline of where we’ve been, and put in a few highlights and observations – and maybe a few photos as well…

Staying overnight in the Leichhardt Hotel in Cloncurry after three nights camping at Longreach. Travelled over 2000km already, and seen a LOT of country. Much of it flat flat flat, with subtly changing vegetation. It has actually got better as we’ve travelled north.

Camels alongside the road between Nyngan and Bourke. In Charleville we saw bilbies and yellow-footed rock wallabies at the national park HQ, and our first Major Mitchell Cockatoo outside of town. We must have seen a thousand dead roos alongside the road so far (no exaggeration).

In Longreach we did the obligatory visit to the Stockmen’s Hall of Fame, but didn’t get inducted. It was actually a little disappointing (not sure what we expected) apart from a very entertaining demonstration of skills by ‘Rusty’ the drover.

Visited the Qantas Founders Museum, and did the full 747 tour, including climbing down into the cargo bays and out onto the wing.

Shared Longreach with the Variety Club’s Sydney to Darwin Bash, with 105 very old and outrageously decorated cars travelling up the dirt to Darwin. They closed the main street of Longreach for a street party to mark the occasion, and we met some very interesting people…

Planned to go the Mt Isa Rodeo, but no accommodation (even campsites) to be had. Instead we’re going north towards the Gulf today, and planning to stay four nights at the Lawn Hill National Park – gorges, birds, bushwalks, and the famous Riversleigh fossil site. Then (if Astro Boy is up to it and we can get enough petrol), up through Burketown and west around the Gulf into the NT and to Borroloola in time for their annual show and rodeo on the 17^th.

All is well, having an excellent time so far, and (almost) getting into the relaxed holiday state we have anticipated.