Australia 3 - Airlie to Toowoomba

Airlie to Clermont

28th April 2012

We were up at dawn and ready to go inland to take in some of the bush country via the Great Inland Way.

We headed south along the coast and stopped at Mackay for fuel. We then cut inland south west across the increasing bush through vast coal mines and camps that house the workers. These open-cast mines take thousands of acres of land as the surface is scraped away into yawning great scars on the earth. 

Our camp site on the edge of town had a huge number of cabins, permanently in use by miners or ancillary workers. The air had an all encompassing smell of burning wood and coal and we found that there was a large controlled fire in progress to clear a stretch of land prior to mining. The effect on the local economy is that a lot of money can be made if you have a store, hotel, camp site, supply business or skills that the camps need.

There are stories of young men working at a mine for a year and being able to buy a house for cash at the end of that time. The down side for the local people is that they cannot buy a house if they are on 'normal' wages or even find anywhere to rent at a reasonable price, because demand is so high. The effect on the small town society can also be devastating. Going from knowing everyone, never locking your door and being able to wander alone on the street at night, to a situation where the place is doubling in size in a year and awash with men, money and drink, can be pretty tricky.

We came upon the Fairbairn Dam, a vast expanse of water in the middle of the bush, which supplies the towns, farmers and mines across the whole area, and also acts as a reservoir for rainfall and runoff for flooding – so it was quite full. We stopped for a picnic lunch in the company of a host of Parakeets and Cockatoos in the Eucalyptus trees, Kites overhead, and a Darter, drying its wings by the water.

We got talking to a couple of gold fossickers (Australian for gold and gem prospectors), Gary and Norm, at the cook house. They had interesting stories to tell of their exploits out in the bush with metal detectors. They always hope to get some gold but mostly they enjoy the fun of exploring the different mining areas on their holidays. It was a lively camp site and there was a group of women on a girls weekend camping trip. They were stuck into the drink early on and were having a really good time, however, as they had started early in the evening, by 11 pm all was quiet!

Drama of the Day: Just after dark, as we sat in the cook house with Norm and Gary, a young man started calling out for help from a caravan a hundred yards away. John and Norm went over and an older man had collapsed and had stopped breathing. John started CPR, taking it in turns with another camper, until the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over. We were told later that after taking him to the local hospital they put him in a helicopter to Townsville. The heroes returned to the cook house and after all that excitement, it was time for bed.

Clermont to Carnarvon Gorge

Sunday 29^th April 2012

Up at first light and stopped for breakfast, as it warmed up on a beautiful morning, at a viewpoint. We drove 55 kilometres to Emerald and went west to visit Anakie and Sapphire, and in case you hadn't guessed, they are all in the gem fields.  

We went to a Sunday Morning Sale, full of local characters, prospectors, fossickers, ladies selling home made crochet work, junk, antiques and, of course, gems and jewellery. John bought a phial of 'gems'. There was also a stand for joining the miners union.  

In the village, really just a garage/store and a couple of mining outfits, you could buy a bag of dirt from a local fossicking company and sift through it to find gems of your own, or you could go out to one of their sites and pay to fossick in certain areas. John thought it might be fun but Celia thought it might be a tourist trap and she prevailed – no fossicking for us. But lots of tourists were giving it a go and enjoying themselves.

We filled up with fuel, as we are now in country where the fuels stops are few and far between, and there is nothing in-between these small towns. We drove back to Emerald, then south through Springsure and Rolleston and at that point were very glad we filled up with fuel because we discovered that the Carnarvon Gorge camp site was another 100 kilometres off the main road. It is really easy to underestimate distance here and the quality of road surface can also slow you down, however, not the traffic, as there is very little of it. Most people you see on the road, always wave as they pass and we do the same. It is the sort of country where if you break down you will always be helped and everyone is really friendly.

We turned off to go into the national park that Carnarvon Gorge sits in, looking forward to reaching our camp site in late afternoon after a long day's drive, but quickly realised it was going to take us quite a while, as the road turned to a hard packed gravel, twisting and turning through creeks and crossing river beds. Steep hills tested our brakes and steering and we were tired.  

The upside of all this was we saw lots of emus, kangaroos, wallabies, birds of prey, a great bustard type bird and lots of small birds we could not identify. This was when it really hit us how very, very different everything is here; the flora and fauna is all upside down! We continued to drive through magnificent scenery and the light started to fade as the last twenty kilometres became harder to negotiate. 

We made it just before dark. The camp is in a flat river valley surrounded by steep, tree covered cliffs and hosts loads of outward bound groups in cabins and tents. There is a large and well equipped open air camp kitchen and we get cooking – lamb chops of course!

There are serious hikers here, who all look very healthy and are equipped with all the right walking equipment and clothing. Also, a group of 40 equally serious university students from the USA. They are here studying ants - what can we say, except we were impressed and feel rather frivolous in comparison. We met Charlene and Ed, newly-weds from Toowoomba, who were a delight, plus the couple doing all the catering for the US students and we had good fun under the stars. 

Carnarvon to Injune

Monday, 30th April 2012

This is a pretty magical spot and we would have liked to stay longer and explore the Gorge more but the road was pretty rough coming in and the weather forecast is for a lot of rain. That will mean the road will become impassable very quickly, especially without 4-wheel drive, so we have to go.

Back on the main road, after another bumpy but scenic ride, the vista stretches out before us of an endless undulating white ribbon. We started worrying about our fuel supply, because there is nothing in-between. Again, the sense of space and sky is just amazing out here and we are so glad we have come inland and seen this landscape.

We make it to Injune by midday without running out of fuel and we are really tired, so decide to stay. There is a camp site in town, mostly full of miners cabins, separated off from the tourist campers and have their own chef and dining hall. 

Injune is like an old wild west town, with a great hotel/bar that hasn't changed in a long time, full of old pictures and cowboy hats, so we went over for a drink, something we have hardly done in Australia because the prices are so high. It had a few locals at the bar and they were a friendly bunch and we had a good chat.

We visited the post office to send some post cards, again a really old building, and chatted with the postmaster as people came and went, collecting their own post and taking their neighbours' post for them. This is the sort of courtesy that is the way of things here – people help each other with the everyday things to make life easier in this harsh environment.

Injune to Roma

Tuesday,1st June 2012

Driving down long roads listening to the local radio playing songs like “The boys from the bush are in from the country”, we see kangaroos, emus and then a camel! (apparently there are loads of wild camels here). The 90 kilometres slip away and we are in Roma at midday getting our shopping in for dinner. This is where we first come across the fantastic and very beautiful Bottle Trees. 



This is also where we come across the Dame Edna lookalike at the camp site reception: perfect red talon nails, bouffant hair, immaculate and startling makeup, finished off with large, red, be-winged spectacles and of course a spotless outfit of matching slacks and shirt. Celia is transfixed taking in all the details and wondering how she stays so perfect. Visiting the showers later, you see the long arm of Dame Edna at work here too, as all the facilities are a show stopping deep lilac, but immaculate.

We visit the lovely old Villa Roma winery next to our camp site and are shown round by Don Roberts. He is looking after the place for the owners while they are away in hospital. It has been in the same family for many years but is now up for sale He is a retired vicar and now works part time as padre to the police in the district, covering thousands of square miles. The vines were all wiped out round here by the floods last year and so they have to buy in their grapes now. The impact of the floods is still being felt everywhere, particularly in farming.

We buy three bottles of wine and get back to camp where we meet the usual bunch of friendly Queenslanders, including Lorraine who loans us her bird book and gives us some of her home grown lemonade fruits. These are a green citrus and she recommends squeezing them for breakfast, which we duly do and they are like a sharp cross between grapefruit and lemon – very nice.

We eat delicious avocados with prawns for dinner and sit under the stars with a glass of rather good rose wine from Villa Roma . . . cheers Don.

Roma

Wednesday 2^nd May 2012

Took a drive out to see the local area. Visited Muckadilla (a picturesque pub and a couple of houses) and got stuck in a road work scheme in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of the outback that took a while to get through, although we were the only car and nothing for miles. Then we wound our way back through low hill country to Roma.

Detail of the Day: The road works don't usually have traffic lights to control the traffic through the improvement area, but a person at each end with a 'stop' and 'go' lollipop. They are just as likely to be women as men and are invariably cheerful and always give you a wave and a smile as you pass them. Just another part of what makes being in Australia an enjoyable experience.

Roma has some lovely old hotels that have been well preserved and a brilliant hat shop that John spent ages in, trying on everything and looking wistfully at Celia in the hope that she would give in and let him buy one, however her response was always “Where would you keep it?” and “Could you wear it in Totterdown?” 


 At which point, John's winning smile would collapse and he would replace the hat on the shelf with a disappointed air, before finding another type of hat and would start trying them on and we would go through the whole process again. We returned to the camp site empty handed.

Over at the camp kitchen we met a couple from Brisbane, Steve a South African and Henry an Australian. They are in real estate on the Sunshine Coast and have several holiday properties there. They are in Roma looking at buying property here because of the mining boom and the opportunities it provides for rental income.

We have more chats with some of the 'grey nomads' who wander round Australia in droves in their campers and never tire of exploring their own country. Their enthusiasm is boundless and infectious and we are very careful never to discuss politics in any depth, as the views are very fixed and not open to change in any way.

Roma to Dalby
Thursday, 3rd May 2012

The usual fantastic dawn chorus wakes us and parrots flit amongst the trees as we breakfast. The Warrego Highway is our road to Miles where the camp site is full and so we push on to Chinchilla, where the camp site is also full. We had a look at the Show Ground camp site but it is a bit too basic. So we ate some lunch under a tree and then pushed on to Dalby, a larger town with room at the inn for us, on a lovely site by the river with bandicoots running about, bats in the trees and kookaburras to wake us in the morning.


Dalby to Toowoomba

Friday, 4th May 2012

We travel through small hamlets on straight roads through cotton fields that shed little puffs of cotton that make you think there is a dusting of snow. We get to Toowoomba in 2 hours. It is a very green and prosperous city, sitting on a mountain with wonderful views from the lookout at Picnic Point, at the top of what is known here as, The Range, a very steep and sweeping hill that drops 700 metres to the flood plain below. The air is gorgeous and scented with roses and other blossoms as we sit in the sun and have a drink.

We decided to try and book in to Murphys Creek camp site down in the valley and it was a fantastic site by the river, but it was full so we had to turn around and try and find somewhere else. It was at this point when we were just turning up the main road to drive back up The Range, that the car started making lots of very unhappy noises. We pulled in to the very friendly and helpful KMS Garage and they told us the brakes were locking and it was too dangerous to drive.  

Just like that, our camping trip came to an abrupt end. All credit to our hire company, Jucy. They paid for taxis, a motel and refunded our last 3 nights, plus the tow truck for the next morning. But we were very sad because the trip had been so fantastic and we were savouring every last moment of our wonderful road trip and didn't really want it to end. We both want to come back and explore the rest of the country – there is just so much to see and so many great people to meet.

Australia 2 - Atherton to Airlie

Wonga to Atherton

Thursday 19^th April 2012

We set off south from Wonga to Mossman, picked up some provisions and started inland to climb up into the Tablelands, a rich farming area, with scenic valleys and hills full of orchards of mangoes and avocados. Green and cooler after the heat of the coast, but still sunny and warm in the day, with perfect gently warm evenings. Passed by beautiful Mount Molloy, stopping at Julleton and lookout points in the hills. 

Detail of the Day: It was at a place called Granite Gorge, outside Moreba, that we paid proper money to go into our first tourist attraction and it was the only time we did it in Australia. It was run by a grumpy couple (probably been out there too long) with a small rocky gorge in their large back yard full of tamed wallabies that come and take food from your hand (which you had to buy in addition to your entrance fee of $15 each). 


When we left 30 or 40 minutes later it was as if our camera focus adjusted and we saw clearly what we had just paid for, after we left. As the GB pound does not go far here we learnt a valuable lesson. Also, the marketing leaflets abound here, with the 'oldest' this and the 'largest' that and they are very well put together. We had a realisation that we didn't need to do all that stuff, we just wanted a look round the country and to meet the people. So, once we had that sorted out in our heads, we just got on with our journey.

Then we got happily lost for an hour or so on some back roads but eventually found the Atherton road again and camped just outside the town. The woman running the camp site had just bought it and she and her husband are from the Philippines She explained to us that she found it very hard because labour is cheap where she comes from and she had staff to do all the washing, cleaning, cooking and so on, whereas here, she has to do everything herself. However, she also said that they would have a better standard of living here, so the trade off was worth it.

The site had a mix of campers, permanent residents in cabins or caravans. Migrant workers come here to pick fruit or work in packing plants for the season. We watched everyone going to and fro as we ate dinner al fresco in the twilight and the place came alive with wallabies and rabbits, gently skipping round everywhere, and brush turkeys scuttling around, running in a similar way to pheasants. However, these birds are black with a fan of feathers at the back that stick up like a brush.

Best of all, that night the stars made a canopy over our heads that was luminous and exquisite and you could pick out stars and constellations, such as the Southern Cross and Orion, easily. We sat late, drinking wine and gazing upwards as the wallabies skipped by.

Atherton to Innisfail
Friday 20^th April 2012

In the morning we are approached early by a garrulous and rather pungent Polish man who emigrated here in the 1960s but whose English is still the same as it was then. He had no front teeth and a ruddy, drinkers face. Wearing a dirty white singlet and grey trousers held up with a belt. He also stood a bit too close. As with every other Queenslander, he asked where we were from and then proceeded to tell us all about himself and his life here; girlfriends, work, family. John had to almost prise his hands off the van door to get in so that we could drive away or we would still be there now.

We drove on up through Herberton and Ravenshoe, tiny towns up in the hills that still have butchers and bakers, thrift shops, libraries, and of course, these wonderful old hotels that have been there since the early 1920s and are often beautifully restored and maintained. Most of the buildings were constructed of wooden clap board and corrugated metal roofs and had balconies and sit-outs, and were painted an assortment of colours – we thought we were in the wild west . . . and I suppose we were.

At Ravenshoe, we made a picnic and took it down to Milla Milla Falls nearby. Just a gorgeous spot. These falls sit on an ancient aboriginal track that wove through this part of the country and they were of great significance as a landmark and spiritually. There is a road in now and the area around it is clear, so you get a great view of the falls, but it must have been amazing when it was more hidden by all the trees.

We carried on down the Palmerston Highway, stopping at the breathtaking Crawfords Lookout where you can see just how high you are on the Tablelands, and then on down long, long downward stretches of road towards Innisfail on the coast. 


Celia wished that we could have spent longer in the Tablelands but we had to press on.  

We reached Innisfail in time to get a headlight fixed on the van by the most friendly and helpful garage in the world – but then everyone is pretty much like that here. We searched around for a while looking for the Information Centre (there is one in most towns) only to find it was shut due to cyclone damage. However, the friendly builders who were repairing it let us in and we scooped up an armful of what proved to be very handy leaflets.

We booked into the River View Camp site just down the road and got a spot looking out over the Johnstone river. Absolutely lovely . . . cups of tea and drinking in the wonderful air. Cooked dinner in the best equipped camp kitchen so far and chatted to a young Australian with a grey and white cockatiel on his head. This bird liked to sit on John's shoulder and whistle in response to being offered a drink from his glass.

This camp site has now set the 'Celia Standard' for the rest of the trip because the facilities were sparkling and new and perfectly maintained. We were told the owner (who was away) is a lady of formidable presence and tolerates no slacking from her guests in their treatment of her facilities. In return you get to stay in this perfect place, complete with plastic luminous orange palm trees at the entrance that light up at night. We want to send them home and put them up in Totterdown – they would make everyone smile who saw them.

The next day is Saturday and there is a morning market in town, and John loves a new retail opportunity, so off we go. It is a series of stalls in the park with locals selling their produce like avocados and pak choi, honey, home made preserves, crafts, second hand clothes, jewellery. The sun was out and everyone was having fun and so were we.

We visited Mourylan Harbour, not far away. This has a huge sugar cane processing plant, right on the water and the railway brings the raw cane straight in from the fields and it leaves by ship. It wasn't running though, so no smell of molasses. It's a beautiful harbour and there were just a few people with boats and a couple of fishermen. We ate lunch looking out at the view and watching for the crocodiles as per the warning sign – still no sightings.

Then it was back to the River View to cook in the company of young Italians who are here working in a banana packing plant and earning good money – enough to only work Monday to Thursday! Their food smelt wonderful and we were amused to hear them complain about some of the Assie tucker: “We donna wanna pineapple on the pizza!”

It was another glorious starlit night and we drank wine and Celia wrote the Vietnam blog, followed by a good night's sleep as it is a little cooler here. It was going to be a reluctant leaving of this place. However, this is a road trip and the nature of the beast is to 'get on' and so we leave in the morning to head further down the coast. 

Innisfail to Townsville
Sunday 22^nd April 2012

It was the most beautiful morning as we set off at 7 a.m. We looked at a camp site at Rollingstone – it was free, but not enough facilities to meet the 'Celia standard'. However, it was a lovely spot to stop for some lunch under the trees. Took a stroll to Crystal Creek and saw turtles swimming and loads of fish. People said you could swim in it, but didn't see anyone actually doing this – so neither did we – after all there are still the crocodile signs!

We carried on to Ingham and then on to Townsville and booked in to the Rose Bay Camp site – rather institutional. However, a beautiful beach just over the road. We went down to Main Street and raided the bottle shop for some more delicious Australian wine and went into a pub which had an ATM to get some cash. It was a pastiche of an Aussie Sunday afternoon down the pub; lots of shrieking women, drunk men, a singer trying to make herself heard above the hubbub, pool games and people eating, all overlaid with the slight feeling that it might all kick off at any moment. So we made our apologies and left!

Just so you know it isn't all wine and roses, we then went to the internet café and spent 3 hours setting and loading the blog of Vietnam. It was very hot work so we went back to the camp site, cooked steak in the camp kitchen and drank some of what is known as 'cask wine'. This is wine in a box and was the first and last time we bought it because the headache the next day was not worth the money saved. However, the stars were particularly lovely here and the night was cool.

Townsville to Bowen
Monday 23^rd April 2012

Breakfasted off the 'last of the season' mangoes purchased from a red-faced farmer on the road yesterday,sensational! We then set off south, crossing endless cane railways that cut through all this sugar country, plus many oddly named creeks. We are on the Bruce Highway as it curves inland from the coast around mountains that rise up sheer from the flat lands all around.  

In one very large stretch of plain we came to Mount Inkerman, sitting all on it's own. The Australians obligingly provide a good road up and viewpoints at the top with electric barbecue, in their usual efficient way. The views were fantastic and we had the whole place, for what seemed like forever, all to ourselves. This road is pretty empty and the feeling of space and openness is wonderful.

We stopped in Ayr briefly – it felt like a funny sort of ghost town - and then pushed on to lovely, lovely Bowen and stayed at beautiful Queens Beach on the Warangatta camp site. It is like a garden, full of a variety of trees and all sorts of birds, including parrots, kookaburras, topknot pigeons. It was like being in an aviary. 

 Celia insisted that we stay two nights because she loved it so much and John was persuaded because we had to start organising our USA and Canada trip and the wifi connection is good here. (balancing enjoyment of where we currently are, against organising where we go next, is tricky)

Bowen
Tuesday 24^th April 2012

Up at 6.30 for a walk on the long, wide, gently curving, white sandy beach. Bowen has several fantastic beaches and later we went to small and protected Horseshoe Bay where the sea is aquamarine. A few people were swimming but they were in stinger suits – so no swimming for us in the sea but the camp site had a great pool so we still got our swim.

We met a young German couple, who are are here planting tomatoes. They have their own camper van and much prefer this to staying in the backpacker hostels, where some sharp practice goes on with getting jobs and how much you pay them for this privilege, plus not returning deposits and so on. They also told us that the hostels for Europeans are much better than the hostels for workers from places like Vietnam, who are sharing tiny cabins with 6 bunks and one shared toilet and shower for about 40 people, plus no windows, fans or air con. They also said that this is not the case everywhere but it does happen, especially in the more remote areas.

Bowen has been absolutely gorgeous to stay in, so laid back and quiet, it is like a sleeping beauty and Celia wanted to stay longer but time is a demanding mistress and we have to go on.


Bowen to Airlie

Wednesday 25^th April 2012

It is Anzac Day, a national holiday and remembrance of all the people who have lost their lives in war. There are parades in the morning and church services, plus some fund raising We headed off for the 2 hour trip down to Airlie through trees and fields near the coast and the landscape started to change into rolling valleys and hills. 

This is a wealthy town and also a big holiday destination that has managed to retain a sense of itself and community in spite of tourism. We booked into the Flametree site and, as we cooked dinner in the camp kitchen and night fell, a mother and baby possum appeared in the rafters and reached down and took pieces of fruit and veg from our hands.

We met Janet and Brian, on their Golden Wedding tour. They have a brilliant little camper van and are just seeing where the fancy takes them. They emigrated from Devon in the early sixties and still retain their accents. They were the most lovely and interesting company and truly intrepid travellers.

Great Barrier Reef, Whitsunday Islands

Thursday 26^th April 2012

Next morning we woke to the shrieking of flocks of huge white cockatoos the size of seagulls flying around in the very tall trees, plus a pair of very quiet but tall roadrunner/Godwit type birds that hung around in the nearby bushes watching and waiting for scraps from our breakfast table.

We met up with Janet and Brian at the pick-up point for the bus to the ferry at Shute Harbour, where we boarded the Fantasea Catamaran for our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Seasick tablets were recommended so Celia took them, John did not.


It was a choppy sea and catamarans are not that stable so some people started being sick straight away, but not in our party! We threaded our between islands and out to sea and two hours later we reached the pontoon that is anchored to the sea bed on the edge of this section of reef.

We took rides in the glass bottom boat and saw a bit of reef, but tricky to take pictures. Also, as it was not sunny and you could not see the colours well. We managed to see a Giant Grouper, the size of a Dolphin, and a sea turtle, which was great.


The high spot for John was taking a 10 minute helicopter ride over the reef from a nearby pontoon. He got the front seat and loved every minute of it and even got to see the famous heart-shaped island. He was definitely the boy with the new toy and had the biggest grin when he got back. 

Then it was time to put on the matching baby blue stinger suits and get in to some snorkelling. Unfortunately, the wind was picking up and it was too choppy for Celia and she gave up rather soon, but it did give us a lot of amusement seeing each other in the suits. John made it out to the reef and saw great fish and corals but, like everybody else, 10 minutes was his limit as the waves were now breaking over his breathing pipe.

The ride back to land was very rough like a fairground ride and 80% of the passengers were being sick – but not us! Having said that, it was still a great day and we really enjoyed it.

Airlie

Friday 27^th April 2012

We were very tired after yesterday and decided to stay here one more night and just pottered about, doing the laundry and catching up with emails. This is really precious time when you are on a road trip. We went out for a half hour drive to charge up the leisure battery and had a look at the rather beautiful bays, littered with expensive houses.

Back at camp we met Canadians Bill and Sandra who had been on a fishing expedition and had too much fish and were giving it away. So we had a great dinner of Spanish Mackerel and Sweet Lip, sharing with everyone else in the camp kitchen, along with plenty of red wine and lots of stories from Bill as we fed the possums.

We went off to bed at 9.30 as tomorrow we go towards Clermont and will be setting off just after dawn to start our drive on the Great Inland Way.