Yowah had not really featured in the initial planning of our trip up through the Channel Country. In fact it was not until we reached Cunnamulla and I was checking the alternative routes to Quilpie that I saw the name on the charts. For some reason it rang a bell, and then we remembered that travelling friends of ours had popped in virtually 'on spec' some years ago and just loved the place.
A spot of quick research told us that this was another of those odd little Australian outback opal towns. Why not, we thought? With Cooper Pedy, White Cliffs, Lightning Ridge, and The Grawin all under out belts, it seemed silly to be virtually passing by and not add this one to our list of Aussie opal towns visited.
What a great decision this proved to be. We had one of the best three day periods of our travels here with a group of great townsfolk and some marvellous fellow travellers (we almost reached the stage where we had to leave to have a rest!).
But, as usual, we have to get there first, and although Yowah is only about 80 kms north-east of Thargomindah as the crow flies, the most direct road involves some dirt bashing. We took the longer, more circuitous route of just under 200 kms which kept us on the blacktop all the way even though much of it was pretty narrow.
Today, our normal early morning departure upset Max more than merely by virtue of the fact he was to suffer the indignity of being caged for the trip.....this morning his travelling arrangements included disturbing a delightful post breakfast nap in the early morning sun. Such is life for a ship's cat!
To reach the junction which would take us north, we had to backtrack along the Adventure Way for the first 100 kms or so. This meant that after leaving our digs at the Thargomindah Explorers Caravan Park we were soon crossing the Bulloo River for the last time as we headed east towards Cunnamulla.
After a completely uneventful first leg, the anticipated Quilpie junction was soon just ahead of us,
and here, as we made the left turn to head north at what is known as Carpet Springs, we soon found ourselves back on one of those outback roads where the limited amount of traffic carried means that the demand for a wide strip of bitumen is not warranted.
But we are old hands at this sort of stuff, and narrow roads and bumpy cattle grids held no fears as we made our way along under the clear skies of what was a challenging chilly morning.
This is country where there is a lot of not a lot, so any infrastructure, such as the spread out buildings of the Alroy station homestead, creates almost undue interest.
By now we knew that we were approaching our second turn off for the day, but before reaching it we had to cross the floodway of the Yowah Creek where we came to more evidence of the recent rains in this area.
Yowah is a town for which there is 'one way in and one way out', and this junction took us onto
the last 25 kms leg of today's trip through a stretch of quite thick scrub land
before we were greeted by this creative and colourful town sign standing alongside an old windlass. We were soon to learn that the depiction of the opal is a stylised presentation of a 'Yowah Nut', the unique opal of this area. This really does set the scene for what is on offer here,
as do the advertising signs which were soon lining our approach to the south-eastern end of the town and our next caravan park.
The last 200 metres or so brought us towards a line of large white rocks, and as we drove past,
we were beginning to see why this town bears the reputation it does (which we were soon to confirm in spades)....quirky, arty and friendly.
We hove to in front of the group of buildings which included the park office, the town general store, the park cafe and dining area and a few more odds and ends. The store is a recently new addition to the town infrastructure and was developed by the current park owners after they took over the park. It is remarkably well stocked and the townsfolk love them for it!
As we made ourselves known in the office, for some reason I cannot now recall, tales of our previous lives came to the fore, and to our mutual surprise, it turned out that Rick, the co-owner of the park with his charming and hardworking wife, Anne, was a retired Victorian copper. Enough said! We were instant mates.
Rich suggested that a site on the edge of the town road which runs right through the park would be just the shot for us. There was a shielding hedge between us and the (far from busy) road, and on this one we would be able to park the Cruiser next door rather than in front of the van. Good job, Rick.
We were not long in settling in
and raising the flag! Given the location, we were unsurprised to find that the sites here were dry and dusty, so it was out with the trusty C-Gear flooring for comfort under the awning, with one set of shade cloth up at the front to counter the dust of vehicles coming and going past our site.
and raising the flag! Given the location, we were unsurprised to find that the sites here were dry and dusty, so it was out with the trusty C-Gear flooring for comfort under the awning, with one set of shade cloth up at the front to counter the dust of vehicles coming and going past our site.
I have to say that having a main town street running right though the park in which we were staying was a novelty (the end of the hedge at the right of this shot is our site), but all who used it were aware of the speed humps and respectful of the speed limit. It caused us no grief at all.
Despite the barren surface, there were a number of good shade trees throughout the park, although during the time we were in residence, notwithstanding the fact that the skies were clear and blue, the weather was far from tropical!
At this point let me return to the office area to complete our tour of this very interesting park. With the store and associated fuel bowser (again the only one in town), it was no surprise to us that this part of town was a hive of constant activity. What a smart place to locate the town notice board,
and as we read the chalk written notice on it, it was clear that this was a community in which folk pitched in for the common good. Of more interest, we latched onto the small item which indicated that the bar would be open at the nearby Community Centre later this afternoon. We would be definite starters!
And of course, what's a general store in the bush without a post box and a front window full of notes relating to all sorts of items for sale.
Attached to the office and store is the park cafe, in front of which is probably the most important feature of this part of the town.....the town bore.
As the large information board just behind the tank into which the water was flowing made clear, this was no recent addition to the town facilities.
The tank empties the hot artesian water into an open drain which flows a short distance through the park and under the roadway.
From here the water is channelled through much of the town.....a real life giving artery, and for the first 800 metres of its journey to wetlands out near the town airport (more later) a walking and bike track has been developed to allow all and sundry to ramble by the stream!
For us, however, the section of the bore drain which flowed through the park was to play a much more important part in our social life tomorrow.
It is home to the famous Yowah RFDS Duck Races....yep, duck races....more (much more) to come!
The park has made the most of this artesian flow. These brightly coloured bath houses, clearly modelled on the outrageously expensive bathing huts of the beaches south of Melbourne, actually have no roofs.
Inside, guests are invited to turn on the hot taps and lounge back in the bath tubs provided, either as a couple or singly, with a bottle of bubbles, gazing up at the night stars whilst soaking away the cares of the day. Day use is equally encouraged, but oddly enough we just did not find the time to indulge (as you read more of our Yowah story you will probably understand).
Between the cafe area and the bath huts, a large and well furnished undercover dining area provides the venue for the 'after Duck Race dinner' (and any other big bash which the park may put on...again I'll have more on this later),
whilst a short distance further on, the park units accommodation could not be missed.
The galvanised iron park ablutions and laundry building had a decidedly rustic exterior appearance, but this belied the amenity within.
Rick had built these facilities himself, and, as an experienced caravan traveller, had been keen to ensure that they were of a standard that would delight any using them.
With a smart and well laid tiled floor,
and a neat wash basin set up, these heads had immediate appeal.
And although these shower cubicles look a little basic with their cement floors and galv walls, Rick has put his money where his mouth is. Look at the size of the shower head. With a twist of the tap, torrents of hot water flowed. With oodles of 'elbow room', a good 'bits and pieces basket' and plenty of hanging hooks (just out of shot), these were showers to be savoured. Well done Rick....what a treat it was to find these here in a tiny town in the middle of the dry and dusty outback.
Beyond the park units, and at the far side of this site area,
a large (and well used) outdoor fire pit complemented the facilities
of the usefully equipped camp kitchen. Now normally I would be less than impressed with a pressed dirt floor in such an area, but here it just seemed to fit.
In a room behind the camp kitchen we found the camp book exchange and another unexpected piece of entertaining equipment in the form of a good pool table.
And finally....we had already read that this was a park where arriving with a well developed sense of humour would be an advantage. With notices like this on the camp kitchen wall, Rick and Anne certainly set the scene.
We were soon to learn that the good folk of Yowah are past masters at making their own fun, pitching in when necessary and enjoying life to the full. In my next missive I'll share the hectic social life which enveloped us from day one in this fascinating outback opal town.
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