One of the fascinating things about travelling around Australia (for us at least) can be the manner in which the countryside changes dramatically. This was certainly the case today on our next run north, from Yowah to Quilpie, when, over the distance of less than 200 kms the red and stony ground around Yowah gave way to carpets of green. Needless to say the recent rains had had something to do with this.
Not that one of the Cruiser crew was the slightest bit interested. Far from it. Poor old Max had to be rudely awoken from a post breakfast nap in the bright Yowah sunlight which was streaming through the window warming more than the cockles of his heart. Fancy having to swap this bliss for the confines of his cage.....he was grumpy for the entire journey (and did have a bit to say!).
The first leg took us back over the 25 kilometres along the road which connects Yowah to the rest of the country, at the end of which,
with a left turn, we were back on the narrow ribbon of bitumen which runs north-west between the two stations, Carpet Springs and Prairie.
I was pleased to find that the road soon widened and the few low hills we crossed gave us good views of the road ahead. But we were still in red dirt country.
And then, about 45 kms into our trip, I spotted something which had me bringing the rig to a sudden stop and making a U turn on the (fortunately) very wide road verge.
If you look closely at the left of this shot you will see why. At first I couldn't quite believe what we were seeing,
but there they were, dead dingos strung up in the roadside trees. Why on earth they were displayed in this manner remains a mystery. Unless the local dogs have Mensa like IQ's this could hardly be considered a 'warning' to those still roaming the plains. Local bragging rights? Who knows, but it certainly was a spectacle, albeit a rather gruesome one, and certainly a first for the Mobile Marshies.
With another 10 kms or so under our travelling belts we came to the second junction for the day where we joined the road which directly connects Thargomindah and Quilpie. Beside the fact that we had wanted to visit Yowah, this road would not have been an option for us. Much of the 82 kms from this junction back to Thargo is unsealed.
Not so the remainder, and as we made our way towards the only real landmark on this route, we were already beginning to see a change in the roadside vegetation as we crossed floodways.
Just over 100 kms from Yowah this roadside sign told us we were about to enter Toompine. There were no embellishments on this one,
but on another, this unofficial addition says it all about what we were about to pass.....indeed there is nothing here but the pub.
This one building outpost between Quilpie and Thargomindah, population two (the publican and his wife), was once a staging post for the Cobb and Co. run between the two towns. Finds of opal, now long gone as a commercial proposition, brought many to the area, but just like the thunder of the hooves of the coach teams, the ring of pick and shovel on stony ground has long ceased.
All that remains is the South Western Hotel (circa 1893), known universally as the Toompine Pub.
Our fleeting shot of this august establishment, taken as we drove past, did not do it justice,
so I've resorted to the Internet site of 'Queensland - destination information' to bring you this much better photo.
By all accounts the meals here are well worth stopping for, and the pub does provide free camping for any who wish to overnight. As one wag has noted, this pub has the biggest beer garden in Australia. Many do tarry longer than one night, drawn here by the good fishing and yabby netting in the nearby river. We have Toompine firmly marked in our 'to do' (next time) list.
Beyond this isolated outback drinking hole we soon found ourselves back in flood plain country,
and here the real transformation began in earnest. Lush grass had sprung up over the low lying areas either side of every floodplain crossing.
In several places the deep channels which carry the floodwaters demanded the construction of low bridges to allow passage across them,
and in both these channels
and in pools on the side of the road, there was still a deal of evidence of the recent rains.
During the remainder of the run into Quilpie, the transformation was complete. Here the flat, open grazing land was a sea of grass,
and we we even treated to the sight of patches of white wildflowers waving in the breeze on their long stems.
Driving through here it was hard to believe that only a couple of hours ago all we could see around us was red, rocky and barren.
And so we came to the last right hand turn of the day,
one which brought us out onto the Diamantina Developmental Road where this very impressive town sign soon told us we had reached our destination.
Well, not quite....we still had to find our park and settle in. But that will just have to wait for the next missive.....I've learnt a lesson from my last on Yowah!
Not that one of the Cruiser crew was the slightest bit interested. Far from it. Poor old Max had to be rudely awoken from a post breakfast nap in the bright Yowah sunlight which was streaming through the window warming more than the cockles of his heart. Fancy having to swap this bliss for the confines of his cage.....he was grumpy for the entire journey (and did have a bit to say!).
The first leg took us back over the 25 kilometres along the road which connects Yowah to the rest of the country, at the end of which,
with a left turn, we were back on the narrow ribbon of bitumen which runs north-west between the two stations, Carpet Springs and Prairie.
I was pleased to find that the road soon widened and the few low hills we crossed gave us good views of the road ahead. But we were still in red dirt country.
And then, about 45 kms into our trip, I spotted something which had me bringing the rig to a sudden stop and making a U turn on the (fortunately) very wide road verge.
If you look closely at the left of this shot you will see why. At first I couldn't quite believe what we were seeing,
but there they were, dead dingos strung up in the roadside trees. Why on earth they were displayed in this manner remains a mystery. Unless the local dogs have Mensa like IQ's this could hardly be considered a 'warning' to those still roaming the plains. Local bragging rights? Who knows, but it certainly was a spectacle, albeit a rather gruesome one, and certainly a first for the Mobile Marshies.
With another 10 kms or so under our travelling belts we came to the second junction for the day where we joined the road which directly connects Thargomindah and Quilpie. Beside the fact that we had wanted to visit Yowah, this road would not have been an option for us. Much of the 82 kms from this junction back to Thargo is unsealed.
Not so the remainder, and as we made our way towards the only real landmark on this route, we were already beginning to see a change in the roadside vegetation as we crossed floodways.
Just over 100 kms from Yowah this roadside sign told us we were about to enter Toompine. There were no embellishments on this one,
but on another, this unofficial addition says it all about what we were about to pass.....indeed there is nothing here but the pub.
This one building outpost between Quilpie and Thargomindah, population two (the publican and his wife), was once a staging post for the Cobb and Co. run between the two towns. Finds of opal, now long gone as a commercial proposition, brought many to the area, but just like the thunder of the hooves of the coach teams, the ring of pick and shovel on stony ground has long ceased.
All that remains is the South Western Hotel (circa 1893), known universally as the Toompine Pub.
Our fleeting shot of this august establishment, taken as we drove past, did not do it justice,
so I've resorted to the Internet site of 'Queensland - destination information' to bring you this much better photo.
By all accounts the meals here are well worth stopping for, and the pub does provide free camping for any who wish to overnight. As one wag has noted, this pub has the biggest beer garden in Australia. Many do tarry longer than one night, drawn here by the good fishing and yabby netting in the nearby river. We have Toompine firmly marked in our 'to do' (next time) list.
Beyond this isolated outback drinking hole we soon found ourselves back in flood plain country,
and here the real transformation began in earnest. Lush grass had sprung up over the low lying areas either side of every floodplain crossing.
In several places the deep channels which carry the floodwaters demanded the construction of low bridges to allow passage across them,
and in both these channels
and in pools on the side of the road, there was still a deal of evidence of the recent rains.
During the remainder of the run into Quilpie, the transformation was complete. Here the flat, open grazing land was a sea of grass,
and we we even treated to the sight of patches of white wildflowers waving in the breeze on their long stems.
Driving through here it was hard to believe that only a couple of hours ago all we could see around us was red, rocky and barren.
And so we came to the last right hand turn of the day,
one which brought us out onto the Diamantina Developmental Road where this very impressive town sign soon told us we had reached our destination.
Well, not quite....we still had to find our park and settle in. But that will just have to wait for the next missive.....I've learnt a lesson from my last on Yowah!
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