Boulia to Longreach

We are now enjoying Channel country along the Kennedy Development Road. The Kennedy Development Road and is in great condition with a single lane pavement.

About 60kms out from Boulia we came across a lagoon and loads of brolgas on display. So when there is a good photographic opportunity one must stop. We sat on the side of the road for quite some time photographing these majestic birds. They are very timid and do not allow you to get close and they were definitely keeping their distance from us.

Hamilton Hotel George and Gladys Hasted Rest Area
Once again I’m reading about the harsh conditions our early pioneers endured. This is the site of the Hamilton Hotel now in ruins. It apparently burnt down around 1918?

The council has set it up as a rest area with great clean flushing toilets, cold showers, drinking water and covered picnic tables. The water is straight from the Artesian Basin and is very nice indeed.

Hamilton was stop number 7 of the 9 pillars of Cobb & Co which served as a changing station for the horses and the travellers could rest and enjoy some refreshments after their arduous journey.

The area out the back is massive and you could easily set up camp and enjoy an evening around the fire.

Middleton Hotel and the Hotel Hilton Campground
Queensland’s most isolated pub built in 1876 can also be found along the Kennedy Development Road. It was built during the Cobb & Co era and served as one of the changing station for the horses. John McKinlay passed through here in 1862 in search of the Burke and Wills ill fated lost expedition. Once again, I was delighted to be standing in and looking around at such interesting history. The current owners of the Hamilton Hotel Val and Lester Cain purchased one of these coaches and is his prized possession. Can you imagine travelling along the dirt roads in the heat of the day or during the flooding rains. I think it would have been terribly uncomfortable.

Across from the hotel is a free campground called the Hilton Hotel. It has shaded picnic tables and a large flat area to camp. We had originally decided to camp here for the night but on the day we arrived it was really windy and as there is no protected spots we decided to just call into the pub for a beer and move on.

Only Val and her daughter were on duty today so unfortunately we didn’t meet Lester.

Poddy Creek Rest Area FREE CAMPING
We left the Middleton Hotel with a very strong head wind. After looking at our go to app WikiCamps, we found a rest area further along the road called Poddy Creek where we eventually decided to stay the night.

First impression was not so good but after we looked around we found a secluded spot and set about getting a campfire going. I’m so glad we decided to stop here, it has everything you need for a pleasant evening.

The rest area with toilets is well back from the road, a large area with some trees and a covered picnic table at the back which looked out onto the most beautiful landscape. We were treated to a spectacular sunset.

If you are travelling along this road I highly recommend this rest area. It is quiet and peaceful with beautiful sunsets and plenty of space to relax.

 

WINTON – Long Waterhole FREE CAMPING We arrived at Winton and were pleasantly surprised with the town. It has everything you need and I was quite excited about setting up camp and coming back to town to explore. Winton lies on the north bank of the Western River; the river often runs dry, made of many small channels. Winton lies at the junction of the Kennedy Development Road and the Landsborough Highway.

Winton is linked to the Great Shearers’ Strike, Waltzing Matilda and Qantas and dinosaurs. This is where you can follow the dinosaurs’ footprints.

Winton is situated on the Great Artesian Basin. The water supply bursts to the surface at 83 °C and is then channelled through cooling ponds before being distributed to the town. Sulphur gas gives the water an ‘eggy’ smell. Whenever you turn on a tap at the bathrooms you would get this smell. We were told if you let it air then the smell dissipates. We chose not to fill our water tanks here as I did not know if the smell would dissipate in a tank. We were told that it is the sweetest tasting water around once aired.

We chose not to stay in Winton but rather decided to stay at a council run campground called Long Waterhole.

Long Waterhole is approximately 2kms from Winton on the Jundah Road, Long Waterhole is man-made. I am so glad we decided to stay here; it is such a beautiful and peaceful place to stay. You can choose to camp either side of the waterhole and it is a very large spread out area that has been set aside. There are no facilities, so you need to have your own toilet and water. The town is again a RV friendly town, providing a shaded parking area for cars and their caravans, etc. also at this place you can utilise the dump point and fill up with water.

For this trip we bought a semi flexible solar panel which we used in addition the 2 solar panels on the roof of the car. The best investment we have made to date. The solar panel slipped beautifully on the bed after we had closed the camper up. It only weighs 1.5kg and is supposed to provide 200watts but realistically only managed 80watts.

We ended up having 2 nights at Winton which was no where near long enough. There are so many things to see in the town let alone the surrounding area. We want to come back and explore this area some more.

Bladensburg National Park – Day Trip We took a drive out to Bladensburg National Park. The park covers an area of 85,000ha of Mitchell Grass Downs, Channel Country with plateaus and residual sandstone ridges. We saw plenty of waterholes and many significant sites. We drove the Route of the River Gums. It is about a 51km drive and takes about a half a day to self guide yourself. You can obtain a map from the visitor information centre and it is a good introduction to the National park, another place we will come back to at some stage.

We came across this memorial cairn, further reading indicates it is a memorial to the 1894 Shearers’ Strike. It was here 500 shearers camped during the strike of 1891 and 1894, when Winton was under martial law. This apparently was the beginning of the foundation of the Australian Labour Party.

Our next stop was Engine Hole it is a horse-she shaped waterhole. It was once the site of brick manufacturing.

A “jump up” is a local term to describe steeply rising landscape. We stopped here to take a few landscape photos. It is surprising how flat the area actually is.

Skull Hole is as its name would suggest was the site of a massacre of aborigines in retaliation for the murder of a teamster. It was quite eerie here especially when you read about what happened. But I guess this happened quite a lot during our history and now we must admire the beauty of these wonderful places.

During the wet season Skull Hole is filled by a waterfall. I certainly would love to visit during the wet season just to see the waterfall. I imagine it would be quite pretty.

There is a camp ground here called the Bough Shed. There are two camping sections, the southern section is Spinifex and the northern section is Mulga and a day use area in the middle of them. There are no defined spaces as such but there are fire pits and plenty of shade and bush toilets. The camping spots are adjacent to Surprise Creek, I certainly enjoyed our time here. Abundant bird life and lots of walking tracks.

Once back at our camp site we decided we should go into town for a meal and see what Winton has to offer. We enjoyed bush poet Gregory North recite Banjo Patterson’s poems at the North Gregory Hotel. Not sure if this is his real name but rather coincidental if it is. This hotel is very retro and has a very friendly atmosphere, although the meal not what I had hoped for it was certainly enjoyable.

Longreach We had a big drive today along the Landsborough Highway (also known as the Matilda Highway) from Winton to Stonehenge which is over 300km. Not far in the scheme of things but we normally travel quite slowly. So this was a big day for us. Once again the road is in good condition. Now we would normally would have spent a few days here but our time was getting away from us and we had to just pick one thing to see. My Dad has wanted to go to Longreach for a very long time and has always wanted to visit the Qantas Founders Museum. So that was our chosen destination. My Dad turns 80 in January 2019 so I wanted to get a photo for him of his favourite plane, the Catalina.

But first things first, I was distracted by the coffee flag and a train station. Who would of thought they had such a beautiful train station here. So into the train station for morning tea and coffee and a wander around the station.

The Historic Railway Cafe was just brilliant, decorated all retro with bright colours and very friendly staff. The menu was brilliant and the coffee was to die for!

The Rotary Park was very well set up and once again we are in a RV Friendly Town. This park is right next to the service station and across the road from the train station. Perfect!

QANTAS Founders Museum The Catalina Flying Boat was the very last flying boat operated by QANTAS. Mostly flying across the Indian Ocean between 1943 – 45. QANTAS created and still holds a world record air service duration record that has not been broken. This particular Catalina is a Candian Boeing built PBY6A. Sadly no QANTAS Catalina’s exist today.

In 1924, the four-passenger DH-50 was the first purpose-designed airliner used by QANTAS. The DH-50 was first to have a fully-enclosed cabin. From 1926 to 1929, QANTAS built 7 DH-50s in the now National Heritage Listed Hangar in Longreach.

This DH61 could carry eight passengers but Qantas removed the front seat and replaced it with a toilet, making it the first airliner in Australia to do so.

The Avro 504K was the first QANTAS aircraft and was used by the airline for five years. It was modified to carry up to two passengers as well as the pilot. The original Qantas Avro 504K was sold in 1926.

Do yourself a favour and visit the Museum, I was so intrigued by the history which was completely unknown to me prior to visiting. They rely on donations to maintain the museum, so if you are in Longreach make sure call into the QANTAS Founders Museum.