Into the outback...

Rick’s monument 

We left Charleville on Thursday morning, 11th June, heading further west into new "for us" territory. We were very pleasantly surprised at the good condition of the Diamantina Developmental Road, particularly after we got into Quilpie Shire Council! Apart from a brief stop at Cooladdie, where there is a pub/general store/camping ground, there were no townships or buildings to spoil the horizon - the ground is lush and covered with grasses thanks to unseasonal rain. 

We stopped at the beautiful "Rick's monument", a memorial to Rick Milosevic who, along with two other Australian soldiers, was killed in a "green on blue" attack in Afghanistan. The touching tributes and striking monument, set on "the jump up" and facing west, were certainly worth stopping for. 

Quilpie greeted us with wide, tree lined streets, parklands and a range of interesting looking buildings - quite a surprise for a small town of less than 1,000 people. Troy, the manager of the local caravan park, is a very easy going, laid back man who led us to a great site and suggested we try the free hot spas, fed by the Great Artesian Basin and located in the park. It's certainly something to look forward to! Cathy, at the visitor information centre was a wealth of information too and we looked forward to exploring some of her suggestions over the next couple of days.

The brick hotel

That afternoon we enjoyed a drink at the “Brick hotel” before the Quilpeta show - an informative film about the history of Quilpie and the surrounding area, viewed at the outdoor cinema after sunset, accompanied by a nibbles platter and a glass of wine - a great introduction to the local highlights. Dinner was inside the caravan as the night had cooled the outside temperature considerably!

On Friday morning it was foggy, so after breakfast we donned warm clothes and went for a walk into town. Most of the houses in town are highset weatherboard with wide verandahs, a necessity given the harsh conditions of summer. The gardens are surprisingly green and lush, aided by the abundant water supply from the great artesian basin.

Baldy Top

We wandered through various shops, admiring the range of supplies available, before heading to the visitor information centre to view four different galleries, covering everything from the railway coming to Quilpie in 1917, military history, farming history and the development of the Quilpie shire. It was fascinating! We stopped for a coffee at the “Unstable cafe”, as seen on Backroads, then drove out to Baldy Top lookout, the only high point with a view in the whole area. Scrambling to the top we enjoyed the scene, then drove back in to Quilpie to read the monument to Amy Johnson, first female pilot to fly from the UK to Australia, landing in Quilpie in 1930. 

We had lunch and a rest before we tried out the spa - there are three large, round spas, heated by water straight from the great artesian basin and with jets and bubbles at hand, to soak away the dust and relax and let the world go by - it was lovely! And in the late afternoon, as the sun set, we joined fellow travellers around the campfire, swapping tales of ventures far and wide and suggestions of new places to visit, before dinner and a relaxing night in our van.

Quirky street art

 

On Saturday morning we intended going out to visit “The Lake”, an outback farm and camping resort on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately we took the wrong turn and ended up on the “wrong” side, on a muddy track that disappeared into water, so we did a U turn and headed back into town, deciding instead to wander down the main streets and check out all the local art. Quirky statues line the centre of the Main Street, made wide enough so that a bullock train could turn around. Most of the shops were shut even though it was a Saturday morning, due to the funeral of a local identity, which came past, led by a Mack truck carrying the coffin.

More quirky art!

While enjoying another relaxing spa that afternoon, we met Jenny, a chaplain with the Inland Mission, who has a work area bigger than the whole of Victoria. She travels with her caravan to wherever she is needed to offer solace and comfort to outback people far and wide. She’d been in Quilpie for the funeral we had seen. 

Returning to our van, we enjoyed drinks outside in the balmy late afternoon, then we cooked up a three course feast in our caravan and had a relaxing night in.

On Sunday morning we rose reasonably early, packed up and headed west out of town. The road sign to Windorah said to drive with caution, particularly around the road works, where a truck had become bogged in muddy conditions and closed the road a few days earlier! 

Cooper’s Creek

While there was a lot of water along the verges and a few “lakes” in the paddocks, there were not too many spots where water still covered the roads and we were very careful when driving through those. We crossed the flat, green landscape, with the occasional “jump up” marking the only rise towards the endless horizon. We passed a few caravans going the other way, but the road was reasonably quiet and we crossed the narrow bridge over the Cooper’s Creek and reached Windorah with plenty of time to park the van in the local caravan park and wander to the pub for lunch. In the afternoon we packed a few things to take with us as we continue west. Due to continued road closures and heavy conditions all around Birdsville, we decided to leave the van in Windorah and continue with the car, stay at the hotel for a couple of nights then come back to continue north. It seemed wiser to us, in the circumstances!

On Monday morning we were on the road again, but not before calling in to the Windorah visitors centre to deliver some mail on behalf of Jenny, the inland mission chaplain we’d met a few days earlier. We asked about the roads west and were relieved to be told that everywhere we wanted to go is open. The first 100+ kilometres is a flat, straight bitumen road, but once we reached the turnoff to Birdsville it became a mixture of bitumen and gravel stretches, where the “worst” bits - those low lying or cresting the sandhills - are sealed, and rest are gravel, with signs suggesting you “drive to the prevailing conditions”.

The view west from Deon’s lookout

This time we stopped for a cuppa at Deon’s lookout, another beautiful spot with views for miles, dedicated to a young Birdsville helicopter pilot who had been killed while mustering in the area.

Birdsville pub - we made it!

We arrived in town in time for a late picnic lunch in the park before checking into our accommodation, behind the Birdsville Hotel. Later on we walked to the very interesting Visitor Information Centre, then we took a walk around the town, visiting the old Inland Mission hospital, a reminder of how far we are from vital services in times of crisis. We enjoyed dinner in the pub, with most tables filled with tourists from far and wide who had flown, bussed or driven to this iconic location. We are told that tourist numbers are well down, and therefore many services including the bakery and coffee shop have not opened, due to road closures, event cancellations, and the ongoing fuel crisis. It is a great pity, as these towns rely so heavily on the tourist season to make the money to carry on during the hot, arid summers.

Pelican point, Diamantina River

After a great nights sleep we were ready to explore, starting at the Visitor Information Centre where a forty minute film explained all about Birdsville’s history, services and attractions. It was fascinating! Then we drove to see an outcrop of “Waddi” trees, only found in the Diamantina shire and famous for their hard wood and longevity. We drove along the edge of the Diamantina river to see huge flocks of pelicans and other water birds enjoying the vast waterways, before heading to the cemetery to read the headstones of many people famous for their part in establishing this rugged outback town.

Birdsville cemetery

We returned to the pub for lunch, watching many planes land at the neighbouring airport bringing tourist from all sorts of locations or those who had paid for the flight over Lake Eyre. We chatted with others who had come in by 4wd and made big detours due to floods, and others on a bus tour who are flying south rather than driving as the Birdsville Track is closed. Their bus driver has to make a huge detour and they will spend several days in Innamincka, on the other side of the floods, waiting for his arrival.

Birdsville racetrack - off season!

Later in the afternoon we boarded a 4WD bus for a tour, firstly around town and then out to the iconic sand dune, Big Red. We saw the tree that Burke and Wills marked on their ill fated expedition and the buildings and track for the Birdsville Races, held every September. Our driver also talked about the flooding of the Diamantina River in the last two years, cutting the town off for weeks at a time, and the artesian bore site that provides water for all the residents, and how most electricity is solar but there are back up diesel generators for non-sunny days - hopefully these will soon be replaced by batteries. As we drove through huge stations surrounding Birdsville - over 2 million square kilometres of land - he gave a running commentary about the Diamantina shire - all very interesting! 

Sunset at Big Red

We entered the Big Red surrounds via a detour as the usual road is under water, as is the site for the Big Red Bash, which has been cancelled this year due to the inundation. After engaging four wheel drive we commenced the slow, slippery drive upwards, through the sand, until we reached the top. Parking the vehicle there, we all emerged onto the sand, climbing up hills to see spectacular views and marvelling at the many deep tracks marking others’ travels up and down the hills. We enjoyed drinks and nibbles provided by the tour company, sitting back and taking in the view. 

Big Red

The sun set slowly and the sky blazed with pinks and then oranges, deepening to red as day turned into night. It was awesome. Returning to town and ready for dinner, we enjoyed a meal in the pub before returning to our room for an early night and a well earned rest.

We were woken at 7am on Wednesday to the sound of planes taking off from the airport next door, ferrying the stranded bus tourists across to the other side of the flooded Birdsville track and to Innamincka. 

Birdsville Track - closed!

The RFDS plane also flew in; for its clinic day in Birdsville. And, after breakfast, we were on our way back to join our caravan in Windorah. Before we left, we gazed in awe at the artesian bore, pumping water at a temperature of 98 degrees from over a kilometre underground, then stopped in at the local hardware shop, admiring their wide range of goods, before a final drive past the racetrack on our way out of town. It doesn’t look like much at this time of year but, in three months time, when the races are on, it will be buzzing with people and horses!

An early beer at Betoota pub

We had intended stopping in Betoota, checking out the pub and having an early lunch…unfortunately their food deliveries had been delayed and, as previous guests had eaten all their supplies, there was nothing to eat! Martin enjoyed an early beer before we continued on, making do with cheese and crackers and some fruit as our replacement “lunch”.  

We arrived back in Windorah in the middle of the afternoon, reunited with Vanooka Two and unpacked. Tonight is State of Origin two so we might wander down to the pub for a look, but we are planning on travelling north tomorrow so we won’t be having a late night. We’ve been on the road for two weeks now and loved every minute of it…More adventures await!!