Away from the coast to try and sample a little of the outback on the other side of the Great Divide. Travelling the Peak Downs, Gregory and Warrego Highways, we left behind the sugar cane fields for more barren land. This is blokes' country; coal and gem mines, ranches, road trains, tumbleweed drifting across dead straight roads that disappear into an infinite sky with dusty open country for miles and red mountains in the distance.
We marvel at the school bus signs. From where to where?! It's some 300kms between towns that are barely there and there's only the odd farmhouse along the way, invisible from the road and marked only by the named and painted oil drums on posts that serve as mailboxes.
We saw emus, camels and black kangaroos. Tried to visit the Caernarvon Gorge but after having travelled for half an hour down its entrance road through creeks and over endless cattle grids, the tarmac gave way to stones and we decided it would be too much for our little hire car especially as the last creek we came to was flowing rapidly - time to turn back. There is no warning as you turn in, a pity.
Emerald and Roma are towns of little interest, although Roma had an old fashioned charm about it. The places are full of workmen from roads, quarries and mines. The motels were full everywhere so it was a good job we had booked although we'd had little to choose from. Emerald was the most expensive room we'd had this trip. Seems they can charge what they like as they will always have workers needing rooms.
Arrived in Toowoomba in the rain for our last night in Aussie motels to find a whole 'house' complete with our own garage and laundry! At least we won't be arriving at Nick and Cam's with all our dirty washing now!
Statement of the bleeding' obvious, this country is HUGE!
Emerald motel
We marvel at the school bus signs. From where to where?! It's some 300kms between towns that are barely there and there's only the odd farmhouse along the way, invisible from the road and marked only by the named and painted oil drums on posts that serve as mailboxes.
We saw emus, camels and black kangaroos. Tried to visit the Caernarvon Gorge but after having travelled for half an hour down its entrance road through creeks and over endless cattle grids, the tarmac gave way to stones and we decided it would be too much for our little hire car especially as the last creek we came to was flowing rapidly - time to turn back. There is no warning as you turn in, a pity.
Emerald and Roma are towns of little interest, although Roma had an old fashioned charm about it. The places are full of workmen from roads, quarries and mines. The motels were full everywhere so it was a good job we had booked although we'd had little to choose from. Emerald was the most expensive room we'd had this trip. Seems they can charge what they like as they will always have workers needing rooms.
Arrived in Toowoomba in the rain for our last night in Aussie motels to find a whole 'house' complete with our own garage and laundry! At least we won't be arriving at Nick and Cam's with all our dirty washing now!
Statement of the bleeding' obvious, this country is HUGE!
Gosh, you write so well.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving every episode of your travels and have only just realised I can plot your route on google maps too.So you've been travelling on the A3 according to google!
Do you remember 'Dirt Music', the book we both read, set in Australia?
Have you sampled any of the native meats?Stuart ate kangaroo steaks and Emu or Kiwi pate when he was out there years ago.
Long may you avoid the stingers and dunny spiders!!
Best wishes, Sally
Thanks for the flattery Sally. A3 doesn't sound quite as glamorous as the highway names!
DeleteCouldn't possibly eat kangaroo having stroked one but would have tried crocodile had we come across it! Haven't seen Emu on menu and perhaps we will sample kiwi in NZ, where we are now headed.
Where did Stuart go?