We have never been this far north of Australia. The
inland city of Emerald lies on the Tropic of Capricorn, as does Rockhampton on
the coast. The city gets its name from the sapphire gemstones that are dug from
the ground in this area, much like opals around Lightning Ridge. During our Emerald
stay we drove out to Rubyvale to explore the gemstone fields, and we went down
a mine that had been dug with a jack-hammer by a guy called Jason. These are
people of resilience and determination, and obviously do not suffer from
claustrophobia.
We moved on further north to Charters Towers – yet
another town founded on mining from more than a hundred years ago, this time
gold. On the way we free-camped beside the highway overnight, that was thankfully
not too busy so as to give us a good night’s sleep. We shared the spot, and a
campfire, with a couple from Sydney who were also traveling north. We’ve met so
many of these like-minded people and it’s been a highlight of the trip.
Since leaving Sydney, we’d driven through scenery so
different to what we’re used to in Tasmania. Flat, sparse, hot and dry. “I love
a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains” is certainly most appropriate. The
occasional hill appears on the horizon, although the locals would probably call
them mountains. They strangely stick out of the landscape like goose bumps. Hawks
and eagles are regular sights in the sky, grandly soaring on thermals over
roadkill, ready for that roadside feast. At the roadside we see emu and
kangaroo, cows and buffalo, and the occasional fox will run across the road in
front of us. Each town has an interesting
aspect, while in between are straight roads flanked by the Australian bush.
Main street of Gulgong. |
However, after a few weeks of this fascinating landscape,
we are beginning to feel drawn to the east and the ocean. We’ve decided that
Townsville will be our next destination, instead of continuing north through the
Queensland outback. Daily temperatures are in the mid-30s, we haven’t seen rain
for months, and the sea is calling.
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