Outback Queensland

What a contrast - leaving the beaches and crowds of Maroochydore for the desert and isolation of the Queensland outback, going from where every inch of real estate is at a premium to where land is abundant and of little value. Debate is fierce about the worth of seeing the outback. You’re either bored by the mundane and flat sparseness of the barren landscape and the complete lack of hills and forests, or fascinated by the different flora, fauna, people and way of life. Maybe if you lived out here you would not care for this scenery, but coming from the rolling greens hills of Tasmania, we found it fascinating.

Heading west away from the coast, we travelled through Kilcoy, Dalby, to Miles for an overnighter. Then on to Roma, and it was last year that we went through Roma from south to north, but this day it was east to west. Then through Muckadilla and Morven to Charleville to stay for a few days. Caravan parks out here all have a certain minimum standard – little shade, no grass and plenty of dust. Charleville had the Cosmos Centre, where you can learn about the stars in the beautifully dark outback night skies. I attended an evening session, and after being seated in a large shed on the outskirts of town, a magic button was pressed that separated the shed into two halves and the night sky was dramatically revealed as the roof overhead opened up. This night wasn’t a great night because of the near-full moon, but the telescopes still provided an incredible view of star clusters like Omega Centauri, and the Galilean moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and the craters of the moon. For me, it was a fantastic time. While in Charleville, I also visited the studios of Indigenous community station 4RR and was interviewed on-air.

With Rob from 4RR FM, Charleville community radio.

Pushing northwards through Augathella, Tambo, Blackall, and Barcaldine that had The Tree of Knowledge, beneath which a group of shearers met in 1891 to strike and supposedly formed the beginnings of the Australian Labour Party. Then on to Longreach. Even before arriving at the outskirts of Longreach, the Qantas Museum announced itself by the sight of the gigantic tail fin of a real Boeing 747 parked in the grounds of the Longreach Airport. Its distinctive red colour adorned with the stylised flying kangaroo can be seen for vast distances, not only because of the surrounding land is so flat but also because of its height. It really is the tallest structure in the Longreach region. Walking beneath the huge jet was simply awesome, and we learned about each of the exterior instruments before touring the interior, including the flight deck. Next to it was a Boeing 707, an older vintage but nonetheless interesting. Now decommissioned, these planes will never fly again, and they gave us a thrilling time. Inside the museum were more exhibits from the history of Qantas, which started in Longreach just after the First World War, and interestingly one of its founders, Sir Hudson Fysh, was born at St Leonards in Launceston.

The Qantas Museum, Longreach.

Longreach also has the Stockman’s Hall of Fame that we did not get to see, but the caravan park had a restaurant with its own resident stockman-storyteller- singer, with his own gorgeous sheep-dog Henry and massive bull Ollie. He even let me join him on-stage for a song or two. By an amazing coincidence, we have met up with Launceston friends Murray and Estelle, who are also venturing up this way in their caravan. We will meet up with them later in Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Anne saying "hello" to Henry the stock dog, Longreach.

Sunshine Coast, Queensland

It’s been a while since I last posted. Blame a lazy ten days on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland while catching up with some mates from home.

When we crossed the border into Queensland, the landscape changed almost immediately. Forests became more dense, its foliage greener with broader leaves, and palm trees appeared. Everything became more colourful, such as birds and butterflies. In the towns, supermarket carparks provided awnings for shade, and houses were built on stilts. We drove through Toowoomba, the 2nd largest Queensland city after Brisbane, and 2nd largest inland Australian city after Canberra. We stayed a couple of days at the charming little town of Esk, population about half that of Tenterfield at two thousand people. Nearby were lakes Somerset and Wivenhoe that were created by dams to provide flood mitigation and water to Brisbane and surrounds, but had also created beautiful views and picnic areas. Picturesque was the adequate description. Then onto the multitudes of Maroochydore.

Lake Somerset, near Esk.

It was our first time on the Sunshine Coast, and we came away after ten days with a good insight into this burgeoning place. Not as “highrise” as the Gold Coast, but it won’t be long before it is. Dozens of cranes hovered over new buildings, and some of the structures had huge footprints. The thousands of businesses sold either accommodation, clothes, alcohol or food – and real estate. The beaches were certainly spectacular, as were the sunsets, so you could look out to sea while sipping your latte or wine before retiring to your million dollar apartment or cabin cruiser parked in the marina.

Sunset over Maroochydore.

Our caravan park (Cotton Tree at Maroochydore) had a large Tasmanian contingent, and three of them just happened to be our close mates from home, so a splendid time was guaranteed for all. We also caught up with Brisbane friends we met last year on the European cruise, and also a former workmate of Anne’s. Our park was packed, as were all the caravan parks up and down the coast. Some were there for the long haul – three months at a time, paying $50 a night. We’d heard about the winter mass exodus of southerners to these parts – it was quite extraordinary.

Our restaurant in the forest for our anniversary.

You don’t come here to get away from crowds. As well as people, there were lots of bikeways, shopping malls, parklands and multi-lane motorways. Surf clubs provided meals and poker machines while monitoring the beaches. Man-made canals brought private boats to the back door of some luxurious homes. We all went to a fabulous restaurant in the middle of the forest by a lake for our 39th wedding anniversary. We went to the famous Eumundi market, arriving early to beat the rush, and the carpark was already near-full. Many times larger than Hobart’s Salamanca market, thousands flock to this shopping treasure-trove twice a week. It was an eye-opener for us, as was the entire Sunshine Coast.

Tenterfield, N.S.W

 The journey continued ever northwards, after returning to Rylstone to pick up the caravan. The decision to travel the hilly New England Highway instead of the much flatter Newell Highway was a good one, as the Bylong Valley’s majestic rusty-red cliffs towered above us. The Pajero hauled the caravan up some steep hills while we were in awe of the views. Rocky outcrops poked through some dense forests to reveal the underlying geology of the Goulburn River National Park. It was a long day’s drive through Muswellbrook, Scone and Tamworth before pulling up at the little town of Bendemeer for the night. The caravan park represented the town – small, simple and rural – but the meal at the pub was superb. An easier shorter day followed, as we reached the charming little city of Tenterfield for a two night stay in Barnaby Joyce territory.

This fascinating place demanded a day-long stopover to explore the tantalising story of a famous local resident immortalised in a very famous song. Everyone knows Peter Allen’s song “Tenterfield Saddler”, released in 1972, that tells the story of three generations of his family over three verses. The first verse was about Peter’s grandfather George Woolnough, after whom the title refers. We learned that the words in the first verse are indeed very true. George’s saddlery building is still there in High Street, and he ran his business, and sat on his verandah, for 52 years before retiring in 1960. As the song says  – “The late George Woolnough, worked in High Street – for 52 years, he sat on his verandah”. It remains open for anyone to walk through its three small rooms, filled with old leathering tools and sewing machines.

"For 52 years he sat on his verandah" - this verandah.

The second line mentions how George “lived on manners”, which I took to mean that he was a polite gentlemen. What it actually means is that while his shop was on High Street, he lived in his house on Manners Street, which was also where our caravan park was located. So George just lived down the road from where we stayed. In the middle of town is the library, and indeed it does have a new wing that was recently built and named as the George Woolnough Wing. As the song says - “He lived without sin, they’re building a library to him”.

The "George Woolnough Wing" of the  Tenterfield library.

I met an old fella in the town called Wayne, who was in his 70s and a bikie, and he went to school with Peter Allen and knew old George. He told me that the Tenterfield Saddler really was a thorough gentleman, always giving his time to have a yarn and help you out. Wayne felt let down by Peter’s song, saying that it just cashed in on George’s story for Peter’s financial gain. That may be true but that song has brought world-wide attention to this small Aussie rural town. By the way, the town will be holding a "Peter Allen Festival" in a few weeks.

I finished this journey by seeking, and finding, George’s final resting place at the Tenterfield cemetery, buried next to his wife. He died in 1963, only three years after retiring. He would never get to hear the music of his famous grandson.

Sydney, N.S.W.

As we headed north to the Sunshine Coast, the temptation to visit old friends was too great, even though we had only visited them a year before. The itinerary repeated itself from our previous journey northbound with a stay in Rylstone with James and Joanne, and a cruise on the Hawkesbury River with Mike and Denise.

We explored more of the Rylstone area that we hadn’t done last year, including a couple of wineries and the township of Mudgee. The fabulous Pioneer Museum at Gulgong was a huge place, covering an entire block. Room after room of clothes, kitchen appliances, and household items like radios, televisions, cameras and telephones, while outside were tractors, horse-drawn carriages and steam engines, all from bygone eras. It took us three hours to see it all, as we were transported back in time.

There was also a tour underground of the magnificent Jenolan Caves. Although a massive system of many kilometers of tunnels and caverns, the one small section that we visited was astounding. A world within a world.

The possibility of another cruise on the Hawkesbury was a luring temptation as we left the van at Rylstone and ventured into Sydney to see Mike and Denise. It’s a great lifestyle living on the water – quiet and peaceful amid beautiful scenery – all conducive to relaxation, conversation, and old friends catching up. The boat was moored at a marina within the Ku-ring-ai Chase National Park, which is north of the city, and is surrounded by hills covered in dense forest that obscures any view of the large metropolis beyond. We could just hear the gentle hum of the city in the still night air. There’s a John Williamson song that encapsulates these few days perfectly – “Hawkesbury River lovin’, good Aussie wine. Working hard at being lazy, no bait on the line”. Just a beautiful few days,