Rockhampton, QLD

Well, where to start?  After initially planning to stay at Mt Bundy Station for one week, we finally packed up and left on 23 August after seven weeks!  What can I say? We liked it there!!  We only left because it got very hot and humid very quickly so it was time for us to head south.  We traveled to Rockhampton via a return visit to Daly Waters Pub which was great again even though the number one act, Chili, wasn’t there.  We had an overnight stop at Barkly Homestead and then on to Mount Isa for a couple of days (we posted photos earlier).  From Mount Isa on to Longreach via an overnight stop in Julia Creek.  Longreach was fabulous particularly the QANTAS Founders Museum and the Stockman’s Hall of Fame (again we posted photos earlier).  The landscape from that part of the journey was extremely dry and dusty – not one flowing creek or river and the few cattle that we saw were very scrawny.

Stopped at Barcaldine on our way to an overnight stop in Emerald.  Barcaldine is the home of the Tree of Knowledge and the birthplace of the ALP – lots of interesting history in this part of the world.  Emerald is not too far from Rubyvale and Sapphire – any idea what they mine out there??  I resisted the temptation to shop, shop, shop or should I just say that Michael refused to stop, stop, stop!!!  The landscape changed after leaving Longreach – more water around and a bit more vegetation, we crossed the Great Dividing Range and saw our first clouds in I don’t know how long.

We arrived in Rockhampton on Wednesday 4/9 and have had a good look around – it’s a really nice town  We’re off to a Rodeo tonight at the Great Western Hotel – the arena is entirely under cover, should be fun!!  We’re here til Sunday then we move to the coast at Yeppoon where we are booked into a caravan park right on the beach and we have a beach front site.  We’ll be sure to post some photos of our view whilst we’re enjoying temperatures in the mid 20’s and sun and surf and a glass or two of wine!!

Couple of photos below of the rodeo we went to at the Great Western Hotel (used to be owned by Lee Kernighan we’re told).  Too dark to take and real action shots unfortunately.

The other photos (being a bit presumptuous here), could be recorded as the day the Labor Party lost the election . . . . ., well maybe . . . .  we’ll see tomorrow morning . . . .