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Tatts Hotel Winton
Advised to eat here by the local cop - he was right27 April 2011. Longreach Golf Club. Pattie won 2 up. After 5 rounds she's now 2 up. The golf course has "sand greens", which are actually oiled sand, and they have a rake to smooth the hopeful path of your putt. Course was flat as and not a lot of grass. Later we took a sunset helicopter flight over Longreach Flat as!
Next day we went through the School of the Air which has about 120 pupils schooled by parents on remote locations. After year 7 most go to boarding school. We bought 2 books for the library and put the grandchildren’s names and addresses in them Something may develop. Contacted Coromal about repairs. They could only suggest someone in Cairns or Darwin. One is 1,000km in the wrong direction and we won't be in the other for 3 months. Will see what we can do in Mt Isa.
Moved to Winton – dinosaur country. It was 180km west and we were only passed by 6 cars on the way. We are at the Matilda camping ground as the famous poem/song was written not far from here. There are 2 major dinosaur centers, one about 25km out of town and the
other 120km out. The first is scientific and the second is hard to accept, but its true. Some dinosaurs had an altercation on a river bank 50 million (yes – 50 million) years ago, and their footprints are preserved.
Tonight in the camp ground we had 2 “girls” doing a stand up poetry routine – fabulous.
Winton has 2 shops, 1 butcher, 4 pubs, 1 tourist centre, 2 small grocers, 1 fruit & veg and 2 camping grounds! Plus some people. Searles is a great shop. Bought by 4 brothers in 1946, 3 of them still going. Bought a travel bag, and nearly some jeans and a hat or two. As it was Will Windsor & Kate’s wedding went to the Tatts Hotel for dinner & TV.
Winton’s pies come in 2 sorts – plain & flavoured! Flavoured includes cheese, mushroom, etc etc. Bought 2 and went for a country drive. The suggest route had 2 swimming holes. The water was too thick to swim and too thin to plough!
On the way home, got flagged down by the local cop for a breath test!! He suggested Tatts for dinner, I reciprocated by suggesting the girls for a poetry evening.
Sunset Winton
Not the usual flat paddocks On May day traveled to Middleton for the night. Suggested by our mate Paddy. He has a lot to answer for!! Lester &Val run the pub and were with Paddy on his 2001 camel trek. Lester &Val used to have a ”small rough block” SW of Longreach – about 170,000 acres, and moved to Middleton in 2000. They have a daughter in London and their son flies helicopters, and Lester doesn’t wear boots.
To Boulia, 190km on. Got passed by 1 car on the way. This is the end of our trek inspired by the book “Nine Pillars of Cobb” which documents Paddy’s group reenactment of the first Cobb & Co run that used camels instead of horses.
PnD
2 May 2011
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Tony & Gill
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Welcome Don & Pattie - We are away in June
Dear Don & Patti, A very belated welcome back to OZ, you certainly seem to be having a wonderful journey thus far. We are off to Europe in June, I depart for Germany 23rd May, then to Paris & on to UK to meet Gill on the 1st of June. We return on the 23 rd June, if by any miracle you are in Perth before our return, let us know now, so we can leave keys for house & cars for you, alternatively, let us know your approximate ETA Perth. Also, please send dimensions of your caravan so we can allocate some appropriate place for when you do arrive in the Wild West. Love from Tony & Gill