Theodore Junction

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With an ‘Extreme Fire Danger’ weather warning for the Darling Downs, we opted for an early start to avoid the heat and winds that strengthen as the day progresses. We were on the road by 6:35am. This wasn’t difficult as hoards of honey eaters noisily fed in the nearby flowering silky oak at the crack of dawn and heavy vehicles began thundering up the streets as the daily mining routines began.



Our next destination was Theodore Junction at the small town of Theodore. This free camp/community site is run by the local Lion’s club. A lovely grassed area with BBQs, picnic tables, shady trees and water access is an attractive site for many grey nomads as they pass through this area of Queensland. An amenities block with toilets and hot showers are provided for use for a gold coin donation placed in the honour box outside the building. At peak season there can be as many as 80 vans squeezed into the area.



This park is at the junction of the Dawson River and another large creek. Picturesque as it was when we were there, it regularly floods, with major floods approximately every 20 years. The great flood of 1956 was eclipsed in 2011. The most recent flood in 2011 saw the residents air lifted out of town as there was no other way to exit. It seems a town in decline with many empty shops and run down houses, but with regular flooding this is no surprise.



Mid-afternoon we walked into town for an ice-cream and cold drink. A collection of VW artefacts ranging from artworks to models to pepper and salt shakers on the tables were clues to the owner’s passion for these vehicles.



Greg enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the river as he dangled a line in the late afternoon. It really was a beautiful place, but the mossies must have been the biggest in Australia. Thankfully they didn’t seem to bother us much. Our Pat and Mairan’s (solar bug zappers so named after friends we met on our last trip who exposed us to their existence) worked overtime keeping all sorts of bugs under control.



Despite the hot day the night was cool and made for pleasant sleeping conditions. We were up early again, packed and ready to move on to our new destination of Rockhampton.

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