Blogs from Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 1323

June 25, Thursday. It was still cold this morning. I found the track a little better south of Bedourie. Must have negotiated at least a half a dozen wet spots and had to get out and walk each one. The process; taking off my boots and socks. If the ground was rough on my feet there was a good chance that it would be safe for the car. If it felt soft, I would keep a wide birth when traversing the area. Did a fair amount of filming and it took some time to do the 191 kilometres into Birdsville. Now, of all the pubs in Australia the Birdsville Pub is the most famous and I just had to make a visit. Oh yes, I needed a beer while I was there. My next decision is ... read more

June 23, Tuesday. Had a look around Cloncurry and a museum that had a few Burke & Will exhibits, which included Burkes water bottle and part of the tree, marked with roman numerals 121, indicating that Burkes expedition had passed this way. Had an interesting talk with the curator. It started to rain on my way out of town and decided not to take a dirt track into Mt Isa but followed the sealed road instead. I soon arrived at the intersection and turned toward the south. Overhead the clouds didn’t look good and I had been told further south they have had a lot of rain. The weather was cooler so jeans and a jacket were now being worn. After a 445-kilometre drive I arrived at Boulia and booked into the town’s caravan park. Bought ... read more

June 19, Friday. Left the Gregory River about 8:00 this morning. Heading west on another outback track. The first 50 kilometres were in excellent condition then the last 50 kilometres were rough and didn't think I was going to make the final 10 kilometres because it was only fit for 4-wheel drive vehicles. It took me until 10:30 to arrive at Lawn Hill National Park. With most of the day still available I booked into the campsite and found Gordon and Trish. They told me we were lucky to get a campsite. The ranger only allows 100 campers in the park. It can take more but the park suffers. The lush green grass that I pitched my tent on was soft like carpet. Very different to what I had experienced so far on this trip. Had ... read more

June 15, Monday. It’s 2:00 in the morning and I’m having trouble sleeping. Thinking about the great time I’m having travelling but also thinking about what to do when I get back to Melbourne. One of the main reasons for this trip is to clear my head of troubles and plan for the future in a relaxed frame of mind. I’m going through a lot of troubles with my ex-wife. We have recently separated and divorce will be number one on my list of things to do when I get back to Victoria. My two children have to be a major consideration as well. There are also a lot of debts to be worked off. It was a lazy morning. In the afternoon Trish and Gordon took me out to some saltpans, which was unreal. The ... read more

June 11, Thursday. Spent the night doing death rolls, just like a crocodile, couldn’t get comfortable, the towns power stations’ generator kept me awake. Dawn broke, got up, packed my swag and headed down to the station. The train stays overnight and heads back the next day. Did some filming on the way back to Normanton; the driver stopped the train just to show us points of interest. An abandoned gold mine and close by an old a Bower Birds’ nest. Climbed aboard the second carriage after the stop and made myself comfortable. Mostly lazed on the seats and slept. At Normanton I threw out the bacon and bread; gone mouldy. Went shopping for more supplies including petrol. Sent another six rolls of transparency’s home by mail. Back at the caravan park I put the tent ... read more