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Published: October 29th 2013
The final leg of our journey headed east from Longreach, through Barcaldine, Tambo and finally to Charleville.
We had met a couple at Barcaldine who were going to look after the park and suggested we pop in and see it, the Charleville Bush CP. They had been there August last year and described it as a green park with lots of wild life. It would have been that, but since then Charleville has received virtually no rain. So the grass is gone, and what hasn't gone yet is chewed down by the local grey kangaroos. Anyway, with really good amenities and a modest camping fee, we decided to stay. When we left on Tuesday, we were last out with the park closed until Easter 2014.
Barcaldine has a very special place in Australia's history, far greater than the townsfolk would ever have dreamed. Barcaldine is in the centre of a great merino sheep district, and it was in this town that a battle (mostly verbal) was fought out between the graziers and the sheep shearers union. The union wanted only their members employed in the sheds, plus standard wages etc. The graziers wanted individual agreements and employ anyone who
could stand up at 6.0am.
There are six central talking places in Barcaldine, 5 pubs (almost adjacent to each other, and a ghost gum that became known as 'The Tree of Knowledge.' The ideas for the final agreement that fiorged concepts for terms of employment for most Australians, we credited with being conceived under this ghost gum.
Sadly, a few years back, someone decided to poison the old gum tree, and despite a lot of attention, it died. Now, knowledge shouldn't be left to die, so the good folks of Barcaldine dug the tree out of the ground, had the tree and its roots preserved so it can remain as a sound structure, and replanted it in front of the railway station, on the main road as you drive through. No leaves but. So a design was settled on to give the tree shave and some rather heavy leaves.
We were going to overnight beside a dam at Tambo further east of Barcaldine, but here the local council bowed to the pressure from the local caravan park, and had closed the camp spot. So Tambo, a town that wanted to be RV Friendly, got the thumbs down
Sand goanna
Never get close to these guys, they run up the nearest pole which might be your leg.from us and no dollars spent.
There was another free camp about 50ks south and before Charleville, so there we stopped for the night.
Charleville is a tidy town with really good services and shops, and even fuel at reasonable prices. You will see photos of a family, mum, dad and three kids coming to play in the local park. They, typical of country folks had just wandered up the middle of the main highway and into town. Traffic just waited, country style for them to get off the road. Oh, I forgot to mention they were an Emu family.
Charleville is also a great place to come in the cooler months if you are into astronomy. As the humidity is low, and there is little light pollution, their Cosmos Centre is a great place to spend an evening. You do have to book in advance as there is a maximum number of guests each evening. We saw on Sunday night just how clear the sky is. Venus looked 'Like a diamond in the sky'. Absolutely brilliant.
Charleville has another interesting place in scientific history. There had been several years of severe drought in Charleville, so
a very well credentialed meteorologist came up with a way to make the passing cloud shower the town with water. He built 16 vortex guns intended to send shock waves into the clouds and thereby change the pressure in the clouds to release the rain. A good theory that didn't work. Still the display in town is great!
There is also a Bilby project based in Charleville and you can visit and see whet they have achieved pulling this cute animal back from the point of extinction.
We had a chuckle when we drove into the little town of Augathella. We had heard about the giant meat ants and wanted to see them for ourselves. They have a statue of one right in the middle of their town park. About 1000 times bigger than the ants you see across Australia. We wanted to know if the aboriginals had cooked them. Why else would they be called meat ants. Well, all was revealed on the sign board next to the ant on the pole. The local football team is known as 'The Meat Ants' and of course are sponsored by the local butcher. Good photo but!
Then there's
the butcher proudly promoting 'Country killed meat'. What did we find in his front garden - not meat ants but a small flock of sheep with an ominous change to their lifestyle about to fall.
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littlewing
Cindy
Beautiful Sunset
What an epic and oh so very aussie trip you have done. The sunset pic at the top seemed to say it all....From the red dirt to the goannas and the towns with those amazing old pubs and Jacarandas (I know, they're not native!)..a quintessentially aussie trip. Thanks!