After two hot days at Dubbo, mostly spent at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, we headed south towards Melbourne. When we say hot days, 41.5c at 4.oopm both days. Bright skies. However, as we drove south we noticed that the sky was changing in colour, but we were uncertain if it was rain cloud or smoke haze from the Victorian bush fires. Our first stop south of Dubbo was at the Parks Radio Telescope. This is located just a few kilometres off the Newell highway with easy access. I knew these were big dishes, but its not until you get up close and personal that the impact of the size hits. The 300 tonne dish is 64 meters in diameter, the total mass above ground level is 1,000 tonnes. For some reason I thought that this ... read more

The planning for this trip really started in earnest while we in Western Australia and the Northern territory late last year. Our crossing by ferry from Melbourne to Devonport and back were typical of our diluted Scottish heritage; chosen at the lowest rates. The plan is to cross south on the evening of Feb 18th and return north at the end of March. Marg has done a fantastic job of sussing out economical camping grounds (read that as free) as well as strategic places to stop such as Cradle Mountain. Additionally, Marg has compiled a mighty list of things to see and do. Tassie may be small compared with the other Australian States, but seems to have a lot going for it. I've had the easy bit - paying the bills, servicing the vehicle (new tyres, ... read more

It seems that 2013 and our circumnavigation of Australia have flown by so fast, it is hard to get ones mind around the great adventure. But, in a way, visiting Noosa for our last destination for a week of R&R (as well as cleaning the MH inside and out), was just what we needed. We left the outback of The Darling Downs and, taking a twisted route went to Kingaroy to collect a supply of their famous peanuts, camped at a couple of free camps and then headed to Noosa. Along the way we saw truck load after truck load of hay being shipped out west. The farms there are so dry, cattle in some places appeared very thirsty and hungry. We knew that David and Mary had booked into the Noosa Caravan Park for 5 ... read more

The homeward leg of our journey continued across the wide open spaces of outback Qld from Charleville, to Mitchell, through Roma and on to Miles. We had considered going up to Carnarvon Gorge from Roma, but will leave that for another day when the temperatures are a little lower. Mitchell is probably best known for their mineral hot springs, but on a hot day that didn't appeal, but the free camp at Neil Turner Weir with cool breezes off the water did appeal, so we camped there for the night. Actually, we had to move from our original spot beside the dam when a thunder storm brought us back to reality. Initially it was all noise and wind, but the rain started to fall and that sounded alarms. In many of these areas the soil becomes ... read more

Have you ever been recommended to go to a show or museum and really wondered if you would get anything out of it? I was a bit like that with the Stockman's Hall of Fame at Longreach. Not of farming stock, (although my Dad told me of some relatives that migrated to Canada who were cattle rustlers,) I had limited rural exposure. On the other hand, Marg had cousins just out of town on a dairy farm, and spent many hours in the rural environment. So what do you get to see at this museum? Most of the year there are live shows around the outback way of life. The show the day we were there was built around breaking in new horses. A bit of comedy, some good music, dogs rounding up sheep, a bit ... read more

You would almost think there was inter-community rivalry on the Matilda Highway as to who got what when. Cloncurry, Winton and Longreach, for example, are the home of QANTAS so it seems. There appears to be less competition for the ownership of the song Waltzing Matilda, well, the words specifically. The tune? Well there are several explanations as to the music and its origin. Central to Winton's commercial life is the Matilda Centre. We were not sure what to expect, but it sure engaged us for more than half a day. The Matilda Centre, while giving the story of Australia's alternate anthem, also houses a very diverse museum from the district. The lesson for the day for us was the expression 'Waltzing Matilda'. Did you think it was a dance with Matilda? Well, it was kind ... read more