From the desert to civilisation

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Hello everyone. So hard to get email/internet 'service' all the time. We spent the last 6 days at Copeton Dam (near Inverell NSW) - no service there. Very nice, picturesque, birds, wildlife, HUGE dam, no fish, very quiet, just gorgeous. All the towns since leaving Qld have been pretty 'ordinary' - Bourke, Walget, Colerenebri, Warialda - all seem to be very uncared-for and run down. We stayed in Moree for 2 nights ina van park and the first night was non-stop visits by cop cars looking for 5 kids who had robbed a shop nearby and ran through the park into the night... A guy who has been staying at the park for 2 months (working) told us his little cabin had been robbed twice already!!! We're now in Glen Innes for 2 days. Glen Innes (as the name would suggest) was first settled by Scotsmen and the town has its very own version of Stonehenge!! very interesting. This area is SO MUCH like the Atherton Tablelands - except colder!! ALL the houses have 2-3 chimneys. EG it's now only 8pm but it's already 7.7Deg

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Photos

All set for the Birdsville Races
Got our boots and cowboy hats and it's off to The Birdsville Races. Can you believe I ran into an ex-Innisfail-ite!!! - Tammy Duncan. Really just like the Innisfail Annuals. The cops RBTd EVERY car that left there. The Council does a great job managing the town with all the extra visitors

View from our camp at Copeton Dam
Copeton Dam near Inverell NSW - absolutely gorgeous. A chorus of birds start waking you up about 5.40am!!! Nearly had a beaut storm one night - we were only on the fringe of it. No fish and damned cold, but beautiful and very peaceful

Home-made fly hats
Until we could get to a shop an buy a proper one - we had to make do. I made the green ones from a table throw-over! Cut out a big circle, hemmed all around the edge, threaded hat elastic and tacked it onto my hat!! Mum would have appreciated the initiative!!! Had to make it slightly bigger at the front to accomodate the wine-glass when necessary!

Emus on the track
Somewhere between Birdsville & Innamincka. So vast and so empty.....

The view from "Big Red"
You can see forever, and ever, and ever more ........

Sturt's Desert Pea
Always wanted to see these 'in the flesh'. Very pretty. They grow very low to the ground or you van train them on a lattice

Old restored Cobb & Co coach
The guy who owns/runs the Birdsville Museum restored this beautiful old heritage coach. He's a character and the museum is a MUST on anybody's list of things to see before you die - FANTASTIC

Lookout near Glen Innes
So much like driving through the Atherton Tableland

Comments

[anonymous]

nice cowboy hats gaz u gotta wear boots mate u cant wear joggers out there. the dam looks nice hey.... and u seen backo and his family on the track hey wonder what they were doin out there? u 2 old fellas have gotta catch a fish hey and put the photo on here.

[debbie]

Love it!
The hat 'fly screens' are a hoot and an obvious solution - mum would be proud - and you had the ever handy 'mother bag' complete with needle and thread, bloody marvelous - I hope they all paid you for your forethought and dextrous work in extra rum rations! What's a 'redlaw' - I assume like a fresh water mini crayfish? Either way the BBQ sounded good when you got it! Are you subsistence eating or is the freezer full - mum would be so proud again! Am enjoying all the info - don't leave out any 'good' or comical bits though! lots of love xxxxxx etc.....................