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We filled up at Jervois Station and continued on the Plenty Highway. We however made a near fatal mistake as we were approaching a turnoff a caravan pulled in front of us. Luckily they saw us and let us pass, however their mate was someway down the road creating a dust cloud that basically made it impossible to overtake. As you got close you it was a complete whiteout, but I now realise the benefit of VHF radio. We had to back off away from there dust and just hang in there until we got to Tobermorey. By the side of the road there were two 20 year Holden Commodore wagons. We stopped thinking that it was probably our American mates again and we could do the towtruck routine. It was in fact two car loads of young Asian guys and girls. 3 girls were in one car and had got a flat and the others had stopped to help, two guys and a girl. They had successfully broken off the tyre wrench and burred all the wheel nuts. I had a crack but didn't get anywhere. The girls had been there overnight! What were they thinking? We decided we couldn't
really help,told them we had a mate with a towtruck and besides we had to get ahead of that caravan. we got to Tobermorey just in time for a bit of a roundup. The guys were whizzing around on their quad bikes (oblivious to the obvious safety hazard) separating cattle for transport to the feedlot for fattening up. They had a great campground with the sprinkler going non-stop. We had to leave to get away from the caravans. As we started to approach Boulia there seemed to be a lot of signs put up by the Boulia Shire Council and disappointingly a lot of the road was sealed. After about an hour of driving this morning Becs had murmered "Is there anything interesting on this road?". So you can imagine how my excitement when we passed the Boulia Shire Council sign informing us of a "Place of Interest in 500m". So we pulled in and there it was an epitaph to Kev Kerr (Wayne's older brother) who "knows bitumen" and had been responsible for sealing this road. A little further and we found a lookout which afforded a view of all the recently sealed sections and had a grader which
was used in the works. I couldn't wait to get to Boulia which is the main administrative centre for the Shire. But there was one more place of interest. A dedication to Eddie the mailman. Now Eddie was only 52 and he didn't want to die, but he's gone to make deliveries in that mail run in the sky. Actually he was heading from Bedourie to Boulia with a case of whiskey. He camped by the side of the road and while he was sleeping his pack horse wandered off. They found his body 6 weeks later surrounded by empty bottles (true story apparently- he should have done a things we learnt). Finally we reached Boulia and it was everything I'd wished for. There was a sign just outside town saying roadtrain drivers please dust wheels. Must take them ages. We found the camping ground which was excellent on the banks of the Burke River. We had a few XXXX in the pub and admired the Maroons paraphenalia all around the walls. These pubs either have a shrine to Arties Beetson or a shrine to Wally Lewis depending on the clientele. We had dinner at the pub (the camp had
too many insects and I'd had too many beers to cook. We had a chat to the English waitress on a 457 visa living it up in Boulia.
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