Queensland Trip Day 24 - Sunday 13 August 2017 - Diamentina to Birdsville

DIAMANTINA

Dawn on Whistling Duck Creek was very beautiful.

Our plan was to travel on to Hunters Gorge and the Diamantina Lakes to Bedourie.

On the way to Hunters Gorge we saw a bustard by the road (another first for us)

Hunters Gorge

An effect of variations in water level.

 While watching pelicans on the other side of the water hole we saw this dingo taking quite an interest in a flock of pelicans near the bank. They sensed its presence and moved further out into the water.

The Diamantina Channels were mostly dry, leading on to the extensive flood plains of the Diamantina Lakes.

Our first real bulldust for this trip - good enough to back up and do a second run with Beth taking pictures.

Diamantina River was more substantial. As we came over the bank we saw (and stopped and talked to) a couple casting a line for fish there. (You can just see their heads on the right hand side of the road.)

More plains and dust on the edge of the channel country, but some outcrops and low hills developing towards Monkira Station. We were fascinated on the map to see that there was a Cobb and Co overnight stop off the track on Davenport Downs Station.

Graves in a small cemetery on Monkira Station included someone born in Port Pirie and a couple of deaths from typhoid fever.

BEDOURIE AND BIRDSVILLE

At Bedourie  we were interested to see one of the "Sculptures of the Dreamtime" that have been constructed in Bedourie, Birdsville and Beetoota.

 

On the way to Birdsville we visited the Carcoory ruins and the Waddi Trees (we know them as Desert Oaks).  What a pity that so many people have carved their names on the ruins.

Birdsville has hot bore water, a variety of buildings, corrugated iron sculptures and a wonderful caravan park down by their billabong. Everything seems set up to cope with the influx of people for the Birdsville Races. 

Queensland Trip Day 23 - Saturday 12 August 2017 - Mt Isa to Diamentina National Park

FAREWELL TO MT ISA

Our first visit to Mt Isa (2010) left us with an impression of the mines dominating the township.That impression hasn't really changed.

Our plan was to use some back roads to travel south rather than the main mostly sealed road.

The little township of "Duchess" and the physical feature "The Monument" were planned visits along the way. We saw two camels in a paddock on the outskirts of Mt Isa (Here is one of them.).

 Good sealed road at first soon gave way to the anticipated unsealed road.

DUCHESS

There wasn't a lot to Duchess - some bulky road maintenance equipment, a couple of derelict houses, some old railway infrastructure - but it did have the Thirsty Camel pub and an unexpectedly recent railway platform.

THE MONUMENT

We were expecting something quite isolated - which it would have been other than being chosen fairly recently for the site of a village supporting a large phosphate mine nearby.

 (OK - Beth commented on the shape. John was gratified at the thought.)

DAJARRA AND BOULIA

We were getting back into arid country.

Dajarra appeared to be a small town with great attitude, but we pushed on quite quickly to keep ahead of an exodus of mobile homes and caravans onto the road south.

Boulia was obviously a service centre for the shire. It capitalises on being the centre of "min-min" country.

We visited the "Min Min Encounter" information centre where we finished up helping the attendant there to find "The Min-Min" by Mavis Thorpe Clarke on Amazon.

In front of the Min-Min centre was one of the Cobb and Co markers for the coach service from Winton, over 300 kms away. We are continually amazed at the extent of the network.

DIAMENTINA

It was still quite early in the afternoon so we decided to push on into the Diamentina channel country although this was a day ahead of our schedule. We were now in flat, arid country of cattle, mirages and gates.

The Elizabeth Springs Conservation Park had an old tank and trough as well as some mound springs.

It was now getting quite late in the afternoon and we decided to camp on Whistling Duck Creek. Sites were spread along the creek and separated from each other by trees and low scrub - very pleasant (in a bushy sort of way).