Outback Visit - Part One

Tuesday 21st July

The journey - four friends, an I-30 Hyundai, 4 overnight bags, 4 small folding chairs, 1 small esky [arm rest back seat], 2 thermos's, 2 shopping baskets of plates, cutlery, table cloth, tea and coffee, maps and a list of things to do and see over 8 nights and 9 days.

It was an amazing, eye opening journey of big skies, vast plains and marvellous rivers plus, just so much more.

This posts is of the skies, plains and rivers.
I have tried to post photos of the terrain between each of the rivers. These are not of great quality as they were taken from a fast moving car, on most occasions. The terrain changed constantly but the view was always to the far, far distance. The green fields are growing wheat, lucerne, mung beans, chick peas etc. They were huge and had huge rectangular, earthen, irrigation storage dams. The scale of the farms was just mind boggling, especially as the opposite side of the road was often quite arid. The grasses beside the road were shimmering and beautiful. We rarely saw sheep and cattle, for the height of the grass. Mornings saw crystal clear skies. By mid morning, puffy, pure white clouds began to chase one another across the horizon. Watching them was as fascinating as watching the ever changing view across the plains.

This is winter in Oz. Temperatures for us ranged from 5C to 17C and 10C to 22C. The previous week some areas had dropped to -7C overnight. In summer, it is rarely below 30C and can hover around the 40C for days, with little relief over night.

Where we drove on our 2965 km journey. [ Click on the map to see it more clearly.]

Distances each day.

River 1 - Condamine, Warick, still suffering from mild, drought conditions.

River 2 - Macintyre River, Goondiwindi. Early morning with wonderful reflections and birdlife.

Irrigation channel beside the grain.

River 3 - Moonie River, Nindigully Pub

River 4 - Balonne River, St George. Dusk, sunset, early morning.

River 5 - at Bollon on the Wallam in Balonne. [shire]

River 6 - Warrego, Cunnmulla, mid morning.

River 6b  - Warrego at The Beach, Wyandra.

River 6 c - Warrego, Charleville.

No 7 - Sadliers Waterhole on Hamburg Creek, Morven.

River 8 - Mitchell at Mitchell, sunset, at the weir.

   

     

  Flowing in town.

No 8 - Bungill Creek, Roma, a tributary of the Condamine. This is a waterhole in the Bushland Park.

 Following a storm and grateful we weren't in its path, until arrival in Miles. Hail had fallen.                        

No 9 - Dogwood Creek, Miles, sunset.

River 10 - Dawson, Taroom, midmorning walk at Stony Creek Crossing.

  A short distance out of town, there were many, many lagoons - The Chain Lagoons.                                      

And back to the Condamine at Chinchilla.

In the early 1900's cactus almost wiped out agricultural industry. 

Bunya Mountains at the end of Day 8. Leanne is pointing to the far, far distances we have travelled. RHS - The plains travelled. 

Sunset colours and views from the Kingaroy Lookout. We are definitely back in coastal, hilly Queensland.

We were most certainly impressed with these rivers, whose long journey of approximately 4000 kms [I can't find a definite distance] to the Southern Ocean, has just begun.  The journey has been hampered by drought and trying to regulate irrigation supply along its full length. Our journey was through country that had received drought breaking falls of rain earlier this year, making the rivers look healthy. A friend of mine reports that it was a very different picture last year.

I would love to read your comment. 

Part 2, of roads, animals and picnics will hopefully follow soon.