OMG what a night..... what is it about your brain that likes to keep you up at night while running through the most ridiculous scenarios. Last night - for your pleasure - a fire evacuation plan for should the caravan catch on fire.... in reality we would be lucky to get out with our pants on but at 2.00am I had a list in my head in order of the things we should aim to exit with. In the end I gave up and got up and spent 3 hours on the computer trying to make it all go away while playing a mindless Facebook game and catching up on blog posts. When I finally got back into bed at about 5.00am I was freezing cold and had to turn the electric blanket on full to try to thaw out sadly resulting in sleep but not waking up until 7.45am.
We did well then to be driving out the gate by 9.30am. I had hoped with over 300km to drive that we might be ready a little earlier - not a chance. There was a steady stream of people vacating this morning. I'm often curious to know where they are all headed but I'm sure some of us end up at the same places without even knowing.
It was another ugly bouncy trip today making driving and other things somewhat difficult... photography for example.......
But thankfully Shane did manage to snap a few shots along the way when he could. There were a few opportunities as we crossed the Great Dividing Range - the world's third longest land-based range at around 3,500kms. It is always so amazing to round a corner or come up over a ridge to be presented with gorgeous scenery like this.
And yes we're definitely back in the outback - with a mixture of soil colours but there is definitely plenty of that rich red outback soil to remind you where you are and plenty of termite hills as well.
The straight roads can definitely be fatigue prone - and while I applaud the efforts of whoever came up with this idea - I think probably a question every 30 minutes isn't helping. Perhaps they meant keep playing by yourself but if you were driving alone it probably wouldn't help much.
Passing through the little township of Jericho which was a quaint little place. If we had had more time and it had been a little cooler I would have liked to look around a bit more and unfortunately we won't be back through here before we head south but I loved the way the road curves around over the railway line to make you come through the town centre before curving back over the line on the way out. There were some interesting shots to be had there I'm sure.
The butcher shop however didn't look much chop..... sorry - couldn't help myself.
It was after 2.00pm when we pulled in to Barcaldine and decided to set up camp at the showgrounds. There wasn't much grass around the edge of the oval but having power and water for $27 for the night with access to toilets and showers was perfect for our overnight stay. After getting ourselves set up we decided to leave Kitty in the van while we sought out the Information Centre to pay for our site and see what there was in photographic opportunities around the town. At 34 degrees it was just a bit warm for Miss Kitty to sit in the car and she is quite happy lounging about the van in the air conditioning.
Houses up this way can take on all shapes and sizes and of course in these smaller towns you tend to find some absolute cracker "renovator's dreams".
Barcaldine is working on creating a sort of nature reserve that runs along the creek. We took a drive out along the dirt tracks and happened upon quite a bit of wildlife during our visit including Momma Emu and her 8 babies taking a stroll through the park.
Barcaldine itself is a really tidy pleasant little place with that old country charm in many of its buildings.
It is also home to the Tree of Knowledge - or at least was home to the Tree of Knowledge until some moron thought it was a good idea to water it with some roundup and kill it in 2006. The memorial to the tree and what remains of the tree is an absolute wonder in itself. The Tree of Knowledge was a 200 year old ghost gum located in front of the Barcaldine railway station under which the workers of the 1891 Shearer's Strike met. Difficulties in finding work and financial hardship helped to build a sense of mateship and mutual support amongst sections of the shearers and carriers. In 1887 the Central Queensland Carriers Union was formed, and discussions leading up to this are said to have been held under the gum tree which provided shade where carriers waited at the front of the railway station. An icon of the Labor Party and Trades Unions, it symbolises the foundation of the organised representation of labour in Queensland.
What remains now is in itself a work of art, essentially a giant wind chime made of hundreds of timber beams suspended from a huge frame. There was not much of a breeze this afternoon but I did hear a couple of beams come together and would love to be there when they were moving.
There is some wonderful history here including the giant windmill.
And this outstanding scrap metal sculpture made of wire from the old telegraph, shearing hand pieces and various tools and bits from stations around the Jericho area depicting a shearer pledging his allegiance in the fight for justice during the shearers strike.
There is music in the air as well as the chimes from the tree - there is also this huge xylophone about the size of a surf board (that I only got a photo of from the edge of something else) and a piano in the street that anyone can play as they go by.
As the sun was getting low we headed back to camp just in time to catch the sun disappearing behind the grandstand at the oval and highlighting some of the vans parked in the showgrounds.
353km
Total - 10,649 km
Top today 34°c - expecting overnight 9°c
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