Injune to Miles (Carnarvon Great Walk Trip)

 

Friday 15 September 2023

The colours on the cliffs in morning light were beautiful.  It would be well worth coming back to do the Boolimba Bluff walk for sunrise in good weather – we have walked it first thing in the morning in the past but the sun did not appear that day due to cloud cover.

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/carnarvon-gorge/journeys/boolimba-bluff-walk

We stopped in Injune for a look around.  Henricks Park was a lovely little amphitheater and park area.  Scattered around town are the “Characters of Injune” which feature various locally relevant people both past and present. I also had a look at an historical train loco that had been involved in a rollover on the way to Samford many years ago.  We took the short walk around Injune Lagoon to give the legs a gentle stretch.

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/town/injune-visitor-information-centre/

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/attractions/characters-of-injune/

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/attractions/injune-lagoon-walk/

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g499667-d23629739-Reviews-Locomotive_824-Injune_Queensland.html

Then on to Roma, where we enjoyed wonderful free hot showers, followed by a picnic lunch in Loam Reserve.  This is a lovely spot close to town but peaceful , with plenty of trees and birds.  I wen to explore the famous “Ace Drapers” that I had heard about from many grey nomads. Every available space from floor to ceiling was full – amazing fabrics, odds and ends, craft supplies, linen, crockery, school uniforms, you name it! The Roma Saleyards were not auctioning today, however since we were last here they have added the Roma Saleyards Interpretative Centre, which was very good and packed with information.

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/town/roma/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Ace-Drapers-100057309945963/

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/tours/roma-saleyards-interpretive-centre-and-tour/

At Wallumbilla we stopped at the Wallumbilla Calico Cottage Complex (it had been closed on our way out) which has the old railway station, lots of craft and baking and an excellent book swap.

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/town/wallumbilla/

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/attractions/calico-cottage-heritage-complex/

The plan was to go on from here to Chinchilla, so that we could do a parkrun we had not done before. However, an accident on the Warrego Highway had the highway closed in both directions for over an hour and a half.  I spent some of this time collecting several bags of rubbish from beside the highway.  When the road reopened the traffic heading west was queued for more than three kilometres.  We pulled into Miles just on dusk and set up camp at the showgrounds.  I messaged Miles parkrun to see if I could do volunteer and there were happy to have me.

https://www.westerndownsqueensland.com.au/towns/miles/

https://wikicamps.com.au/site/Queensland/Campground/Miles+Showgrounds/8580

Exploring Roma

 26 June 2018 - Exploring Roma

Roma Saleyards were our first destination today.  The saleyards are owned by the Maranoa Council and they provide free tours for the public.  The guide (prime Geoff, as opposed to the leaner store Geoff) provided a lot of information about the beef industry and auction process.  Cattle are auctioned a pen at a time, and a price determined per kilogram live weight, generally $2-3/kg.  The cattle are then herded through the gated yards to be weighed and the final price determined.  Most cattle are bid on by agents on instruction and hence they are experts at judging weight by eye.  I was surprised to learn that it was possible to bid subject to certain beasts being removed from the lot.  We spent two hours at the saleyards and Hayden would have happily stayed much longer.

http://www.mymaranoa.org.au/business/saleyards

St Paul’s Anglican Church was out next stop – it was beautiful!  The ceiling was all wood and the walls built of locally made grey brick.  There is an impressive pipe organ, though unfortunately the church no longer has an organist to play it.  The church has fifty beautifully decorated windows, eleven leadlight (made of panels of tinted glass) and thirty-nine stained glass (painted glass joined with lead; these can have a lot more detail such as proper faces). 
https://www.churchesaustralia.org/list-of-churches/denominations/anglican/directory/2618-st-pauland%2339%3Bs-anglican-church

This afternoon we drove around the Hospital Hill Heritage Walk, which showed the first sites in Australia where an indication of oil and gas reserves were found.  In the evening we attended the Big Rig Oil and Gas Night Show – this was a short film, cleverly integrated with lighting of stage props: tents, campfires and rigs.
https://www.australias.guide/qld/attraction-tour/the-big-rig-night-show/