21 June - Stampeding Dinosaurs!!! Run!!

21 June 2016 – 174 997    

Stampeding Dinosaurs!!! Run!!

Alarm to wake us at 6am.  Heading to Lark Quarry Conservation Park this morning – 110km from Winton, half bitumen and half dirt; unfortunately the bitumen half was having roadwork done on the low points during the “dry” season when the recent rains came through, the road was open only to 4WD as the high clearance was needed to get through the detours on the road work sections. 

The location was beautiful with a great mix of soil colours with red mesa rising from the surrounding floodplains.  The track way shows footprints of one theropod (horse sized meat eater) and many many coelurosaurs (chicken sized meat eaters) and ornithopods (emu sized plant eaters) who apparently stampeded away from the approaching predator. This site is the only evidence in the world of a dinosaur stampede, with more than 3000 footprints – it is pretty amazing to look at this where it actually happened! 
http://www.dinosaurtrackways.com.au/

 

 We also did a short walk around the surrounding countryside and looked up close at the spinifex – I had been looking at these beautiful green soft looking mounds as we drove out from Winton – up close these are actually quite spiny and anything but soft, despite their appearance.  I tackled the drive back to Winton – this was my first experience of this type of driving; quite corrugated in some spots and very soft mud in others – our Prado has had its mud Christening. 

Mesa

Spinifex Mounds

After lunch, we had a walk around the town centre of Winton before heading out to the Musical Fence.  This is a tuned fence that can be played as a stringed musical instrument; there are also a number of “drum sets” made of a great variety of items, mainly metal, but some plastic. Hayden had a lot of fun making a lot of noise!! http://www.experiencewinton.com.au/places-to-see/-/asset_publisher/123iOYcLufeV/content/musical-fence

Unfortunately the Age of Dinosaurs Museum was still cut off due to the recent rain – maybe tomorrow??

Day 4 20/06/2016. Keep rolling.

After a slow and very cold start to the day we packed up and headed west. We did very little apart from drive from Emerald to Winton, via Longreach. Winton being our first planned stop for the trip. Along the way Hayden did some more maths work, and listened to a few books. Tracy decided that sleeping was better than driving so I did the lion’s share of driving today. Today was cold, with the cars thermometer only reaching 19 degrees Celsius. Beside the road was holding a fair bit of water, however the floodways were dry by the time we got to them. Hayden also saw his first red bitumen road. The road from Emerald to Longreach was always up it seemed, and the country opened up as the day progressed. Camped at the North Gregory Hotel. Tomorrows plans, ‘Dinosaurs’.

Dad

Day 3: 19/06/2016. It raining, its pouring. Happy Birthday Tracy.

We had already decided to postpone Tracy’s Birthday, but happy Birthday Tracy anyway. Well at least she got to sleep in. As forecast at 3am the first drops of rain started to fall, and by 5am the heavens had opened. The storm is weak for a Sunshine Coast family, however some of the other park quests from interstate didn’t think so. The van isn’t 100% water proof we found, however a well-placed piece or 2 of gaffer tape should fix our issues. We made the decision to stay 24 hours longer in Emerald, as from Monday on it is predicted to be sunny and fine. Tracy and I took the opportunity to reorganise the van and car a little, as we don’t have things bedded down quite right yet. So poor Hayden settled in for his first day of school for Semester 2, 2016. Well sort of, he did a marathon run at “English for a purpose”! He also completed some math tasks. The rain stopped around 10:30am, however showers came and went over the next 4 hours. When the rain stopped Hayden managed to have some fun feeding the lorikeets in the van park, and he and I played handball for 30 minutes. Just to be a pain we had a 15 minutes’ rain storm at around 6pm.

Dad

20 June - On the road again...

20 June 2016 – 174 388

On the road again…

This morning we did a slow pack up, everything still being very wet, including our washing from yesterday as it rained again during the night, although nothing like the day before.  We set off for Longreach, I drove for a few hours and when we swapped I fell sound asleep in the passenger seat for 1 ½ hours!! Drew drove the remainder of the day. We took regular breaks and got into Longreach mid afternoon – we headed to the Tourist Information Centre to find out whether the places we wished to go in Winton would be accessible or whether roads were cut – conclusion one open and one closed; so we decided to go onto Winton.  Lots of water beside the road and a little across the road between Longreach and Winton, I suspect early in the day this would have been much more.  We are staying at the North Gregory Hotel van parking area, $10 a night for the family, including access to toilet and showers.  It is quite a nice little area out behind the pub.
http://www.northgregoryhotel.com/

Mum

Day 2: 18/06/2016. Run, run, and drive, drive, drive.

The day started at 5am with our alarm waking us, and a super quick and quiet pack up in the dark. We had a quick drive in the dawn light through the morning fog to a sleepy Maryborough. After a quick feed and warmup, we all ran and completed the Maryborough Parkrun. It was a pretty run around the lake in Anzac park. The run was hillier and more unstable under foot than we are used to however the scenery made up for that. We all ran fairly well, and Tracy managed to run her 50^th Parkrun. We do not believe we will see a Parkrun until we arrive in Darwin in a few months’ time. Thanks Maryborough for letting us run with you this weekend. After a quick sink shower, we settled into the normal driver rotation and completed an uneventful drive to Emerald. We made a late decision to pay for a powered camp spot in town, as a large storm was predicted for Sunday, and the camp ground offered a sanctuary if required. We finished a basic setup by 5:30pm, and settled in for the night. I woke later in the night to high strength winds, so I completed a bit of tying down of the campervan. Day 2 completed.
Dad

Day 1: 17/06/2016. We are on our way!

It has been 15 months since we started physical preparation for our trip by starting to go through every item we owned, deciding if we sell, store or take the item with us. Even though we thought we started early, we ended up ready only 30 minutes prior to our set off deadline! Thus on a beautiful June day on the Sunshine Coast we picked up Hayden from his last day of school for the Semester at 3:20pm and headed north on our great adventure. We arrived at the free camp site in Tairo around 5pm, and completed a minimum setup for the night. The site was nice enough, and popular. Day 1 completed.
Dad

19 June - Happy Birthday Me!

19 June 2016 – 174 386

Happy Birthday Me!

Lots of rain during the night, a few minor leaks in the van and massive puddles in the caravan park – the rain is really really cold!  We all slept in this morning, with Hayden not stirring until about 6:30.  Mum phoned about 7am for my birthday and then we all had a snuggle in bed as outside was pouring and pouring with rain – but thankfully no cats or dogs.  I am planning to postpone my birthday to a better day.  We did a bit of rearranging and then Hayden and I went to Emerald Baptist Church – very small and quite different to what we are used to.  Back to the van, Hayden is having a school work day since it is raining.  I met up with Jane (from bookclub - who moved to Emerald 3 years ago to be with her partner) for a birthday lunch; a delicious potato gnocchi with cheese sauce followed by a chocolate brownie.  The afternoon eased to showers so a round of washing, followed by a rearrangement of the car and van – I am sure we will do this many, many times.  Hayden spent some of the afternoon feeding lorikeets and some playing a cross between AFL and Rugby League with three other boys.  There are all sorts of setups here, ranging from a converted semi trailer with a trailer behind it big enough to hold the family van (and probably a bit more as well), down to a tent trailer that can be towed by a motorbike with the gas stove and fridge in the side car!

Mum

18 June - Long Drive

18 June 2016 – 173 722

Long Drive

The alarm got us up at 5am, quickly changed into our running clothes and quiet pack down in the dark, away at 5:50.  We headed to Maryborough parkrun to complete my 50^th parkrun.  It is a lovely course along the lagoon and in a large park, but constantly up and down – quite different to the pancake flat course I am accustomed to.  http://www.parkrun.com.au/maryborough/

From here we drove, and drove and drove; heading north almost to Rockhampton before turning inland; stopping for the night at Emerald Cabin and Caravan Park.  We opted for a powered site as heavy rain was expected and the solar may not have got enough sun. http://www.emeraldcabinandcaravanvillage.com.au/

Cooked up a delicious garlic ginger chicken and vegetable stir fry for dinner.  All exhausted from our long drive – so off to bed.

Mum

17 June 2016 - And Away We Go!!

17 June 2016 – 173 588

And Away We Go!!

Everything loaded up and collected Hayden from school. We set off on our big adventure straight from the carpark at Suncoast Christian College, leaving about 3:20pm.  I got to have the first drive, driving to Tiaro.  We spent the night at a free camp behind the hotel which was good, but a little noisy from the trucks going through town.  We did a basic set up, reheated dinner and cooked breakfast ready for an early departure in the morning.  All in bed by 8pm.

Mum

The vehicle and the van

Bollon and St George (Natural Sciences Loop)

Friday 8 April 2017 – 168 ??? - 35°C

The campsite was very pretty as well as peaceful.  There is a nice breeze that keeps the fly numbers down.  We had a sponge bath again today, we definitely need to find a shower or pool today! After packing up, we went for a walk along Walam Creek where we had camped.  It is very pretty and there were hundreds of small birds flitting around in the early morning light.  We drove to Bollon, a small friendly town.

Next stop, St George.  We filled up on fuel and paid to use the showers at the caravan park.  We all feel and smell so much better!! We found ourselves a country café and had great hamburgers for lunch. 

We then visited the library to check our emails and Hayden got to read a book.  We drove to Dalby Tourist Park and set up for the night here once again.

Saturday 9 April – 168 756 – 169 114

Last night was a much cooler night, I even needed my sleeping bag.  We all enjoyed a sleep in and were packed down and away by 10am.  We headed for Jandowae to see the Dingo Fence, but, it turned out to be 110km further away along dirt roads and 4WD tracks, so we decided against this. We drove back to the coast via Bell and Kaimkillenbun, where we stopped for lunch.  We drove through areas of cotton and then grain, before arriving home to give everything a clean.

Total Distance 2767km

Eulo and Cunnamulla (Natural Sciences Loop)

Thursday 7 April 2017 – 168 070 - 37°C

We all slept in until 6:30am.  The stars in the middle of the night were truly amazing! I spent some time photographing along the Paroo River. After a cooked breakfast, we packed up and headed off about 10am.

Stop 1 – Eulo Mud Springs.  These were the original release valves for the Great Artesian Basin pressure prior to bores.  There were three of these, each 3 to 3.5m high and 7 to 10m round.  When Hayden jumped on the top you could see the top moving and Drew and I could feel it through our feet.

  Then Drew jumped on it!  It jiggled like jelly!  The mud itself rubs into the skin, and doesn’t feel “grubby”.  Hayden poked a stick into the surface and found a fissure below the surface which opened into a large underground hole – presumably this is where the mud would flow to the surface.

https://www.outbackqueensland.com.au/attractions/mud-springs/

Stop 2 – Eulo Megafauna.  We stopped to see the megafauna statue in Eulo.  This area is where the majority of megafauna fossils are found.

Stop 3 – Cunnamulla. We topped up on bread and salad ingredients, and checked our emails at the Cunnamulla Fella Visitor Centre. The Artesian Time Tunnel had an excellent video on the Artesian Basin.  The actual display however was disappointing, I felt more pictorial information would have been helpful. 

www.paroo.qld.gov.au/artesian-time-tunnel

The Cunnamulla Fella centre also had a quite good museum with the items well labelled and set out logically. They also had two large detailed models; one of a shearing shed and pens, and the other of stockmen’s’ quarter.

https://www.paroo.info/Information/CunnamullaFellaCentre.aspx

Stop 4 – Cunnamulla Sand Dunes. There is a large sand dune directly behind the town, and in complete contrast to the surrounding

countryside.  We had not seen any other sand since leaving the coast.
https://www.paroo.info/Attractions/Cunnamulla-Sandhills-Walking-Tracks.aspx

We decided to drive on to Bollon.  We should have got fuel in Cunnamulla as we took the gauge down to touching the “E”.  We put in 50L to get us through to St George in the morning.  We have camped at the Yumbai Creek Donation Camp Area – it looks pretty but we didn’t see much before it got dark.

www.balonne.qld.gov.au/camping

Eromanga Natural History Museum and Thargomindah (Natural Sciences Loop)

Wednesday 6 April  2016 167 548 - 40°C

This morning we were up and away as quickly as possible, heading to Eromanga.  This is a small town with a mini oil refinery.  There is a Living History Museum, which had a great video with lit accompanying displays for each section of industry in the town and area – dinosaurs, oil and gas, opals and sheep, as well as the school and CWA.  

We then went to the Eromanga Natural History Museum, which has been open three weeks and is fantastic!  I think this has the potential, and the director has the passion, for this to become a major regional attraction despite its remote location.  The museum has been established to Queensland Museum standards; and yet we could see and touch real dinosaur bones! “Cooper” is the most complete skeleton, and is 4 to 6m tall and 30m long.  The staff are also working on “George” who may be a larger version of “Cooper”. Cooper is a new species and genus and is the largest species of dinosaur found in Australia to date.  The first piece was found by the then fourteen-year-old son of the museum curator, and taken to Queensland Museum for examination because it “looked interesting”.  We got to see a video of how they prepare the bones in the field with plaster casts and then got to see them working on the rock/bones in the laboratory. www.enhm.com.au/

Dinosaur big toe

Plaster covered fossils yet to be worked on

Removing the rock from around the bone

Bone encased in rock

Next, we drove through some very dry countryside where the road appeared to go forever. I hit a small bird with the windscreen and twice Drew had to brake to avoid hitting emus crossing the road.  In all our travel today, we saw six cars.  

Next stop was Thargomindah, where we had a look at the third hydropower plant built in the world (after London and Paris), which was driven by the pressure of the Artesian Bore water.  In Thargomindah people have cooling tanks for water instead of hot water systems.  The water comes out of the ground at 70°C and needs to be cooled for use.  We did not get to see it operating as it was closed for a funeral in town.

www.visitbulloo.com.au/hydro-power-plant

Lake Bindegolly National Park was our next stop.  We had planned to the stay the night here, however it was HOT and DRY, hardly any lake, and VERY MANY FLIES.  So, we decided against the walk and this as a camping spot. 

We continued toward Eulo, and stopped at the Paroo River bush camping area (off grid). Lessons we learnt: always bring bug spray, need a second small fan for Hayden, need 12V power point plug to multiple cigarette lighter plug for fans, Waeco, lights and inverter, and need a cigarette lighter plug with thick cables for the inverter, need to cover all vents against bugs.  We had a very early night as the lights just attracted MILLIONS of bugs!  Great to test out our setup off grid though.