A couple of people had recommended a stop just outside Mitchell and so we decided to join our friends there for a night or two. On arrival the spot looked fantastic and we set up camp right by a river. It was a free camp and there were about 6 other groups there and we all gave each other a bit of space and spent the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the surroundings.
That night it rained through sunset and didn’t stop until about 9pm so everyone had gone to bed.
Well unfortunately not quite everyone. There was a group of kids who decided to play their music at full bore and scream and shout until 4am! The next day everyone packed up to leave, we thought about staying but decided not to risk it. Boo it would have been a lovely spot but we will just have to come back.
As it turns out we found out later that it was pretty quiet the second night as a visit from the police ensured the noisy mob were moved on!! Still probably not worth the risk. T
The road from Quilpie to Charleville was two lanes (one each direction) all the way and although it could hardly be described as being busy there was noticeably more traffic. On arrival in Charleville we first went to a campsite just outside of town and began to set up. The temperature out here has been consistently in the high 30s and often pushing 40 and the day we arrived was no different. It was a struggle but we were just about to finish our set up when I went to bang the tent pegs in to support our awning and after bending a few it was clear that the ground was rock hard and there was no way we were going to get the pegs in.
A quick check of the weather forecast indicated a potential of storms and high winds over the next couple of days so we had no option but to pack up. Usually I check the pegs first and have a feeling I will always do so in the future. A while later we were eventually set up in a campground in the middle of town both absolutely drained from the day but very much looking forward to our evening and a visit to the Cosmos Centre.
Charleville isn’t famous for much (unless I am very much mistaken) but the top attraction is an observatory and we had a clear night for our visit which coupled with almost no light pollution meant for great star gazing. The show we went to was actually really great fun and we were not only able to look through telescopes at various planets but the guide pointed out loads of constellations. So from now on as we enjoy our evenings of stargazing we can actually know what we are looking at.
The next evening we went out for dinner with a couple we had met at Quilpie. Just as we were sitting down to order a storm ripped through the town and I scarpered back to camp to check that we weren’t getting blown away. Luckily everything seemed fine and by the time I got back to join the others at the restaurant it was all over.
There wasn’t much inspiring otherwise at Charleville and so we were pretty keen to move on and so after stocking up with food and water we set off to continue our way back towards the Sunshine Coast. T
Leaving Windora it felt a little like the turning point home as it was the most westerly point we were going to see on this part of the trip. Next stop was Quilpie which we had picked soley due to the fact that it was a 3 hour drive away.
The drive itself was very similar to those we have already described in that it was single lane and very straight. We had to get off the road for a few road trains but other than that it was a pretty uneventful drive.
We were going to be staying just outside of Quilpie on a working sheep station which we were both pretty excited about due to how much we enjoyed our previous station stay. We arrived and were greeted by the caretakers who gave us the option of an unpowered site by the lake or a powered site near the amenities. It wasn’t much of a choice really considering the lake was surrounded by beautiful shade trees and the powered campsite was exposed and the sites quite close to each other.
We drove down to the lake to choose our spot and had the pick of them all, nobody else was around. Heaven! After setting up we just sat back and enjoyed the view and kept laughing at how lucky we were. The caretaker came and saw us that afternoon to tell us that a) happy hour was at 5pm. b) the shearer’s were coming on Monday to shear the sheep. c) if you have a trap you can catch big blue claw (big yabbies) in the lake. d) you could have a fire and they have firewood. Could this place get any better!
The sunset over the lake was absolutely sensational and the night sky was stars horizon to horizon. We went to bed very grateful and both slept like the dead.
The next day we we went into town to buy a yabbie trap and some bait and back at the farm we baited the trap and then had to get it out past the weeds/Lilly pads and I drew the short straw on wading out there. Once the trap was out the hardest part was being patient enough to not keep checking them all the time. The first afternoon we only managed to catch fish but we managed to catch ourselves 10 which was enough for two lovely dinners.
We had only booked in for 3 nights at the lake but loved it so much we ended up staying for 6. We just fell in love with the place. Having the task of checking the yabbie traps every few hours gave us enough to do that we didn’t feel like we were being too lazy just sitting back and reading books etc for the rest of the time.
Sunsets, campfire cooking and birdwatching.
We had one or two storms come through while we were there but the trees gave us enough shelter that it didn’t affect us too much. It was mostly just wind and dust in the storm and a smattering of rain. We are definitely skirting the storm season. Fingers crossed we make it back to the coast before the rains set in!
The other event we were excited to see was the sheep being shorn. Unfortunately we couldn’t get into the shed to see the action due to workplace health and safety laws but we did get to see them coming down the shute without their wool. We also got to witness the farmer herding the sheep into the shearing paddocks the day before. When you see sheep in a herd it is very obvious where all the sheep sayings come from. They are reluctant to do anything first. But once one goes they all quickly follow.
Herding them in
Nearly there!
Coming down the Shute
Freshly shorn
After 6 days of relaxing we were recharged and although sad to go, ready to start making our way further east and hopefully away from temperatures closer to 40 than 30. S
