We arrived at Longreach and went straight to check out the camping site. It was ok, a big expanse with lots of caravans and motorhomes. We drove into town and had a look around to see what was there. We decided we’d go to the Qantas Museum and the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in the next day or so.
We went back to the camp site and settled in for the night. In the morning there were chickens wandering around the door, and we heard the roosters crowing early in the morning.
The Qantas museum offered a tour of an old 747, The City of Bunbury, so we decided to do that. The museum was quite interesting and very well done. It even had the original hangar. The story of how Qantas got up and running is really quite amazing. Young men with lots of derring do that had the foresight to see that an air service could be successful in the out back.
The tour of the old 747 was good too and we learnt quite a few interesting facts and figures as well. They even let us stand up inside one of the engines!
We also toured another plane, the first Boeing 707 with ownership outside of America (Qantas). It eventually became privately owned and was donated by its owner to the museum. It was quite luxuriously decked out, and had bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. John Travolta had one the same, and they were famously photographed nose to nose. As we left we set up a photo of our motor home near the 747. We were certainly dwarfed!!
We stayed another night and went and saw The Stockman’s Hall of Fame. I found that quite interesting, but I think Randall was museumed out so he finished looking around in record time.
We kept seeing these birds but didn't know what they were. Randall called them bush turkeys. They were brolgas of course!
A fellow at the camp site was selling little fire pots and Randall was really taken with them as they packed away neatly. The little one fitted in a bag and now lives between the front seats.
From there we headed off to our next stop, only about 30kms down the road, and of course we tried out the fire pot and it was nice to sit out by a fire again like we did with the caravan.
The next morning we drove towards Blackall, with a stop at Barcaldine. There was a tree there called the Knowledge Tree. It was said that the Labour Party was established at a meeting under that tree.
We ended up at Blackall free camp site, just next to the town. As usual we walked up the main street. We did chuckle when we saw this DVD vending machine - a bit out of date now!
We heard there was a very nice thermal swimming pool in the town, so we went there the next day. It was lovely! $2 entry fee and I soaked for a good while until my fingers went wrinkly. Randall doesn't like the thermal pools so much so he spent the time phoning up people while I relaxed there.
Our next stop was Tambo and we camped by the Barcoo River about 1km out of town. It was a quiet little town. It is the site of the first Qantas crash site and Randall and I walked to the spot to check it out.
Randall found lots of firewood so we could enjoy our fire pot. When it came time to leave he wasn't going to leave the firewood for other people!
We left Tambo via the butcher shop, as we really enjoy the meat from these country butchers shop. Our next stop was to be Augathella, and what a nice little town that proved to be!
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