I woke up this morning to discover that our neighbour had dropped off some 'CRAWDADS' (fresh water crayfish) in a bucket. To Mary-Anne's HORROR!!! they were still ALIVE!!! and ready to chop a finger off. The look on her face was priceless, I wish I had a camera to record the moment. After selecting the biggest and fiercest the rest were offered back to the neighbour with the promise the ones I kept would be eaten for an entree tonight. We don't have much freezer space and four were all we could manage. We packed up and hit the road again. For Karen and I it was new country to be discovered. Mary-Anne had visited Winton before and had travelled through this country. It was glorious to look either side of the car and see the country stretch far away and eventually meet the sky. No hills or mountains to block the expansive horizon. We eventually made it to Winton, but being Sunday nothing was open. We walked to the North Gregory Hotel and arranged to camp in the back yard for free. No power but there was water though and no showers. The hotel is under going extensive renovations and the grounds were very unkept. I suppose they are hoping to have everything ready for the tourist season starting in a month or so. We unfortunately arrived a month too early. We cooked and ate the Crawdads as an entree and then had a hearty meal of steak and spaghetti bog respectively.
12/3/2012
Karen and Mary-Anne again got up early and went for a walk around town and found me up and enjoying a cup of coffee on their return. We packed up and at 9.15am left the cars and caravans at the hotel and walked to the local shops and eventually made it to theWaltzing Matilda Centre. It is the only museum in the world dedicated to a song. However there is much more to see as the Qantilda museum is attached. Karen thought it was better than The Stockmans Hall of The Fame. There are displays of old trains, carriages, machinery and tools and much more. It was great for the first three rounds. I lost the girls and after searching all the exhibits 5 times I couldn't find them. I sat at the front door for an hour waiting very patiently and finally Mary-Anne emerged from a secret exhibit that had eluded me. Karen emerged about 10 minutes later. The reunion was great?. I was no longer alone in the middle of nowhere. We had an uneventful walk back to the caravans and had lunch. At about 2.00pm we left Winton and drove 176kms through more wonderful country to the Blue Heeler Hotel in Kynuna. There is a caravan park attached to the hotel with power and water and only $20 a night. It would have to be the most picturesque caravan park so far. The pub is old and full of atmosphere. What a great place!!!. Tonight we are going to splurge and have tea at the hotel. No preparing, cooking and best of all no washing up and then a very comfortable night sleeping in air conditioning. Oh the joys of electricity.
13/3/2012
We woke to a cloudy morning and a pleasant wind from the north east. We packed up and said goodbye to the Blue Heeler Hotel and headed 64kms north to the small town of McKinlay. There we were planning to have morning tea and a light beer at the Walk About Creek Hotel which was featured in the original Crocodile Dundee movie. But on arrival it was SHUT! Karen and Mary-Anne took some photographs of the pub while I walked some distance away and did some loud swearing. All was not lost as we drove another 20kms and had morning tea at a great rest area at Fullaton Creek. Then it was on the road again and after 64kms of great open plains we started driving through hilly country as we approached Cloncurry. We drove through town first and then went to the Mary Kathleen Park and Information Centre for lunch. The Information Centre was great. We saw Robert O'Hara Burke's original water bottle which was on display. The volunteer lady manning the Centre was also very informative and told us about the only QAS ambulance in existance that had been converted to run on railway tracks. After leaving the Information Centre we walked up about 100 steps to the top of a hill next to the park. After heaving in some oxygen we gazed in amasement over the whole of the Cloncurry township and surrounding countryside. It is an amazing spot to visit. The trip down the hill was easier and we walked through some old machinery on display in the park and found the railway ambulance in a shed with large glass viewing windows. Before we left town we drove to the Cloncurry airport and visited the place where Bob Crowe, my friend worked as a teenager refueling planes for pocket money. It was on the road again and we headed towards Mt Isa. About 60kms along the road we found a top rest area at Fountains Springs. We set up the vans and as it was still cloudy I dragged out the generator and fired it up for the first time this holiday. There is phone and internet connection even though we are still 60kms from Mt Isa. We will stay the night here and leave for Mt Isa in the morning.
A section of Arno's wall at Winton
The Waltzing Matilda display in the Waltzing Matilda Winton
Drum set at the musical fence at Winton
Blue Heeler Hotel at Kynuna
View from hill beside the Mary Kathleen Memorial Par Cloncurry
Walk about Creek Hotel at McKinlay
Fountain Springs Rest Area 60kms east of Mt Isa
Thanks for sharing this helpful info! Cheap Dorms St.Kilda
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