Destination South West Queensland

For our first day, Monday, the 25th of June, there was no real rush to hit the road, so a late departure was planned. The reason for starting late was that we were only travelling 152 km. I haven't towed the van for several months, so we decided that this distance would be suitable for our first day's journey, allowing us to ease back into travelling. 

In early June, we began testing all of our vans' equipment to ensure everything was functioning correctly. Aside from bearings and wheel alignment, the next two most important items were our hot water system and diesel heater. Both will definitely be used daily once we depart, with the diesel heater probably being used each morning and evening for at least the next three weeks. I also added several cups of kerosene to the diesel tank to protect it from freezing. 

Water tanks were drained and flushed, with only two being refilled for the first few days of travel. The remaining tanks will be filled before we head to the drier inland areas. We have been monitoring the daily temperatures in the regions we will be travelling through. For the first three weeks, minimum temperatures are expected to be below five degrees, with some even in the minus range, while daily highs are around the mid-to-high teens. That should be quite pleasant. 

Tonight, we are camping beside the Mann River at Cangai, 61 km west of Grafton. We were surprised when we arrived to find only three other vans here for the night. However, I suppose the cold weather in June has something to do with the limited number of campers. It's a lovely free camp — even though it's on private property — very picturesque with views of the river and mountains. In the afternoon, the site is shared with cows, which come down to drink from the river.

Ros always prepares and packages meals that we place in the van's deep freeze before any trip. These include different types of curries and her special spaghetti bolognese. These meals are ideal as a backup when it's too cold to cook outside, it's raining and windy, or I simply don't feel like cooking outside — which, of course, isn't very often, especially when we're away camping.
 
On our first evening, we enjoyed one of those curries along with a lovely bottle of Henschke Henry's Seven Shiraz blend, to celebrate our first night on the road. The diesel heater purred softly in the background, just enough to take the chill off.
 
We love camping — or, should I say, glamping — considering that our van is well-equipped for extended travel with all the latest modern conveniences. Our lithium battery system and solar panels power all our accessories, including the 12-volt fridge, washing machine, and satellite TV. Visits to caravan parks are as rare as hen's teeth for us.
 
It was a rather cool morning for our second day on the road, with the outside temperature at 7am just 3.1 degrees. The fog was so thick that we could barely see the trees twenty metres away.
 
A lovely hot brewed coffee, followed by breakfast, was next on the agenda while we waited to see if the fog would lift. It was still thick as pea soup at 8:30 am, so we decided to set off anyway. As soon as we climbed out of the valley, we were bathed in sunshine.
 
Today's drive is just over 300 km, so it’s not a long day. We climbed the Gibraltar Range, which peaks at 1089 metres above sea level. I’m happy we spent the money on having the torque converter and engine remapped. The auto transmission temperature never rose beyond 74 degrees during such a long, winding climb.
 
As soon as we passed the national parks at the range’s summit, the scenery changed from lush green to paddocks with nothing but dead grass. The landscape remained unchanged for the rest of the day.
 
Our campsite for tonight was 23 km east of Moree — another spot beside a river, but this time on the banks of the Gwydir.
 
Gum Flat Reserve is a camping area accessed via a dirt road north of the Gwydir Highway. There are two spots here, one 2.4 km and the other 3.1 km from the highway.
A drop toilet, along with a BBQ and shelter, has now been built at the first site, and both sites offer ample space. There were only three other campers when we arrived, with two more showing up just at sunset.
Another cool evening had us indoors quite early, as we showered before sitting down for a few drinks, followed by another of our pre-made meals.
 
Overcast skies kept the overnight temperature at 10.4 degrees. Our weather app predicts a 70% chance of rain today — and it was right. An hour after leaving, we encountered rain that continued to St George. Fuel here costs 1.57.9 cents per litre, followed by a visit to the bakery for a pie and sausage roll to fend off the cold — or perhaps just an excuse.
 
Tonight’s campsite is in the small town of Bollon, situated 111 km west of St George on the Balonne Highway. Today's 373 km drive will be the longest day of driving on this entire holiday.
 
This lovely campsite, situated beside Wallam Creek, offers toilets, showers, and a walking path leading into town. A donation is greatly appreciated; please consider leaving something to support the community. We’re happy to contribute, even though we usually use our own facilities. The pub serves excellent meals, and the beers are certainly cold.
 
Our fourth day on the road was a mixed bag. We left Bollon just after 9am, heading further west towards Cunnamulla. A close encounter with an emu crossing the road nearly ended in disaster for both of us. I'd forgotten just how rough the roads were in western Queensland. How do road builders manage to lay down corrugations after just retarring 150 km of road?
 
Apart from the road surface, we experienced light nuisance rain throughout the journey. Then, as we approached Cunnamulla, we encountered very thick fog, with visibility dropping to about 400 metres for the last 20 km.
 
A lunch stop in Eulo before heading further west to camp in the sand dunes on the shores of Lake Bindegolly National Park. Unfortunately, the part of the lake we saw was bone dry, even though many creeks we passed today contained water. It’s estimated that nearly 200 bird species rely on this lake.
 
We followed a sandy, winding track south of the highway and found ourselves a suitable spot to camp for the night. There were already two other vans here, but we continued past them for several hundred metres.

We have been monitoring the road closures around Innamincka, especially the two roads heading north towards Birdsville. After visiting the information centre in Thargomindah and learning that the road closures were still in place and could remain for some time, we decided on plan B. Our alternative involved heading north towards Quilpie, which is just 193 km away. The road consisted of a single-lane bitumen with approximately 30 km of good-quality dirt. We camped just east of town in a large area along a dry creek that joins the Bulloo River south of the town.

 

After setting up camp, Ros attempted to light our hot water service but was unsuccessful. It had been working up to this point. Gas isn’t the issue, as all the stove burners light without any problems. I've briefly looked online for possible causes but haven't yet determined the best way to fix the problem. These sorts of issues tend to happen when you’re away from civilisation. So, we are resorting to boiling water on the stove and having a sponge bath each night.

 

The next morning, the sky was more overcast with the hint of rain, so we packed up and headed north towards Windorah. It has been many years since we last travelled this section of road, and I'm pleased to say that the road surface has vastly improved since our last trip. It is still a single-lane bitumen road, with the occasional passing lane included.

 

Our camp for tonight is located just south of Cooper Creek, about 12 km from Windorah. We refuelled here at 171.0 cents per litre, and once back at our campsite, I fitted our "Stone Stomper" net for when we hit the dirt tomorrow.

 

The single-lane strip of bitumen ended at 118 km west of Windorah, where we stopped for coffee while I aired down our tyres for the Birdsville Development Road.

 

The road was in good condition, and we passed road crews grading some of the rougher patches.

 

Tonight, our camp is beside the waterhole at Betoota. It’s fantastic to find lovely campsites with water views out in the middle of nowhere. A beautiful end to the day, highlighted by a stunning sunset.

After being closed for many years, the Pub reopens in August for the Betoota and Birdsville races. 

  
Arrived in Birdsville just before lunch on Monday, 2nd July, and set up camp on the town common just south of town.