Shortly after crossing back into Queensland, we arrived at Camooweal. The following night was spent camping by the Georgina River just outside town, in the same spot where we camped not long ago.
With the threat of rain once again forecast for the afternoon of our second night's stay, we decided to move away from the black soil surrounding the billabong to a safer location.
We wanted to shop in Mt Isa but preferred not to stay in a caravan park, so we drove to the WWll Airfield Rest Area, 54 km NW of Mt Isa, for the evening. The site features eco-toilets, shelters, and barbecues. It's currently 4:10 pm, and we are surrounded by dark clouds with quite heavy drops of rain falling on the van. Hopefully, it will help cool down another very hot day, with the temperature at Camooweal when we left just after midday being 39 degrees.
The wind picked up this afternoon as we sat outside enjoying our evening drinks, with the sound of thunder all around but very little rain.
The temperature has dropped considerably and is now quite pleasant at 28.5 °c inside the van.
We are waiting for the wind to ease so we can put up the awning and cook our meal outside on our BBQ, which eventually happened. We ate inside first, then sat outside with another glass of wine, admiring the incredible lightning off to the west.
It rained heavily on and off throughout the night, and we were awake several times, shutting and opening windows as the wind changed direction many times. It was cool enough during the evening to pull up the doona for extra warmth.
This morning was overcast with rain and a cool 21 °c, which makes for a lovely change.
We shared this large campsite with another van and several Wizz Bang vans.
With more consistent and heavier rain falling at 9 am, we decided to move into the Isa. Just under an hour later, we were looking for a place to park the van near one of the alcohol outlets, but that wasn't to be. Undeterred, I still managed to carry the carton of Fat Yak across the main highway and several hundred metres to where the van was parked in a side street. Then it was on to Coles and the dump point next to the racecourse.
A word of warning...all supermarkets are closed on Sundays in the Isa.
Our original plan was to continue on to Julia Creek for a few days, but with the free camp surrounded by black soil, we changed our minds.
With light rain still falling, we decided to head for Mary Kathleen, where we camped in early September. The access road into the old township was a bit boggy in places, and we camped on one of the old bitumen streets.
Another enjoyable evening with no road noise from the highway, and four more groups camped up for the night.
We left early today for a long drive that would take us through Cloncurry, before stopping in McKinlay for a coffee. We passed through here on our way to Darwin and stopped at the Walkabout Hotel, made famous by Paul Hogan in the first Crocodile Dundee film, to enjoy a brew.
This time, we took a detour down a side street to a local park and came across a plaque and statue honouring John McKinlay. He was born in Scotland in 1819 and died in Gawler, South Australia, in 1872.
He was commissioned by the State Government to search for the missing Burke and Wills Expedition. With his party, along with horses, cattle, camels, and sheep, he left Adelaide in 1861 and reached the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1862. He thereby completed the first and greatest transcontinental droving feat. We then passed through Kynuna and Winton before stopping for the night at the Crawford Creek Rest Area, just over 32 km south-east of Winton.
Our original plan was to camp at Long Waterhole just south of Winton, but with the recent rains and the black soil, that was enough reason not to. We have often passed this rest area, so now was as good a time as any to stop here for the evening. We backed the van in as far as possible to get away from the highway, but we didn't need to bother because there was very little passing traffic during the night.
Later, we were joined by another van and a 4WD, and we all sat together over evening drinks before heading indoors for dinner. What a shock to the system this morning at 6am, with the van interior at just 14.6 degrees. The hot water system was cranked up, and after each of us had a hot shower and a coffee, we were feeling much warmer.
We left around 8ish as we headed for Longreach, another 132 km away. Here, we refuelled before stopping in Ilfracombe for coffee, then passed through Barcaldine, where we turned south onto the Landsborough Highway. Our last five-day stay at Lara Station was so enjoyable that we just had to come back again. What a shock to see the auction sign as we turned off the Landsborough Highway onto the 13-km dirt access road leading to the station.
We were here to spend the next five days, and upon arrival, there were just two other groups, which left the following morning. Jo is no longer able to cope with the crippling debt after her husband died in 2014. She hopes to have enough money to clear her debts, purchase 1000 acres near Mt Morgan, and do some travelling. The auction is scheduled for November 15th.
One of our days was spent travelling the 41 km into Barcaldine to do some shopping and sightseeing, but the rest of the time has been dedicated to relaxing. Ros has identified 27 bird species so far, and with one more day here, I'm sure the count will increase.
This rack of lamb was bought before we left home, so it was about time it was cooked.
Jo's mare gave birth to this beautiful colt on our second last day, and we were so thrilled to have the chance to see him with Mum and Dad in the background.
Mother Nature certainly left her best till last with this most amazing sunset for our final evening.
During our last two days, we assisted Jo and Bill, the caretaker, in moving sprinklers around the camping area after the lawns had been cut and trimmed. The estate agent, who is holding the auction, was bringing interested groups through for inspections.
We wish Jo all the best for the future.
