Alice via the Donauhue and Plenty Highways.

We spent our final night in Birdsville enjoying drinks with fellow Bushtracker owners Narelle and Gordon, along with their travelling companions Desley and Rod.

We headed north towards Bedourie along quite decent roads, with just one 10 km stretch that was very rough, consisting of jagged stones protruding through the surface. The remaining 185 km consisted of sections of bitumen and dirt.
 
Our morning tea stop was at the site of the Carcory Homestead ruins. The homestead was built in 1877 by Hector and Norman Wilson. Years of drought and the loss of over 4000 bullocks led to the property being abandoned by Sidney Kidman in 1906. Carcory is now part of Rosberth Station.

We stopped opposite the pub in Bedourie and had lunch before pumping up our tyres for the remaining 190 km of bitumen to Boulia.

Our campsite tonight is on a tributary of the Georgina River about 60 km south of Boulia. Best of all, we had the whole place to ourselves, so we backed down as far as we could without damaging the van. When we arrived at 3:15, the temperature was 31 degrees, so after setting up camp, we enjoyed a cold beer sitting in the shade and staring at the water.

A little after 6.00, I lit the fire as we enjoyed a rum and several glasses of red wine. After dinner, we sat outside until well after dark, then went inside for a shower and a coffee, with the van's temperature still at 20 degrees.

There was no need to run the diesel heater this morning, as the van's temperature was 14 degrees. There was also no real rush to leave, with just 60 km of bitumen to Boulia. All the important tasks had been completed when we first arrived, such as refuelling, topping up water, and changing our cassette. Afterwards, we headed to the Min Min Centre to enjoy coffee and cake at their café, which we had visited ten years earlier. 

We had planned to celebrate my birthday there, so you can imagine our disappointment when we found out the café was now closed, but we could still get a coffee from a machine in the next room. Not to be deterred, we crossed the road to a café that served the most dreadful coffee and cake we have ever experienced. 

It has been ten years since we drove west to east along the Plenty and Donohue Highways, so we were surprised to learn at the information centre that the bitumen now stretched all the way to the border. Our campsite tonight was just above the dry bed of the Georgina River, not far from Glenormiston Station, and 123 km west of Boulia. To our surprise, we encountered 18 km of dirt before reaching the river, and we still had 141 km to go to reach the border.

We celebrated my birthday dinner with a lovely bottle of red wine, and we enjoyed steak, eggs, and onions cooked over the fire. What more could anyone wish for... 
 
I asked a fellow camper, whom I had seen coming from the direction of Alice Springs, about the rest of the road to the border, and he told us that the majority of it was dirt. So before leaving, I reduced all our tyre pressures for what lay ahead. So much for getting the correct information from a visitor centre.

We briefly stopped at Tobermorey Station, which lies just inside the territory border. They have a very nice camping area with lush green grass, but $25 a night is a bit steep.

 

We have driven all the major dirt roads in Australia, and this is our second crossing of the Plenty Highway; however, we have never encountered road conditions like those we experienced today. The majority of the road from the border to our campsite on the banks of the dry Arthur River, covering 163 km, was quite rough and very challenging to drive, with me unable to see anything but the road surface. Most of the surface was filled with rocks of all sizes poking through, along with corrugations and bulldust holes. Our total trip for the day was 276 km and took us over seven hours to complete.

Our meal tonight was simple after such a harrowing day, and we enjoyed ham, red onion, and cheese jaffles cooked over the fire. It never ceases to amaze me how something so straightforward to prepare can taste so good.

Another cold morning, and the diesel heater was turned on yet again. We left after 8:30, heading to fill up at Jervois Station. Fuel costs $1.89 per litre, and the property spans over one million acres, running ten thousand head of cattle. Camping fees are much cheaper than those at Tobermorey, at just $ 5.00 per night.
 
The road surface improved, although we still encountered similar conditions to those of yesterday from time to time.
 
We called into Harts Range, now known by its Aboriginal name of Atitjera, to ask about camping past the racecourse. As we drove into the community, everything was shut, and we then realised it was Sunday with only limited trading hours.
 
I have always wanted to camp in the hills south of the racecourse. The site is known as the Spotted Tiger campground and is used by people fossicking for gemstones. So we headed off for 8 km on an extremely corrugated track, where much of the time we were down to almost walking pace.
As we turned a corner, we were confronted with an official Aboriginal sign stating 'No Entry, Penalties Apply.'

After an eight-point turn and feeling quite disappointed, we returned to the Plenty and continued for another 32 km, then camped in an old gravel pit visible from the road but more than 500 metres away, so hopefully the evening will be peaceful. 
 
On our way to the pit, we stopped to chat with three Bushtrackers heading east, taking their time to reach Echuca for the Bushtracker muster in September.
 
We enjoyed lamb cutlets and vegetables, then sat outside while the fire died down before moving inside. At 3 am, we had our first dingo encounter — one howling outside our van and drinking water from our shower bucket.
 
Our gravel pit was just 30 km east of Gemtree, and we continued into Alice on single-lane bitumen until reaching the Stuart Highway intersection.
 
We are now camping at the Big 4 MacDonnell Range caravan park for the next six nights.

South West Queensland Channel Country

A relatively late start from Yaraka this morning. We stopped to fill our drinking tank and topped up one of our non-potable tanks before paying our camping fees at the hotel. $6.00 for two days of camping is hard to believe.
 
We were now entering the Channel Country. The first 36 km was a good dirt road with such good conditions that we didn't need to reduce our tyre pressures; mind you, we weren't in a hurry, so we sat comfortably at under 60 km/h. The remainder of the trip, as far as the Retreat property, was 50 km of bitumen. We passed Welford National Park, where we had previously camped on the Barcoo River, surrounded by its magnificent river red gums. Three-quarters of the Channel Country lies in Queensland, with the remaining part spilling over into sections of South Australia and New South Wales.
 
The principal towns are Windorah and Birdsville, situated in the arid floodplains of the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers, as well as Cooper Creek. When these catchments receive enough rainfall, their floodplains flow into Lake Eyre.
 
Today's drive is less than 200 km, and we are headed to camp on the banks of Cooper Creek, 12 km south-east of Windorah. We enjoyed camping here in 2012 and have decided to spend the night again.
 
At the intersection near the Retreat property, there were two options: take the better road or follow the minor 55 km Hammond Downs road, which was the shorter route. Of course, we chose the shorter option, which turned out to be a pleasant drive through two station properties, with cattle surrounding waterholes and large mobs of emus that would run in all directions as we approached.

Upon arriving at Cooper Creek, I parked on the main road and walked down to the spot where we camped on our last visit. Unfortunately, there were already several vans parked there with the best view of the creek, so we headed into Windorah to empty our toilet cassette and then into town to buy fuel at $ 1.57 per litre. 
 
On our way back to find a spot to camp, we briefly stopped to chat with fellow BT owners Jeanette and Jeff, who joined us later and camped nearby. After I started our fire, they joined us for a drink before we were joined by another Bushtracker couple, Maria and Bruce, who had parked across the road from us.
 
Our new Easy Burn fire pit was christened tonight, and we cooked our meal over the coals, which consisted of fillet steak, onions, sweet potato, and zucchini. We ate inside before adding more wood to the pit and sitting outside with another glass of red wine before retiring.

A somewhat late start this morning after doing a load of washing and saying farewell to Jeannette and Jeff, along with a toot from Maria and Bruce as they headed south towards Quilpie.
 
From Windorah, we headed west along the Diamantina Development Road.
This road was single-lane bitumen for 110 km before we turned south-west onto the Birdsville Developmental Road. The bitumen ended 10 km later, so we stopped to lower our tyre pressures before continuing.
 
A couple also pulled up after driving from Birdsville this morning in a single-axle, supposed off-road van. He mentioned the road was in terrible condition, but if I sat on 80 km/h, I could hop over the corrugations. Mind you, his tyres were at 45 psi, and he had already wrecked two tyres that morning. We also observed that his pipe fittings underneath the van were all broken and hanging loose.
 
One of Jeff's mates drives trucks back and forth from Birdsville, and he told us the road was very rough and corrugated. It was just our luck to learn that road crews would be working on the road before the Birdsville Races in early September—but not for another week.
 
Well, I must say his mate's report was accurate. The conditions for the first 100 km were quite poor and very ordinary. Besides the corrugations, the surface was covered with rocks, and the numerous floodways were particularly rough.
 
Our plan was to camp at Deon's Lookout for the evening, but the site was very exposed, and the winds were nearly cyclonic. So, we decided to leave and drive an extra 20 km to camp in the ghost town of Betoota.

Another cloudless day with 11 degrees inside the van this morning, but the diesel heater quickly raised the temperature to 18 degrees. At 7:00, a slight breeze was already blowing as I stepped outside to take some photos, so I was glad to return to the warmth. My eyes were watering from the cold, so I can only assume the temperature outside was around 3 to 5 degrees.
 
We were completely surprised by the condition of the road for the next 40 km. It was more like a bitumen surface, and we comfortably sat at 70 km/h, but the road soon changed, and we reverted to yesterday’s conditions, except the floodways and corrugations were much worse.
 
We arrived in Birdsville just around midday and drove into the front of the hotel for a photoshoot before setting up camp several kilometres south of town. There is another Bushtracker parked several hundred metres ahead of us, but the occupants are out for the day.

After setting up, we headed into the Birdsville Hotel for a beer before going to the Bakery, where we both had another drink with our pies. Ros chose the chunky beef, and I thoroughly enjoyed my camel pie.

Towards Yaraka

We headed south towards Blackall, which is just 84 km away.

Many years ago, we travelled from Blackall to Yaraka, with the first 39 km being bitumen. On this trip, the entire road has been upgraded except for a 5 km section that is being redone.

The road upgrade to Yaraka is only the first stage of a project to create an all-weather road connecting Birdsville with the outside world. However, if Birdsville receives any amount of rain, even a small amount, it can strand people there until the roads dry out. The two major events held each year are the Birdsville Races in September and the Big Red Bash in July, during which more than 7000 people could be stranded for up to a week.

At the Yaraka Hotel, the camping fees are $3.00 per night or $15.00 per week, payable to the hotel on behalf of the Longreach Council. Your fees include power, water, showers, and toilets, and it's the cheapest fee we have ever paid. There is also an in-ground swimming pool.

 

The hotel also operates a thirteen-seater bus to the summit of Mt Slowcombe, 12 km east, offering views of the sunset over the Mitchell Plains below. The summit provides 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. A donation to the RFDS is required, which we were more than happy to pay to support this organisation.

Chris, the publican, gave us a rundown on the history of Yaraka and the surrounding countryside, Mt. Slowcombe, and the struggle to have a communications tower built on the summit. A visit from the then Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull helped speed up the installation. Chris mentioned that internet speeds were faster than in most capital cities.

 

Friday is pizza night, so on our return from the tour, Ros and I settled in front of the fire with a bottle of red and a pizza with a selection of toppings chosen by us.

Lara Station Wetlands Again

We left Rockyview this morning just before 8:30, about 20 km north of Rockhampton, en route to spend the evening in the small town of Alpha in Central Queensland. Our three days here were very enjoyable, and we savoured lunch at the sailing club in Yeppoon on one of our sightseeing days. A view of the house, including our van, from a height of 50 metres was captured with my DJI Mavic Pro.

Lyn and Tony's property was once again shrouded in mist as we departed, but it soon cleared up en route to Rocky. It was a slow process negotiating numerous sets of traffic lights and people heading off to work.
 
We often spend the night at the rest area in the small town of Duaringa, which is 109 km west of Rockhampton. This is where we stopped for our coffee break and to stretch our legs.
A lunch break in Emerald before arriving in Alpha just after 2:30. We are camped on the outskirts of town in an area shared with another six vans. There are no facilities here, which suits us just fine. It’s the first time we’ve passed through this small town where we’ve never stayed before, despite numerous previous visits.
 
A rather late start this morning as we headed further west towards Barcaldine, 140 km away, before turning south onto the Landsborough Highway. Thirty kilometres later, we turned onto a well-maintained 13 km dirt access road that led us into Lara Station. We stayed here on two occasions last year and enjoyed the experience so much that we have returned again.
 
Site fees remain at $20 per night, which provides access to very clean, flushing toilets and hot showers housed in a demountable unit. There is also a dump point, drinkable bore water, and free wood if you gather it yourself; otherwise, it costs $10 per barrow load. There is a hot artesian pool and the most stunning sunsets.
 
We were spoiled on our last two visits, but were surprised at how many were camped here this time—at least sixty vans per night surrounding the wetlands, with generators running, and they now allow pets. Regrettably, all these factors have contributed to the decline of birdlife. Our plan was to stay a week, but we left after just three days. If you decide to stay, the best time is late September to early October when everyone has left to head home.

Last night, we cooked lamb shanks in the camp oven in a red wine, garlic, and herb sauce, accompanied by potatoes and pumpkin. This was washed down with a lovely red.

On our last day, we were joined by fellow BT owner Stephen, who had just come from Lawn Hill and was camping on the Gregory River. We had a long chat when he arrived, and he joined us later in the day, spending time around the campfire.

Towards Rockhampton

Our plan was to leave home at 10 this morning, but a flat battery soon changed that. The 4wd had been sluggish to start over the past week, but I thought the drive today would solve that issue. Once we had hooked up the van, it simply refused to cooperate, so a call to the NRMA for a new start battery got us back on the road an hour later.

Those who follow our blog will know that whenever we head north to Queensland, we always break the journey and spend the first evening camping at the Yelgun rest area. It's a little over 200 km from home and helps us get into the rhythm of travelling. However, when we arrived, the usually quiet rest area was overflowing with young people who had taken over the caravan parking area with all manner of vans squashed in like sardines. Our only alternative was to share the truck parking area for the night.
 
We discovered that Splendour in the Grass, held at Byron Bay, was this weekend, which explains the overcrowding and the more than 30,000 people attending this festival each day.
 
Our next three nights were spent at the Big 4 Rivershore Resort on the Sunshine Coast, backing onto the Maroochy River. We have an issue with one of our van windows that needs repair, and there is a nearby location where it can be fixed. It's a relatively new park with large grass sites, featuring matting instead of cement pads. Sites cost $50 per night, with separate electricity charges. Our electricity bill for the three days was just $2.80. The park also has a lovely heated pool, restaurant, and coffee shop. We met some charming Bushtracker folk who were also staying here.

Today, we drove 264 km, passing through Gympie and stopping for coffee in Childers. A few kilometres later, we joined the Isis Highway for 24 km before taking some minor roads to camp behind the Bucca Pub for the night. Your $10.00 per night secures a space to park on the grass behind the pub. The pub's burgers, priced at $10, are delicious and sizable, and they offer a wide selection of beers. 

Not long after leaving Bucca, we soon joined the Bruce Highway at Gin Gin, on our way north. The next port of call was Miriam Vale, followed by Calliope, and then on to Rockhampton. We will spend the next two days sightseeing and visiting a friend that Ros went to school with.