3rd September – Thursday
A hot night followed by another scorcher of a day – it was 34 degrees by 10.30 am!
We were awake bright and early again as the trains across the road started shunting at 4.00 am and that was about the end of sleep for the night. We were on the road to Winton well before 8.00.
The Kennedy Developmental Road was generally very good, two lanes and sealed. Unfortunately, there was a section of about 50 kms that had been badly damaged during the big wet earlier this year and the shoulders were severely eroded in places. However, as the traffic was quite light (we only saw 22 vehicles in 3 hours!), driving down the middle of the road, dodging bad sections and potholes wasn’t really a problem. The road was also a bit bumpy at times.
For 212 kms we saw Mitchell Downs grass, Mitchell Downs grass and more Mitchell Downs grass! In fact, it was just a big grassy prairie. There wasn’t even a lot of wildlife and very few birds. We did see quite a few dead kangaroos, three dead pigs and one very much alive pig, two live kangaroos, three bustards, two brolgas and two emus – the first we have seen this trip.
Winton is another outback town where life moves slowly – it is too hot to move fast! The caravan park is right on the edge of town and we look out our window across a large expanse of grass. Instead of grass or a concrete slab, we have a large piece of carpet to park the caravan beside (works well!).
This afternoon we visited the Waltzing Matilda Centre – a large tourist development devoted to a song, as well as the history of Winton. It was so well done, with lots of displays and artefacts relating to Banjo Patterson and Waltzing Matilda. The self guided tour starts beside the billabong and the Winton Mayor, plus the Federal MP for Townsville both came in and sat beside us and we spent some time talking to them after the billabong show. We spent well over three hours here, looking at all their displays, which did include the obligatory old farm machinery and an interesting merry go round that was impossible to climb onto!
About five minutes after arriving back at the caravan and just walking inside with the dry laundry, a dust storm blew up, obliterated everything for a few minutes and caused a bit of a mad rush to shut windows and hatches. It passed as quickly as it came
A hot night followed by another scorcher of a day – it was 34 degrees by 10.30 am!
We were awake bright and early again as the trains across the road started shunting at 4.00 am and that was about the end of sleep for the night. We were on the road to Winton well before 8.00.
The Kennedy Developmental Road was generally very good, two lanes and sealed. Unfortunately, there was a section of about 50 kms that had been badly damaged during the big wet earlier this year and the shoulders were severely eroded in places. However, as the traffic was quite light (we only saw 22 vehicles in 3 hours!), driving down the middle of the road, dodging bad sections and potholes wasn’t really a problem. The road was also a bit bumpy at times.
For 212 kms we saw Mitchell Downs grass, Mitchell Downs grass and more Mitchell Downs grass! In fact, it was just a big grassy prairie. There wasn’t even a lot of wildlife and very few birds. We did see quite a few dead kangaroos, three dead pigs and one very much alive pig, two live kangaroos, three bustards, two brolgas and two emus – the first we have seen this trip.
Winton is another outback town where life moves slowly – it is too hot to move fast! The caravan park is right on the edge of town and we look out our window across a large expanse of grass. Instead of grass or a concrete slab, we have a large piece of carpet to park the caravan beside (works well!).
This afternoon we visited the Waltzing Matilda Centre – a large tourist development devoted to a song, as well as the history of Winton. It was so well done, with lots of displays and artefacts relating to Banjo Patterson and Waltzing Matilda. The self guided tour starts beside the billabong and the Winton Mayor, plus the Federal MP for Townsville both came in and sat beside us and we spent some time talking to them after the billabong show. We spent well over three hours here, looking at all their displays, which did include the obligatory old farm machinery and an interesting merry go round that was impossible to climb onto!
About five minutes after arriving back at the caravan and just walking inside with the dry laundry, a dust storm blew up, obliterated everything for a few minutes and caused a bit of a mad rush to shut windows and hatches. It passed as quickly as it came
What was the jolly swagman's name?
Andy, of course!
Andy sang,
Andy watched,
Andy waited 'til his billy boiled ...
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