Caravanning Camping Touring
Let me share some of our stories with you. I'll try to keep it fun and interesting, with heaps of photos, hints, tips and reviews all relating to life on the road.
We knew our trip was coming to an end, but we had to squeeze one last stop in. About 3 km south of Condamine, just off the Leichhardt highway, we found Caliguel Lagoon. Another hidden gem. We dragged the pushbikes off the bed and set up camp. “What,” I hear you say, “were the push bikes doing on the bed, instead of bouncing merrily around on the back of chunky Bum?”
So, here’s the thing. We bought a quality Hayman Reese receptor to mount the bike rack on the back of the van. This is the rack we’ve used for years mounted on the car towbar, so why not the same solution on the van? But by the time we got to Roma the Hayman Reece receptor had begun to bend. I showed it to Johnny (brother in law extraordinaire) and he just said, “I know a guy who can help with that”. (It turns out that Johnny can not only turn his hand to anything, he also knows people all over the place). Off he went and turned up an hour later with a thick steel reinforcing plate. We fitted the plate, and when I say “we” I mean Peter and Johnny. I sat with with Hazel and opened a bottle of wine, while they bolted the whole thing back in place as tight as Johnny’s rattle gun could do it. Yes, Johnny also travels with everything in his tool kit, including a rattle gun.
For the rest of the trip, we watched closely and checked at every stop to make sure the bolts weren’t loosening off – they weren’t. Then, after a thousand or so kilometers we were back in Roma – I love the symmetry of this. The day we left the Roma Gun Club, we were hitched up and I was doing my final checks, I shook the bike rack and lo and behold, the bikes all-but fell to the ground. Johnny’s fix was as solid as ever, but the weld on the Hayman Reece had broken.
And that is why for the last few days of our trip, the bikes travelled on the bed. I think it’s fair to say we dodged a bullet with that one and we need to rethink our secondary vehicles before our next trip. 😊
Now, back to Caliguel. This free campground offers two areas for camping. As you drive in, the right-hand side is a car park like set up with a boat ramp, rubbish bins and toilets. To the left, you have the option of the privacy of a bush camp. This is a little tricky to navigate, and there are only a few spots, but that is where we camped.
I really enjoyed Caliguel, and judging by the lack of firewood, it is a very popular spot. But, we had a solution to the missing firewood. We had the kayaks and I had Peter. He paddled over to the other side of the lake and came back fully loaded.
This next set of photos is dedicated to those of you who have a partner who is less than tidy.
Our stay at Caliguel ended a ten week road trip, our longest trip yet. Tomorrow we will be home, and we have some serious thinking to do about our future travel plans. Where will we go? How long will we go for? We’ll just have to wait and see.
As pleasant a spot as Charleville was it was time to leave, and our next stop was back to Roma. This time we didn’t stay at the Big Rig, but at the Roma Gun Club. Yes, you stay in the car park, but it has been set up for caravans and campers. There is power, water, shade, and excellent facilities. You can also try your hand at clay pigeon shooting if you’re there on the right day. I think someone has been very smart here and found a way to supplement the income of the gun club; and done it very well.
We stayed there for a couple of nights, and while there we experienced one of the most amazing sunsets that we saw on this trip. I think the beauty of it lay in the single tree that was silhouetted against the burnt orange sky.
That sunset left us craving the quiet of another bush camp and we found just what we needed outside of Mitchell. Fisherman’s Rest is located on the Maranoa River and was our home for the next three nights.
When we arrived on the Saturday, there were only two other campers and we got a top spot right on the banks of the river. Next morning, we were up early and dropped the kayaks onto the water and paddled upriver. We were gone for about two hours and when we got back the place was swarming. Obviously, a popular spot for locals and travelers alike. By the end of the day all the locals had disappeared, and only the travelers were left. The following morning was Monday, a workday, and once more we had the area to ourselves.
The second night we were there our friends from Eromanga turned up again…Stalker alert!
We had a lovely evening with them. Between us we dug a fire pit, gathered and chopped some wood and had a great night sitting around the fire with a couple of brewskies.
Even though it rained for a couple of days, we had a great time at Fisherman’s Rest and will return.
We farewelled our new friends at Eromanga and made our way towards Quilpie, on route to Charleville. About 8km from Quilpie, we saw a sign for Baldy Top lookout and decided to take a peek. I’m pleased that we did. It is a relatively easy hike up to the top and the views…wow. Well worth the effort. Baldy Top is one of the most elevated areas in in this region of south east Queensland and from up there you can see a long way. We weren’t there at sundown, but I bet the sunsets would be simply stunning. Even Hugo enjoyed the view.
From Baldy Top lookout it was a relatively short drive, (two and a half hours) to Charleville. This is a lovely place to spend some time and if you get the chance, go to the Bilby center. It was actually closed when we were there, but we have been to Charleville before and had previously visited the Bilby center. It is very informative and highlights the plight of these gorgeous little animals.
We had only been in Charleville for a couple of days when two of our new friends from Eromanga drove into the Cobb and Co caravan Park. Neighbours again. We had a good catch up with them, and Hugo got the chance to meet George the Farmer. (Good to know I’m not the only idiot out there). 😊
We spent an enjoyable evening at the Cosmos center with our neighbours, and if you have an interest in the night sky, you should go. I’ll be honest, I had a lot of trouble focusing through the telescopes at the Cosmos Center, but everyone else seemed to manage ok, so I’m guessing it was just my eyes/glasses that were causing a problem. That aside, there is a lot to see and experience in the center itself.
Disclaimer: No Bears were harmed in the making of this post.
After the tranquility at Cooper Creek, we decided to spend one more night in the company of the millions of flies and mozzies at Noccundra. I know what you’re thinking…why? What can I say, we’re gluttons for punishment. Anyway, it was a good place to spend the night and I was rewarded by a visit from two Royal Spoonbills who were happily looking for breakfast on the other side of the river. You’ve probably realised by now that I love my birds, so once more rugging up against an onslaught from the insects, I took my position and got some lovely shots.
From there we drove to Yowah, a little opal mining town about four hours east of Coopers Creek. I have to say, I was not too impressed. But it is a working mining town, and we spoke to other people who loved it there. We spent, what was for me, was an uncomfortable night in Yowah. I don’t know what it was, but it just didn’t feel right to me. Early next morning we drove south east to Eromanga.
We had not planned to stay there, but we stopped for a bite to eat at the café in the caravan park and the people were so friendly, we booked in for one night, which turned into two. It was here that we had our first official happy hour gathering. Up until then we’d pretty much been loners, bush camping or keeping to ourselves. I have to say we had a lovely time and met some very nice people, some of whom we will keep in touch with.
There really isn’t much to do at Eromanga, so we went on a road trip to the junction of Windorah and Quilpie roads. There is a little picnic spot there and as we were enjoying a bite to eat, another couple came over to join us. It didn’t take us long to find out that the gentleman we were talking to had worked with our brother-in-law for many years. Small world indeed.
I also did a spot of Brolga stalking while we were on our road trip. That seems silly going on a road trip while we’re travelling the country in a caravan…anyway, that’s what we did. We spotted two separate pairs of brolgas, a family with one juvenile and a family with two juveniles. I have to say, they are hard to get close to; they are very nervous, especially when there are young ones with them. I got some good shots and some not so good shots, but what a thrill it was to see them in their natural habitat.
I also have to say I got seriously disoriented stalking one family and I must give a big shout out to my brother, right here right now. Thank you! You see we had no phone reception where we were, but my brother had given us a set of Oricom handheld walkie talkies, and I had taken mine with me. So, I was able to get in touch with Peter and he got me safely out of the bush.
As well as lots of Brolgas what else is there to see at Eromanga? Well, you could go to the Natural History Museum. https://enhm.com.au/ I’m not a big museum person, but this was fantastic. And if you like Dinosaurs, you’ll love this place. Book yourself in for a tour, you won’t be disappointed.
As well as lots of Brolgas what else is there to see at Eromanga? Well, you could go to the Natural History Museum. https://enhm.com.au/ I’m not a big museum person, but this was fantastic. And if you like Dinosaurs, you’ll love this place. Book yourself in for a tour, you won’t be disappointed.
We woke early the next day and retraced our way back to Cooper Creek. I was hoping that on the other side of the creek, we would find our blue box nestled in the grass, just waiting to come home. The trip to the creek was uneventful, and when we arrived there, we found ourselves behind a car towing a small camper trailer debating whether to cross or not. Even though we had crossed the afternoon before, for our sakes and our fellow travelers, both Peter & I walked across before we took Bigears and Chunky Bum back over the creek.
If you haven’t already guessed, our blue box was gone. I wonder how long it will be until Peter lets me forget it?
We decided to spend a couple of nights on the banks of Cooper Creek, and my oh my, it was wonderful. We Kayaked up and down the creek, we swam in the creek, we lazed by the creek and I spent hours photographing the area and the birds.
One afternoon I left Peter asleep in the hammock while I took the kayak out. I paddled up stream, out of sight of the camp, and other than the sound of the running water and the birdcalls, there was no other sign of life.
When I stopped paddling the clay-suspended water took control of the kayak and slowly pulled me back down stream. I breathed in the hot air as I looked around at this amazing landscape. Clear blue sky, Coolabah, and gum trees hugging the banks of the creek and the scent of…I don’t know…life, I felt a sense of peace and awe fill my being, and I thought, Oh my God. This right here, this is Australia.
Now if you believe that Australia has a spirit, then I’m pretty sure you’ll find it here, and now that I’ve experienced it, I’m going to keep looking for it across this vast land.
The first thing to mention about the drive to Innaminka, is that we had to take a detour, and that gave us the opportunity to visit the site of the Burke and Wills Dig Tree. This is a site of great historical significance in Australia. I won’t go into the history here, but if you’d like to take a detour yourself, follow this link. http://www.thedigtree.com.au/the-history/ It’s a good place to start.
So, where exactly is the Dig Tree? Buried deep within the heart of Australia the Dig Tree is located on the Nappa Merrie Station, (a meager 720,000ha). This is a very remote, harsh, and unforgiving part of the country. There are minimal facilities, in short, if you don’t take it with you, you’re not going to have it, but it is teeming with birdlife and hauntingly beautiful. History buff or not, this should be on your “Must See” list.
More importantly this was the site of our first creek crossing and sadly the loss of our blue box; my bad. ☹
Ok, we like to keep things organized while travelling, you know, a place for everything and everything in its place. So, we had a blue box which contained everything, and I mean everything, needed to set up the awning. Including a washing line with peg holder that Peter made. Hammer, tie downs, pegs, anti-flap thingies, guy ropes, you name it, it was in the blue box.
We drove to the banks of Cooper Creek and saw that it was flowing fast and looked deep. Peter decided to walk the creek to see if it was passable. He asked me to get his wet shoes from the boot of the van, to do this I had to take out the blue box, to get to the orange crate, to get his shoes. You with me so far? He put his shoes on then walked the creek, when he didn’t get washed off his feet, we figured it was safe.
We were excited about the creek crossing so we jumped into Big-ears and off we went.
It’s about 60 kilometers from the creek to Innaminka, remembering we took a detour through the station, I’m not sure how far it actually was, and most of it was on dirt. When we arrived at Innaminka and I hopped out of the car, my heart skipped a beat when I saw that the boot door on the van was flapping in the wind. I knew I’d get in trouble for that, so I quickly closed it, and thought what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. But then I realised that I had left the blue box sitting on the grass on the banks of Cooper Creek, so I had to come clean.
Our visit to Innaminka was short but sweet, thanks to the blue box. We wanted to do a mach run back over the creek to see if it was still there. Sadly it was not. The hotel and the trading post were well worth the visit and it is a great base camp to explore Cooper Creek and Cameron’s Corner. We will be back.
