Australian Walkabout

2^nd August – 6^th August 2025

188 km west of Mount Isa, 440 km from the Stuart Highway and 12kms east of the Northern Territory border, is Camooweal, our next stop. Now, back in 2018, Peter, his brother Les and I did a three-week camping trip through outback Qld with two cars, a tent, a swag and a shovel. Now that’s bare camping in its truest form. Part of that trip took us to Camooweal where we caught up with Peters’ other siblings, Hazel and John, Robynn and Gil. We found a great place to camp on the Georgina River and had a fantastic time. So, we were really looking forward to getting back there.

The Georgina River doesn’t flow constantly; it relies heavily on the tropical summer rains. Yet there are two water catchments, Lake Canellan and Lake Francis that retain water most, but not all of the time between rains.

As always Peter found us the best spot for our camp on the banks of Lake Canellan.  It was pretty, chocked full of birds and we had our very own resident Brolgas to share morning coffee with.

The sun rises yes, I did see them (well one) were lovely, but the sunsets offered much better lighting for photography, that kept me happy. As for Peter, there were plenty of areas for him to go for a ride, Including Lake Francis. This was two to three km further down the road from Lake Canellan, and it too offered some lovely scenery.

Camooweal was just as we remembered. We camped about three hundred meters from where we’d camped with the family on our last visit.  But the birds, oh my, the birds! I identified 35 species but I’m sure the experts would have recognised many more So, right here and now I will warn you, there are going to be a lot of photos of birds. I’ve culled and culled and there are still too many but here we go.

First up was a big surprise and a first sighting for me. We drove up to the far end of Lake Francis, and I could not believe my eyes when I saw this pair of spectacular Jabiru (Black-Necked Storks).

The females have a yellow iris where the males have a brown iris. Hard to tell from a distance but easy from these photos

I mentioned Brolgas, we actually saw seven in the area. Two couples and a family of three. To me, Brolgas are a mix of elegance and comedic charm. They are devoted couples and are never far from each other.

Brolgas love to dance. Apparently their most elaborate dances are generally for courtship or strengthening their bond. I think they just love to dance and they dance like no one is watching.

They are big birds and need a decent runway for take-off. Elegance takes no part in this action.

There were a good number of Cormorants in the area, and it wasn’t hard to see why. This fellow got the catch of the day, lord knows how he swallowed it, it took some doing, but he got there in the end.

But there were plenty of small fish to feed the rest of the population. I’d like to say that only a few fish were harmed during the taking of these photos, but there were actually quite a lot.

And at the end of a hard day’s fishing, it’s off to find a roost for the night.

There were plenty of Raptors in the area.

Now you may notice the next three images are not birds, but is this or is this not, the prettiest caterpillar you’ve ever seen?

He was quite big, I’d guess about 75mm long and was all by his lonesome.

 From the prettiest caterpillar to the cutest ducks. This pair of Pacific Black ducks were just having a ball. I watched them for a good ten minutes and could almost hear them laughing.

There have been a few birds I wouldn’t expect to see this far inland, including this randy pair of Black-Fronted dotterels. There were also pied stilts, some sort of Tern and a solitary Black Swan.

So, we’re nearly at the end. Here a is a small sample of some of the other birds around our camp.

Dusk provided me with perfect light for the birds and the water.

Congratulations and thank you, if you made it through all these images. You might think I posted every single image I took – believe me…I didn’t.

After being stationary for so long we were determined to get some kms on the odo. That meant longer stretches of driving, and what we call “bare” camps, only setting up the minimum for comfort. So, after leaving Capalaba we had single overnight stops at:

• Little Yabba Ck, Camboon
• Gunalda
• Gin Gin
• Bajool
• Blackwater
• Bogantungan
• Barcaldine

The distance was 1271 kms, about twenty hours of driving at towing speeds which average out at about four hours per day. Not a lot by some standards but almost double what we normally do.

The stretch from Little Yabba to Gunalda was a very short drive. After and hour twenty, we were forced to stop by a heavy downpour which reduced our visibility to almost zero. The following night at Blackwater, we were greeted by a gaggle of minions, very cute.

Travelling offers insight to where our everyday products come from. In past posts, I’ve written about cotton farms, farms which are plentiful along our route. We passed a huge area filled with bales of cotton, wrapped in plastic of varying colours. I did a little research about the colours and their meaning, but other than pink, which is used to support breast cancer awareness, there is no meaning to the colour, despite what Google’s AI will tell you.

Bogantungan was a lovely overnight stop. We actually camped at the Drummond Range Lookout, but there were very few spaces for big rigs, we were lucky to find a spot and enjoyed the stunning views.

You know how people build stone cairns around the country? Well, we saw some unusual bridge cairns. After examining them I decided that the stones must be stuck together somehow, so I touched one. Guess what? They weren’t. I felt so guilty about knocking it over, we decided to rebuild it, but like any DIY job, there were a couple of pieces left over.

After rebuilding the one I knocked down, Peter was inspired and decided to make his own.

We drove through Jerico, and nice little town east of Barcaldine and while Peter explored the open-air cinema, I hunted butterflies and we both admired the murals.

By that time, we were ready for a bit of a rest, and on the recommendation of Hazel & John, (sister & brother-in-law) we drove through Longreach and checked out the Darr River.

This really was a great place to stay. There were only two or three spots suitable for a larger van, but again…we were lucky and got a great spot. Unfortunately, Peter was still unable to lift heavy objects, so we couldn’t get the kayaks down for a paddle (we will next time,) but we were able to walk along the river quite a distance. Crossing a railway line and another barbed wire fence, into the neighbouring property.

We loved it there and we stayed for four nights. The river was full, the birdlife was plentiful, and it was home to some of my all-time favourite birds…Budgies!

I was surprised to find Black-Fronted Dotterels and Stilts this far inland, but…here they were.

Just on the other side of the river was a very busy pair of Whistling Kites preparing for their chicks.

Once more we hit the road leaving Darr River (Longreach) on our way to Mt Isa.

We stayed two nights at Winton, mainly to catch up on some washing and to top up our water.

While in Winton we were treated to a show by bush poet/comedian, Gregory North. Although he lives in the Blue Mountains, I think he makes Winton one of his bases. He got a bit of a buzz out of being Gregory North performing at the North Gregory hotel… cute. He was actually very good and has been voted best bush poet several times.

Anyway, you know how it is when they call for someone from the audience… no-one volunteers, so feeling a bit sorry for his stalled act, I put up my hand. It was fun 😊 This little snippet is from the end of my show. I’m thinking of taking it on the road.

The next day took us through Kynuna a little country town with a resident Brolga, and that night we stopped about halfway between Kynuna and Mckinlay.

On the way to Longreach the next day, Peter spotted a hill. Now if you’ve been following our blog, you will know that Peter can’t resist a good hill. So, off we went, sneaking through a barbed wire fence, into an old mining area just so we could climb this.

We made it to Mt Isa without falling down a mine shaft or getting arrested. Like many mining communities, it’s not a pretty place, but Mt Isa Mines have contributed heaps to Australia for over a hundred years (since 1924).

A short drive out from Mt Isa is Moondarra Dam.

I think it’s safe to say we are now back in the swing of things, but it wasn’t until we reached Longreach, outback Qld, that we felt that sense of freedom and we knew we were back where we belonged.

And so, we continue: The road to Camooweal beckons.

3 July – 17 July 2025

Our sojourn ended all too soon and we found ourselves back in the big smoke. Well, Mount Cotton anyway. Peter had an MRI booked before his surgery, we got that tucked away and I delivered him to St Andrews War Memorial Hospital in Spring Hill on July the 3^rd, the op was the following day, and we had hoped to have him home the day after.

The gallbladder was removed without a hitch, but some stones were outside of the bladder and were proving difficult to remove. Peter’s surgeon had foreshadowed this, so we weren’t surprised or overly worried when we were told that they would keep Peter in hospital and try a different procedure to remove the troublesome stones. His next procedure was booked in for July the 8^th.

Just a side note, Spring Hill is an inner-city suburb. Nothing wrong with that, unless like me, you’re not comfortable driving a vehicle the size of a tank through the city. Getting lost, then having to circle the hospital several times hunting down a parking space. Then, when you do spot one, you find yourself parallel parking between a Porshe and Mercedes in an opening big enough for a standard sedan, not a tank. (FYI no car was hurt during the parking of our vehicle).

I won’t even go into the traffic, which turned a half hour drive into a forty-five-, or ninety-minute drive home. Suffice to say a couple of wines were welcome each evening.            

Peter’s second operation to retrieve the missing stones was successful. The surgeon removed about a tablespoon of “gravel” which would have proven problematic for Peter down the track, and he was discharged the following day.

I’d like to say I enjoyed my ‘home alone’ time, but I didn’t. I missed Peter too much.

Peter had a fair amount of post-op pain, so we stayed at Greenacres caravan park until the 17^th of July, giving him ample time to convalesce.

So, ‘The end is nigh’, is now simply, ‘The end’; our waiting period is over. Mum is still doing well, my next follow-up isn’t until November, Peter’s gallbladder has been dealt with, Chunky Bum & Arnie are both in good shape, and we are free to travel again. It’s only taken us ten months.

Where to next? I hear you ask, well your guess is as good as ours. Well not quite, we know we’re heading north then west, but will we make it to WA as we’d hoped? Let’s just see where the road takes us.

17^th June – 3^rd July 2025

First up, I got a bit ahead of myself in my last post and as a result, I lost three weeks. Hey, it happens.

In summary: After Flanagan’s, we spent three nights at the Allawah Scout Camp, two nights at Rodney’s Rest (aka Harland Park), then two- and a-half weeks with family in Kingaroy, except for one night which we spent in a motel at Clevleand, for a doctor’s appointment. From Kingaroy we had an overnight at Cruice Park, again to be close to town for a doctor’s appointment. After that, we backtracked towards Kingaroy for a well welcomed stay at Benarkin State Forest.

This brings me to the 18^th, June, our stay at Greenacres Caravan Park in Mount Cotton, and where we received Peter’s verdict. The Gallbladder must go!

Who says I can’t be concise? Look at that, three weeks in a single paragraph.

With ten days to kill before Peter’s operation, we were in desperate need for some relaxation. Bowenville Reserve, 30kms southeast of Dalby, was just the place.

Chunky Bum was parked about 30mtrs from Oaky Creek, which was full, flowing and offered us many, many hours of paddling.

We had planned to go to Lake Broadwater but pulled into Bowenville for a couple of nights first. We never left. We did go to look at Lake Broadwater, which was very nice, but Oakey Creek was calling to us. It was perfect for paddling.

There was a dark section of the creek, thanks to the heavy growth along its banks. This area was frequented by a group of Cockatoos most afternoons, when the light was particularly bad. I got some lovely photos, but they were dark, so I decided to have some fun with photoshop. I figured, if the background is so dull and boring, why not get rid of it. So, I did.

I have to say, I love the result.

We much prefer rivers/creeks over most lakes or dams. The latter are often big wide-open expanses of water, good for an exercise paddle or fishing. The former however, are great for exploration with little side channels, fallen trees and rocks to navigate around. Also, more opportunity for birding.

And, as I’ve said many a time, where there is water, there are birds. I identified twenty-one species, but I’m sure the experts would have found more. Don’t worry, I’m not going to show them all, 😉only a select few.

There was a large population of Red-Rumped Parrots in the area feeding on the grasses and bathing in the creek. I’ve often said, one of the advantages of travelling how we do, is that we are often in an area long enough to get to know the habits of the locals. This allowed me to get these lovely shots.

A lot of birds seemed to use this area as their drink hole and bathing area. Peter certainly knows how to pick a good camp site.

On our trip to Lake Broadwater, we passed quite a few cotton farms, most of which had been harvested leaving row after row of freshly bundled cotton. Of course, we had to go and have a closer look. The last image will give you an idea of just how big these bales are.

There were a few birds of prey living around Oakey Creek; Whistling Kite, Black Kite and the Black-Shouldered Kite.

Interesting fact: Peter witnessed a pair of Whistling Kites that had taken down and were devouring a Black-Shouldered Kite. Strange but true.

I was drifting in my kayak when I saw this Willie-Wagtail flying around some driftwood. I snapped some shots, but it wasn’t until I got home and cropped them, that I realised I’d caught him hunting. Not like Peters Whistling V’s Black-Shouldered Kite hunt. This was Willie V’s Fly, spoiler alert…Willie won.

The fly is visible from the second image, very bottom of image, inline with Willies bill, just a tiny blur. However, it is missing from the last image.  I wonder where it went.

I told Peter that my challenge for this stay was to catch a Restless-Fly Catcher in flight. All I can say is that they are well named. Those little blighters never stop and they’re hard to get in front of the lens… especially when they’re on the lens. Even then, this fellow just did a quick equipment check and was off again.

20^st May – 17^th  June 2025

Flanagan’s Reserve is only 44kms west of Darlington Park and unlike the open grassland of Darlington, it has a rustic bush setting, with the Logan River flowing through the property. We have stayed there before but I don’t remember much about it. I was quite unwell for the first few days last time we visited and I slept most of the time, then my appendix burst, and I spent the next 5 days in Ipswich hospital (never again). So, I was looking forward to re-visiting it (Flanagan’s, not the hospital, 😊) even though it was a bit further away from Victoria Point and our Doctor

I have to say Flanagan’s was looking pretty tired. The campground is poorly maintained, with rubbish lying around the camp areas. Peter collected half a dozen beer cans, plastic bottle tops and some food wrappers before he set up camp for us. We’ve never really seen that in a managed campground before. The firepits were the standard half steel drums, but these were old and rusty with dangerous, sharp, jagged edges. The garbage bags went into an open trailer (you can imagine how the birds and possums loved this set up). There are only two toilets and one shower for the Ladies: one toilet and one shower for the men, plus a row of 6 portaloos near the amenities block. Flanagan’s has twenty-eight acres available for camping. That’s a lot of people.  All I can say is I’m pleased that we’re are self-sufficient.

The neighbours were pretty cool though.

We had a good camp spot at the far end of the property which backed onto cattle grazing area. Even though the gamp ground got really busy over the weekend, we had our own little spot. Maybe it was our hobby that kept people away form us.

There wasn’t much in the way of birdlife, though I did see my first Pale-Headed Rosella so that was lovely.

On our first day there we spotted a small mob of kangaroos in the neighbouring property, they were quite a distance away, but I was able to get some shots of a couple of young bucks practicing their fighting skills. There was a lot of pushing and  wrestling, maybe even a bit of boxing. I’m pretty sure that they were only training, had they been fighting in earnest I think there’d have been a bit of blood flying around. Check out those claws on their paws.

But it’s not really the claws that inflict the damage, it’s those incredibly strong legs which produced powerful kicks. What really surprised me though, was how they use their tails. I’ve never seen kangaroos fighting before, but those tails must be solid muscle, and a strong, long tail is an obvious advantage in a fight, look at the height he’s getting.

Even though they are “playing” they certainly don’t hold back their punches, or in this case kicks. You can almost see the wind being knocked out of the guy on the left.

I have to finish off with the junior boxing squad. Super cute.

While here, we had our first real hike in what seems like forever. The 4.5km return trip with and elevation of 660m, is considered to be a challenging route. But we did it, and it was worth the effort.

And as for Peter. Well, he had his ultrasound on the 27^th and after another week of waiting we got the results. It turns out that he has some rather large gallstones and…you guessed it, they’ve got to go.

We have an appointment to see his surgeon on 17^th of June, until then…we wait and continue to explore the Great South East.