The journey continues

Left Longreach at 7.45am.  Getting better and better.  We were a bit worried for a bit that we’d damaged the end with our see saw last night, but we got it closed in the end. 

It was slightly warmer last night.  1.1 degrees!  Hoping to reach Mt Isa by tonight but it will be a long day.

Everyone has been very helpful in setting up and packing up camp.  It’s made everything move a bit quicker!  And all our stuff is slowly finding a place to go.  I even got all the potatoes into a cupboard!  We’ve eaten the two meals I made before we left home so we might be a bit longer getting dinner tonight.

Cooper is a bit sick of just sitting in  the car all the time.  He calls out “can we go back home” a bit.

Driving out of Longreach I pointed out the wide, flat area that fills up when the river floods each year.  Most of the creeks and rivers that we have crossed so far are dry.  Amazing that they flood at all!  But I guess after the wet season comes up North, the water makes it’s way downstream and fills them up.  I bet it is a relief to all the landowners when the water comes.

The road out of Longreach is raised up from the surrounding land.  Probably to keep it open as long as possible when it’s wet.  It seemed to help with the road kill – wasn’t as much on that stretch of road.

Stopped in Winton for a break at a playground and some fuel.  Cooper loves the slides – as do the bigger boys.  But they don’t say so!  We saw a few HUGE grey birds – cranes – I thought they were Jabiru, but after a little internet search I think Jabiru have black heads and necks, so now I’m not sure…  They were very cool.

A few emus, a few wild cats, more dead lizards on the road today. 

Outside Winton, there were these amazing rocky hills.  They look even more amazing because the land is flat!  Then these red, rocky cliffs and piles of boulders just appear.

We planned to stop in Kynuna for lunch, but there was just dust and dirt and no shade, so we kept driving.  McKinlay was the next “big” town so we stopped there to fill up with fuel.  I tried to post my final part of the work return for term 3, but the lady in the petrol station/general store/post office said her mail had just gone and the next collection wasn’t until Thursday.  I’m better off taking it to Mt Isa. 

Joseph was impressed that there was a library – until he saw it was the size of a small room!  “Why would anyone want to live here???”  He wanted to know where the school was.  There was a park, however, and we ate out lunch and played in the sand.  I took over the driving and gave Grant a stint in the back seat for a nap.  We nearly drove off with the caravan door wide open and the step down.  That would have been interesting.

Past Cloncurry (the birth place of the flying doctor) the landscape changed a lot!  Rolling hills, green trees, craggy hills – it was beautiful all the way into Mt Isa.  Not what I’d expected at all.

 We pulled into a Burke and Wills memorial and asked the kids who Burke and Wills were – no response. 

“Didn’t they fly over  Australia?”  “Uh, no.”

So Grant got out his little iphone and looked up Burke and Wills.  It was very interesting and the kids were just as attentive as they were when we played  the movie “Rango” the day before.  From the sounds of it, Burke was a bit of a violent, pig headed dude who has a lot to answer for….

Thelma has done a great job organizing our accommodation so far – after Mt Isa we’re on our own. Warm and dry in Mt Isa.  Joseph washed a chair with quite a bit of water and it was dry in an hour.  Couldn’t believe it!

Vicki