Warning – again lots of photos….

We filled up at Rubyvale at 200cpl and continued on. We
headed out to the main highway and up 40k’s to turn off to head south through
the Willows Gemfields. We were tempted to stay there for a night and do some
more fossicking  but instead continued through
the back blocks with its great scenery to the Dawson Development Road which runs
from Springsure to Tambo. Still with great history and sights as it passed the
northern end of Carnarvon Gorge National Park – unfortunately the pics don’t do
justice to the grandstanding of the cliffs.

The overnight stop was on the Dawson road – actually just
next to it but with next to nil traffic it wasn’t a problem. For the next couple of nights we were at Tambo who claims in the fame stakes are a) that it is the oldest town in central Queensland, b) the scene of the first Qantas crash and c) the home of the Tambo Teddies (look em up….). The Qantas crash took 3 lives when the mail plane went to land at the wrong field.  When the pilot worked it out, he tried to climb up but the plane stalled and crashed killing the 3. There is a small amount of wreckage at the museum but the plane was buried where it crashed and is still there. Jo cut herself on her finger, so I put my best first aid knowledge to work!

We spent a day heading into the Carnarvon National Park that we missed, great scenery and vans could get in there but the camping wasn’t special – morning tea at the campground (Jo made muffins the day before in the car oven) then off to see the sights! The features were close together and their walks were less than 30 minutes for each. Up to the lookout meant up the steps cut into the stone – too many to count…. While we were finishing the walks the pies went into the oven and it was back to the campground for lunch and then home.

We left Tambo and headed down the 115k’s for a $5 a night stopover in Augathella. A rural town that needs the tourist dollar. The stopover has the same new toilet and shower block as Isisford, and the pub is right over the road. The town gets excited about its relationship with the Meat Ant, a big ant that likes meat! I can’t recall seeing it but the town was made famous as the centrepiece back in the 1950’s for the movie Smiley which is based here. The stopover is great, but when 50mm of rain falls then its not so pleasant. Dinner was at the pub – check out Jo’s steak! It rained for half the night and left us (and the other vans) with moats around us. I mentioned to Jo in the morning it was so bad the bloke next door had waders on – she had to check that one out herself and of course he didn’t but she did get out bed earlier than normal…

Augathella was great and we could have stayed another night, but with more rain coming then the mud patch wasn’t for us – we hadn’t unhooked and Jo sent me outside to clear up, and she ….suggested…. that it would be good idea if I did all the work outside and then move the van to higher ground so that she could get out of the van on dry land! Another long day behind the wheel as headed for Charleville, 83ks closer to home! 

The map