Thursday 19th June

Our night in the free camp at Augathella was really quiet and uneventful. Just a little shower of rain in the early hours. It only made the soil tacky so the van had some different colour about it.

Prue made up a beautiful pasta for dinner which was, of course, helped by a nice bottle of soft red from Tenterfield. We will be in trouble when we run out of that.

After a quick pack up, due to no cords or hoses to coil up, we continued on the Landsborough Highway to Tambo, which is located on the Barcoo River. We stopped and visited the information centre/museum. It was the original Post office for the town. A magnificent set of council funded buildings that house not only the information centre but also the Education Centre which is in front of the Shire Hall and library.

Being coffee addicts, we went to Fanny Maes, which is a verandah cafe. While there we spoke to a couple who had lived and worked around the Northern Rivers for a lot of years. It turns out that Ralph was the man that was first on the scene of our car accident in 2004 on Tuckombil Road. He and his wife were on their way to Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory. A small world.

Any way, we left Tambo on our way to Blackall. Originally, we had planned to go to Alpha but our friend was not going to be there due to some business going on. So we lobbed into Blackall into a nice but very bust caravan Park. Blackall is also situated on the Barcoo River.

After we set up and had lunch, we went to the last remaining steam powered wool scouring plant in Australia. It is a living museum run by volunteers and is heritage listed. This plant is over 100 years old and was used to wash the wool after the sheep were shorn. These days wool is sent to market in an unscoured condition. There were many other items of machinery, used in and around such a complex, on display.

Later in the afternoon, Prue went for a swim in yet another artesian pool and did her laps. I rode around the relatively small town and saw the other either historic or significant sites. Among these sites are the Jacky Howe memorial statue. He was famous as a gun shearer with not only blades but also machine shearing handpieces. Another, which he was also involved, is the Labor Federation Memorial which commemorates the foundation of the Shearers Union which eventually led to the formation of the Australian Labor Party.

This area and its surrounds were explored by Major Thomas Mitchell in 1846. The abundant and valuable grass in this area was named Mitchell grass in his honour. A clock tower is in the main street also in his honour.

Tonight we joined in a campfire dinner complete with yarn/poet teller, Frank Lowe. A real character and a wealth of knowledge who is worth listening and laughing with. The meal was Pea and ham soup, then baked dinner cooked in a camp oven and finished with damper and golden syrup with billy tea.

Really a great day even though we were passed by numerous B triples and triple road trains. Many of them were going to the Blackall stock sales either taking stock, cattle or sheep, to or from the saleyards. Apparently, this is a very large stock selling centre with large sales each week.