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Mitsubishi 4WD Owners Club of Qld (Inc) |
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Birdsville - Sept '07 |
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BIRDSVILLE RACES 26 August –1 SeptemberWiggle leaders: Mike Farrell and Eric (and Kim) Rusis Wiggle followers: Glen Murphy and Glenda Mann, Robert and Jenny Brouwers, Les and Helen Davey, John Veling, Jeff Sparkes, Robert and Sylvia Edwards, Pat, Trish and Damon Morrow, Glenn Cottrell and Lyn Conroy. Horses? What Horses? Now you would think that we would be disappointed with the Equine Flu but guess what? The Mitsubishi Club is now part of history. Yes, History. The cup has been going for 126 years and it has only been cancelled on one occasion and that was during WWII. And we were there on the second occasion (mind you dressing up as the Wiggles didn’t really promote the club but hey it was Birdsville!!).And what a trip it was. After all the rain the week before in Brisbane, all of us were looking forward to sunshine and the outback. The Sunday saw 5 vehicles leave BP Blacksoil heading out for our first campsite 50kms west of St George via Cecil Plains and a “back way” our trip leaders had identified. Back way? Standing around and staring at a “road closed“ sign did leave some of us wondering why we couldn’t have gone the “normal way” but our trip leaders had a solution. “Lets just do it” as we drove down the closed road. Finding camp (we were to catch up with Brouwers/Daveys and Morrows who left a day earlier) proved also to be difficult (just ask Eric and Kim one day) but we eventually found the others around a nice spot next to an Artesian bore. Our first happy hour, Yeah!! Next day we headed off to Thargomindah but not before stopping off at the Rosehill Aviary to see over 600 parrots and exotic birds. All of us were impressed, as you wouldn’t believe you could see something like this in the middle of nowhere. Lunch was at Cunnamulla and then we quickly visited a working 1894 power station at Thargomindah before setting up camp that night for happy hour number two (Jeff Sparkes also arrived after doing a two-day trip in one day). Great facilities, but also great prickles. Tuesday morning we woke up with Eric doing mortgage deals on the phone and logging onto to his wireless laptop (trying to justify the trip as a business trip no doubt) as we left for Innamincka with a stopover at the Noccundra pub. This pub has been highlighted in various 4x4 magazines and you can see why as it is full of atmosphere. Some quick refreshments and then we continued. Now, at this point I would like to say the roads were good gravel roads but the truth is that they were awful. Hard rock, lots of dust and lots of more dust. Driving into Innamincka (which is in South Australia) was like arriving onto a Mad Max movie scene. 4WDs coming from all directions in dusty clouds all bee-lining for the Innamincka pub and general store. What a sight! Prior to joining mad max convoy we did stop to see the “Dig Tree”, which was used by Burke and Wills as camp 65 in 1861. I have to say that Innamincka was a fascinating place. I thought Birdsville was going to be the highlight but the history associated with the area, the campsite next to a great Billabong (part of Cooper Creek), experiencing the lunar eclipse, having dinner with two tour groups at the pub and seeing the final resting places for Burke and Wills (died 45 kms apart) are treasured. Oh, and the pit toilets weren’t so bad. Just had to get in before the bull ants took over at night time. We had two happy hours at Innamincka and we needed it, as the road into Birdsville on Thursday was one of the roughest I have seen. Flies, dust, dust, dust, rocks. Get the picture? (Even though it was rough road it probably was the best road in as we found out that the local Birdsville mechanic fixed 130 tyre punctures in one day from those travelling along from Windorah to Birdsville). It was a long day driving but we managed to stop at Cordillo Downs Station (largest shearing shed in Australia) and a couple of ruins before getting into Birdsville at 3.00pm. After being random breath tested on the way in, we set up camp in the bush scrub alongside the river and then it was into the legendary Birdsville pub. Yeah!! Made it as we downed our drinks and caught up with the Canning Stock Route tour group (Ken and Di Winders, Russell and Jenny Kennedy, Paul and Cheryl Lee). It was Ken’s 60th birthday so it was an extra special night. What do you do in Birdsville without horses? Well you eat $8 burgers that are so huge you need four hands, you walk the circuit to the bakery, you do the Fred Brophy boxing tent, buy souvenirs, drink at the pub, see the working museum (another must do), watch planes landing next to the pub, wear your wiggles outfit and you do BIG RED. Now let’s not get confused here. Little RED was hard enough for some of us first timers, but I am talking BIG Red. Up one side was easy (from East) but the west side is something different as we all found out. What gear? High range vs. low? What speed? How long a run up? Well Rob Brouwers, Jeff Sparkes, Pat Morrow, Rob Edwards all had smiles on their face whilst Glen Cottrell, Eric Rusis and Mike Farrell, well, sorry lads. Me?? Well technically I made it (I like to think so) but had to be snatched on the top by Robert B as I bogged on the crest (4th attempt). And what do you do after conquering Big Red? Yep. Head to Birdsville pub in our Wiggles shirts. A great trip, six happy hours and great company. Thanks Eric and Mike. PS - some stayed at Birdsville and made their own way back and others joined the “beyond Birdsville” trip leaving Saturday 1 September. PPS – No horses just means it gives us all an excuse to go back next year. PPPS - Stopped in somewhere to get date wine but it had an alcohol kick and I can’t remember where it was. John Veling Some pics from the lens of the Brouwers .....
Beyond Birdsville ... 1 – 16 SeptemberSaturday Well there weren't any horses racing at Birdsville so six of us decided to move on. Some were doing the Working Museum tour (where there were lots of opportunities to say “ I remember that” and even more to say “ I've never seen that”) so the meeting point was the Bakery (next door) for a 10.00 to 10.30 start. Last chance for a kangaroo pie and then we were farewelled by those who were staying for the phantom raceday before returning to Brisbane (and work). The road north was a mixture of bitumen and dirt and DUST! And we still had sand dunes on each side of the road. We got to Bedourie (where the Desert meets the Channel Country) for lunch at an oasis of a park, having crossed the Tropic of Capricorn into North Queensland again. We decided to pump our tyres up after the dirt and went to the local servo/supermarket/bar/caravan park and saw a notice “No diesel at Boulia” our proposed next fuel stop. Having confirmed this as true we filled up and re-worked our planned trip into Diamantina NP. We reached Boulia, and there was no diesel, but we had grass to camp on in the caravan park and an emu with chicks across the road to watch. Fuel wasn't expected until Sunday afternoon at the earliest (it eventually came late on the Monday) so we drowned our sorrows at the local pub for dinner; having crossed the Burke River and negotiated a cattle grid and/or turnstile walking into town. Sunday Boulia is home to the Red Stump (beyond which is only desert) and the Min Min Experience which most of us went to see at 9.00. Is it natural or supernatural? No-one knows! There were lots of theories proposed during the 45 minute animatronic show (not something we expected to find at Boulia). After much consideration of options in the absence of fuel we left for Diamantina NP at 11.00. Glenn C and Lyn decided to head straight to Winton so they left just after the camels at the NP turn off. Then there were five. More dirt and dust. Arrived Gum Hole camp at 1.45. Nice camp spot beside a water hole, shade, hakea, bee eaters, kites, crows, corellas and FLIES! Early happy hour and discussion of future plans. Monday Despite seeing the clouds showing a nice sunrise we had a lazy start to the day. Again fuel decided our option of a short tour of the park . Diamantina is a NP with a difference as it used to be a working cattle station (last owned by Janet Holmes a Court) we visited Hunters Gorge camp (nice but open), Diamantina Cattle Station Homestead (now the NP ranger HQ – including resident snake), Janet’s Leap (a picturesque lookout over the Diamantina River and Channels). Our short 70 km tour showed us sand dunes, gibber plains, cattle yards, mesas, grazing country, treed channel country and kangaroos. In short “Diamantina Diversity”. Tuesday John Veling was off to see Lark Quarry (home of the dinosaur stampede) and Winton and we were genuine as we all wished John a safe trip – he had been our “sign? what sign?” man and now he had to find them all for himself. So then there were four (three Nissans and one Pajero). Having just missed the bustard at the entrance to Gum Hole camp we were off back to Boulia. After fuelling up, pumping up tyres (again) and smoko we headed for Mt Isa via Dajarra (30 sec town tour – true, that's all it took) and Duchess (used to have three pubs and 3000 people, now has one pub and nearly ten people, but they do have eight trains a day). After changing Mike's punctured tyre we headed to Mt Isa via the dips in a dusty road and finally saw the traffic lights of the Isa! The Copper City CP had grassed sites, albeit dry and worn, and after finding Jeff's keys he and Mike went to Buffs (The Buffalo Club) for tea, as did Eric, Kim and their son Nick (who works in THE mine) while we stayed home and listened to the stunted cackle of the Blue Winged Kookaburra. Wednesday A general washing, supplies, do whatever day. Mike got his tyre fixed (for nothing), his trailer brake fixed and his water tank filter leak fixed. Glenda had her hair cut. The rest did whatever. Glenda and Glenn had their turn at Buffs for dinner. Thursday Again a general catch up day. Nick escorted Kim, Eric, Mike, Glenn and Glenda on a Mine Surface tour then the four of them went to Lake Moondara while Glenn and Glenda did the tourist thing (Outback at Isa, Tent House, Underground Hospital). We all fueled up and pumped tyres up again. Mike's camp got flooded by a loose hose from the onsite caravan next door (he thought his water tank was leaking again) and we all went to the Apex Sausage Sizzle and Entertainment for dinner. This was put on in conjunction with Copper City Park to help Apex raise money for their service work. Friday An 8.15 start for 4 ½ vehicles (Nick was on his Harley look-alike) and we headed for Lawn Hill via Cloncurry and Burke and Wills Roadhouse (where Nick left his non-off-road bike) and Gregory Downs. 450 km tar and 90 km dirt with lots of cattle and roo roadkill and wedge tail eagles feasting. Several road-trains between Burke and Wills and Gregory Downs made driving interesting on the narrow road. If you didn't stop you should have! We arrived at Adels Grove (10 km short of Lawn Hill) and set up camp in the shady (albeit dusty) grove. Saturday The early starter gets the canoe! We had three canoes – Kim/Eric, Nick/Mike, Glenda/Glenn (Jeff opted out of getting sunburnt). All very pleasant and, despite some confusion over the location of the new portage point, we got to see both middle and upper gorges. It is as beautiful as it looks in the brochures and paddle power is a great way to experience it. In the afternoon Glenn and Glenda drove down to Riversleigh to look at fossils (in rocks); Eric, Kim and Nick did a gorge walk; Mike and Jeff did their own thing, including watching the arrival of three motor gliders. Sunday Glenn and Glenda opted for the gorge walks this morning; Jeff drove to Riversleigh (helped to recharge the second battery as well); Mike was still doing his own thing; Eric and Kim were taking Nick back to Burke and Wills to pick up his bike so he could get back to work at the Isa and they continued on to Julia Creek. Later in the day Glenn and Glenda went for a swim and were fascinated watching 100s (yes 100s) of hawks soaring on thermals above the creek. Monday And then there were three for an 8.00 start to Julia Creek . This time we got the road trains on the dirt road – road? What road? You couldn't see a thing for dust as they passed. An uneventful trip apart from Mike (in the lead) trying to create fresh roadkill with a bustard, roo and cattle. A lazy afternoon after our arrival at Julia Creek for most while Kim cooked a cake for us. Tuesday Up early enough to see the sunrise over the back of the CP. Again there were four away at 8.15 for a day travelling through fossil country. Stopped at Richmond to look at Museum but electronic information on displays was not working so we had smoko instead at the man-made Fred Tritton dam. On to Hughenden. Went to the museum there. The display was good, the presentation was working and it was only one-third the cost of Richmond's museum entry! Boy that Muttaburrasaurus was big! Decided to drive out to Porcupine Gorge and have late lunch there. It was hot and dry as we set up camp. About 3.30 it had started to cool a little so we went for the walk down into the gorge to see the Pyramid (and the sun-baking female backpacker). Later that evening as we prepared our dinner an inquisitive Poteroo did a tour of the camps – greeting Kim as she left her shower. Wednesday We aimed for an 8–8.30 start and were away at 7.45! We stopped at the Gorge Lookout on the way back into Hughenden. Quite an impressive gouge in the earth. Halfway back to town Glenn and Glenda turned left to take the scenic route to Prairie and Townsville. On our way to Prairie we crossed the Finders River (the longest river in Queensland) via a dirt causeway, which 5mm rain would render impassable and stopped at the Glendourie Wall Lookout which gives a view back over the ranges. Then on our way to Townsville, and home, we passed White Mountain National Park, noted for wildflowers, Burra Range which is 550 metres high and part of the Great Dividing Range and couldn't help but notice that it was green to the west and dry to the east. Somebody got some rain at least. And then there were three who headed through Muttaburra to Longreach where they took in the QANTAS museum and the Stockman's Hall of Fame. Next stop was a Farm Stay near Emerald before Carnarvon Gorge. We had visited Carnarvon Gorge at the start of the trip so we know the impressive sights that mother nature had on show. (Well worth a trip next Easter with Eric and Kim). Sunday saw Jeff head for home so there were two (Patrols!) for a little more R and R before heading for home with a stop over at Chinchilla and back in Brisbane on Tuesday. For the stats minded – Our 2.5 litre Pathfinder travelled 5925 kms, used 628.44 litres of diesel (that's an average of 10.6 l/100) at a cost of $810.77. The cheapest fuel we bought was at Mt Isa (115.9) and the dearest at Bedourie (159.6). It was dearer at Adels Grove but we didn't buy any! The only “incident” we had was a “sprung” rear panel, presumably when we hid a dip too hard with the mudflap. Thanks to Damon for seeing this so it could be fixed. Thanks to Mike, Eric and Kim for organising it all, and thanks to all participants for their company. Despite not having horses and racing at Birdsville it was great to see new towns and different country. There really is a lot of emptiness in the Outback but we had a lot of fun checking it out Glenda and Glenn Back to Top
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