THURSDAY 17 MARCH   WINTON TO CLONCURRY   350kms

It was a hot and cloudy day.

Uneventful drive through country that was a bit better grassed and greener than when we usually travel through here.

Went into the Gilbert Park Caravan Park – $18 after Top Tourist discount.

Unhitched Truck from van, for only the second time this week, to drive to the shops.

We bought some emergency (as in, I haven’t a clue what I will find there) supplies for Pungalina – packets, tins and items that would keep. Got some more wine and beer, for us.

John had decided he needed sweatbands for his head, after experiencing the heat of the past few days. We had to hunt a bit to find a store that sold same, and they were very expensive.

Refuelled Truck – $1.15cpl.

Truck was now packed really tightly!

TUESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER   ADELS GROVE TO CLONCURRY   435kms

I was quite sad to be leaving here after so many months. It was such a beautiful place. But, given the staffing situation, it was – from our viewpoint – a good time to go. I suspected  we would  be back.

Took the usual route via Gregory Downs and Burke and Wills Roadhouse. Reached Cloncurry after a long, hot and dusty drive.

Went back into the Gilbert Park Caravan Park – $17.10 a night, after discount.

We unhitched Truck and went to the supermarket for some food supplies. It felt really alien to be in such a place again, and was quite hard to adjust to. Such choice!

Refuelled Truck – 89cpl. That was a big difference – back under the dollar.

The other aspect that was really noticeable to us was the general background noise of the town – vehicle traffic, train noise, and just having people around, in general.

FRIDAY 25 APRIL   BLACKALL TO CLONCURRY   740kms

Another early start that saw us departing at 7.20am.

Barcaldine marked the point where we turned west. This was a town we’d never stopped to explore and yet again, would not have time to do so.

Refuelled at Longreach – 96cpl – and again at Kynuna – $1.02cpl.

Our lunch stop was near Winton.

Today was Anzac Day and as we passed through some of the towns, saw some of the Anzac commemorations going on.

As we’d travelled further north and west, over the past couple of days, the amount of tree cover on the land had dwindled, to be replaced by vast open grasslands, where trees were confined to the lines of watercourses. It had also become noticeably hotter.

Reached Cloncurry at 5pm and booked into the Gilbert Park Caravan park – $17.10, after discount. Set up – minimally – on a site where we were able to stay hitched up.

Phoned Adels to let them know we would be arriving tomorrow or Sunday. Spoke to V – who we knew from last year. A few minutes later, received a phone call back from the boss, who asked whether we could pick up some beer and casks of wine for her.

So, we had to unhitch from the van and drive quickly to the shopping area. Bought the requested supplies. John found they had Regal beer, a brand unknown to us before last year, when he found it at Ayr. So he bought a slab of that for us – an extra replenishment of our stock.

Phoned daughter to let her know our progress, left a message, and later received a mobile phone text message acknowledgement. That was the first text message we’d ever had.

It was a very early night for us – long days of driving are surprisingly tiring.

WEDNESDAY 7 JUNE     CLONCURRY

We slept in.

As soon as I got up, it was off to the laundry, where I did two loads of washing.

A lady also doing her washing recognized me as having taught her at Hamilton High – about 1970! I was amazed to still be recognizable, thirty years later! L and her family were doing an extended trip and heading for Lawn Hill and then east to the Cape.

It was a late breakfast for me, and then I sat in the sun and sewed for a while.

John went down the street, to check out the bowls club and came back with the news we were going to social bowls tomorrow night.

There did not seem to be as much to see and do in Cloncurry as I had anticipated.

After lunch, we walked up the hill near the park and looked out over the area. There were many hills on the horizon, to the south and south west especially. We chatted for a while with a Qld Rail man who was up there too.

The railway is very active in Cloncurry because of mining and cattle. Apart from mines around the town itself, lines come in from Mt Isa and the mining towns to the south west, like Duchess and Dajarra.

From the top of the hill, we could see across to the rail yards in the distance, and see a big train being assembled to go east. We had already noticed, on the way into town yesterday, the big road trucks moving ore from the local mine/s to the rail depot.

Assembling a big train to go east

Went into town for some food supplies, then visited L’s site and talked with them some more.

Tea was pumpkin soup, beef mince curry and rice.