Oz wanderings 3

7/3/2026

Hi again from southern QL,

Next stop was the Moorinya NP- down a long side road then 17km of dirt track - and worth it. An old deserted sheeo station, with the woolshed still there. All of the old shearing gear still in place. It must have been biggie because I counted about 10 stands. The shearers quarters are there just as they left them , with lots of old bottles and tools.There was just one other couple camped there, so a very peaceful spot.Lots of birdlife attracted to the nearby river. And dingoes howling at the full moon.

Next day was a long straight drive south along a “3 lane road-“ :) one narrow strip of bitumen in the centre with an area of red dirt on each side! Really exciting when a 50m long roadtrain comes the other way. And a speed limit of 110kh.

We made it safely to Tambo and decided on a motel for the night. Tambo is where we left the main road last year on our way to Darwin. It’s also the home of the famous Chicken Races at the pub (fundraiser for local charity). So we went off to check them out. The dinner special was “Last Nights Loser” hmmm... It was very funny, and they work hard to raise money for a local kids charity. And we didn’t eat the loser.

We’d hope to head off east to Carnavon Gorge NP next but couldn’t get any accomodation apart from a campground cabin which was on offer for an eye watering $600 Aust. per night Instead we opted for the west part of the NP, Mt Moffat , which was a 249km drive from the main highway, including about 40km of dirt road, 10Km of which was pretty gnarly! We spotted an echidna crossing the road (sick joke of the day- Why did the echidna cross the road? Maybe his drink was spiked).This is what you’re reduced to after hours of driving!

Were we lost? There was very little signage and the rough track was getting narrower by the minute , but eventually we arrived at a really lovely camp spot, grassy and shade trees and very peaceful, with hardly anyone there.Two nights of peaceful camping , with lots of reading and a walk through the bush for a few kms.

After a second freezing night there , we decided that we did really want to see Carnavon Gorge so we drove to the wee town of Injune and booked a cabin in a quiet park for 2 nights . From there we drove to the gorge , which was about 150km away , with lots of caravans heading into the park for the school holidays .

It’s hard to see the actual 20km long gorge as the track winds up through the bush on one side, but we did climb up a side track to the Moss Garden , which was sandstone cliffs, waterfall and boulders. And moss. Reminded us of so many NZ places! There were lots of families out enjoying the park which was great.

On the drive back we stopped to check out a monument on the side of the road.It turned out to be the remains of a military DC3 which had been carrying US and Australian soldiers from Darwin to Cairns when it crashed in a big electrical storm. Sad ending.

We drove back to our cabin, pleased that we’d managed to get to the gorge in the end.

Next day we headed off south to Roma , which is pretty much on the main HW from Brisbane to Darwin, so lots of migrating caravans! The police officer at Injune had told us to look out for the sculpture exhibition , so after an excellent coffee at the Roma I site we headed along to check it out. And we were very glad that we had- what an astounding collection of beautiful work, mainly made from scrap metal. My favourite was a huge eagle , made by a 14 year old (his first attempt at sculpting). He had spent about a year collecting butter knives from op shops for the wings. I came away with lots of ideas for my garden!! Robbie may have to teach me to weld.

Carrying on down to St George , through cotton country, spotting a cattle drive to one side. We found a bed for the night then headed to the artesian hot pools for a soak. And chatted to some locals while our creaky joints enjoyed the hot water.

Tomorrow we turn east again towards the coast...

Jan

Jan Thomson

New Zealand Artist & Tutor

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