Goodbye NT and Hello QLD

We realised our Northern Territory adventure was finally finished so after saying a sad goodbye to Kakadu we drove until dusk and found a dodgy little campsite at Pussycat flats. Set on an old racecourse, this place barely had fifteen grey nomads vans on its very dry, dusty and large location. Mel was not impressed when they told her that kids were welcome to stay only if they were quiet. They then put us out on the dustiest site they had. Mel was very keen to let the kids run naked screaming around the dust bowl but being the nice people we are we didn’t bother. We were leaving early the next day so left Nancy hitched up to Bruce as we were keen to cross the Queensland border. But first we had one last major stop to do in the NT. 

Jim the Scottish host at Daly Waters Pub

Ummm I think Glenno was impersonating the Blade Runner but I am not sure!

The famous Daly Waters Pub! Yes this was a great night and if you ever get the chance to do it we would definitely say it’s worth the trip. The pub is a tin shack full of people’s t-shirts, licences, passport photos, bras and anything else that is way out there. The campsite is all dirt but has very clean ensuite sites and Jim the Scottish host rides his bike (horsehead and all) and escorts you to your campsite. If that’s not enough the food is superb, the country music is a hoot and the free colouring-in book, treasure hunt and ice-cream that the kids get is even better. We relented and let the kids have a Fanta drink with dinner and Mel had three wines and that was it, Camo was up dancing with his girlfriend he just met and Mel couldn’t string a sentence together. The night was entertaining for all. In Mel’s defence the glasses of wine were not the usual standard but literally filled to the brim of the glass. Obviously no RSA inspections here! Gotta love the outback.

The next day we drove a good 60 kilometres on the Barkley Highway in a straight line before there was a small curve in the road. Mel had to wake Glenno up from driving behind the wheel when the corner came (joke mum).

Wake up Glenno, there's finally a curve coming up after 60kms

Where the hell are we?

One way to pass the time

One minute there are trees and the next .............. there are none!

Let us tell you the drive is BORING! When we were nearly at the QLD border the scenery changed dramatically. We saw the normal dry landscape of the NT with scattered trees then all of a sudden there were no trees at all! If you look closely at the photo you will see trees on the right hand side of the photo and then all of a sudden, they drop off! That was the highlight of our day of driving! We drove until dusk again and found an overnight roadside stop at Sudan Bore. This was our first overnight rest stop without the convenience of a toilet. Although this is a safe option as there are many others doing the same it wasn’t as comfortable as what we are used to but doable when you are travelling and saving some cash. We did however manage to break our van door and needed to tape it up over night with not much luck. The following day we drove through Mt Isa looking for a caravan repairs shop but could not find any. Mt Isa is your typical country mining town and reminded us of Broken Hill with man-made mountains of dirt on the outskirts of town. 

We decided to drive onwards and found an overnight stay at a place called Corella Creek Country Stay at Nelia 2km off the Barkley Highway. This township of ten people is in the middle of QLD. As we drove towards the campsite we noticed many goats grazing along the roadside. We pulled up and were greeted by our friendly host Eric (who had probably been waiting all day for someone to drive past) who proceeded to tell us they were his pet goats and showed us to our site. Eric allows 4 vans in his backyard at a time at $25, a clean toilet, hot shower (with bathmat!) and a chance to sit by the fire at night with his twenty goats. When we say you sit by the fire with his goats we literally mean they sit on a chair next to you. Camo was put in his place from the moment we arrived. Sebastian the bull goat head-butted Camo and poor Camo came out second best. From that moment Camo kept asking ‘where is the Boss goat’! The kids absolutely loved the experience especially since we were the only ones there. They were able to feed the chooks and the baby goats. We on the other hand were not impressed at being woken the next morning at 5am by the rooster so were on the road even earlier than normal and smelling like a goat. 

The kids were only 5 days old and very cute

Our kids loving the little kids

We drove to Richmond which is part of Australia’s Dinosaur Trail and went to the museum to see some real dinosaur bones that were found on properties by local farmers. In particular it has many impressive marine fossils and an extraordinary Plesiosaurus.

The Plessi

Our bugger of a door

Heading further east the scenery was different again. We now had mountains on either side of us, the White Mountain National Park on the left and the Moorrinya National Park on the right. It was a lovely sight to see before entering Charters Towers where we were staying for one night. This country town is an hour out of Townsville but we really needed to stop as it had been a very long three days of travelling from one side of Queensland to the other. It brings it home just how big Australia really is. Tomorrow we will be on the coast and we are all looking forward to smelling the ocean and seeing the blue water dazzle before our eyes and also to pick up our new door lock which Mel organised to be freighted down from Cairns to Jayco Townsville.

TIP: We have forgotten to mention the best phone App we have on this trip. WIKI CAMPS. Do not leave home without this. Also, pack 100 mile an hour tape in your tool box as it comes in handy for all sorts of things especially taping a van door together while travelling. Glenno will do a fix it post later. To pass the time in the car, try to get a hold of (I mean download) some audiobooks instead of more music. So far we have listened to 2 x 12 hour action novels and a 1930’s mystery.