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Thu 22 Apr 2010

Still here on the Cooper.

 
 View of Cooper Ck from the truck.


 The campsite.


 Unfortunate grasshopper.

Fri 23 Apr 2010

We leave the Cooper and drive towards Windorah, we have no need to go into town though so we turn north when we reach the Longreach turnoff. The sign reads 92k to Jundah where we figure to stay for the night.

I've reprogrammed the speedo so need to ask Chris what speed we're doing to see if I got the numbers right. We use UHF radios to communicate between vehicles, but I use the word "communicate" loosely as the things are bloody useless. So with my speedo reading 60 and the Jimny right in front of me I get on the blower.

"How fast are we going?"
"Eh?"
"How fast?"
"92", that can't be right, the truck's never done over 80 in it's life.
"How fast?"
"92 kilometres to Jundah", bloody hell, let's try another tack.
"What speed?"
"Quarter past nine"

We eventually get to Jundah, a town with a store that's "packed full of goods" according to the Matilda Country tourist booklet we picked up in Cunamulla. I guess they are referring to the three cans of beans and single copy of January's "Womens Day".

Fair dinkum is it any wonder I've become so cynical about these promotional booklets, they can make the most awful dump sound like paradise. Not that Jundah is a dump, it seems like a typical outback town, but it's nothing like the blurb in the booklet.

Anyway there's no reason to stay so we continue. 38k later we find a fantastic rest area on the top of an escarpment. As it's a long weekend there's no need to get to Longreach until late Monday or even Tuesday so we'll stay here.

 
 
 Our campsite on top of the escarpment.

Sat 24 Apr 2010

We've got phone here, don't know from where but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Mon 26 Apr 2010

We drive to Longreach and pull into the not-so-great camping area near the river on the north side of town.

Tue 27 Apr 2010

It's into the bank to convince them to give us some of our money, then do some shopping and we're done.

Fri 30 Apr 2010

Up at the crack of 9 and off to Winton, but within a few hundred yards we are pulled over by the police who are doing some random breath testing.

It's funny how despite the fact that you haven't had a drink since yesterday and have no reason to be worried you still get that horrible feeling in you stomach when being pulled over by the cops.

On reaching Winton we drive right past the main street and down the road to Jundah. About 2k out of town we turn left, and another 2k brings us to Long Waterhole.

This'll do for a while.

 Long Waterhole at Winton.

Sat 1 May 2010

 Great egret.


 Spoonbills.


 Caterpillar crossing cracked mud flats.


 Moon and reflection in waterhole.

Sun 2 May 2010

Peter drops in today. He's a friend we first met a couple of years ago while building Wothahellizat Mk2. He's just sold his business and has started building his motorhome on a brand new MAN chassis.

He's been out west as part of the handover to the new owners of his business and we've managed to ensure that we're in the same town at the same time.

 Yellow-billed and royal spoonbills and an egret.


 Royal spoonbill.


 Crab surveying its domain.


 One grasshopper, four antennae, you figure it out.


 

Tue 4 May 2010

 Old Chinese proverb, 'Caterpillar who poos with bum over head likely to spend life eating sh*t'.


 Sharing a stick.


 Making maggots.


 
 
 Great Egret.


 Spoonbills and a magpie lark.


 Two very different forms of flight.


 

Wed 5 May 2010

 Bird looking for caterpillars.


 You talkin' to me?

Sat 8 May 2010

After a week here at Long Waterhole it's time to leave, we have another long waterhole to sit by, namely the Georgina River just outside Camooweal.

In a marathon effort we drive 297k, eventually we pull into a rest area 60k south of Cloncurry. Once again amazingly the phone works (with the broomstick aerial up), Lord knows where the signal is coming from.

Sun 9 May 2010

We're off fairly early with a view to making the short distance (60k) to Cloncurry and maybe camping at the Chinaman's Lake, unfortunately there's wall to wall "No Camping" signs so as it's only another 120k to the Isa we press on. Anyway it's a good day to be travelling as being the weekend they'll be fewer trucks on the road.

Mon 10 May 2010

We spend part of the day in town stocking up on food as it will be some weeks before we see a proper super market again.

Tue 11 May 2010

After several years we're about to get back to one of our favourite spots, the river just outside Camooweal. We arrive to find that the place seems to be more popular than we remember. No matter we find a pretty good spot and set up camp.

Wed 12 May 2010

 
 Egret, as seen from the deck.

Thu 13 May 2010

Most people have left and we find a better spot with more birds and lilies just 500 metres away, so, pain that it is, we move camp.

 Kite taking off after a drink.


 Duck!




 Magpie lark


 
 Sunset on the lilies.

Wed 14 May 2010

 
 Corellas in the dawn light.

Thu 15 May 2010

 The three amigos.


 Flaps...check, landing gear...check. Ladies and gentlemen this is Brian Olga your captain speaking. We're about to land at Camooweal, I trust you've enjoyed your flight and I'd like to thank you for flying Crane Air.


 Peaceful dove being...well peaceful.


 Peak hour, Camooweal style.


 Parents groom their young one.


 Hmm, lunch. If only they weren't so fast.


 Australasian darter.

Tue 18 May 2010

 Darter drying off.

Wed 19 May 2010

 White-faced heron.

Thu 20 May 2010

 
 
 The Camooweal synchronised head-turning team.


 
 No no, left, right, front, back, left, right, front, back, it's not that hard.

Sat 22 May 2010

 Darter, still drying off.


 
 Black kite on a stick.


 Whistling ducks.

Sun 23 May 2010

 Magpie lark.


 Black kite, there's been many times in my life I've been glad not to be a mouse, and this is one of them.


 Corella taking off.


 Spider and moon.


 Corella at sunset.

Mon 24 May 2010

 Eurasian coot.


 Magpie lark catching a bug.


 Black-winged stilt, nice legs, can't imagine where the name comes from.

Tue 25 May 2010

 Straw-necked ibis in the rain.


 
 
 Black kites and sunset sky.


 Whistling ducks, eye light is from the flash. Note the last one has its eyes closed.

Wed 26 May 2010

 
 Whistling ducks.


 Glossy ibis.


 Black kite gets a drink.


 Black-winged stilt.


 
 
 Black kites.


 Black kite and moon, photographers may spot a discrepency here.


 Corella and moon.

Thu 27 May 2010

 Darter giving voice.


 
 
 Birds in flight (BiF) shots, black kites and a brolga.


 Kite and moon again (different kite but the same moon).


 Two kites on two sticks, does that make it twice as good as the early kite on stick shots?


 
 Water lily and reflection of moon.

Fri 28 May 2010

 Yeah me n the missus like to step out for a walk before breakfast.


 
 Brolgas in the mist.


 Sorry can't stop, I'll eat on the run.

Mon 31 May 2010

 Magpie lark in a fluster.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 More BiF shots.

Wed 2 Jun 2010

 Nature's B1 bomber, complete with rotating rear stabilizer.


 I reckon we're nearly good enough to join the Camooweal synchronised head-turning team. Do they accept white-breasted woodswallows?


 Ok, that's close enough!


 Whoa, how did that get there?


 
 
 
 'So you think you can dance' Camooweal auditions 2010.

Mon 7 Jun 2010

Is it four weeks already? My how time flies. To be honest I could stay here another four weeks but I suppose there are other great places to be, so we'll move off tomorrow.

Finally we'll be back in the Northern Territory, it's been about four years since we were in the Territory and that's way too long. We can't wait to get back.

Not that we'll be staying very long this time, we're planning to pretty much drive straight through into WA, but that could still take a couple of months at our rate. I guess it depends on how many nice campsites we find.

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