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Mini Western Queensland Tvan tour

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  • Mini Western Queensland Tvan tour

    So we packed up the Tvan and Prado and went on a mini tour of western Queensland.


    In the village, coffee in hand and ready to go

    We identified some must dos and drew up a timetable and route. There were going to be a couple of overnighters after a longish drive and for this we opted for motel rooms.

    We drove to Roma day one then onto Carnarvon and from there to Emerald (Fairburn Dam). Lara wetlands (near Barcaldine) was next and then Longreach and Winton before heading back home via Lara and Kroombit Tops. There was no 4wding planned and you could more easily do this trip towing a caravan or staying in cabins or motel units.

    The trip to Roma was punctuated with roadworks from Toowoomba west. I reckon these added close to an hour to the trip. It didn’t help that we had a leisurely lunch in Dalby.

    We managed to get to Roma just as the roos came out to play beside the roads. If you are thinking of the same trip, then I would suggest travelling south or north rather than using this route. The traffic is heavy and the roadworks tedious.

    On the way to Carnarvon we stopped at the 2nd street café in Injune for a nice coffee and homemade banana bread. We drove into the main entrance of the gorge and stayed at Takarakka park. Originally I wanted to go into the Mt Moffatt section but the additional time would have compromised our trip. We were not disappointed by the change in plan.

    I knew that the only way to see the gorge and attractions was by foot. I wasn’t expecting the distances that we had to walk though. The afternoon after we set up camp we walked 10km in and around the visitor centre and close sights. Second day we did another 20km and the final day around 5km. And I didn’t get to the cathedral or art gallery. Nor did we do a fly around. All on the agenda for the next trip.


    Typical views on the track in


    Looking up at the canopy is always a good sight


    The start of the gorge

    There were quite a few people who underestimated the distances and how they would cope.
    The local advice is to pick the furthermost point you are walking to and go straight there and then do side trips on the way back. Seems sensible.

    Day one as I said was just a few walks in and around the visitor centre and along the creek to the rock pools. I wouldn’t waste my time again, nothing special there. I won’t waste your time with a photo.

    Most walks weave over the main creek and each crossing is numbered so you always know which way to go and pretty much where you are. Track marking and signage is good.
    mjrandom
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  • #2

    Crossing #4

    Day two we walked to Wards Canyon and while we were taking in the massive tree ferns which only grow in coastal areas other than the gorge the other visitors left.


    A mini waterfall on the way in


    Ward’s canyon tree ferns


    This canyon is simply stunning

    So we took the opportunity to have a lunch of trail mix, protein biscuits and water. From there we walked to the Amphitheatre.


    The ladder in is to the right…


    Looking back towards the ladders


    Inside


    On the way to the moss garden


    At the moss wall

    This is where the advice about doing all your side trips on the way home wasn’t such good advice. While shown as a class 3 track it is steep and there are a lot of steps. With hindsight we should have done this day one and not bothered to walk the creek to the rock pool but you really cannot tell until you do them.

    So next time… A full week. Day one to do the Moss garden and maybe Boolimba Bluff, 10km. Day two is in as far as we can get comfortably and do Boowinda Gorge, Cathedral Cave and the Art gallery. Around 20km. Day three is a day off with a night hike and look for some platypus. Day four will be a helicopter flight over the gorge and do Mickey’s Creek and take some shots this time. Day five is pack up and make our gentle way home.

    After a few days wandering the gorge we drove up to Fairburn dam. Not much to say other than the sites are quite tight and they are further from the dam (and there is no real view of the dam) than I expected based on a few camps at other dams in Queensland. Pleasant enough but no need for any other comments.

    I was quite surprised by Emerald. I thought it might have suffered the usual rural decline after the mining and gas boom died off but it looks to be growing. Found the Vybe café and had a most enjoyable lunch. To the extent that we replanned our return journey to have lunch there on the way back.
    mjrandom
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    • #3
      Lara wetlands was next.

      Lara Wetlands are on a working cattle station, that seems to be for sale if you have some spare cash. Lara Station is 28km south of Barcaldine where you turn onto a well maintained dirt road for another 13km to the wetlands.

      There are no powered sites though generators can be used in various areas. There are grassed areas around the lake and only a few designated sites. Flush toilets and hot showers (when the donkey boiler is fired up) in two locations though more are being built and potable water is available. An artesian hot spring feeds a pool where you can climb in covered in goose bumps (in winter anyway) and emerge looking like a freshly boiled lobster! You can borrow a plastic kayak and paddle around the lake. There is a camp kitchen and tours of the homestead and property are available from time to time.


      The wetlands


      Sunrise over the water

      As you would expect there are many varieties of birds that make the wetlands their home.


      Who you calling a spoon Bill?



      Keeping an eye on you


      On reflection, I am still hungry

      A caretaker is on site keeping the donkeys fed and there are piles of fire wood that you can use in the fireplaces provided.


      It’s warm over here, not so much anywhere else

      A very relaxing place. Easy access for caravans and cars alike. A few grassed areas for tent camping as well.


      Crux


      Mid morning

      Lara is close enough to Barcaldine to use as a base for the touristy things like the Tree of Knowledge or the Workers’ village.

      Fitted up the stonestompers for the dirt roads and they work well though I did notice that airflow over the Tvan changes with them in place.


      Typical camp set up
      mjrandom
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      • #4
        From Lara we went to Longreach.

        We stayed in slab huts (cabins) for the time here. A bit of a change up from the Tvan but really there were no camping grounds / caravan parks that looked as good as the places we had been. The cabin was a slab hut built to look and feel like a station outpost. A bit overdone in that regard but still close enough that I had flashbacks of my primary school memories of my grandparent’s farm so many years ago. At least I didn’t have to mow the house yard, milk the yard cow and chop the wood for the stove.

        When we unpacked the Tvan we discovered that we had suffered a bird strike on the way from Lara and the front skylight and the outer skin was smashed.


        1˝ rolls of gorilla tape later

        Our Tvan is an MkIII and these seem to have caused a few owners problems with UV damage etc. So after some research I ordered two new ones to be delivered to the office and hoped that the combination of silicon and duct tape would hold. It did.

        The plan for Longreach was to do the usual tourist things and visit the QANTAS Founders museum, Stockman’s Hall of Fame and do a Thomson River cruise.

        First off was the QANTAS museum.

        https://qfom.com.au/

        I didn’t appreciate how tough it was in the early days and how hard the founders had to work to make the company sustainable.

        We opted for the jet tour which includes walkthroughs of a 747-200 and a 707 (#13). Both well worth it though it dawned on me that I had flown in the 747 (City of Bunbury) several times! The harsh sun is taking its toll on the aircraft so hopefully the museum can get the funds together for a roof over all their aircraft. The museum has recently acquired a Boeing Constellation which is awaiting reassembly and restoration.


        AV Roe and Sons


        “Iris”

        The Hall of Fame

        http://outbackheritage.com.au/


        The main building

        Inside the main building are themed galleries showcasing the history of explorers, pastoralists, stockmen and the RFDS. There are many interactive screens and stories from the past.

        The Outback Stockman’s Show was a highlight with a Ringer going through his life and the changing times of the stockman. The show covered much of the typical duties of a stockman and demonstrated some dogs working with stock. The kelpie was named Roy for short or Ritalin Roy to give him his full name. He wanted to be involved in everything!


        Helping out while “Ritalin” Roy looks on

        Another trip down memory lane were the displays of old wood and leather working tools many of which my grandfather and father had used all those years ago.

        There was also a visiting whip maker plying his trade in the main building. Again many memories of making whips when I was at school.

        http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-2...ng-art/5618104


        “The Ringer”

        We opted for the Starlight’s Cruise experience which is run by Kinnan and Co. This includes a cruise on the river, camp fire stew dinner and Starlight’s sound and light picture show. We missed out on a place on the Thomson Belle and went on the barge. While the cruise was pleasant and entertaining it was quite a short cruise.

        https://www.outbackpioneers.com.au/

        The show was enjoyable and detailed the story of Captain Starlight’s cattle theft and drive to South Australia. My favourite part of this piece of history is the verdict and outcome after the trial in Roma. Worth a look!

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Starlight


        Thomson Belle heading into the sunset
        mjrandom
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        • #5
          After Longreach our schedule was to visit the dinosaurs in Winton. We were planning on camping in Bladensburg National park and as luck would have it the people in the next slab hut had friends camping here who had said it was dry and dusty and not pleasant. I called a Ranger who confirmed that things were pretty desperate. We then decided to vary the schedule and stay an extra night in Longreach and do a day trip to the dinosaur museum at Winton instead of camping. This worked well.


          Seemingly endless straight roads…

          A pretty long day but well worth the effort.

          http://www.australianageofdinosaurs.com/

          The Australian Age of Dinosaurs is situation 24km from Winton on the Landsborough Highway which connects Longreach and Winton. From the highway take Dinosaur drive, this is in the process of being paved so by next year the whole length will be bitumen.

          The outpost has the cretaceous café/kiosk, shop and collection room. Various tours are available and I can recommend the fossil preparation laboratory (30 minute tour, 10 minute walk from the reception centre), the collection room tour (30 minutes) and the canyon tour (90 minutes; shuttle bus from the reception centre). All up around 4 hours.


          Reception centre, Banjo stands guard

          The whole museum is a credit to those with the vision to make it happen.

          In 1999 a local grazier (David Elliott) discovered a fossilised bone which would later be identified as the thigh bone of a Cretaceous period sauropod that was around 95 million years old. Happy birthday. Over a few years more bones were found and digs arranged. An interim museum was setup on the property but this quickly became too small and hard to access so an alternative location was sought. Ultimately another family donated a portion of a mesa (jump up) to the museum and this is the current location. David Elliott has gone on to become the museum Curator. A site on the jump up has been selected for a future natural history museum.

          The museum is a not for profit organisation and you can apply to join digs or preparation of the fossils in the laboratory.


          The laboratory

          During the laboratory tour you will be allowed to touch dinosaur bones, not sure where else you can do this unless you dig them up yourself. The process of preservation is explained and you can see volunteers and staff working on the fossils.

          The Collection room tour highlights a number of bones taken from the original dig on the Elliott property and the canyon tour is set up to show how things might have been all those years ago.


          Collection centre with Matilda and Banjo

          I won’t give away the story of Matilda and Banjo, you need to hear it firsthand.
          The canyon walk has some mocked up dioramas such as this stampede:


          Stampede

          The jump up is home to three ecosystems and the views on and around are stunning.







          We didn’t do the Dinosaur stampede monument or the other attractions in Richmond and Hughenden so those are on the list for next time.
          mjrandom
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          Last edited by mjrandom; 05-08-2017, 11:01 PM.
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          • #6
            We left Longreach and headed back to Lara. The extra day we found ourselves with was added to our return stay there and gave us a chance to have a look around the area.

            From Lara we headed back towards the coast and our planned camp at Kroombit Tops. Again as luck would have it we talked with some people who had done a day trip a week before who told me the track was still pretty knocked about from cyclone Debbie and it would be worth talking with the Rangers about the condition of the razorback if we were planning on pulling the Tvan in. I didn’t manage to talk to a Ranger but did speak with the local office.

            Unfortunately, they couldn’t give me much up to date information and a google search found a couple of week to month old reviews which didn’t give me much confidence. I hadn’t packed recovery gear and being on our own I opted to head to Cania Gorge instead at the Big4 caravan park. Again no need to tow a camper or block of flats as there are cabins as well.

            Cania was quite pleasant and the walks worth the trouble though nothing in the same scale as Carnarvon. Cyclone Debbie had left the dam full and the rain and water in the creek made the stay very pleasant though we only did a couple of the walks. The weather was average and scattered showers punctuated the day. First real day time rain we had in over two weeks.


            The dam and surrounding bluffs




            Cania was an old gold mining area and some of the workings are preserved, the town was lost when the dam was built




            Back towards Monto there are a number of walks and caves to explore

            mjrandom
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            Last edited by mjrandom; 05-08-2017, 11:40 PM.
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            • #7
              edit
              mjrandom
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              • #8
                edit
                mjrandom
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                • #9
                  Nice trip report. Makes me want to go back and pick up some of the bits we missed when we skimmed through.

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                  • #10
                    Thanks. There is so much to see. I took about 1500 photographs, though lots were different long exposures of the same things.

                    I resisted posting the shots of your Prado sleeping in Longreach...
                    My 150 build - http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?27423-A-Random-approach-to-a-Bluestorm-150-GXL-D4D-automatic

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                    • #11
                      Trip looks epic.

                      You must have a pretty decent camera, those pics are so clear!

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                      • #12
                        great trip report, thanks

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                        • #13
                          A great report Michael, finally had time to read it through. Some brilliant photos as well.
                          Thanks for sharing.
                          Cheers
                          [B]Robert
                          [URL="http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?32134-Gumboot-s-120-D4D-GXL"]2007 D4D GXL Prado[/URL][/B]
                          [I]"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."[/I]
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